Downtown Montgomery hosts triple event Saturday with riverboat tours, dining and classic cars

The Harriott II Riverboat has a new look to show off, and tours to explore it are being offered for free as part of a triple downtown Montgomery event Saturday from 4-8 p.m.

At the same time, downtown dining is happening on Commerce Street, and a car show is taking place at the Union Station Train Shed.

No need to pick between them. You can try all three. 

"Ideally, you can come down, grab something to eat, go check out the car show, go check out the river boat, and just have a nice evening downtown where you can socially distance safely in an outside open-air environment," said Jamie Gonzalez, special events manager for Montgomery.

Riverboat tour

It's not quite time to take a trip along the Alabama River on the Harriott II, but the city's riverboat is ready when those are allowed again. 

"The Harriott II has been completely redone on the inside," Gonzalez said. "(The tour) is for people to come and see all the new improvements we've made."

There's no charge to participate in the tour, and no registration is required. Gonzalez said they're just limiting the number of guests that can go aboard at the same time. 

This will be a dockside event at Riverfront Park, and Gonzalez said the riverboat's bar will be open. 

"You can hang out on the boat, grab a drink and listen to some music," Gonzalez said. 

To get to the Harriott II, guests should enter Riverfront Park through the tunnel on Commerce Street. 

Commerce Street Dining

Gonzalez said Commerce Street will be closed between Bibb and Tallapoosa streets, an area next to The Alley Station that has restaurants on both sides of the street. 

"We're going to put out tables and chairs," Gonzalez said. "This is to encourage the residents of Montgomery and our surrounding areas to come and support our downtown restaurants. All the tables will be spread out so we can maintain 6 foot social distancing. You can dine on some of the great food that we have downtown." 

Gonzalez said one way guests can participate is to order food to go from one of the restaurants and bring it to a table. 

"Some of the restaurants that are participating will be coming around with menus and serving that way," Gonzalez said. Prices will vary according to the restaurants. 

Live music, arranged by DBA Montgomery, will come from Montgomery singer Destiny Turner. Along with her solo work, Turner performs regularly with the band Souled Out Groove.

"I'm hoping to give hardworking people something to look forward to for the weekend," said Turner, who plans to keep the show upbeat so maybe people can dance. She'll also be including two or three of her original songs. 

"We're just trying to create additional space for you to come downtown and enjoy the downtown restaurants," Gonzalez said. 

Union Station Car Show

Also from 4-8 p.m., there's a car show happening in the Union Station Train Shed. 

"There are going to be some door prizes," Gonzalez said. "It's more of a cruise in. There's no registration or anything like that. You can come on down to the train station, bring your classic cars, and hang out and look at all the different cars. It's something fun to do on a Saturday afternoon and evening." 

For more information, visit funinmontgomery.com or visit them on Facebook @montgomeryevents. 

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel at sheupel@gannett.com.