Auburn, Alabama State and Troy in 2 Days: An Auburn, Troy and Montgomery College Trip
A parent-first plan for seeing three Alabama universities in two days from one Montgomery base: an Auburn University tour on the morning of day 1, an Alabama State University tour in Montgomery that afternoon, then Troy University on day 2 before flying home from Montgomery. Official visit sign-ups, where to park, four hotels from budget to upscale, drive times and seasonal weather, every fact sourced.
Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
The short version
Trip at a glance
Schools
Auburn University (Auburn, AL) · Alabama State University (Montgomery, AL) · Troy University (Troy, AL)
Days
2 weekdays: Auburn and Alabama State on day 1, Troy on day 2. Arrive the evening before.
Fly into
Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM), about 21 minutes from our downtown pick with no traffic. Atlanta (ATL) is about 2 hours from Auburn if fares are better there.
Best base
Embassy Suites by Hilton Montgomery on Tallapoosa St., about 6 minutes by car from Alabama State and roughly an hour from both Auburn and Troy.
Car or transit
Rent a car. Montgomery to Auburn is about 67 minutes and 55 miles with no traffic, and Montgomery to Troy is about 69 minutes and 50 miles.
Registration
All three schools take tour sign-ups online. Alabama State runs tours Monday through Friday and asks families to book ahead; Troy runs walking tours most weekdays.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, who want to compare three very different Alabama campuses in one trip: Auburn University, Alabama State University in the capital city of Montgomery, and Troy University.
Auburn is 50 miles northeast of Montgomery and Troy is about 50 miles south, so the plan bases both nights in downtown Montgomery, drives to Auburn on the morning of day 1, comes back for an afternoon tour at Alabama State, and saves Troy for day 2.
Why this order
Day 1 morning: Auburn's visit portal lists guided campus tours, with optional add-ons such as an academic college visit, a housing tour or a stop at the Recreation and Wellness Center.
Day 1 afternoon: Alabama State's tour opens with a 5- to 10-minute information session, followed by a walking tour of about an hour centered on the Quad, led by a Student Orientation Services student leader or staff member.
Day 2: Troy's visit starts with an in-depth Admissions Presentation on admissions, scholarships, housing and student life, then a walking tour with Trojan Ambassadors through academic buildings, student life areas and residence halls.
Three campuses, three places to park
Auburn: visitor parking is pay-by-phone with ParkMobile. Designated visitor spaces include the 4th level of the Stadium Parking Deck, facing Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Alabama State: guest parking for tours is in the front Acadome lot, across from the John Garrick Hardy Student Center.
Troy: a small gated visitor lot sits behind the Admissions Office, across from John Maloy Long Hall. The gate code comes in your confirmation email, or call 334-670-3179.
Tour availability varies by season.
Auburn's next fall War Eagle Day is Nov. 9, 2026. Troy holds a Saturday TROY Tour on Nov. 7, 2026 and runs several Saturday tours each fall and spring. Alabama State's Connection Day is Nov. 21, 2026, with registration at the Joe L. Reed Dunn-Oliver Acadome and a guided walking tour.
Troy also hosts Trojan Day preview events with an admissions presentation, a campus tour and time to meet academic departments and student organizations; check its Trojan Day page for upcoming dates.
2. The suggested 2-day plan
Drive and walk times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, using addresses geocoded with OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Add a cushion for traffic on I-85 between Montgomery and Auburn.
Arrival evening: fly into Montgomery and check in downtown
Embassy Suites → Rosa Parks Museum (252 Montgomery St.)
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Driving
~7 min walk, 0.3 mi
Auburn's admissions office lists Montgomery's airport at 60 miles from campus, Columbus, GA at 40 miles, Atlanta at 100 miles and Birmingham at 115 miles. Montgomery is about an hour by car from both Auburn and Troy, which is why we fly in there.
Day 1: Auburn University, then Alabama State
Embassy Suites Montgomery → Auburn Stadium Parking Deck (350 Duncan Dr., Auburn; visitor spaces on the 4th level)
Driving (no traffic)
~67 min, 55.2 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Driving
Car required
Stadium Parking Deck → Samford Hall
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Driving
~14 min walk, 0.7 mi
Stadium Parking Deck → Davis Arboretum (181 Garden Dr.)
