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A Week in Alabama
- Rachel Huie
- May 12
- 12 min read
I may be biased, but I've always felt that Alabama is one of the prettiest states. From the mountains in the north to the beaches in the south and the hills and prairies in between, you'll find just about every geographical feature here. (We even have our very own ski resort!) Like many Southerners, I spent my first 20 years looking for any way out, but like many Southerners, I've finally learned to appreciate the place where I was born and raised. There's just something about Alabama that draws you in, I guess. Here you'll find an ancient and, at times, complicated, history, but you'll also find cutting-edge manufacturing and creativity. In many ways, it's a land of contrasts. Read on to learn more about its history and character traits, and how you can experience it all during a week in Alabama.
Day One: Lift Off
Your journey begins in Huntsville, which recently dethroned Birmingham as the largest city in the state. Located near the base of the Cumberland Plateau, Huntsville is a sprawling, outdoorsy town with a rich industrial history ranging from the textile mills of the 19th century to the space race of the 20th. Today, it remains a hub for engineering and aerospace, with NASA, Boeing, and the United Launch Alliance all maintaining a presence here.
After touching down in Huntsville, travel to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center to learn more about the birthplace of the space race. Part museum and part amusement park, this NASA Visitor Center covers an entire campus chronicling the past and future of space exploration, where you can experience a G-Force accelerator, explore the galaxies from the comfort of your seat in the planetarium, and come face-to-face with a Saturn V rocket. Or explore where industry and art meet at Lowe Mill, a 19th-century factory that now houses over 150 studios where you can watch local artists at work and take home your own unique piece of Alabama.
The evening concludes in historic downtown Huntsville, a walkable string of blocks where you'll find restaurants, boutiques, and the oldest hardware store in the state. For dinner, stop by Sam and Greg's, a local haunt known for its homemade gelato and unique pizza toppings (think mango and crawfish). Or, if the bright red telephone box catches your eye, head into The Poppy and Parliament, where you'll suddenly find yourself on the other side of the pond, dining on English fare like fish and chips and bangers and mash.
Day Two: Magic City Meanderings
After saying goodbye to Huntsville, hop onto I-65 for the 101-mile drive to Birmingham. Known as the Magic City after it seemingly sprang up overnight at the end of the Civil War, Birmingham also has a rich industrial history, providing the iron and steel counterpart to Huntsville's textiles. Today, the city is perhaps best known for its role in the Civil Rights Movement. In recent years, Birmingham has experienced a period of growth and revitalization, cementing its position as one of the South's culinary, arts, and entertainment hotspots.
As you head into downtown, the first thing you'll notice is how glass-ensconced businesses share the skyline with 19th-century hotels, a visual representation of Birmingham's work to make the past and present coexist. The second thing you'll notice is the statue of a scantily clad man visible from just about everywhere in the city. His name is Vulcan, he was Alabama's contribution to the 1904 World's Fair, and he is one of the country's tallest statues. Now that that's out of the way, head to 1st Avenue. One of Birmingham's oldest areas, 1st Avenue is a great place to park your car and explore the city on foot. Keep an eye out for the Heaviest Corner on Earth, the zeppelin mast atop the Thomas Jefferson Tower, the vaudeville-era Lyric and Alabama theatres, and the 16th Street Baptist Church. Along the way, make sure to swing by Alabama Peanut Co., which has been roasting peanuts for over a century, to try one of the South's favorite snacks.
After lunch at the Pizitz Food Hall, housed in what was once a department store, head a few miles into the outskirts of Birmingham, where you'll find Rickwood Field. Built in 1910, Rickwood is the country's oldest extant professional ballpark, having been the home of the Birmingham Barons and the Birmingham Black Barons. This history reached an international audience in the summer of 2024, when the MLB came to town for "A Tribute to the Negro Leagues." Today, Rickwood Field is open for guided and self-guided tours, where you'll be able to step back in time to the ballpark's 1948 heyday on a tour that ranges from the press box to the dugouts to the pitcher's mound. If you time your visit right, you might even be able to catch the Rickwood Classic, when the Barons wear throwback uniforms inspired by different periods in team history.
For dinner, head to the suburb of Bessemer, where you'll find the state's oldest family-owned restaurant. Opened in 1907, the Bright Star is perhaps the only place where you'll find fried chicken and gumbo sharing menu space with Greek oysters and baklava cheesecake. After that, head back for one last look over Birmingham, courtesy of the Vulcan's observation deck, where you'll have a 360° birds' eye view of the city lights.
Day Three: In the Land of the Crimson Tide
Today will be one of the shortest driving days, covering a distance of just under 60 miles, so it's a great opportunity to sleep in or enjoy a leisurely breakfast. On your way out of town, consider stopping by Continental Bakery, which specializes in European pastries like pain au chocolat, scones, and croissants. After that, head back to the interstate for a straight shot to Tuscaloosa, home of The University of Alabama. Opened in 1831, Alabama's largest university has witnessed some of the state's most historic moments, from the capital period to the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement. With a tree-lined campus full of Greek Revival and Gothic Revival structures, it also consistently ranks as one of the prettiest universities in the country.
