10 Things to do in Alabama

21.07.2023 - 08:35 / roughguides.com

The 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic first landing on the Moon on 20th July 1969 brings Alabama into the spotlight – where Huntsville’s NASA Marshall Space Flight Center developed the Saturn V rocket that carried all the Apollo missions. To celebrate, here’s our countdown of the state’s top attractions:

As Ricky Bobby (AKA Will Ferrell) said in Talledega Nights: “If you ain’t first, you’re last!” The longest NASCAR oval in the States is Talladega Superspeedway, which holds the Nascar speed record since Rusty Wallace hit 216mph in 2004. Speed restrictions implemented since have made for much closer racing as well as crashes involving multiple cars. The track is famed for its race weekend parties. From $99, you can have a go at driving the track – either by yourself or as a passenger.

Like any American state, Alabama has its share of slightly strange, eye-catching roadside monuments. The Boll Weevil Monument in Enterprise shows a classic Greek-style goddess holding aloft the nasty little bug that nearly destroyed the cotton industry in the early 1900s. Farmers switched to peanuts and diversification brought prosperity out of disaster, a triumph to celebrate. Elsewhere, find such oddities as the Bamahenge, a Stonehenge replica in Elberta (where you’ll also see dinosaurs in the woods), the Golden Peanut in Dothan, and an 18-foot-tall aluminum rock star close to the iconic Muscle Shoals recording studio in Sheffield.

Bamahenge in Elberta, Alabama © Beachtown View/Shutterstock

Scottsboro is the place to go to be reunited with your lost luggage, or maybe someone else’s. The Unclaimed Baggage Center attracts more than a million visitors a year who come to browse the massive store, made up of unclaimed possessions collected at airports across the country. New stock is added daily to the bargains in clothing, electronics, jewellery, toys or anything else someone might take on a plane or train. If you wondering about the cleanliness of the items on sale you needn't worry – all clothing is drycleaned before making it out for sale.

Alabama landscapes range from Gulf of Mexico beaches to the Appalachian mountains, so outdoor lovers can enjoy everything from hiking to fishing, whitewater rafting and skiing. Swim or sail in the sea or one of the many lakes, play the 468 holes of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, or hike through the canyons and waterfalls of the Jericho Trail, once explored by American folk hero Davy Crockett.

The Noccalula Falls along the Jericho trail in northern Alabama © BJ Ray/Shutterstock

continued below

College football is very much a passion in the Southern States and catching a game – along with a tailgate BBQ – is a great way to see stars of the future. The two major teams are Alabama