Surprising Alabama - Brief Article

Travel America, Jan, 2001 by John Handley

Natural wonders and pockets of history lure travelers to the "top" of the state

Northern Alabama is packed with so many attractions that the hard part is deciding what to do next.

Be sure to check out the world's largest space museum, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, four Alabama state park resorts, the state's largest national forest and wilderness area, outstanding fishing, the Deep South's only ski resort at Lookout Mountain, the state's largest number of covered bridges in Blount County, and the birthplaces of several famous Americans.

Start at Huntsville, a convenient gateway to the region. This one-time sleepy cotton town has become "Rocket City." It was launched to fame in 1950, when rocket expert Wernher yon Braun and his German rocketeers began working on America's space program at the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal.

At the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, visitors can see the world's most comprehensive collection of rockets, missies, and space hardware, including a full-scale space shuttle, a Saturn V rocket, and the Apollo 16 command module that went to the moon in 1972. Then tour the nearby Marshall Space Flight Center.

Huntsville also has its share of down-to-earth attractions. Step back in time to 1819 at Alabama Constitution Village, where guides in period costumes re-create life of that era. Around the corner on Courthouse Square is the 1879 Harrison Brothers Hardware, a nostalgic store where not much has changed in over a century. All aboard for the Historic Huntsville Depot, an 1860 train station that displays vintage locomotives.

Outside Huntsville are many other fascinating attractions. Shoppers can hunt for bargains at Boaz, rated one of the nation's top factory outlet towns, with more than 140 shops offering discounts on brand-name and designer labels. Or check out the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, which is stocked with truckloads of items from lost and unclaimed airline luggage.

Music lovers head for the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia. Top performers from the state--such as Nat King Cole, Hank Williams, Tammy Wynette, and the group Alabama--are honored. Listen to hit records on an old-fashioned Wurlitzer jukebox.

Helen Keller, one of Alabama's most revered natives, was a deaf and blind woman who earned a college degree and worked to improve the life of others with her handicaps. On summer weekends, her life is dramatized in outdoor performances of "The Miracle Worker" at her birthplace (Ivy Green) in Tuscumbia.

W.C. Handy, "Father of the Blues," was born in Florence in 1873. Music buffs can tour his restored home, which displays such memorabilia as his trumpet and the piano he used to compose the "St. Louis Blues."

Sports buffs will want to make a stop in Oakville, where a park, statue, and visitors center celebrate the accomplishments of track and field star Jesse Owens, who won tour gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Films of the races can be viewed.

Outdoor options are virtually unlimited in northern Alabama. Cathedral Caverns in Grant claims to have the world's largest frozen waterfall in its 14 underground acres. Hiking trails wind along mountain ridges and through forests. You can choose from six state parks: Buck's Pocket, DeSoto, Joe Wheeler, Lake Guntersville, Monte Sano, and Rockwood Caverns. Top fishing spots include Wheeler Lake, Lake Guntersville, Pickwick Lake, Wilson Lake, and Weiss Lake. Water skiers can glide along the Tennessee River.

Alabama fits golfers to a tee. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, which includes 18 courses in the state, begins at Hampton Cove, nine miles from Huntsville.

Contact: Alabama Mountain Lakes Association (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 1075, Mooresville, AL 35649; (800) 648-5381.