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Driving
~18 min walk, 0.8 mi
Auburn → Alabama State front Acadome lot (Montgomery)
Driving (no traffic)
~65 min, 53.8 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Driving
Car required
Acadome lot → John Garrick Hardy Student Center
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Driving
~5 min walk, 0.2 mi
Alabama State → Embassy Suites Montgomery
Driving (no traffic)
~7 min, 2.3 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Driving
Car required
Book an Auburn tour early in the day and an afternoon Alabama State slot so you have time for the hour's drive back. Alabama State offers several weekday tour times on its sign-up page.
If you can, be on Auburn's campus at noon: the Samford Hall clock tower plays the Auburn fight song every day at noon. Auburn's admissions office also suggests a lemonade at Toomer's Drugstore.
Alabama State asks visitors to register at least 72 hours ahead and to wait for the confirmation email, sent within 48 hours, before making travel plans. Its campus page says to schedule at least 7 days in advance, so book a week out to be safe.
Arrive 10 minutes early and check in at the Admissions Office in Adams Administration. Tours go rain or shine, so wear comfortable shoes and bring a rain jacket or umbrella.
From Montgomery, Troy's directions follow US-231 south, then a left on S. George Wallace Dr. and a left on University Ave.; the gated visitor lot is on the right behind Adams Administration.
Flying out late? The Rosa Parks Museum in downtown Montgomery, run by Troy University, is open Saturdays until 3 p.m. and weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed noon to 1 p.m.).
Register for a guided campus tour on Auburn's visit portal. You can add an academic college visit, a housing tour (Monday through Friday, except holidays, finals week and breaks) or a Recreation and Wellness Center tour (walk-in, 7:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. weekdays).
Can't make a scheduled tour? Auburn offers a self-guided tour brochure and a 360° virtual tour.
Visitor parking
Visitor spaces are paid with ParkMobile (app, website or 866-727-5044), and you'll need your license plate number. Designated visitor parking includes the 4th level of the Stadium Parking Deck (facing Jordan-Hare Stadium) and the 1st level of the North Park deck. Parking Services: 330 Lem Morrison Dr., (334) 844-4143, 7:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. weekdays.
Getting there
Auburn is 50 miles northeast of Montgomery, 112 miles southwest of Atlanta and 30 miles from Columbus, GA. Groome Transportation runs shuttles between Auburn and the Atlanta airport.
What to know
The Donald E. Davis Arboretum is free, open daily from sunrise to sunset, and has more than 2 miles of trails, many of them stroller-accessible; leashed pets are welcome. Weekday parking there needs a hangtag or visitor permit, so walk over from the deck.
Auburn's own list of things to see includes the Samford Hall clock tower, Toomer's Drugstore and the Lovelace Museum & Hall of Honor in Auburn Arena.
Contact
Auburn University Office of Undergraduate Admissions: admissions@auburn.edu, 334-844-6425.
Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Family and individual tours (9 guests or fewer) run Monday through Friday, except university holidays. Groups of 10 or more book a group tour with at least 72 hours' notice.
Each tour opens with a 5- to 10-minute information session, then a walking tour of about an hour centered on the Quad. Arrive 15 minutes early, and email campustours@alasu.edu with questions.
Visitor parking
Park in the front Acadome lot, across from the John Garrick Hardy Student Center.
Getting there
Alabama State's 172-acre campus is a short walk from the state government complex and downtown Montgomery, about 6 minutes by car from our downtown hotels.
What to know
Alabama State's campus page links to the Levi Watkins Learning Center, the university library, and to its campus buildings and monuments.
The Rosa Parks Museum, at the downtown site of Mrs. Parks's arrest, is about a 7-minute walk from our pick hotel.
Contact
Alabama State Office of Admissions, C2-01 Hardy Center, 1055 S. University Dr., Montgomery, AL 36104; 334-229-4291, admissions@alasu.edu. Tour questions: campustours@alasu.edu.
Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Walking tours run most weekdays, plus several Saturdays in fall and spring. Each visit starts with an in-depth Admissions Presentation, then a walk with Trojan Ambassadors through academic facilities, student life areas and residence halls. Guests are welcome.
Your confirmation email arrives 24 to 48 hours before the visit. Arrive 10 minutes early to check in at the Admissions Office, 111 Adams Administration on University Ave. To cancel, call 334-670-3179.
Departmental tours are also offered for some majors; they're listed on Troy's Visit TROY page.
Visitor parking
Use the small gated visitor lot behind the Admissions Office, across from John Maloy Long Hall. The gate code is in your confirmation email, or call 334-670-3179.
Getting there
Plan to drive: Troy is about 69 minutes from downtown Montgomery and 77 minutes from Montgomery's airport with no traffic, via US-231 south.
