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Alabama

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A man hiking at Dismals Canyon in Franklin County, Alabama. M5RD2F hiking, leisure, peaceful, rock, trail, tranquil, formations, outdoors, nature, walking, enjoying nature, one person, man

©Rommel Stribling/Alamy Stock Photo

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Overview

History suffuses Alabama, a description that could be true of many states. But there are few places where the perception of said history is so emotionally fraught. The Mississippian Native American culture built great mound cities here, and Mobile is dotted with Franco-Caribbean architecture. But for many, the word Alabama is synonymous with the American Civil Rights movement.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Splinter Hill Bog

    Splinter Hill Bog

    Alabama

    Blankets of white-topped pitcher plants can be found here, a 2100 acre plot of land owned and protected by the non-profit Nature Conservancy. Walk into…

  • Live Oak trees near Bon Secour, Alabama

    Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge

    Alabama

    Centuries ago, salt-lashed oak forest, inundated coastal prairie and great quilts of sawgrass covered the Gulf Coast. Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge…

  • A Saturn 5 rocket appears to be aimming for the moon. The background was taken 10/22/04 at 5:30 pm CST. Taken with a Canon 10D, w/400mm lens set to 400mm. Tv 1/500, Av 8, ISO 400. White balance set to Flurescent. The shot was taken from my front porch in Harvest Al. The Sature 5 was taken 2/17/14 at 2:30 PM CST. at the Space and Rocket center in Huntsville Al. This shot was taken with a canon 7D, with a 28-135 lens set at 28mm. Tv 1/125, Av 6.3, exposure compensation plus 1 and ISO 100. Post process was on the background with PS elements 5, and the rocket with PS element 11 and Perfect photo suite 8.

    US Space & Rocket Center

    Alabama

    If you ever entertained dreams of playing Major Tom to someone's ground control, head here. This Smithsonian-affiliated museum boasts one of the world's…

  • Sloss Furnaces is a National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States. It operated as a pig iron-producing blast furnace from 1882 to 1971. After closing it became one of the first industrial sites (and the only blast furnace) in the U.S. to be preserved and restored for public use. In 1981 the furnaces were designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior

    Sloss Furnaces

    Birmingham

    The Sloss Furnaces constitutes one of Birmingham's can't-miss sites. From 1882 to 1971, this was a pig iron–producing blast furnace and a cornerstone of…

  • Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

    Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

    Birmingham

    A maze of moving audio, video and photography exhibits tell the story of racial segregation and the Civil Rights movement, with a focus on activities in…

  • Dismals Canyon Conservatory

    Dismals Canyon Conservatory

    Alabama

    In many other states, Dismals would be a headlining tourist attraction. In North Alabama, it quietly persists as just an amazing place to visit. This…

  • Dexter Avenue Parsonage

    Dexter Avenue Parsonage

    Alabama

    The home of Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King has been frozen in time, a snapshot of a mid-century home complete with Mad Men–era furniture,…

  • National Memorial for Peace & Justice

    National Memorial for Peace & Justice

    Alabama

    Stark and harrowing in its simplicity, this memorial stands in honor of 4400 African American victims of lynching. Great rectangular steel slabs, each the…

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Planning Tools

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Best Places to Visit

Alabama has a surprising variety of landscapes, vast biodiversity and a friendly cast of small Southern cities and towns to explore.

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