Unique Places in Alabama

Once the territorial capital of Alabama, Saint Stephens today is a ghost town. It is on the Banks of the Tombigbee River and situated on a high bluff which the Choctaw Indians called Hobucakintopa.

In 1803 the Choctaw Trading House was established at Saint Stephens and the Choctaw Agency in 1805. The post was active in the deerskin trade, back when a "buck" was worth a dollar. Saint Stephens became the territorial capital in 1817, before Alabama was a state. A 200 acre park preserves the site.

For those seeking peace and quite, the secluded Blandon Springs State Park in Southwestern Alabama's Choctaw County may be just your cup of tea. When I was there I didn't see another living soul. The 357 acre Park centers around four mineral springs which are shaded by towering trees draped with spanish moss.

Park facilities include about ten campsites with water and electrical hook-ups, picnic shelters, tables, grills, restrooms and a children's playground.

Admission is free.

Address:
3921 Blandon Road
Blandon Springs, AL 36919

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1938 to provide a safe habitat for ducks, geese, and other migratory birds that winter along the banks of the Tennessee River. The 34,500-acre (13,961-hectare) refuge attracts thousands of waterfowl each winter. In addition, 285 species of birds, 115 species of fish, 74 species of reptiles, and 47 species of mammals have been recorded on the refuge. In just a short visit, I was able to see 24 species of birds, including cranes, geese, and seven species of ducks.

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge contains many types of habitats, including bottomland hardwoods, wetlands, baldcypress swamps, pine uplands, shoreline or riparian woodlands, agricultural fields, and backwater embayments. The diversity of habitat types provides excellent feeding and roosting sites for waterfowl, as well as food and shelter for many of the other species of wildlife found on the refuge.

While I lived here in Alabama, the Lake had been completely washed out. Now, as I return after nearly 13 years, we found the lake and activity at it's busiest! Rent equipment for water activities, and there's a safe (roped off) area for children also. Plan for a picnic and stay all day.

Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman was an interesting stop located on the grounds of a Benedictine Abbey. There are over 125 miniature reproductions of famous churches, shrines and buildings from all over the world. Take Exit 308 off Interstate 65 and drive 4 miles east to St Bernard Abbey.

Check out Alabama diaries online at http://www.freeopendiary.com/diarylist.asp?statecode=AL&statename=Alabama&list=5 start=1 This will give you everything you didn't want to know about people in Alabama!

Ave Maria Grotto, Cullman
Cross Garden, Prattville
Joe Cain Day, Mobile
Joe Mintner's Yard, Birmingham Key
Underwood Coon Dog Graveyard, Tuscumbia
Lambert's Café, Foley
Naked Art, Birmingham
Riverhouse Bed & Breakfast, Theodore
Toilet Paper Tree, Auburn
Tom Mann's Fish World, Eufaula
Unclaimed Baggage Center, Scottsboro

The little tiny University of Montevallo has a wonderful campus to visit, and they have a very unique homecoming experience if you are travelling through the area at the time. It's called college night, and instead of a football game, two teams make up a play, rehearse, and then perform it for a few nights. The audience then gets to vote on whose play they liked more, and at the end of the week, there is a winner! It's really fun, and University of Montevallo is the only school in the country to do this.