My strategy for planning my Statewide road trips was to treat it as if I were visiting another country. Research every interesting location, find out about the local foods, and allow yourself to be surprised by unexpected side trips. We got all of that and more in Alabama.
While going to google and researching travel books was part of my strategy, the most successful element was when I crowdsourced my question of "I'm planning a road trip to Alabama. What should I do?" via Social Media. My friend Katie Leeman responded with a detailed post with suggestions from a work colleague who lives in and loves Alabama. This list was the most helpful resource for my trip and the backbone of my planning. Here is the itinerary I put together for our 3-day trip:
Saturday
- Huntsville
- Mentone
Sunday
- Mentone
- Birmingham
Monday
- Birmingham
- Montgomery
- Huntsville
My initial plan was to make it all the way down to Mobile but the plan proved a bit unrealistic, especially since we were travelling with an 8-month old. I scaled it back and focused on the plan above which was more doable for a family of 3.
We landed at about 11am on Saturday in Huntsville and after renting our car, immediately went to the US Space and Rocket Center. What an amazing way to kick off our trip. I'm already extremely interested in Space and Science so this was an exciting stop for me but once you're there you're not just drawn in by the history of the US Space Program but you're also taken aback but the sheer size of the rockets and ships that were used. I was blown away by the scope of these vehicles.
My favorite discovery while I was here is that the US Space and Rocket Center is also the home for SpaceCamp. A place that has been a life goal of mine ever since the 80's movie of the same name. We've already planned a return to Huntsville, once our kids are big enough for the Family SpaceCamp weekend.
Upon leaving the US Space and Rocket Center, we made our way to where we would be spending our first night, Mentone (pronounced Men-Town). This single-blinking-light town of just over 300 people at the foot of the Appalachian mountains was a great place to spend our first night. It had a bunch of artisanal craft shops and restaurants including an impressive Wooden Furniture Shop where the owner gave us a private tour of his one room showroom that displayed some of the most impressive all-wooden furniture I had ever seen.
We didn't end up eating at one of the handful of boutique restaurants but we did end up getting a coffee and some of the most delicious peaches that someone was selling out of the back of his pick-up truck. "Freshly picked that morning" he said. We made our way back to The Mentone Springs Hotel for dinner which is where we were staying for the night. The 130-year history of this hotel was evident the moment we walked through the door. There seemed to be history popping out from every wall. In addition to decor, we had an excellent meal on the front terrace of the in-house restaurant. The food, on-foot exploring, and travel made for a long day and we soon called it a night.
After spending the morning and early afternoon at DeSoto State Park, we made our way to Birmingham. After the drive we wanted to stretch our legs so we straight to Vulcan Park and Museum, a beautiful public park with wide open spaces and a Museum that reflects on the history of Birmingham and its' ties to the Iron and Steel Industry. It was at the museum that I was reminded that Birmingham was the home of the Birmingham Barons, the Double-A affiliate of the my favorite Sports Team, The Chicago White Sox. So many incredible sports moments that I had watched on television happened in Birmingham and it was great to revisit them.We spent the evening walking around the Five Points area which is where our hotel was located. During our walk I spotted where we had to have breakfast the next morning, The Original Pancake House. While it is a chain, the breakfast was amazing. I'll never forget the Pecan crusted pancakes I had.
After Breakfast, we made our way to Montgomery. We continued in the spirit of allowing ourselves to make discoveries along the way. The first one we made was the Morgan Creek Vineyards between Birmingham and Montgomery. We were drawn by the beauty of the vineyard and decided to stay for the tour.
Like most vacations, one wishes they had more time. Alabama was a beautiful state to visit; the sights were memorable, the people were so friendly, and the food was delicious. Forget your preconceived notions of what it means to travel around Alabama and just do yourself a favor and go. I look forward to returning again to revisit some of my favorite spots and make-up for the places I never got to.
