DEL.ICIO.USFROM ATLANTA TO MONROEVILLE, AL
One-tank trip: Monroeville, AL
For the Journal-Constitution
Sunday, May 31, 2009
It takes about four hours to drive to Monroeville, Ala., but for many visitors to this small Southern town, the trip covers more than miles.
The town will transport fans of the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” back to the days of the Depression, when the characters of Scout, Jem and Atticus Finch lived in a clapboard house not far from the town square.
Monroe County Heritage Museums
The imposing red brick Monroe County Courthouse dominates the square in Monroeville, Al., home of author Harper Lee.
Monroe County Heritage Museums
Monroeville’s unusual oval courtroom depicted in the 1962 movie was copied by set designers on a sound stage in Hollywood and won an Academy Award.
Monroeville, the tiny town where native Harper Lee penned her famous novel, stood in for the Finches’ fictitious hometown. A walking tour takes visitors past many of the scenes in the novel, starting on the square where the towering red and white courthouse dominates the landscape.
Built in 1903, this is the same building where Lee’s attorney father practiced and the one she re-created in the novel. (In 1962, Hollywood followed suit: When the movie of the book was made, set decorators re-created the unusual oval courtroom with its curving balcony on a sound stage and won an Academy Award for their efforts.)
With its clapboard bungalows, shady streets and rural setting, Monroeville has maintained its yesteryear feel. Fans of both the book and the movie will leave feeling they’ve visited the heart of the story.
The only thing they won’t find is Harper Lee: The immensely private author makes Monroeville her home, but exactly where is a closely guarded secret the locals won’t divulge.
Attractions
The Monroe County Heritage Museums: 31 N. Alabama Ave., 251-575-7433; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. www.tokillamockingbird.com.
The restored courthouse is the town’s main attraction. Visitors can sit in the balcony of the oval courtroom; check out a 1930s law office designed after the one Lee’s father maintained; and pick up memorabilia, books, DVDs and CDs in the gift shop. There are permanent exhibits on Truman Capote, who spent much of his childhood in Monroeville, as well as filmed interviews with folks who grew up with Lee. The “Heritage Museums” umbrella includes a grist mill, church and Alabama River museum. Throughout the year, the museum sponsors a variety of events, including “Mockingbird” seminars, summer camps, history tours and a production of “Mockingbird” staged in and around the courthouse.
Walking tours
Pick up a map from the courthouse museum and visit the site of Harper Lee’s childhood home and that of her frequent neighbor, Truman Capote. Meander along South Alabama Avenue and its charming old homes; stop in the Monroe County Library, which, in the early 1960s, was the hotel where actor Gregory Peck stayed when he came to town. Capote’s mother and Lee’s father are buried in the Methodist and Baptist cemeteries along the stroll.
Where to stay
Best Western, 4419 S. Alabama Ave., 251-575-9999;
www.bestwestern.com. Rates average $75.
Holiday Inn Express, 120 Hwy. 21, 1-877-863-4780; www.hiexpress.com. Rates range from $100 to $150.
The Mary Elizabeth Stallworth Home, 1197 Main St., Beatrice, 251-575-4021; www.beatricebedandbreakfast.com. This restored old home boasts a wide front porch and three guest rooms with private baths about 20 miles beyond Monroeville. Rates range from $100 to $150 per night.
Where to eat
Along with a variety of fast-food outlets, check out these local favorites:
David’s Catfish House, 145 Hwy. 84 East; 251-575-3460; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; $8-$15. www.davidscatfishhouse.com. Along with the signature dish, there are oysters, shrimp, burgers and steaks.
Mel’s Dairy Dream, 216 S. Alabama Ave., 251-743-2483; 10 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Monday-Saturday. $2-$8. Grab a sandwich or scoop of ice cream at Mel’s, which sits on the site of Lee’s childhood home.
Radley’s Fountain Grille, 1559 S. Alabama Ave., 251-743-2345; 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. $10.29-$16.29. www.radleysfountaingrille.com. Go for a shrimp po’ boy with homemade remoulade sauce.
If you go
266 miles from Atlanta on I-85 South to I-65 toward Mobile; about four hours to drive.
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