Alabama Vacation and Travel Ideas for Literary Tours LiteraryTraveler.com

Travel Profiles

Literary Site and Travel Tour Listing

Alabama Travel

Alabama Vacation and Travel Ideas for Literary Tours

F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald Museum
919 Felder Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36106
Website: http://www.fitzgerald-museum.com/
Email: info@fitzgerald-museum.com Phone: (334) 264-4222

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 - 1940) and his wife, Zelda, rented this house in Montgomery, Alabama in October of 1931 and lived here with their daughter, Scottie, until April 1932. Although the Fitzgeralds were world-travelers, living, among other places, in Paris, New York, and Hollywood, this is the only museum in the world dedicated to them.
This home was built in 1909, and much of it is now is used for apartments. Only the first floor is open to the public. A tour guide welcomes visitors and is available for questions, while a 30-minute documentary of the Fitzgeralds provides background information about the Fitzgeralds. Among the items on display are two marble-topped tables from Zelda's childhood home in Montgomery, several of Zelda's paintings, and many photographs and letters from the life and times of the Fitzgeralds. F. Scott Fitzgerald worked on his novel Tender Is the Night, and Zelda began her only published novel, Save Me the Waltz, while living in the house.

Alabama Shakespeare Festival
Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park
1 Festival Drive
Montgomery, AL 36117
Website: http://www.asf.net/asf/index.aspx
Email: Go to "Contact Us" section of website
Phone: (800) 841-4ASF

This year-round theater with an international reputation is home to the world's sixth largest Shakespeare festival, Each year, three Shakespearian plays are performed as well as the works of Chekhov, Tennessee Williams, and George Bernard Shaw, for a total of 14 productions per year. The gorgeous theater is dramatically situated on the shores of a lake, and is surrounded by sprawling grounds. Travel packages and a visitor's guide are available on the website. Special note: Ticket prices seem reasonable starting from $21.99. Ordering online is easy and fast.

The Old Court House Museum
Two-act stage performance of To Kill a Mockingbird (only during the month of May)
31 North Alabama Avenue
Monroeville, AL 36460
Website: http://www.tokillamockingbird.com/
Email: mchm@frontiernet.net
Phone: (251) 575-7433

Harper Lee's (b. 1926) Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird comes to life as actors recreate a two-act stage version of the book. True to the novel, the play illuminates the Southern racial issues of the 1930s. Lee, who grew up in Monroeville, based To Kill a Mockingbird on the residents of the town, including her childhood friend, Truman Capote, who inspired the character of Dill.

The courtroom theater is packed for performances, and the play attracts audience members from all over the world. The cast is made up of local actors who have traveled to countries such as Israel and England to entertain and educate audiences. Advance reservations are recommended.

Ivy Green: Birthplace of Helen Keller
300 West North Commons
Tuscumbia, AL 35674
Website: http://www.helenkellerbirthplace.org/
Email: - none listed
Phone: (256) 383-4066

Built by Helen Keller's grandparents, the Ivy Green estate sits on 640 acres of land and includes the quaint, white cottage where Helen Keller (1880 - 1968) was born and that she lived in with her teacher Anne Sullivan. Today it houses the Keller's original furnishings as well as Helen's collection of Braille books and her Braille typewriter; along with gifts and mementos she gathered from the countries she visited while increasing awareness of the deaf-blind community. English Ivy, for which the house was named, flourishes on the grounds, along with, 150-year-old boxwood trees, roses, mimosas and honeysuckles. Their scent serves as a reminder of Helen's dependence on her sense of smell to learn about the world around her.

Ivy Green truly comes alive in June during the Helen Keller Festival, which celebrates the remarkable woman's life with art and live music. Children play games to realize the challenges of being deaf-blind, while the whole family can watch the parade, participate in walks, runs, and a golf tournament, or sample foods from the many vendors. Over 75,000 festival-goers crowd the town for these five days. From June 20th- 24th.

Another popular event is the play The Miracle Worker, written by William Gibson and performed annually on weekends from June 8th to July 14th. Acted out by professionals on the grass of Ivy Green, the play dramatizes the struggles of Keller, and the "miracle" of meeting teacher Anne Sullivan, who took her out of the darkness.

Special note: Tickets are $10 for reserved seating and $7 for general admission. Call 888-329-2124 to purchase. Get there early for a good seat! Early arrival is recommended. For more information about tickets, visit http://www.helenkellerbirthplace.org/miracleworker/miracleworker.html.

The Oaks, Home of Booker T. Washington
On the grounds of the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site
1212 West Montgomery Road
Tuskegee, AL 36087
Website: The Oaks does not have an independent website . Information about the home may be found at: (http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/tuskegee/btwoaks.htm) and at http://www.nps.gov/tuin/
Email: Go to http://www.nps.gov/tuin/contacts.htm
Phone: (334) 727-3200

Author, educator, and civic leader Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1915) was born into slavery in Virginia, and received his freedom in 1865 with the Emancipation Proclamation. His autobiography, Up From Slavery (1901), was a best seller, and had a tremendous impact on the African American community and its allies. Washington was the first African American to visit the White House as a guest, at the invitation of President Theodore Roosevelt. He worked tirelessly throughout his life to improve race relations in the U.S.

Washington founded Tuskegee Institute in 1881 to provide vocational study for black youth, and under his direction Tuskegee became one of the leading African-American educational institutions in the country. The Oaks, a 28-room mansion on the grounds of the Institute, was built by students, to impress investors and important guests. The home's stunning interior boasts a variety of luxurious features, including European architectural details, a Japanese teakwood desk, and the ornate oak balustrade and paneling that inspired the name of the house. Washington and his family welcomed students, faculty and even William H. Taft and Andrew Carnegie into their one-of-a-kind home.

Completed in 1900, the Oaks remained Washington's residence until his death in 1915. It was here that he wrote his autobiography Up From Slavery and The Life of Frederick Douglass, along with a number of other works. Still popular today, Up From Slavery famously reads: "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed."

Booker T. Washington is also remembered with the Booker T. Washington Monument at his birthplace in Hardy, Virginia. For more information, see the Booker T. Washington Monument, and visit: http://www.virginia.org/site/ or call: (540) 721-2094.