Upon arrival in Tuscaloosa, head to the campus for a self-guided walking tour. Whether you're interested in sports, nature, or history, you'll find it here, but some potential starting points are: the Gorgas House (interactive tours of the oldest building on campus), the Walk of Champions at Bryant-Denny Stadium (tributes to championship football teams and coaches), the University of Alabama Arboretum (home to woodlands, walking trails, and wildflowers), or Foster Auditorium (site of the "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door"). No matter where you go, try to make it back to the Quad by noon, when you can hear Denny Chimes ring out the school's Alma Mater.
Travel Tip:
If you happen to find yourself in Tuscaloosa during a football gameday, when the city temporarily takes Huntsville's spot as the state's largest, make your way to the steps of Gorgas Library an hour before kickoff. Here, you can get a front-row seat to the Elephant Stomp, a pep rally featuring the Million Dollar Band and cheerleaders before they march down the Quad to Bryant-Denny.
To avoid the hassle of on-campus parking, consider parking across town at University Mall and catching a ride to campus on one of the gameday shuttle buses.
For lunch, head just off campus to a true Tuscaloosa institution: Rama Jama's. Deriving its name from a gameday cheer, Rama Jama's is as much a museum of the Crimson Tide as it is a restaurant. Here, you can enjoy classic diner fare like cheeseburgers and BLTs in a setting literally covered in posters, pennants, and other football memorabilia. Or, make the one-mile commute to downtown Tuscaloosa and DePalma's, a beloved Italian restaurant known for its handmade pizzas and cannoli. Instead of football stars, the walls here are decorated with classic film stars and vintage advertisements.
After lunch, drive a few miles out of town to learn about some of Tuscaloosa's earliest residents. Located on a sprawling campus that seems worlds away from UA's main campus, Moundville Archaeological Park brings to life the Mississippian culture of the 11th through 15th centuries. At its height, Moundville was a political and religious hub second in size only to Cahokia. Today, it is a quiet place where visitors can explore the remaining platform mounds, tour the museum, and walk the nature trail. The park also features regular programming, from interactive cultural presentations to stargazing.
For dinner, head back toward Tuscaloosa and Baumhower's Victory Grille, the post-playing project of Alabama Crimson Tide and Miami Dolphins alum Bob Baumhower. With an expansive menu featuring freshly made dishes ranging from wings to naan Phillies, there's truly something here for everyone. Or, for Alabama's contribution to Southern barbecue culture, stop in at Jim 'n' Nick's, which takes its commitment to freshness so far that microwaves and freezers are banned at all locations.
Day Four: A Tale of Three Capitals
You don't have to go all the way to Athens to see Greek (Revival) ruins. Before leaving Tuscaloosa, stop by Capitol Park, where you'll find what remains of Alabama's one-time capitol building, burned in 1923. The ruins are remarkably accessible, and visitors are able to climb the stairs, walk over the foundation, and literally touch history. Signs scattered throughout the park tell the story of Tuscaloosa's capital period, setting the stage for today's journey into Alabama's notorious political history.
After leaving Tuscaloosa, head south on State Route 69, where you'll very quickly find yourself in rural Alabama, a place of forests and plains and small towns that look a lot like they did at the turn of the century — the 20th century, that is. Your destination is Cahawba. The first permanent capital of Alabama, Cahawba became a boomtown seemingly overnight and then fell from grace even more rapidly in the wake of the Civil War. Today, it is a haunting (and, some say, haunted) place: red clay dust blows across empty streets that were once major thoroughfares; a well formerly touted as the deepest in the world faithfully offers up water, though there's no one left to drink it; and silence reigns in palatial ruins that previously witnessed spirited political debates. Like a shooting star, Cahawba burned brightly for a moment in time, and then vanished. It really makes you think.
After exploring Cahawba, make the short, 20-minute hop over to Selma, which took the former's place as county seat and took its bricks to construct its houses. Today, Selma is a quiet town, but it received international attention in 1965 when protestors marching in support of the Civil Rights Movement were attacked on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. After visiting the bridge, stop for lunch at The Sandbar, a cozy spot overlooking the river and serving up classic Southern fare like Conecuh dogs and catfish sandwiches.
Once you've eaten, follow the Alabama River for the 50-mile drive from Alabama's first capital to its last. Almost as old as the state itself, Montgomery has a rich and, at times, bemusing history — after all, what other capital is known as "Goat Hill" for having been built in a pasture? For more stories like these, head to the capitol building, a working museum listed on the National Register of Historic Places, where the Rotunda features murals illustrating scenes from state history and the Senate Chamber has been restored to its Civil War-era appearance. Or, if an open-air approach to history sounds more appealing, visit Old Alabama Town, where restored buildings recreate the atmosphere of a 19th-century village, complete with a blacksmith shop, millinery, tavern, and cottages. Or, if you'd rather trade the 1820s for the 1920s, swing by the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum for a tour of the home in which the couple lived and worked from 1931 to 1932.
