North Alabama
Fort Payne (DeSoto State Park, Beason’s Barber Shop)
From outdoor splendor to musical history
Almost 20,000 acres of spectacular forests, rivers and waterfalls in Little River Canyon Preserve and DeSoto State Park beckon Fort Payne visitors. Or stay in town to visit the Alabama Fan Club and Museum honoring the group Alabama and to see Beason’s Barber Shop with the barber shop chair in which Hank Williams received his last haircut.
Cullman (Ave Maria Grotto. Clarkson Covered Bridge)
Miracles in miniature
See 125 astonishing miniatures of famous religious shrines that a Benedictine monk created, often from found objects, at St. Bernard Abbey’s Ave Maria Grotto. View the gorgeous Clarkson Covered Bridge. Then play putt-putt golf or ride a paddle boat at Sportsman Lake Park before grabbing one of the best beers in the state at Goat Island Brewing Co.
Double Springs (William B. Bankhead National Forrest)
Journey through the land of 1,000 waterfalls
Located within William B. Bankhead National Forest, Double Springs is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. Sipsey Wilderness Area, “The Land of a Thousand Waterfalls,” is perfect for hiking, swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, hunting and fishing, and the Corinth Recreation Area offers camping and picnic sites, a swimming area and bathhouse.
Central Alabama
Montevallo (American Village, Orr Park tree carvings)
Follow the Founding Fathers
Celebrate America’s founding fathers at Montevallo’s American Village. Tour Washington Hall, inspired by George Washington’s Mount Vernon; the Colonial Courthouse; the Colonial Chapel, inspired by Williamsburg, Virginia’s Bruton Parish Church, and a full-sized replica of the Oval Office. Then see Tim Tingle’s incredible tree carvings at Orr Park or walk or bike the Hillsboro Trail.
Anniston (Berman Museum, Museum of Natural History)
Explore the exotic
Marvel at the Anniston Museum of Natural History’s collection from dinosaur exhibits to Egyptian mummies. Then check out the Berman Museum’s antique spy weapons, Hitler’s tea service, Persian Shah Abbas’s jewel encrusted scimitar and Napoleon’s shaving kit. Nearby is a giant 31-foot chair, Coldwater Covered Bridge and the Coldwater Mountain Bike Trail, perfect for mountain biking.
Calera (Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum)
Get aboard for a railroad adventure
Ride an antique train at Calera’s Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum before visiting its two 100-year-old depots to see a remarkable collection of historical locomotives, cars and equipment. Then, hit a drive down gorgeous rolling fairways, shaded by towering pine and oak trees, at Timberline Golf Club or relax and sample wines at Ozan Winery & Vineyard.
South Alabama
Georgiana (The Hank Williams, Sr. Boyhood Home & Museum)
At home with a legend
Fewer than 2,000 people live in Georgiana, but a former resident was country legend Hank Williams. The Hank Williams, Sr. Boyhood Home & Museum is the only surviving house he lived in before finding Nashville stardom and became a museum in 1993. While Hank may be the major reason to stop, two others are Kendall’s Barbecue and Friendly G’s restaurant, which offer superb country cooking at a surprisingly low price.
Troy (Pioneer Museum of Alabama, Terracotta Warrior statues)
Alabama Pioneers to Terracotta Warriors
Travel through the past by visiting Troy’s Pioneer Museum of Alabama with its covered bridge, old mills, country store, working blacksmith shop, pioneer kitchen, rustic church, 1800’s railroad engine and extensive museum. Troy University’s own sites include a 75-acre arboretum, giant dove installation representing everlasting peace, 200 replica Terracotta Warrior statues and the Trojan Oaks golf course.
Enterprise (Boll Weevil Monument)
Great trip only requires a little Enterprise
See Enterprise’s famous Boll Weevil Monument, dedicated to the pest that ultimately helped cotton farmers by forcing them to diversify their crops. Then hike, cycle, walk your dog or visit the Splash Pad at John Henderson Family Park, tour the downtown Depot Museum and cap off your family adventure with a drive-in movie at nearby Wicksburg’s Continental Drive-In.
