Alabama USA
5
Day Itinerary •
USA
Five days in Alabama reveals the full extraordinary range of the state, from the deepest canyon east of the Mississippi River to the white-sand beaches of the Gulf Coast. This route takes you through the Appalachian foothills of Little River Canyon, Alabama's highest peak at Cheaha Mountain, the world-class Civil Rights heritage of Birmingham, the pristine Gulf Shore beaches and the remarkable antebellum port city of Mobile. This route covers the complete Alabama experience. The extraordinary Little River Canyon and DeSoto Falls of DeKalb County, the summit of Cheaha Mountain in the Talladega National Forest, Birmingham's remarkable Civil Rights District, the extraordinary white-sand beaches of Gulf State Park, and Mobile with its extraordinary Mardi Gras heritage and USS Alabama battleship.
Best Time To Visit
March to May or September to November
Getting There
Fly into Birmingham (BHM), depart Mobile (MOB)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout Alabama
Budget Per Day
Approx $100 to $170 per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate, some canyon and mountain hiking
DAY 1
FORT PAYNE AND LITTLE RIVER CANYON
MORNING
LITTLE RIVER CANYON NATIONAL PRESERVE
Little River Canyon is the most extraordinary natural landscape in Alabama, the deepest canyon east of the Mississippi River with its remarkable sandstone walls dropping 600 feet to the river below. The Canyon Rim Trail follows the eastern bluff for eight miles with extraordinary views at every overlook. Grace's High Falls, Canyon Mouth Park and Eberhart Point give the finest canyon viewpoints in the state. Free entry. Drive: 15 min drive to DeSoto Falls
MIDDAY
DESOTO FALLS AND DESOTO STATE PARK
DeSoto Falls is the most extraordinary waterfall in Alabama, a spectacular 104-foot two-tier cascade hidden in the forest above the canyon. The lower falls, reached by a short scramble off the main trail, give the finest view and are missed by almost every visitor. DeSoto State Park surrounds the falls with extraordinary trails through the Lookout Mountain foothills. The remarkable swimming area is the finest natural swimming hole in north Alabama. Park entry free. Drive: 10 min drive to Fort Payne
AFTERNOON
FORT PAYNE DOWNTOWN AND MENTONE ON THE BLUFF
Fort Payne is the most extraordinary small town in north Alabama, its remarkable 1889 opera house and historic downtown preserving the finest late Victorian streetscape in the region. Mentone village on the Lookout Mountain bluff above the canyon gives the finest sunset panorama in the region and the most extraordinary arts and craft scene in north Alabama. Museum entry approx $5.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Cloudmont Ski and Golf Resort near Mentone is the most southerly ski resort in the United States, its remarkable slopes operating on natural snowfall in a region that receives snow far more reliably than most visitors expect. Open December to February when conditions allow. Free to visit the resort grounds year-round.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Old Town Coffee, Fort Payne The finest breakfast in Fort Payne. Local eggs and strong coffee in a relaxed downtown setting. | Lunch: Picnic at DeSoto Falls Pack supplies from IGA grocery in Fort Payne. The extraordinary riverside picnic above the falls. | Dinner: Simp McGhee's, Fort Payne The most celebrated restaurant in Fort Payne. Extraordinary Southern cuisine in a historic downtown building.
DAY 2
CHEAHA STATE PARK
MORNING
CHEAHA MOUNTAIN SUMMIT AND PULPIT ROCK
Cheaha State Park contains the most extraordinary highland landscape in Alabama, its remarkable summit at 2,407 feet giving the finest panoramic view in the state across the Talladega National Forest. Pulpit Rock is the most extraordinary viewpoint in the park, a massive exposed sandstone outcrop reached by a 2-mile trail with 270-degree views that almost no visitors outside Alabama know exists. The extraordinary Bald Rock Boardwalk gives accessible summit views for all abilities. Park entry approx $5. Drive: 20 min drive on park trails
MIDDAY
PINHOTI TRAIL AND TALLADEGA NATIONAL FOREST
The Talladega National Forest surrounds Cheaha with the most extraordinary woodland landscape in Alabama. The remarkable Pinhoti Trail, one of the finest long-distance hiking trails in the eastern United States, originates at the Cheaha summit. Even a short section through the forest gives the finest trail walking in the state. The extraordinary High Falls on the forest edge near Heflin is the most remarkable waterfall in the Talladega highlands. Trail free. Drive: 45 min drive to Anniston
AFTERNOON
ANNISTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
The Anniston Museum of Natural History is the most extraordinary museum in Alabama and one of the finest natural history collections in the American South, its remarkable dioramas of African and North American wildlife giving the finest museum experience in the region. The Egyptian mummy collection and the remarkable Native American galleries are completely unknown to most visitors outside the state. The adjacent Berman Museum of World History gives the finest military collection in Alabama. Entry approx $6.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Rickwood Caverns State Park near Warrior is the finest show cave in Alabama, its remarkable billion-year-old limestone formations and underground pool giving the most extraordinary cavern experience in the state. The remarkable blind cave fish have evolved in total darkness over thousands of years. Entry approx $14.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cheaha State Park Restaurant The finest breakfast with views in Alabama. Hot breakfast overlooking the Talladega valley from the highest restaurant in the state. | Lunch: Cheaha State Park Restaurant Burgers and Southern sides at the summit. The most extraordinary lunch location in Alabama. | Dinner: Cafe Diem, Anniston Outstanding American bistro in a renovated downtown Anniston building. The finest dinner in the Anniston area.