What to know
Tours go rain or shine, so dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.
Contact
Troy University Office of Admissions, 111 Adams Administration, Troy, AL; 334-670-3179.
Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
4. Where to stay: downtown Montgomery for both nights, about an hour from Auburn and Troy
Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Hotel · Our pickMid-range
Embassy Suites by Hilton Montgomery Hotel & Conference Center
300 Tallapoosa St., Montgomery, AL
Why here
It's downtown, about 21 minutes from MGM, 6 minutes by car from Alabama State's Acadome lot, and roughly an hour from both Auburn and Troy, so one base works for the whole trip.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 3.5-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
Confirm parking and amenities on the Expedia listing before you book.
Flying into Atlanta instead? Stay here the first night: it's about 2 hours from ATL with no traffic, a 7-minute walk from Samford Hall and 16 minutes on foot from the Stadium Parking Deck.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 4.5-star property, so we place it in the Upscale tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
From here, Alabama State is about 64 minutes away and Troy about 1 hour 51 minutes, so move to Montgomery for the second night. Confirm parking and amenities on the Expedia listing before you book.
Stay both nights in downtown Montgomery: the Embassy Suites, Renaissance and Hampton Inn are all within an 8-minute walk of each other, about 6 minutes from Alabama State, and roughly an hour from Auburn and Troy, so you never have to repack.
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
Around Auburn
Auburn's admissions office suggests a lemonade at Toomer's Drugstore, a short walk from Samford Hall in the middle of the campus visit.
Downtown Montgomery
Alabama State's campus is a short walk from the state government complex and downtown Montgomery, and all three of our Montgomery hotels are downtown, so dinner is a short walk or drive after the afternoon tour.
6. Things for siblings along the route
With siblings
Rosa Parks Museum (Troy University)
252 Montgomery St., Montgomery, AL
Built at the site of Mrs. Parks's arrest, it calls itself the nation's only museum dedicated to Rosa Parks, with a Children's Wing at 220 Montgomery St. Open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed noon to 1 p.m.) and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Sunday. Admission is charged, and parking is free in any Troy University Montgomery Campus lot. Call 334-241-8615.
Free and open daily from sunrise to sunset, with more than 2 miles of trails, many of them stroller-accessible, and leashed pets welcome. It's about an 18-minute walk from the Stadium Parking Deck.
Auburn: ParkMobile visitor spaces, including the 4th level of the Stadium Parking Deck. Alabama State: the front Acadome lot. Troy: the gated visitor lot behind Adams Administration, with the gate code in your confirmation email.
Downtown Montgomery to Auburn is about 55 miles and 67 minutes, and to Troy about 50 miles and 69 minutes, with no traffic.
Flying in and out
Fly into and out of Montgomery (MGM), about 21 minutes from downtown. From Atlanta (ATL), The Hotel at Auburn University is about 2 hours away, and Troy to ATL is about 3 hours 38 minutes, so a round trip through Montgomery is simpler.
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Montgomery Regional Airport)
Spring: April averages about 79°F highs and 53°F lows, with about 4.0 inches of rain.
Summer: July averages about 94°F highs and 72°F lows, with about 5.1 inches of rain.
Fall: October averages about 80°F highs and 55°F lows, with about 2.9 inches of rain.
Winter: January averages about 60°F highs and 37°F lows, with about 4.6 inches of rain.
Parent checklist
Register for all three tours online: an early Auburn tour and an afternoon Alabama State tour on day 1 (book Alabama State at least a week ahead), and Troy on day 2.
Book two nights in downtown Montgomery (or the first night at The Hotel at Auburn University if you fly into Atlanta), plus a rental car.
Set up the ParkMobile app for Auburn, and look for Troy's gate code in your confirmation email.
Pack comfortable walking shoes and a rain jacket or umbrella: Troy's tours go rain or shine, and Alabama State's walking tour is about an hour.
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
Division I (Auburn University, Alabama State University and Troy University): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
Expedia listing: Embassy Suites by Hilton Montgomery Hotel & Conference Center (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Montgomery-Hotels-Embassy-Suites-By-Hilton-Montgomery-Hotel-Conference-Ctr.h21184.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Montgomery-Hotels-Renaissance-Montgomery-Hotel-Spa-At-The-Convention-Center.h1832768.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: The Hotel at Auburn University (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Auburn-Hotels-The-Hotel-At-Auburn-University.h14007.Hotel-Information)
