6. Prattville Wilderness Park/Bamboo Forest
Prattville Parks and Facilities
This park has huge oriental bamboo soaring 60 feet to form a canopy in the sky. Along with the giant bamboo, the park is home to the state's second largest breech tree. While in Prattville, you can also visit the set of the movie "Big Fish".
5. Colleges within Alabama
With several universities within the state, it could make a fun trip just to see how beautiful the campuses really are. University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) located in Tuscaloosa, AL, Auburn University located in Auburn, AL, University of North Alabama located in Florence, AL, and Jacksonville State University (Go Gamecocks!) located in Jacksonville, AL, are a few really pretty campuses within the state. I might be a little biased about JSU, though. 😉
4. Dismals Canyon
With it located in Northwest Alabama Dismals Canyon is an 85 acre natural conservatory that is privately owned and operated. It is a 1.5 mile hiking trail with the temperature running 14 degrees below Alabama's summer average. The canyon provides the perfect habitat for the unique insects, known as Dismalites, to survive. These insects emit bright blue-green lights to attract flying insects as food.
3. Natchez Trace Parkway
Natchez Trace Parkway- Rock Spring
The middle part of the Trace travels through northwest Alabama. Alabama's section of the Trace is 33 miles long and crosses over the Tennessee River. There are several towns off the trace along the way, that you can stop off in to visit. A few of the main attractions throughout Alabama include Rock Spring, which is a small natural spring with a twenty minute walking trail to show you around the area. After completing the walk, you might decide to pull off your shoes and dangle your feet in the cool water. One more is the Colbert Ferry. Visit: https://www.natcheztracetravel.com/natchez-trace-alabama/florence-tennessee-river/124-colbert-ferry.html to find out more about the Colbert Ferry.
2. Cheaha State Park
Located in Delta, Alabama, Cheaha State Park is where the highest point in Alabama rests at 2,407 feet above sea level. This park just so happens to be named by the Native American "Creek" nation in Muskogee language, with "Chaha" meaning "high place."
1. Gulf Shores
Not just Gulf Shores, but all the other beaches along Alabama's coast. Many people may not realize that Alabama has a Gulf Coast front, but we sure do! The Gulf State Park has beaches, trails and a pier to visit while you're down there.
Alabama is known for football, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, and numerous other things, but maybe now you see how pretty the state can be. Proud to be from Alabama is an understatement.
