In recent years, Montgomery has grown and diversified its economy through revitalizing the Court Square and the riverfront, and additionally, revitalizing Historic Dexter Avenue, pedestrian, and infrastructure improvements along the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.
Montgomery features a stimulating arts scene. The city is home to many museums like the Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park, the Montgomery Museum of Arts, the Museum of Alabama, and the Hank Williams Museum. There is also the Montgomery Zoo and the W.A Gayle Planetarium, which is one of the largest in the Southeast United States and offers tours of the night sky.
Numerous musical performers have roots in Montgomery: Toni Tennille of the Captain and Tennille, jazz singer and pianist Nat King Cole, country singer Hank Williams, blues singer Big Mama Thornton, Melvin Franklin of the Temptations, and Tommy Shaw of Styx.