Good things in our Downtown and Historic Five Points area
Downtown Montgomery continues to bloom, becoming a more vibrant place to live, work and enjoy. Though we're up on a hill above "downtown proper," Cottage Hill is considered a downtown neighborhood, easily within walking or biking distance of growing entertainment, sports and dining options. Though change is sometimes slow in coming around here, there have been some fantastic developments recently, making Montgomery and Cottage Hill even more attractive! You can even hear the fireworks coming from the Biscuit's baseball field. :)
A development called The Alley has become a really cool hub of activity, home to Dreamland Barbecue, The Alley BAR, and 129 Coosa, with plans to add other establishments. Montgomery Living's article is a nice summary of what's up downtown.
Across the street from The Alley is the gorgeous new Renaissance Hotel and Montgomery's convention and performance center. A Wintzel's Oyster House has opened on their block, adding yet another restaurant to choose from.
But wait, there's more!
Nearby Cottage Hill, there's also Isaiah's Restaurant, with excellent homestyle cooking in a clean, pleasant environment.
Down the hill, near the convention center there's a skate park.
A riverboat is again plying the waters of the Alabama River, with jazz and dinner cruises, and lunchtime cruises for kids.
Great hot coffee at Cool Beans.
Old Alabama Town is a nice historic stop, but there's also a cafe in the neighborhood, Nellie Cameron's, and it's home to some area offices.
Smoothies and Things is definitely within walking distance, and is kind of a busy spot on Saturdays! They have WIFI and healthy food options.
New South Books is a bookstore and publisher we like a lot.
Museum/History-oriented attractions downtown include the state archives, the Dexter Avenue Church and Memorial Building, the Hank Williams Museum, the First White House of the Confederacy, Old Alabama Town (which I already mentioned), the famous Freedom Riders' Greyhound bus station, and several more places where one can dig into the history of the area.
Five Points at Cottage Hill
The initial design for the new Five Points roundabout, prepared by local architecture firm, Seay Seay & Litchfield, was presented by Landscape Architect Casey Ivy to a group of City planners, local developers and Cottage Hill historic foundation board members on August 27, 2007 at City Hall.
Redeveloping Five Points as a Demonstration Area was called for in the Dover Kohl plan as an immediate project, and construction is scheduled to begin in Spring 2008.
Plans for the roundabout include a 68' central green space, cobblestone or brick pavers on the traffic loop, tree-lined streets and "EastChase-style" speed humps to slow traffic coming into the cirle.