DAY 3
BIRMINGHAM
MORNING
BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE AND DISTRICT
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is the most extraordinary civil rights museum in America, its remarkable galleries chronicling the 1963 Birmingham Campaign and the broader movement giving the finest historical experience in the South. Kelly Ingram Park opposite contains the most extraordinary civil rights sculpture in America. The 16th Street Baptist Church, site of the 1963 bombing, gives the most moving historic experience in Birmingham. Entry approx $15. Drive: 10 min walk
MIDDAY
SLOSS FURNACES NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK
Sloss Furnaces is the most extraordinary industrial heritage site in Alabama, its remarkable 19th-century pig iron blast furnaces preserved in the heart of Birmingham as a free museum and arts venue. The extraordinary scale of the furnace complex, the finest surviving example of its kind in the United States, is completely unknown to most international visitors. The remarkable metal arts programme gives the finest craft demonstrations in the city. Free entry. Drive: 15 min drive
AFTERNOON
BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS AND RED MOUNTAIN PARK
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens contain the most extraordinary free garden collection in Alabama, its remarkable Japanese garden and glass conservatory giving the finest horticultural experience in the state. Red Mountain Park gives remarkable iron ore mining heritage trails with the finest views over Birmingham. The extraordinary Vulcan statue on the mountain summit is the largest cast-iron statue in the world. Gardens free, Vulcan Park approx $6.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, just east of Birmingham, is the largest motorcycle museum in the world with over 1,400 extraordinary machines in a purpose-built facility that also contains the finest road racing circuit in the American Southeast. The remarkable collection spans from 1902 to the present day. Entry approx $20.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: O'Henry's Coffee, Homewood The finest coffee in Birmingham. Extraordinary pastries and local roast coffee in the Homewood neighbourhood. | Lunch: Chez Fonfon, Birmingham Classic French bistro in a historic neighbourhood. Outstanding lunch and the finest wine list in the city. | Dinner: Automatic Seafood and Oysters Birmingham's most celebrated modern restaurant. Extraordinary Gulf Coast seafood. Book well ahead.
DAY 4
GULF SHORES AND ORANGE BEACH
MORNING
DRIVE SOUTH AND GULF STATE PARK BEACH
driving + 2 hours The drive south from Birmingham to Gulf Shores takes three and a half hours through the heart of Alabama on I-65. Gulf State Park contains the finest public beach on the Alabama Gulf Coast, its remarkable white sugar sand and emerald green water giving the most extraordinary beach experience in the American Southeast. The extraordinary 1,540-foot Gulf State Park Pier is the longest fishing pier on the Gulf of Mexico. Park entry free. Drive: 3.5 hr drive south on I-65
MIDDAY
BON SECOUR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge is the most extraordinary natural area on the Alabama Gulf Coast, its remarkable 7,000 acres of pristine coastal habitat completely unknown to most visitors. The extraordinary Jeff Friend Trail through the dunes and maritime forest gives the finest undeveloped beach walking in Alabama. The remarkable loggerhead sea turtle nesting programme runs June to August. The refuge's extraordinary shorebird concentrations are among the finest in the entire Gulf region. Free entry. Drive: 15 min drive to Orange Beach
AFTERNOON
ORANGE BEACH AND THE GULF COAST ARTS SCENE
Orange Beach contains the most extraordinary arts scene on the Alabama Gulf Coast, its remarkable galleries along Canal Road and the extraordinary Wharf entertainment district at Orange Beach Marina giving the finest waterfront dining and live music in the region. The extraordinary LuLu's restaurant, owned by Jimmy Buffett's sister, is the finest Gulf Coast institution in Alabama. The Gulf waters reach their warmest from June to September. Free to explore.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Fort Morgan State Historic Site at the tip of the Gulf Shores peninsula is the finest Civil War fort in Alabama, its remarkable 1833 star-shaped masonry fortification guarding the entrance to Mobile Bay. The Battle of Mobile Bay was fought here in August 1864 when Admiral Farragut gave the legendary order. Entry approx $7.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Grab coffee for the road in Birmingham Early start recommended to arrive at Gulf Shores before the midday heat. | Lunch: Big Fish Restaurant, Gulf Shores Fresh Gulf seafood at the water. The most extraordinary lunch on the Alabama coast. | Dinner: Fisher's at Orange Beach Marina The finest upscale Gulf Coast dining in Alabama. Extraordinary fresh Gulf seafood with marina views.
