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NATURE AND ADVENTUREIn fact, part of the coast, stretchinginland between the two resorts, is astate park. A great spot to hang outis at Gulf State Park Pier, where sunwrinkled fishermen haul in theircatch and you can spot schools offish sparkling under the hot sun. Thepark has 10 miles of trails andlakeside cabins – and it’s just a10-minute bike ride to the beach.DID YOU KNOW?White-water rafting is nowavailable on the ChattahoocheeRiver between Phenix City,Alabama and Columbus,Georgia and is described asbeing ‘as wild as Colorado andas warm as Costa Rica.’ANIMAL MAGICThe beaches are in adjacent resorttowns, each with a huge choice ofrestaurants and bars. However,development is controlled andalong the sugary straight is just asingle row of condos and a fewhotels with direct beach access.From Orange Beach, jovial CaptainBill runs Cetacean Cruises. His boatAlabama Cruzin’ is just one of manyspecialising in nature trails, lettingvisitors see wild dolphins up-closeand venturing into the dappled shadeof the area’s inland swamps andcreeks to watch for more wildlife. Youcan even spy on the residents, as youglide past some of the area’s mostaffluent and idyllic waterside homes.The 5 Rivers Delta Center, locatedin the Mobile Tensaw Delta, is awinding labyrinth of peaceful reededand wooded waterways wherealligators lurk. The center operatesguided kayak and boat trips, rangingfrom short sunset cruises to severaldays camping overnight in thewilderness with ‘gator bites’ andother refreshments laid on.There is deep-sea fishing and divingoff the coast of the resort towns ofGulf Shores/Orange Beach, whereyou can also take a coastal kayak, rentjet skis or go parasailing.ACTION STATIONSrock formations that people travelmiles to climb. Horse Pens 40 in theAppalachian Mountains is a 115-acrehistorical park with giganticboulders and scenic cliffs formerlyused by Native Americans.Along the Alabama/Georgia stateline, just south of Atlanta,experience the trill of the “World’sLongest Urban Whitewater Course”as you ride in an eight-person raftdown the exhilaratingChattahoochee River intodowntown Phenix City, Alabama.North of Atlanta, in Alabama, arethe mountain villages of Mentoneand Fort Payne where you can hikein a state park or visit Little RiverCanyon, a National Preserveoperated by the U.S. Park Service.Zip line adventures are availableboth at the beach and inBirmingham in Red Mountain Park,which also has an amazing obstaclecourse in the tops of the park’smountain top trees. Or play worldclass championship golf on theRobert Trent Jones Golf Trail.For the active traveller there areplenty of activities, including hikingand mountain biking, to choosefrom. Alabama has many unique“The Mobile tensaw delta is a winding labyrinth ofpeaceful reeded and wooded waterways wherealligators and other interesting creatures lurk”DEEP-SOUTH-USA.COM/ALABAMA7

History and culture“Evoke that deep south atmosphere by visiting anantebellum mansion. Sit on a porch swing, sip an icedtea and imagine a simpler time when cotton was king”history &cultureAlabama is awash withhistory: it was thebirthplace of theConfederacy andsparked the AmericanCivil Rights Movement.And with culturalinfluences from theFrench, Spanish,British and NativeAmericans, itsarchitecture and art isnever dull.Did you know?Where itall beganIt was in the state capital,Montgomery, where thebreakaway Confederate States ofAmerica were born and thetelegram which started the CivilWar was sealed. You can stand onthe spot where Jefferson Davisswore his ‘presidential’ oath ofoffice in 1861, while close-by is thetiny White House of theConfederacy where he lived.Throughout the state there aredozens of museums, cemeteries andbattlefield sites dedicated to the warthat followed on from the South’ssecession from the Union. You canexplore the soldiers’ homes atFort Morgan near Gulf Shores andFort Gaines on Dauphin Island andtheir resting place, at ConfederateMemorial Park in Mountain Creek,near Montgomery. Some 18reenactments take place annuallyacross the state and there is