The 11 best places to visit in Alabama

The 30th biggest state in the US is also one of its most distinct. In Alabama, a complicated past merges with a surprising variety of landscapes, vast biodiversity and a friendly cast of small Southern cities and towns with character in spades.

Northern Alabama holds the state’s most undulating scenes, as the Appalachian foothills wander in from the east; there are great barbecue and wine experiences here, too. Further south, the state’s civil rights history is showcased in Montgomery and Birmingham. Down on the Gulf, Alabama’s southern shores are a playground for wildlife watching and outdoor activities. 

Wherever you start, here are some of the best places to visit in Alabama.

1. Montgomery

Best for civil rights history

No state is more intertwined with civil rights history than Alabama. And when Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus in 1955, the state’s capital became the setting for one of the movement’s most significant moments. 

Learn more about her life at the Rosa Parks Museum before taking in the Legacy Sites. The Legacy Museum is where you’ll want to spend most of your time, though the more visual experiences of the National Memorial for Peace and Freedom Monument Sculpture Park are just as captivating.  

Planning tip: If you have a car, Selma is under an hour’s drive, and the Edmund Pettus Bridge – the scene of the famous 1965 protest march on Montgomery – is an equally iconic sight in the civil rights fight.

2. Birmingham 

Best for quality Southern dining

The food scene in the Magic City is having a moment, with chefs across Birmingham offering sublime cooking without forgetting their Southern roots.  

James Beard Award–winning chef Frank Stitt runs some of the city’s finest restaurants in the Five Points district, including Italian-meets-Southern Bottega and French-influenced Chez Fonfon. (Don’t miss its majestic comté-drenched burger.) Over in the lively Homewood neighborhood, Tim Hontzas’ Johnny’s plates up classic meat and threes, but with exceptional ingredients and execution. 

Downtown has a host of highly regarded spots like Helen and The Essential, but don’t skip on local institutions like Gus’s Hot Dogs or SAW’s Soul Kitchen over in Avondale.

Planning tip: Booking ahead is of utmost importance if you want to secure a table at Birmingham’s higher-end restaurants.

3. Muscle Shoals

Best for musical lore

On the Tennessee River in Alabama’s northwest sits a small city with a big sound. In fact, Muscle Shoals – a community of just 16,000 – attracted some of the world’s greatest musical artists to record here in the 1960s and 70s. 

FAME Studios was a hotbed of soul and R&B, with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Wilson Pickett all cutting iconic records inside its doors. While just a short five-minute drive north, the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio attracted legends like Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. More recently, Lana Del Rey was seen making a few tracks at the famous studio.

Planning tip: FAME Studios has a special backstage tour that’s more expensive than a standard ticket but includes access to the studio’s Publishing Office and exhibitions showcasing instruments played during legendary sessions.

4. Cheaha State Park

Best for elevated experiences

With its forested hills and glittering lakes, Alabama’s outdoors is as underrated as it is spectacular. And few corners are better than Cheaha State Park. 

Home to Cheaha Mountain, Alabama’s highest natural point at 2413ft, this cinematic park is a favorite with families in nearby Birmingham thanks to its vacation cottages, chalets, campground and picnic areas. There are plenty of walking trails to tackle here, too, from the easy-going Bald Rock Trail to the steeper and more challenging Lake Trail. 

Planning tip: For the most spectacular experience, consider visiting in autumn, when the undulating hills and valleys explode into a canvas of gold, red and yellow. The forested Cheaha Road from Munford is an especially pretty drive.

5. Gulf Shores and Dauphin Island

Best for wildlife watching

Alabama is home to more than 6000 species of wildlife, with perhaps the most interesting examples found down on the sun-kissed Gulf Coast. 

Migratory birds flying up from South America often pass over or nest in Dauphin Island, and the Audubon Bird Sanctuary's peaceful woodlands are fantastic for birdwatching (four hundred fifty of the US' 1000 bird species either live or pass through Alabama). With its snaking trails and tranquil lakes across 6000 acres, Gulf State Park is packed with wildlife like snapping turtles, otters, deer and alligators (which are primarily visible at Lake Shelby). 

Planning tip: After a day of wildlife watching, don’t miss the chance to let your hair down at the ever-gregarious Flora-Bama beach bar, which straddles the Florida state line (hence the name). And if you’re around in late April, try to catch their legendary Mullet Toss event.

6. Gadsden

Best for winery visits

Quaint Gadsden is a small town with an Old West feel, with its neat turn-of-the-century buildings lining the wide Broad St. It’s also a great base for exploring Northern Alabama’s charming wineries.

