| Domestic |
| View By U.S. States |
|
|
|
View By U.S. Cities / Regions
|
|
|
|
| International |
| View By International Countries |
|
|
| View By International Cities / Regions |
|
|
|
| Ranking Among U.S. States: #32 |
| Venturers: 4 |
| Mid-Venturers: 5 |
| Centrics-Venturers: 6 |
| Centrics-Authentics: 7 |
| Mid-Authentics: 8 |
| Authentics: 8 |
|
| • Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia; Tallulah Bankhead in Huntsville. |
| • America's first Mardi Gras was staged in Mobile, in 1704, and is a state holiday. |
| • Admiral Farragut was in Mobile Bay in 1864 when he said, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead." |
| • Hernando de Soto was the first white person to explore Alabama's interior. |
| • Scientists in Huntsville designed the rockets that put man on the moon. |
|
|
|
People unfamiliar with the South tend to lump all the states together in their minds — Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, what's the difference? The answer is that each state or destination has its own character and some of the fun lies in discovering the differences. Alabama can present many faces: the traditional Old South of moss-covered mansions, the capital of college football, a major manufacturing center. The majority of people who say Alabama is their favorite destination single out for special praise an area called Gulf Shores on Mobile Bay's Pleasure Island. Here they enjoy a casual, laid-back atmosphere, white sand beaches, lots of golf and a variety of accommodations.
But there is plenty more to appeal to a wide variety of interests — from a fascination with Civil War history to a love of outdoor activities ranging from rock climbing and rappelling to whitewater rafting and canoeing.
Who goes there? Alabama is mostly a vacation place for people from nearby states and the Midwest, and specifically to authentics. It has a very family-oriented atmosphere, especially in the popular resort areas around the Gulf. When do they go? The southern part of the state enjoys year-round good weather. Households without children can avoid crowds by visiting during months when school is in session.
|
|
|
Go rock climbing. One of the most popular areas for this is Cherokee Rock Village/Sand Rock. For a variation on the theme, rappel 200 feet to the bottom of Little River Canyon National Preserve.
Kayak down the Cahaba River, which in May promises a float through clusters of two-foot-tall Cahaba lilies. Or, sea kayak from Dauphin Island to the Barrier Islands.
Go whitewater rafting on Johnnies Creek in Little River Canyon. Or, have a whitewater camping trip on the South Sauty Creek, winding up at Buck's Pocket State Park.
Scuba dive in the Gulf of Mexico.
Don't just visit the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville; sign on for a Space Camp. Learn what it is like to train like a fighter pilot when you test your abilities in training simulators; also, participate in simulated Space Shuttle missions.
Try skydiving, either in a single or tandem jump.
Sign on for the Bike Across Magnificent Alabama Ride, an annual multiday bicycle ride along the state's back roads. Alternatively, there are numerous cycling trails suitable for standard or mountain bikes.
Try deep-sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico for blue martin, red snapper, mackerel, yellow-fin tuna and others.
Attend the weeklong Alabama Cycling Camp to give your skills some serious attention. Choose the program that dovetails with your ability level.
Sign on for the Alabama Wagon Train which takes you from Boaz to Montgomery, a 190-mile trip, in 10 days.
|
|
|
Fish for bass in several state parks and at Lake Eufaula, dubbed the Big Bass Capital of the World.
Attend Mardi Gras in Mobile.
Canoe on Bottle Creek to Mound Island, then hike a short distance to an ancient Indian mound.
Attend the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery.
Take a river cruise on the Alabama River around Montgomery, or the Black Warrior in Tuscaloosa. Other options are offered on the Tennessee River at Joe Wheeler State Park and along the waters around Mobile Bay. Make that a dinner event.
Try horseback riding for an hour, half a day — or as part of an overnight trail ride and camping trip. The state also has one guest ranch where you can overnight, the Shady Grove Dude Ranch.
Go sailing on the Joshua, a 72-foot wooden schooner in Mobile. The tall ship is available for charters or for day trips.
See any of several Alabama cities from a hot-air balloon. Alternatively, do your sightseeing from a restored 1928 biplane.
Hike on the trails that match your style, ranging from those found at Ruffner Mountain in the city of Birmingham or the Wade Mountain Preserve in Huntsville to the 100-mile Pinhoti Trail. Hike the paths in Historic Blakeley State Park and see breastworks and redoubts of a Civil War battlefield.
Take a unique kind of safari, looking for birds, fish and alligators on wetland tours in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Transport is by pontoon boat, airboat or motor-powered pirogue canoe.
|
|
|
Sample locally produced fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood, cooked Alabama style. Shrimp is the most important product of the state's fisheries.
In March or April, drive Mobile's Azalea Trail, a 35-mile auto route through the city, marked by a plethora of these and other flowering shrubs as well as lovely homes and gardens.
Alabama seems made for golfers. You can play golf on a series of courses, dubbed the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, which among them offer 432 holes. See www.rtjgolf.com.
Go bird-watching. There are several designated trails, such as the North Alabama Birding Trail that focuses on the banks of the Tennessee River.
For country western fans, follow the Hank Williams Trail, honoring one of the state's favorite sons.
Book a dolphin cruise in the Gulf of Mexico.
At the Huntsville Botanical Garden, see the nation's largest open-air Butterfly House (open seasonally).
Travel aboard a historic train pulled by a first-generation diesel electric locomotive, traveling through Shelby County, departing from the Heart of Dixie Railroad museum in Calera
Visit the new Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery. Make that part of your tour following points of significance associated with America's Civil Rights movement.
Explore Civil War era battlefields, buildings and plantations, using Birmingham or Mobile as your base.
|
|
|
For more information, consult the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel at www.800alabama.com
back to top
|
|