For dinner, head to the center of the entertainment district, where you'll find a restaurant called Central. Housed in a 19th-century warehouse, Central consistently ranks among the top restaurants in the area and is known for putting unique twists on Southern classics.
Day Five: Roadside Attractions Along the Vacation Road
For generations of Alabama kids, I-65 has been the vacation road, and we learned to measure our distance from the beach by the various quirky sites along the way. Day five, then, is going to be all about classic Alabama tourism.
Thirty minutes south of Montgomery, the first site you'll come across is the Priester's Pecans retail store. For nearly a century, Priester's has been shelling pecans and turning them into melt-in-your-mouth confections like pralines and divinity, and you can see it all happen at their store just off I-65. Although, as the name suggests, they're best known for their pecans, they also have nut-free products, so anyone with a sweet tooth will be able to find something. And if you don't have a sweet tooth, you can still get in on the fun at their country store, which offers a collection of pickles, spices, coffee, and more — much of it made in Alabama.
Although it can be tempting to fill up on samples, make sure to save room for lunch just 12 miles down the road at Bates House of Turkey. An I-65 staple for more than half a century, the restaurant serves up almost every iteration of turkey imaginable — think turkey and dressing, turkey barbecue, turkey salad, and turkey gumbo. If you're in town around Thanksgiving, keep an eye out for the governor's turkey pardon, a beloved tradition that predates the restaurant.
After lunch, follow I-65 for 40 minutes before taking a detour to the hometown of another Alabama literary legend — or two. At first glance, Monroeville looks like a lot of small towns across America: Dependable buildings, on their fourth or sixth generation, form a square, and in the middle of that square stands a courthouse. But, in 1960, an airline reservation clerk named Harper Lee immortalized the courthouse, the town, and her childhood best friend in her debut novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. When Hollywood decided to make a film adaptation two years later, it recreated the courtroom down to its measurements. Today, visitors are able to tour the courthouse and various other onsite exhibits. And as for the childhood best friend? You might know him as Truman Capote.
After leaving Monroeville, reunite with I-65 just long enough to cross over to Conecuh Sausage Co. With a secret recipe that hasn't changed much in over 75 years, the family-owned Conecuh Sausage Co. is considered the state's last word in hickory-smoked sausage. Perhaps even better, they also take pride in having the best restrooms on I-65. Before you leave, make sure to stop by one of the state's favorite roadside photo ops: a giant statue of a pig ... grilling ... sausage.
As you depart Evergreen for the last, two-hour push, the landscape will begin flattening, red clay will give way to sandy dirt, and you might even see Spanish moss dangling from the trees. Once you reach Foley, a picturesque town that looks straight off a postcard, you're almost there. But first, dinosaurs! A few miles off the interstate and then, literally, off the beaten path, the first thing you'll see is Stonehenge — err, Bamahenge. A full-scale replica of its prehistoric counterpart, Bamahenge is constructed of fiberglass instead of stone, meaning you can get as close to the structure as you like. Past that, the fiberglass statues of Barber Marina get even more fantastical, from dinosaurs to knights to Alabama's very own lady of the lake.
The last stop of the day before arriving in Gulf Shores is Lambert's Cafe. Specializing in comfort food like chicken pot pie, meatloaf, and country fried steak, the restaurant is best known for the unique way in which it delivers its dinner rolls — by air. It gives new meaning to the phrase "dinner and a show" when an employee walks around throwing rolls at the diners. After you've finished catching your dinner, it's just about 12 miles to the beach.
Day 6: Alabama's Hidden Gem
Welcome to Gulf Shores! Here, where white sand beaches meet emerald waters, it would be easy to spend the entire day relaxing by the beach or boating on the gulf. But, if you would like to squeeze one more activity into your Alabama week, there are, as ever, plenty of options.
Twenty-two miles and one ferry ride away, you'll find Dauphin Island, a barrier island known for its ecological and historical significance. Immediately off the ferry landing, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Alabama's marine research hub for over 50 years, is also home to an aquarium and features various educational programming throughout the month. Depending on the day, you can tag along on a research vessel, take a guided tour of the lab, or help scientists collect samples in the salt marsh. Next door, you'll see Fort Gaines, a 200-year-old fort that was instrumental during the Civil War's Battle of Mobile Bay and is now considered one of the best-preserved masonry forts from the period. Although there are docents onsite, the tour itself is self-guided and features extensive access to the historic site.
Or, head an hour north to Mobile, one of Alabama's oldest cities and the site of the country's earliest-known Mardi Gras celebration. You can learn more about that at the Mobile Carnival Museum, a historic mansion that now houses interactive exhibits chronicling the 300-year history of Mardi Gras. Like Huntsville, Mobile also has strong ties to the aviation industry, which you can explore at Flight Works Alabama, where you can try your hand at a cockpit simulator and tour the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility.
If you made the drive into Mobile, consider staying in town for dinner aboard the Perdido Queen paddleboat, which features live music or interactive murder mystery cruises. If you stayed by the beach, end the evening — and your Alabama adventure — at The Wharf, an entertainment district with stores, restaurants, and one of the tallest Ferris wheels in the Southeast.
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