Jules J. Berta Vineyards, High Country Cellars, Wills Creek Winery and the Fruithurst Winery Co. are all within an hour of Gadsden, and their distinctly regional muscadine and sweet fruit wines are perfect for a sunny Southern afternoon. These friendly mom-and-pop stops are a world away from the ostentatious vineyards of Napa and Sonoma, so settle in and make new friends over a glass or two. 

Planning tip: Jules J. Berta serves wood-fired pizza with their wines on weekends. It sounds like an odd combination, but it works.

7. Huntsville

Best for space travel and street art

With its huge Saturn V rocket pointed toward the sky and visible for miles, Huntsville’s US Space & Rocket Center is instantly recognizable and has become emblematic of the city’s role in space exploration. The permanent exhibitions, lively planetarium and outdoor rocket park make this an alluring family destination. 

Back in Huntsville's compact downtown, the city shows its colorful side with several art-splashed streets proudly displaying unique murals. Clinton Ave is its epicenter (especially the Color Walk alley), though the most impressive piece might be the massive This Girl Can mural on Washington St East by Kim Radford, celebrating 100 years of women’s right to vote. 

8. Decatur

Best for barbecue

There are plenty of barbecue joints in Alabama, but only Decatur has Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q. 

With its tangy peppery taste and vinegar-like texture, the white sauce developed here in 1925 has become a fixture on barbecue menus across the state, and the restaurant is helmed by championship-winning pitmaster Chris Lilly. One hundred years later, this iconic roadside spot in Decatur is in good hands.

Planning tip: By all means, go wild for Big Bob’s pulled pork, ribs, turkey and wings, but leave some room for dessert. Look out for the fridge behind the counter; the mile-high lemon meringue pie is a delicate delight.

8. Mobile

Best for Mardi Gras and battleships

Though these days it’s associated with New Orleans, Mardi Gras was first celebrated in Mobile in 1703, and the city still parades every February. Learn more about this hidden American history at the Mobile Carnival Museum (and try on a few jaunty masks and hats, too). 

Mobile is also a port city, and its long maritime history is celebrated aboard the USS Alabama, a veteran battleship of World War II that saw action in both the North Atlantic and Pacific theaters.

Planning tip: Speaking of New Orleans, Amtrak’s twice-daily Mardi Gras service will begin in summer 2025 between the two cities, providing a great car-free option for those wishing to visit Mobile and New Orleans in one trip.

9. Mobile-Tensaw River Delta

Best for kayaking and oysters

The Gulf’s sugar-white sands and crystalline waters are wildly different from the rolling hills of Alabama’s north, but the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta may be the most unique area of all. 

The 5 Rivers Delta has 250,000 acres of scenic waterways, woods and wetlands, and its sun-drenched bayous are a haven for kayaking amid Alabama’s wildlife (though keep an eye out for alligators). 

After a glide through those serene waters, jump on US 98 arcing across Mobile Bay and stop by one of the lively spots serving up Alabama’s famous chargrilled oysters. Take your pick from the Original Oyster House, Bluegill Restaurant, Felix’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar and R&R Seafood. 

Planning tip: You’re always at the sun’s mercy when kayaking. To avoid the intense heat and humidity of summer, choose a shoulder season like spring or fall for the best experience.

10. Lake Guntersville

Best for unwinding by the water

It’s a magical scene when the sun’s early-evening orange glow flares across Lake Guntersville, turning its boats into hazy silhouettes. And whether you watch it from the 4-mile-long Sunset Drive Trail or from one of the bars at City Harbor, this quiet corner of northeastern Alabama is hard to beat for getting away from it all.

This is also fishing country, and within Alabama’s largest lake, there’s an abundance of largemouth bass, striped bass and catfish to catch. When evening falls, the Old Town Stock House – helmed by New York-trained but Alabama native chef Crystal McKone – is a wonderful Southern restaurant inside an old townhouse dating back to 1901.

Planning tip: While this is a pretty serene spot, that all goes out the window in early June when the annual Guntersville Lake HydroFest comes to town with ultra-fast hydroplane boats thundering around the lake at 200mph. This might be a weekend to avoid if you crave relaxation – or lean into it and embrace the madness.

11. Talladega

Best for feeling Alabama’s motorsport passion

Football is a big deal in Alabama, but motorsport also holds a deeply cultural place here. Nowhere embodies that passion quite like the Talladega Superspeedway. Spanning 2.6 miles, the massive asphalt oval – the biggest in NASCAR – hosts two big NASCAR events every year, the Jack Link’s 500 in spring and the YellaWood 500 later in the fall. 

Check out the International Motorsports Hall of Fame for a closer look at the sport’s most beloved and notorious cars and drivers. 

Planning tip: NASCAR races are massive events, and the track is around 12 miles outside of Talladega. Most visitors spend the weekend camping or in their RVs, and the party can get rather chaotic in the campgrounds.