Away from the Crowds in Alabama

Alabama is the Yellowhammer State, named after the state bird. The state is located in the southeastern part of the US. Its capital is Montgomery. Alabama has the second-largest inland waterway system in the country. The state was named after the Native American Alabama tribe. It is divided into four sections—the metropolitan centers, the mountains, the inland waterways, and the Gulf Coast.

Cheaha Mountain is the highest point in the state of Alabama. You can see the mountain rising above Talladega National Forest. It was named after a Creek Indian word meaning “high place.”

Bunker Tower was built in 1934 and sits on top of the mountain and offers great views as well as being a visitor center.

Dismals Canyon is located in Phil Campbell, a town in Franklin County. The canyon comes “alive” every day when it gets dark. Thousands of miniature bioluminescent creatures taxonomically known as the “North American Orfelia Fultoni” and popularly called “Dismalities” can be seen with their natural glow.

These are a type of gnat larva, only found in the Appalachian Mountains and Cumberland Plateau. The bluish-green light they emit is a way of attracting insects, which they feed on.

The Canyon is home to two more significant features—one of the surviving twin Canadian Hemlocks, which at 138 feet tall, is considered to be the largest of its kind in the state, and the world’s largest Deumaria vine.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House in Florence, Alabama, was designed by the well-known American architect, designer, writer, and educator. In 1940, he constructed a house for Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum. It is an example of Wright’s Usonian style, keeping the house in sync with its natural surroundings.

Goldie, the fallen robot in Tuscaloosa. At one time, the Sloss Blast Furnaces was one of the leading manufacturers of pig iron. The place closed in 1971, and a former graduate of the University of Alabama, Joe McCreary, being inspired by the company’s past, created Goldie. The robot rests peacefully at the Woods Quad Sculpture Garden at the university.

Sloss Blast Furnaces opened as a museum and was listed as a National Historic Landmark.

The Madison County Nature Trail is a lovely trail stretching around Sky Lake. It is located on top of Green Mountain in southeast Huntsville. It is great to hike this trail in all seasons. In the autumn, there is the colorful autumn foliage, in the spring, dogwoods and azaleas bloom; and in the summer, the forest is lush green and wildflowers are all around.

You’ll see a covered bridge across Sky Lake. (pictured above) Once you’ve crossed the bridge, you’ll come to a quaint log cabin. There is an A-frame chapel that can be rented for weddings and memorials.

Museum of Wonder is housed in a cabin in the rural town of Seale. It is a collection of amazing items that became a full-time hobby from boyhood. Butch Anthony, an Alabama artist and former taxidermist, gathered his scrap collection and set up odd objects for exhibition. Among many other items on display are a few signature-style creations of the artist—impressionistic skeletons traced over vintage portraits with added illustrations.

The Natural Bridge is located just outside the William Bankhead National Forest. This is a highly curved rock formation. The area is listed as a national park.

Close by is the carving of an Indian head. Since the bridge is ancient, no one can walk on it but visitors can view the bridge and walk about the park.

The Spectre Set Ruins are located outside of Millbrook on Jackson Lake Island in the Alabama River. These are the ruins of the fictional town of Spectre, built for the Tim Burton fantasy movie “Big Fish” in 2003. After the movie was completed, the set was abandoned along with the Styrofoam trees. Today visitors can see six homes, a church, two trees, and the columns from Jenny, the mayor’s daughter’s home.

Orr Park in Monticello has a few surprises for visitors. The park is a great place to have a picnic on a sunny day. Back in 1933 a storm destroyed trees, and a resident known as Mr. Tingle decided to do something with the dead trees. He began carving, and today you can delight in more than 30 carved alligators, squirrels, animals, and men.