evenan Alabama Civil War Trail.2Montgomery is where feisty RosaParks challenged segregation byrefusing to give up her bus seatto a white man. Visit themuseums dedicated to her andDexter King Church andparsonage where Martin LutherKing Jnr. plotted the bus boycottsalabama.travel.comLady AntebellumEvoke that Deep South atmosphereand visit the columned mansions ofthe grand Antebellum period (18121860). You can sit on a porch swing,sip on an iced tea and imagine asimpler time when cotton was king.The port of Mobile was America’sThis page: clockwise from left: The Vulcan statuein Birmingham is the largest cast iron statue inthe world; Montgomery Capitol building; LowdnesInterpretive Center, Selma. Opposite: OakleighMansion, Mobile; Civil War re-enactmentamongst the quiet backstreets linedwith trees dripping in Spanish moss.The mansion was built by slaves inthe 1850s and showcases the dayswhen Southern hospitality was in fullswing.See it at dusk, when its whitecolumns glow against the inky sky.third busiest during the cotton boomand the first capital of FrenchLouisiana. Wandering the leafystreets of the Oakleigh HistoricDistrict takes you back in time butalso lets you peer into the porches ofsome of the city’s most beautifulhomes. Oakleigh itself is a beautifulold plantation house, meticulouslyrestored and filled with antiquitiesthat tell the story of its occupants.Sturdivant Hall is the grandest ofSelma’s buildings, tucked awayCivil rights legacyAlabama is famous for its role in thestruggle for equality between blackand white Americans. These days,the state’s informative museumsexplain civil rights issues to thosewho perhaps can’t imagine a worldwhere people were forbidden to eattogether, use the same wash rooms,or even play football together.The Birmingham Civil RightsInstitute is poignantly located acrossthe street from the 16th Street BaptistChurch where four young girls werekilled by a Ku Klux Klan bomb in 1963and it takes visitors on a fascinatingjourney from the days of slavery tothe modern struggle for equal rights.But it’s not just in the big citieswhere the story of Civil Rights is told.For instance, who would guess thatthe sleepy riverside town of Selma,where the porches creek in thebreeze, was the place that sparked aalabama.travel.commonumental protest march?Despite it being a constitutionalright, black people in Selma andmany other places were denied thevote through intimidation. WhenSelma came to the notice of MartinLuther King, a series of protestsfollowed, resulting in the death of ayoung man, beaten by state troopers.When 600 protestors tried to crossSelma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge tomarch to Montgomery they werebeaten back. Following King’spreaching of non-violent protest,globally televised images ofunresisting protestors being beatenmade the world sit up and takenotice, leading to the Presidentpassing the Voting Rights Act.Deep South DetourHead to the tiny country town ofMonroeville. Dominated by itscourthouse, it’s where HarperLee, author of the famous novelTo Kill A Mockingbird grew upand was inspired to write aboutracial injustice. Learn more atthe courthouse museum and theBeehive Café and bookshop.9

Make your wayTRACKSFAMILY FORTUNESALABAMA.TRAVEL.COMTENNESSEEHuntsvillePP INORTHIADay 1-2: Refresh in AtlantaFly into Atlanta and visit its topfamily attractions: GeorgiaAquarium and Coca Cola World.Day 3: Get spaced out inHuntsvilleCheck out the US Space and RocketCenter, which is home to themammoth 363-foot Apollo-eraSaturn V rocket, and get a real tasteof what it’s like to be an astronautin the G-Force Accelerator.Day 4: Back to the future inBirminghamContinue the science theme at theinteractive McWane Science Centerwith its IMAX theatre.Alternatively, visit the BirminghamCivil Rights Institute for a movingand educational explanation of theCivil Rights Movement.Day 5: Ride of your life inMontgomeryVisit the Rosa Parks Museum &Children’s Wing and learn how oneindividual can make a realdifference. Afterwards, hop on aBlake’s Segway Tour aroundMontgomery’s riverfront.Day 6: Nature calls in