DAY 5
MOBILE
MORNING
USS ALABAMA BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is the most extraordinary military heritage attraction in Alabama, its remarkable World War II battleship and submarine preserved in Mobile Bay giving the finest naval history experience in the American South. The extraordinary 35,000-ton USS Alabama allows visitors to explore the entire ship from the captain's quarters to the engine room. The remarkable aircraft collection includes the finest Vietnam-era military aircraft in the region. Entry approx $15. Drive: 20 min drive to downtown Mobile
MIDDAY
MOBILE'S ANTEBELLUM GARDEN DISTRICT
Mobile's Garden District contains the most extraordinary collection of antebellum architecture in Alabama, its remarkable oak-lined streets of Greek Revival and Italianate mansions giving the finest historic streetscape in the state. The extraordinary Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the oldest Catholic cathedral in Alabama dating from 1835, is the finest historic church in the region. The remarkable Oakleigh Historic Complex gives the finest antebellum interior experience in Mobile. Historic district free. Drive: 10 min walk
AFTERNOON
MOBILE CARNIVAL MUSEUM AND DEPARTURE
The Mobile Carnival Museum is the most extraordinary Mardi Gras heritage attraction in America, its remarkable collection of royal court costumes and parade floats documenting the history of the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States, predating New Orleans by several decades. Mobile invented Mardi Gras in 1703 and almost no visitors outside Alabama know this extraordinary fact. Entry approx $10. Mobile Regional Airport is 15 minutes from downtown.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Five Rivers Delta Resource Center at the confluence of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta is the finest hidden natural attraction in south Alabama, its remarkable 250,000-acre delta, the second largest river delta in the United States after the Mississippi, giving the most extraordinary wildlife and paddling experience in the state. Alligator, osprey and bald eagle populations among the finest in the South. Entry free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Spot of Grace, Gulf Shores The finest breakfast cafe on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Extraordinary pastries before the drive to Mobile. | Lunch: Wintzell's Oyster House, Mobile A Mobile institution since 1938. The most extraordinary oyster lunch in Alabama. | Dinner: Dauphin's, Mobile Rooftop restaurant with the finest panoramic views over Mobile Bay. Outstanding Gulf Coast cuisine.
Where To Stay
Fort Payne and Cheaha, Nights 1 to 2 DeSoto State Park Lodge or Cheaha State Park chalets. Approx $80 to $180 per night. Birmingham, Night 3 Redmont Hotel, 1925 boutique hotel in downtown Birmingham. Approx $130 to $200. Gulf Shores and Mobile, Nights 4 to 5 The Beach Club Resort, Gulf Shores, or Battle House Hotel, Mobile. Approx $120 to $250.
Top Tips
1. Little River Canyon Rim Trail is 8 miles and free. Start early and bring plenty of water for the full route.
2. Cheaha State Park chalets book up months ahead in autumn. Reserve directly via the Alabama State Parks website.
3. Birmingham Civil Rights Institute: closed Mondays. Allow at least 2 hours , one of the finest museums in America.
4. Gulf State Park beach fills by 10am on summer weekends. Arrive early or visit Bon Secour Refuge instead.
5. Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge is completely free and almost entirely unknown. Finest undeveloped beach in Alabama.
6. Mobile Carnival Museum: Mobile invented Mardi Gras before New Orleans in
1703. One of the finest hidden museums in the South.
Total Budget
$100 to $170/day