The Maxwell AFB guide

• Fly into Montgomery Regional (MGM), about 9 miles and 15 minutes southwest of Maxwell via US-80 and I-65. It is a small airport with limited nonstops, so many travelers fly into Birmingham (BHM, about 1.5 hours north on I-65) or Atlanta (ATL, about 2.5 hours east on I-85) and drive. Rent a car; Montgomery has no practical transit to the base.
• The Maxwell Boulevard main gate (I-65 Exit 172) is open 24/7. Day Street gate is Monday to Friday 0600 to 1400 inbound and outbound, then outbound only until 1800; Kelly Street gate is Monday to Friday 0600 to 1800. Gunter Annex is usually entered from Congressman Dickinson Drive, which has been the 24/7 gate there; confirm current hours on maxwell.af.mil since gate schedules change with manning.
• The Visitor Center and pass office is Building 518 at 5164 Maxwell Blvd just outside the main gate, open Monday to Friday 0730 to 1630 and closed weekends, 334-953-4283. Bring a REAL ID-compliant license or passport plus orders; if you arrive after hours without a DoD ID, check in with lodging and get sponsored through the gate.
• Weekday traffic backs up on Maxwell Boulevard and Day Street between 0700 and 0800 as students arrive for class, and the whole base empties at 1600. Big graduation weeks (OTS, ACSC, AWC in May and June) fill the gates and every hotel in town, so book early.

• Maxwell AFB Elementary/Middle School is a DoDEA (DDESS) PreK-8 school on base for families in Maxwell and Gunter privatized housing; on-base high schoolers are zoned to Montgomery Public Schools (Carver for Maxwell, Lee for Gunter) with bus service.
• Off base, families choose among Montgomery Public Schools, Pike Road Schools, Autauga County (Prattville) and Elmore County (Millbrook, Wetumpka). Autauga has nine Purple Star schools, all Elmore County schools have earned Purple Star certification, and Pike Road reports about 9 percent military-connected students.
• School Liaison Office: 50 LeMay Plaza, Maxwell AFB, 334-953-6430, Monday to Friday 0800 to 1600. Call before you sign a lease so you land in the zone you want.
• Child Development Centers on Maxwell and Gunter have waitlists; register on MilitaryChildCare.com the day you get orders and ask the Military and Family Readiness Center (334-953-2353) about Family Child Care homes.

• 42nd Medical Group (Maxwell Medical Group) is an outpatient clinic, not a hospital, with no emergency room; the appointment line is 334-953-3368 with same-day slots released at midnight for online booking.
• Emergencies go to 911 or the nearest civilian ER; the clinic lists Jackson Hospital at 1725 Pine St (334-293-8000) as closest, with Baptist Medical Center South on the east side as another option.
• TRICARE East, administered by Humana Military; the base clinic also runs flight medicine for the 908th and student physicals for OTS.

Commissary

Maxwell Commissary, 335 South Kelly Street, Building 1085, with a smaller commissary on Gunter Annex

Exchange

Maxwell Exchange main store near the commissary, open Monday to Saturday 0900 to 2000 and Sunday 1000 to 1800, plus a Gunter Exchange and shoppettes

Fitness

Maxwell Fitness Center on Maxwell Boulevard and the Gunter Fitness Center (weekdays 0400 to 2000, weekends daytime); neither is 24/7

Dining

Riverfront Inn DFAC at Maxwell Blvd and Mitchell St serves TDY officers and civilians as well as enlisted; weekday breakfast 0600-0800, lunch 1100-1300, dinner 1600-1830

MWR

Cypress Tree Golf Course, Outdoor Recreation with boat and RV rentals, Maxwell Club, bowling and the Riverfront Park marina; program listings at lifeatthemax.us

Newcomers

Right Start newcomer briefing is mandatory the first Wednesday of every month; Military and Family Readiness Center 334-953-2353

1. 01Summer is brutal: 90-plus with dew points in the 70s from June through September. PT early, hydrate, and expect afternoon thunderstorms that flood Maxwell Boulevard underpasses.
2. 02Spring is tornado season in central Alabama. Know where the shelter is in your building and your rental, and keep weather alerts turned on.
3. 03Call the University Inn the day your orders drop; it is huge but big class starts (SOS, ACSC, AWC, OTS graduations) still generate non-availability. Ask for the number in writing so DTS goes smoothly.
4. 04The Maxwell Boulevard gate is the only 24/7 entrance; Day Street goes outbound-only after 1400 and Kelly Street closes at 1800, so plan late returns through the main gate.
5. 05If you are on a one-year ACSC or AWC PCS, the Prattville and Pike Road rental markets turn over every May and June — start looking in March and consider buying if you can resell to the next class.
6. 06Montgomery Public Schools zoning drives where families live; call the School Liaison (334-953-6430) before you sign anything and ask about magnet school lottery deadlines.
7. 07The Riverfront Inn DFAC feeds TDY officers and civilians, which is rare, and it is a lot cheaper than eating out every day of a five-week SOS class.
8. 08Pack for both: Air University classrooms run cold and the parking lots run hot. A blazer or fleece for lectures and a change of shirt for the walk are standard student kit.

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