As has already been mentioned, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a must if you golf. I've been fortunate in that I've golfed 3 of the courses on work trips.

Jim

TigerDore sums up the topography pretty well.

Alabama, while not offering any “National Parks”, enjoys one of the most diverse ecosystems in the United States (ranking first for aquatic species) and offers many national forests, preserves and seashores.

October is a great time to visit.

Our people are exceedingly gracious.

Come on down.

I have spent a good bit of time around Montgomery, nothing worthy of visiting there that I know of.

The USS Alabama is worth the trip, they also have an aircraft museum and the USS Drum a WW2 submarine on land on display, much to see in a day there

I was in awe of the ship and submarine, gained much respect for our sailors. BTW the huge 16" gun turrets are open underneath and you can climb in, not sure if I was supposed to or not. Very cool and the only part of the ship that I saw that wasn't restored

https://www.ussalabama.com/


Downtown Mobile is worth a stop too, cool restaurants and architecture, you can see where they do the Moon Pie drop

CMP for sure, USS Alabama and then the beaches in Gulf Shores!

Ft Morgan is a cool Civil war fort by Gulf Shores

Get some throwed rolls at Lamberts cafe on the way down. There is also a Whataburger there in Foley if you want a good South Texas burger
HK Ag

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Space and Rocket Center - Huntsville AL
USS Alabama - Mobile AL
Orange Beach AL

Honestly if you make it to Orange Beach, you need to jump the state line to visit NAS Pensacola / Museum of Naval Aviation just over the border into FL. Impressive place.

I second this. The NAS Pensacola Museum is awesome; it revivals the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington (at least the air part). If you want the space part, you've got to drive to Huntsville. That Space and Rocket Center is by far better than the Kennedy Space Museum. Although, at Kennedy you're likely to actually meet a real astronaut!

Be sure to visit Enterprise, AL, the home of the famous monument to the boll weevil.

Little known fact: there are actually two types of boll weevil, a large one and a small one.

Not much is known about the large one, but most people are familiar with the lesser of the two weevils.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Be sure to visit Enterprise, AL, the home of the famous monument to the boll weevil.

Little known fact: there are actually two types of boll weevil, a large one and a small one.

Not much is known about the large one, but most people are familiar with the lesser of the two weevils.

LOL!

If you happen to be on the eastern side of the state, Mt. Cheaha (the highest point in Alabama) warrants a look-see. I’d also second the votes for both the Little River Canyon and the Alabama Gulf Coast.

More on Vtail's suggestion:
Everyone in Alabama knows about Enterprise’s boll weevil statue.

It’s the story behind the statue, of what the statue means, of the 100 years of misery and desperation that are far more interesting. So, let’s talk about that first.



The most destructive pest in American history was not the swarm of 17-year locusts that devoured most of the Midwest in the 1870s and 1920s. That seems inconceivable, since those pestilential insects caused mass famine, livestock die-offs, and even population migrations.

No, the worst agricultural pest outbreak in US history was the devastation visited upon the South by the boll weevil.

LINK:https://www.rollbamaroll.com/2019/6/4/18651870/81-things-to-love-about-alabama-the-enterprise-boll-weevil-monument-and-the-story-of-one-ugly-bug

Dreamland BBQ in Tuscaloosa is a Alabama staple,

Echo Barber Motorsports Museum, it's not just a couple of motorcycles, and the Skip Barber Racing school is there, great track setup.

Oak Mountain State Park, Cheaha State Park, for views, hiking etc...

USS Alabama,

I see Montgomery not getting her due:

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival/Blount theatre: a treasure in a major city like Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, etc, but unheard of in a smaller city like Montgomery. Not just Shakespeare, but modern plays/musicals as well as Dickens Chekov,etc:

www.asf.net

The civil rights Peace and Justice Museum and Memorial in Montgomery.

https://i2.wp.com/farlowphotog...fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1

The Freedom Rides Museum, memorializing the Montgomery Greyhound Bus Station where Freedom Riders were attacked and beaten:

https://ahc.alabama.gov/proper...es/freedomrides.aspx

The Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery:

https://www.thehankwilliamsmuseum.net


Dexter Avenue, King Memorial Baptist Church where the Civil Rights movement was birthed and MLK began as its leader:

https://www.dexterkingmemorial.org



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quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
....Alabama is a lot like the rest of the deep south though it probably doesn't have any one thing as unique as it's neighbors....

Thou speaketh from thine ignorance, kemosabe.

26% of all the flowing water in the United States flows in or along the borders of Alabama. It is considered the second most geographically diverse state in the contiguous 48. And it is #5 overall in biodiversity.

And the beaches are "pretty good"? Well, I guess the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but the sugar white, quartz sand beaches that stretch from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama to St.George Island, FL are unique in the United States. The crystal clear, turquoise to almost Caribbean blue waters combine with that sand to make these beaches the most beautiful in the continental US in my opinion.

I will add another vote to USS Alabama. They have the battleship and a WWII fleet submarine there (USS Drum). Both are great to visit; like somebody said, there aren't that many battleships out there (USS Mass, North Carolina, Alabama, Texas, New Jersey, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri; all but the last 3 are in their home states). There is also a small aircraft hangar there. IIRC, they have 1 of the 2 F-17s there - lost to the F-16 and evolved into the F-18.

And, yeah, it will be hot in the summer. It's worth it (I toured USS North Carolina in summer, around 100F and 95% humidity - still had a ball).

And, if you like military stuff, the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola is a short trip away, but I don't know if it's open to the public because of the Covid mess. . .

Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers.

It really depends on where you want to start, upstate or on the coast. Our favorite place is the beach, so we head South every time.

The USS Alabama (and the submarine whose name I don't recall) are a good stopover if you have any interest. Then ease down half mile or so to Felix's on the bay to get dinner. Then after dinner drive down to Orange Beach, get a condo (if you have time and are lucky) and stay a few days. Less busy than the Destin area, though Destin arguably has better beaches, but the food is excellent. We love Doc's (Orange Beach location), the crab claws and fresh seafood are all excellent.

In North 'Bama, we like Smith Lake, spring fed lake that flooded a valley many moons ago, makes for a very beautiful landscape. The RTJ Golf Trail is a must if you're a golfer, and you can get in a round on several different courses and refresh your golf vocabulary (&*^%$#* tree!!!).

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers.

And they've been known to pick a song or two.



.

quote:

Originally posted by TigerDore:

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers.

And they've been known to pick a song or two.



.

Yes they do!

quote:

Originally posted by TigerDore:
And the beaches are "pretty good"? Well, I guess the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but the sugar white, quartz sand beaches that stretch from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama to St.George Island, FL are unique in the United States. The crystal clear, turquoise to almost Caribbean blue waters combine with that sand to make these beaches the most beautiful in the continental US in my opinion.

Indeed - Gulf Coast beaches are hands down some of the best, if not the best in the US. Once you get used to them, the rest of the beaches pale in comparison.

I lived in Mobile for a number of years, and still have friends there. The folks before me have pretty well covered Alabama. Mobile is the birth place of Mardi Gras, and if you time it right, you can take in the festivities......and there are many!!!