Cheap flights to Alabama from £269

Why book flights to Alabama? It was in Alabama where Rosa Parks calmly refused to give up her seat at the front of a bus to a white passenger, sparking the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. It was in Alabama where workers built the first space shuttle that would send humans to the moon, signalling the start of the U.S. Space Programme. It was in Alabama where the Freedom March took place from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.

It’s no wonder Alabama’s state motto is “We dare defend our rights”. Today, Alabama is home to universities, monuments and museums that continue to pay tribute to the past by remembering the struggles of its people. Travellers seeking a more in-depth look at some of the more pivotal points in US history book flights to Alabama every year.

Alabama climate

Like most of the South, Alabama’s summers are long, hot, and humid. The temperature and humidity start to build in May and peak in July and August with temperatures in the 30s (Celsius). Northern Alabama tends to be a bit cooler with its state parks and low mountains.The winds from the Gulf of Mexico keep the winters mild in southern Alabama and slightly cooler in the north. There can even be a light snowfall in the north.The hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30 and can be particularly intense along the coast.

Getting around Alabama

Some say the best way to get around Alabama is to rent a convertible and cruise with the top down. If you prefer air conditioning, renting a car is still the best way to get around the state.

Amtrak trains from New York and Atlanta make stops throughout the state, and there are bus services connecting major towns and cities. The larger cities have small airports and the Dothan Regional Airport also provides flights within Alabama.

Taxis are available in the cities, as are buses in the larger cities.

What is good to know if travelling to Alabama?

• There are many museums throughout Alabama if you want to pursue the trail of the civil rights movement. The Rosa Parks museum in Montgomery is based on the site of her arrest and tells of the events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott; in Tuskegee is the Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Centre; in Montgomery you can walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where marchers were attacked on Bloody Sunday in 1965 – the route is now a national historic trail.
• There are more than 20 state parks in Alabama, with facilities for camping, boating, hiking or fishing. The alapark website has details about them all.
• Old Alabama Town in Montgomery is a collection of well-preserved 19th and 20th century buildings set in downtown Montgomery. The buildings have been restored to show how the original settlers of Alabama would have lived – from those who inhabited the most magnificent townhouses to the rural pioneers.