A guide to Montgomery attractions to visit for Hank Williams' 100th

Shannon Heupel, Montgomery Advertiser

August 31, 2023 at 6:13 PM·6 min read

As Hank Williams' 100th birthday nears on Sept. 17, thousands of his fans are expected to roll into Montgomery for the full Hank experience. After all, he played on the city streets here before embarking on a radio show and recording career that would capture the nation's attention.

Here's a look at some Hank attractions and historic stomping grounds that visitors — and locals — won't want to miss.

Hank Williams' grave

Location: 304 Upper Wetumpka Road, Montgomery
About: Hank’s gravesite is a must-see for visiting Hank Fans. Interestingly, it’s also the gravesite of Hank’s first wife, Audrey ? the mother of Hank Williams Jr. ? although they were divorced. Not long before his death, Hank had remarried to Billie Jean Horton, who is still alive. The gravesite is a beautiful spot in Oakwood Cemetery Annex, designed the way Hank would have wanted it ? perfect for an audience to gather. One of the interesting pieces at it is a stone version of Hank's hat.

Event: They’ll host a free gathering there on Sept. 17 starting at 8:45 a.m. in honor of Hank’s 100^th birthday, with music, a wreath laying, and a resolution proclaiming Sept. 17, 2023, as Hank Williams Day.

Location: 216 Commerce St.
Info: Since 1991, a 6-foot-2 bronze statue of Hank Williams has stood tall over Montgomery. But it has only been since 2016 that it’s stood in the middle of downtown at the intersection of Commerce and Tallapoosa streets, near the tunnel entrance to Riverfront Park. Prior to the move, it stood in Lister Park, next to City Hall. It was created by Texas sculptors Doug and Sandra McDonald. Today, it faces toward areas of public foot traffic and live nightly music.

Location: 118 Commerce St., Montgomery
About: Just a short stroll down the street from Hank’s statue is the Hank Williams Museum, a 6,000-square-foot facility with a pretty strong claim of having the most complete collection of Hank Williams memorabilia anywhere. They’ve got more than 35 cases full of personal artifacts, Hank’s 1952 Baby Blue Cadillac, 17 of Hank’s suits and many more of his other clothing items, three life-size portraits from Hank and Audrey’s home, instruments, signed programs and books, and much, much more. They also frequently host concerts. There’s a gift shop full of Hank items you can purchase.
Admission: Adult ages 18 and up $13.50, students age 15-17 are $6, ages 5-14 are $4, ages 4 and under are free.
Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sunday
More info: Call 334-262-3600 or visit thehankwilliamsmuseum.net
Note: The museum is organizing an exhibit and concert on Sept. 7 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, and three days of concerts in Montgomery at the Davis Theatre on Sept. 15-17. Tickets available online at eventbrite.com.

Location: 138 Dexter Ave., Montgomery
About: There are a lot of historic places connected to Hank, and some of them used to be restaurants. But Chris’ Hot Dogs in downtown Montgomery is special because it’s still open today, and you can go in and actually eat where Hank did. It’s a family-owned restaurant that’s been visited by presidents, governors, movie stars (Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart), and music icons like Elvis Presley, Tommy Shaw and, of course, Hank Williams. The tale owners have passed along to customers is that Hank would show up late after gigs, sit in a back booth and sober up. They’ve been open since 1917, and among their full menu of items and sides, they specialize in hotdogs, burgers and a family recipe chili sauce.
Hours: Monday -Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Info: 334-265-6850 or chrishotdogs.com

Location: 121 Montgomery St.
About: Operated by the Xides family from 1911 until 1990, The Elite Cafe in downtown Montgomery is where Hank sang on Dec. 28, 1952, his last public performance. It was during a party for the American Federation of Musicians union. He died days later on Jan. 1, 1953. While The Elite is gone, these days 121 Montgomery St. is the home of D'Road Cafe, where you can get Venezuelan-Latin breakfast, lunch and dinner. Stop by and visit owner Janett Malpartida, who is a delight and an amazing chef.
D'Road hours: Tuesday-Saturday 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., and Friday also from 6-9 p.m.

Location: 103 N. Perry St.
Info: The area that is Montgomery's City Hall today was the city's Municipal Auditorium in Hank's day. It would also be the place where around 25,000 people swarmed to say one last goodbye to Hank, as the site of his services. They could only fit about 3,000 inside.

Location: 344 Montgomery St.
Info: When Hank was just a "singing kid" of around 13, he landed a gig singing live on WSFA radio (With the South's Finest Airport). It's a job he and his Drifting Cowboys would have there for several years, even as Hank's popularity as a recording artist began to rise. Today, that area is known as the Jefferson Davis Apartments. Though the radio station is no longer there, it still operates today as WLWI, and is owned by Cumulus Media.

Location: 234 Montgomery St.
About: Back in 1937, a teenage Hank Williams took a shot at putting his music out in front of the public. He entered an amateur singing contest at the Empire Theater with an original song "WPA Blues," and won a $15 prize. Today, the Empire is no more, but in its place is the Rosa Parks Museum, which is also an amazing place to visit. Parks' arrest, which helped spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott to help end segregation on city buses, happened about two years after Hank's death.
Rosa Parks Museum info: It's open for self-guided tours Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Admission is $7.50 for ages 13 and up, $5.50 for ages 4-12, and free for 3 and younger. Learn more online at troy.edu/student-life-resources/arts-culture/rosa-parks-museum/visit.html

Location: 1756 S. Court St.
About: Did you know that Hank was a Poet? In this case, that doesn't refer to his singing tales of being lonesome or drops of tears in his beer — which he wouldn't have been old enough to legally drink anyway. At 16, Hank was briefly enrolled at Sidney Lanier High School, the Poets. It kinda made sense he was there, since the building's exterior is very castle like, and his middle name was King — Hiram King Williams. But apparently he kept falling asleep on his throne... er, desk. Late-night concerts made it hard to do classwork. He dropped out in 1939. In 2022, plans were announced to merge Lanier and Carver High School, and discontinue use of the Lanier building. That's currently set to happen in the 2024-25 school year.

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at [email protected].