Visitors to Alabama, the 'Heart of Dixie,' come in search of a historical lesson and leave enthralled with the state's natural beauty, diverse architecture, and rich cultural heritage. Montgomery, the first capital of the Confederacy and birthplace of Civil Rights Movement, is often the first stop in a state where elegant plantation homes provide a counterpoint to decades of hardship and struggle. Important monuments in Montgomery include the 1851 State Capitol and the White House of the Confederacy, the Civil Rights Memorial designed by Maya Lin, the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, and the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, also in Montgomery, attracts more than 300,000 visitors annually, and is the 6th largest Shakespeare festival in the world. In nearby Tuskegee, the George Washington Carver Museum is a popular destination, and in October the Tale Tellin' Festival in Selma attracts out-of-state visitors and locals alike. The Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame are important stops on any Alabama itinerary, as are the 67-acre Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Historic Alabama Theater, which features films, concerts, and live performances 300 nights a year. Just outside Birmingham, earthen mounds mark the location of a prehistoric metropolis in Moundville Archeological Park, and in Tuscaloosa sunset cruises aboard paddle ships on the Black Warrior River draw crowds, as well as daily tours of opulent antebellum mansions. The US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville is a pleasant day trip from Birmingham, and no visit to the state is complete without a day or two in historically and architecturally diverse Mobile, where Victorian mansions, French and Spanish forts, and Greek-Italianate villas may be found on a single azalea-lined street. Fresh seafood, barbecue, and authentic southern cooking or 'soul' food are plentiful throughout the state, as are antique shops selling Civil War memorabilia. Historic inns and guest houses provide comfortable accommodations, and B&Bs offer unparalleled hospitality in lovingly restored homes.