Tuskegee
This small town of fewer than 9,000 had a huge impact on civil rights. Learn about it at the Tuskegee History Center, created by legendary civil rights attorney Fred Grey, or on a new civil rights trail that features 13 new historical markers, including one to Tuskegee-born Rosa Parks.
Tour Booker T. Washington’s home, The Oaks, which he built with students and instructors after founding what is now Tuskegee University in 1881. Then tour the George Washington Carver Museum, honoring the Tuskegee professor who revolutionized Southern agriculture.
At the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, witness where the first black military pilots trained before gaining fame in WWII.
Monroeville
Monroeville, where Harper Lee and Truman Capote grew up, is “Alabama’s Literary Capital.” Start your tour at the Old Courthouse Museum, where exhibits tell the story of Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and her friendship with Capote, who wrote “In Cold Blood.” For more than 25 years, Monroeville has put on its own production of “Mockingbird” in April or May, but buy tickets early. Part of the play is in the Old Courthouse, which Hollywood recreated for the Gregory Peck movie.
Monroeville also has a 30-stop walking tour (download it at VisitMonroevilleAL.com) and a new bronze sculpture trail celebrating its famous writers, including Lee, Capote, Cynthia Tucker, Mark Childress, Marva Collins, Rheta Grimsley Johnson and others.
Small Towns Gulf Coast
GULF COAST
Bayou La Batre
Whether you are a fisherman or just someone who loves seafood, head to Bayou La Batre, “The Seafood Capital of Alabama.” The picturesque fishing village, which takes its name from when it was a French settlement with an artillery battery, exudes Southern charm with a French flair.
Watch fish and shrimp boats return to the docks as gulls soar overhead. You may have watched that already since Bayou La Batre and its shrimp boats were featured in the Oscar-winning film “Forrest Gump.” Celebrate the town at its annual Blessing of the Fleet in May and Taste of the Bayou festival in September.
Fairhope
Founded in 1894 as an experimental economic colony that believed it had a “fair hope” of succeeding, modern Fairhope has become a boutique seaside arts resort.
Fairhope, which Southern Living once name the “Best Small Southern Town,” is home to writers Fannie Flagg and Winston Groom, and visual artist Nall. Its downtown not only has great shopping and food, but some of Alabama’s best arts stores, including Page & Palette bookstore and The Eastern Shore Art Center. Every March it holds the Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival.
There are also plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors from beaches to long nature walks on the boardwalk at Weeks Bay Reserve
Magnolia Springs
Some towns are called backwaters. In Magnolia Springs that is how you get your mail. It is the only river route for full-time mail delivery in the United States
But don’t underrate this charming and colorful community, there are great places to eat and to stay. The best place to eat is Jesse’s Restaurant, famed for its aged steaks, but also with wonderful, fresh-catch seafood.
The exceptional place to stay is the Magnolia Springs Bed and Breakfast, built in 1897. The B&B has the look of a stately and romantic 19th-century home along, but modern conveniences such as air-conditioning and wi-fi.
Dauphin Island (Estuarium at Dauphin Island Sea Lab or Fort Gaines)
Relaxing family vacation
Tiny Dauphin Island has no traffic lights, but plenty of bike paths, walking trails and sandy white beaches. Watch a cornucopia of birds, see aquariums at Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Estuarium, take photos beside historic Fort Morgan’s cannons or just breath in the gulf air as your family relaxes while taking in one of Alabama’s most beautiful views.
Foley (outlet stores, OWA)
Small town, huge entertainment
There may not be a smaller town in Alabama with more to do. Foley has a population of fewer than 15,000, but the shopping, restaurants and attractions of a large city. There are nearly 100 outlet stores at Tanger Outlet and good restaurants also seem to be everywhere. Then there is OWA, the $500-million-plus Poarch Band of Creek Indian development that features a more than 20-ride amusement park and top stores and restaurants.
Africatown
Discover town founded by former slaves
The discovery of the Clotilda, the last slave ship to come to America, has focused national attention on Africatown. Founded by slaves from the Clotilda, the tiny town, which officially is part of Mobile was originally governed using African laws and customs. A $3.6 million welcome center and museum is on its way, but you can tour its historical district now to see a town with one of America’s most fascinating histories.
Foto di copertina: Dauphin-Island-Alabama-3-Credit-Chris-Granger-and-Alabama-Tourism-Department