Mobile BayG EO R G2MakingMI SS IS SIChoose an Alabamaitinerary to suit you!Perhaps you need tokeep the kidsentertained, but theadults happy too.There are routes forthose who want to getoff the beaten trackand have anadventure. Or if you’vehad enough excitementyou can always justrelax and enjoy thesunshine.or the ASTFLORIDAMobileGulf ShoresGULF OF MEXICOAll-aboard the USS Alabamabattleship, to see what life at sea islike. Wildlife-centred pursuitsinclude Mobile Zoo, holdingrescued reptiles at Alligator Alleyor spotting octopus and turtlesclose-up at the Estuarium,Dauphin Island.Day 7 onwards: Be a beach bum!Relax on 32 miles of white sandbeaches lapped by the warm, calmGulf in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach.If the kids are still bored, there arecruises, crazy golf and more.WWW.DEEP-SOUTH-USA.COM/ALABAMA

ORIDAFairhope/DaphneGulf ShoresGULF OF MEXICOACTION STATIONSPP IIAMI SS IS SIG EO R oint ClearDay 1: Swing to the musicChoose from two Muscle Shoals golfcourses: The Fighting Joe was the firsttrail course to break 8,000 yards; thetraditional tree-lined Schoolmasterhugs the Tennessee River.Day 2: Bunker down inBirminghamBeautifully carved into the rollingterrain of Shannon Valley, the 18holes of Ross Bridge are the longestcourse in the world and challengeAtlanta/NashvilleTENNESSEEDeSoto State ParkNORTHGuntersvilleIAALABAMA TEE PARTYTENNESSEEMuscle ShoalsNORTHwinter. Around the lake is a fishingcenter and hiking and horse trails.Day 4: Go wet ‘n’ wildHead to the Chattahoochee RiverWhitewater course betweenAlabama’s Phenix City andColombus, Georgia. Raft the longesturban whitewater course in the worldor try kayaking and paddleboarding.Day 5 onwards: Swamp versus seaTry the Hummingbird Zip Line andfishing off the pier and Gulf StatePark. There’s also deep sea fishingcharters or swamp kayaking andcamping under the stars in theMobile-Tensaw Delta.G EO R GDay 1: Bright lights, big cityFly into Atlanta or Nashville for abig city start to a rustic adventureDay 2-3: Mountain madnessThe DeSoto State Park and LittleRiver Canyon National Preserve arehome to spectacular waterfalls.Activities include rock climbing,kayaking, hiking or wild cave toursat Sequoyah Caverns.Day 3: Where eagles flyLake Guntersville State Park nearHuntsville attracts huge numbers ofmigrating bald eagles during theDay 1-2: Kick-start in the Big EasyRelax, eat a po’ boy sandwich andsoak up the atmosphere of NewOrleans’ French Quarter.Day 3: Luxuriate in MobileIt was Mobile, not New Orleans, thatheld the first Mardi Gras. Head toparty HQ Dauphin Street, for livelybars and restaurants. Alternatively,check into the historic Battle HouseRenaissance Hotel and Spa andwatch the sun set over the city’s artdeco skyscraper from the rooftopwith a glass of wine.PP IIAMI SS IS SIPP IG EO R GNORTHDay 4-5: Shop ‘til you dropExplore the cute little towns ofFairhope and Daphne, popping inand out of its bijoux boutiques andcooling off at the ice cream parlour.Then relax in a bubble bath atMarriott’s top-rated spa at the GrandHotel. Blissful treatments includearomatherapy and manicures.Day 6-7: Blame it on the sunshinein Gulf ShoresStop in Foley for the Tanger OutletCenter, where you’ll find over 150brand name stores, from BananaRepublic to Ralph Lauren. Then onto Gulf Shores to let your hair down.MI SS IS SIPAMPERING & TFLORIDAGulf State ParkGULF OF MEXICOtop golfers with elevation changes,water and natural obstructions.Day 3: Capitol day in MontgomeryChoose between the Judge, withviews of the Capitol dome and theshimmering Alabama River; thepine and cypress-lined swamps ofthe Legislator; or the secludedScottish-links-style Senator course.Day 4: Fairway to celeb heavenThe Lakewood Golf Club’s Azaleaand Dogwood courses in PointClear have hosted President GeraldFord and comedian Bob Hope.GULF OF BAMA9

Huntsville to Nashville, Tennessee: 116 miles/under 2 hrs Huntsville to Memphis, Tennessee: 216 miles/4.5 hrs (Please note that Georgia is one hour ahead of Alabama) Opposite page: Southern-fried goodness. This page: Wintzell’s – home-grown Alabama dining 12 ways to int