Welcome to the South and the capital of Alabama. Montgomery is the closest city to Maxwell Air Force Base, home of the 908th Airlift Wing and the Air University. You’ll probably be doing a lot of studying while living here. Most of the time the base will offer you places to study – your barracks or home, the on-base library or one of the classrooms. Sometimes you may just want to get out and do some exploring. Whether you need Wi-Fi for computer work, or just want a quiet place to get some reading done Montgomery offers several places to get the job done. We’ve put together a few spots for you, but we’d love to hear your additions to the list.
Prevail Union Montgomery – {39 Dexter Avenue} Listed as one of Montgomery’s best coffee shops, it Prevail Union Montgomery was also rated the best coffee shop in Alabama by Food and Wine Magazine. They offer your standard coffee fare, as well as teas and specialty drinks like Alabama Stinger. The interior space is a good size with lots of seating, so bring your laptop ready to work.
Vintage Café – {416 Cloverdale Rd} An area favorite, Vintage Café is part coffee shop and part restaurant, providing healthy and light fare eats like salads and paninis. With plenty of outdoor and indoor seating, Vintage Café provides a nice place to study and people watch for those that don’t need complete silence to study.
River Front Park/Oak Park – Frequently mentioned as two of the best parks in the area, both River Front and Oak Park provide plenty of options for those that love to study in the great outdoors. Knock out some reading on a park bench or bring a blanket and some food and set up camp for a while. River Front Park is also a great place to come back and visit when you aren’t studying. With events, steamboat rides and weekly entertainment it’s a great place for fun with friends, a date night or family fun. Oaks Park is a 40-acre space with hiking trails, ponds, play areas, and open spaces. You will also find Montgomery’s Planetarium, the W.A. Gayle Planetarium, so put that on the list to come back and check out or utilize it as a study break.
Huntingdon College – A college of the United Methodist Church, Huntingdon sits on 70-acres right in the suburbs of Montgomery. With open areas, lots of trees and beautiful buildings to take in, it provides a great place for outdoor study.
Montgomery County Public Library System – If a quiet place to study is more to your liking, Montgomery County has eleven library branches to choose from. Some locations like the Juliette Hampton Memorial branch are open on Sunday afternoons until 6 pm, which is helpful for those weekend study sessions. The Rufus A Lewis branch is open until 9 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays. The rest of the branches offer standard week-day times and are usually open until 6 pm.
Montgomery is full of history and some good BBQ, so make sure to take advantage of all the things to do and see in the area when you don’t have your nose in a book. Happy studying!
Written by: Rheanna Bernard
