Selma, AL Road Trips
Plan drives from Selma, AL with practical route pages for distance, drive time, fuel cost, road character, and places to stop along the way.
Photo: Muhammad Nabeel
Trip Routes
1
Longest Drive
110.7 mi
Opelika, AL
Quickest Drive
2h 8m
Opelika, AL
Plan Around Selma, AL
Popular Incoming Routes
Useful if Selma, AL is the arrival point and you want the strongest routes into the city first.
Selma, AL by the Numbers
Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Population
17,442
Median Income
$32,184
Median Home Value
$102,500
Median Age
39.4
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.
Traveler Guide to Selma, AL
Selma is a city in Alabama. Selma has the distinction of being a notable place in the pages of history, for its role in the Civil War and doubly-so for its role in the Civil Rights Movement. Though a bit forgotten and depressed today, during the Confederacy it was second only to Richmond in providing critical munitions from an armory, and thus was a target of Union forces, which, through stealth and sacrifice, took the city in the final month of the Civil War, and set General Nathan Bedford Forrest on the run, though this guy managed to live to a ripe old age anyway. This was known as the Battle of Selma. White segregationists weren't about to have equal rights and treatment after the Civil War dust had settled though, and they put a stranglehold on any such idea in Selma with an unduly heavy hand.
1 Edmund Pettus Bridge. The Edmund Winston Pettus Bridge was the scene of the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965. The demonstrations that occurred here led to the U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965. The bridge was erected in 1939 and named after U.S. Senator Edmund Winston Pettus. 2 National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, 6 US Hwy. 80 East (Foot of the Edmund Pettus bridge), ☏ +1 334 526 4340. M-Th 10AM-4PM; F-Su : by appointment only. (updated Mar 2017) 3 Brown Chapel AME Church, 410 Martin Luther King St, ☏ +1 334 874 7897. This house of worship is a historical site of essentially where the Voter Registration Act began with such visionaries as Reverend Ralph Abernathy, statesman John Lewis, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr meeting to start the grassroots campaign, and where the latter spoke on the topic of redress, in defiance of the authorities. The church is in a bit of a rough neighborhood, so use common sense. (updated Aug 2021) 4 Slavery & Civil War Museum, 1410 Water Ave, ☏ +1 334 526-4000. M-Sa 10AM-5PM (Sundays and off hours, call to schedule). (updated Mar 2017) 5 Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, 9518 Cahaba Rd, Orrville, AL, ☏ +1 334 872-8058. Th-M 10am-5pm, closed Tu and W. Discover here the original capital of the Cotton State, from 1819-1826, beside the muddy Alabama River. Very rustic, like Alabama's very own ghost town. (updated Aug 2021) 6 Sturdivant Hall Museum, 713 Mabry St, ☏ +1 334 872-5626. Tu-Sa 10am-4pm, closed Su-M. A Greek Revival mansion of outstanding quality built in 1856, if you're wanting to explore an antebellum era property.
1 Paul Grist State Park, 1546 Grist Rd, ☏ +1 334-872-5846. 7AM-7PM, daily. Officeː 8AM-5PM. 100 acre lake with 11 modern campsites, and nearby primitive camping. $3, Ages 6-12 and 62+ $2. (updated Dec 2025)
Tally-Ho Restaurant, 509 Mangum Ave, ☏ +1 334-872-1390. M-Th 5-9PM, F Sa 5-10PM. (updated Aug 2021)
1 St. James Hotel (formerly a Hilton), 1200 Water Ave, ☏ +1 334 553-6700, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. An authentic choice, with wraparound decks and views of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and restaurant with paid breakfast available. $120-150. (updated Jul 2025) Hampton Inn Selma, 2200 W Highland Ave, ☏ +1 334-876-9995, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Indoor pool, fitness center, hot breakfast, and Wi-Fi included. (updated Jul 2025)
From Montgomery US-80 W/Alabama 8/Selma Hwy toward Selma.
Travel tips adapted from Selma (Alabama) on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.
Trips to Selma, AL
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