From the mountains and lakes of North/Central Alabama to the sugar-white beaches lining Alabama's southern Gulf Coast, Alabama offers you an unforgettable dream vacation at an affordable price! Whether you are thinking of a weekend get-away or a two-week excursion, take a few moments and discover why you should treat yourself to an Alabama vacation!

History! Theatre! Sports! Great Music! Space! Gardens! Recreation! Art! Great Food! Whatever your interests may be, Alabama has an attraction, festival and/or event that will tickle your fancy! If you are a history buff, discover Alabama's rich Native American influence, the interesting progression from Civil War to Civil Rights, and Alabama's crucial role in man's successful journey into space! If the Arts are your preference, experience the fascinating museums and world-class theatre that have put Alabama on the map! Introduce yourself to Alabama's legends in sports, music, aviation, medicine and courage! Wander through breathtaking gardens! Be sure and take in the numerous festivals scattered throughout the year that feature scrumptious foods, toe-tapping music and unique Southern art and crafts that will delight you!

Climate
Alabama has warmth and sunshine for the greater part of the year. Spring arrives early, with the weather warming to the 60s (Fahrenheit) daily by March. Summer days average in the low 80s, with periods of 90 and above. Sweaters or jackets will usually keep off the chill through November. Prolonged spells of severely cold weather are not frequent during the winter. Snow is a rarity except in higher altitudes of north Alabama.

Alabama’s Gulf Coast
It’s summertime and the living is easy for visitors to Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Choose from varied activities and events and do as much or as little as you want, be as active or relaxed—it’s your choice. Tee-it-up at one of the many area golf courses and enjoy a round of golf to challenge any skill level. Water-sports enthusiasts can skim the waves and explore the coves and bayous on a rented watercraft, or get a birds-eye view of the beach by parasailing through the summer sky. Kayaking and canoeing through secluded waterways offer an intimate and peaceful look at nature. Spend a lazy afternoon observing cloud formations from the deck of a sailing charter and wave to the seagulls and pelicans as they come gliding by.

Museums
On that rare rainy day, visit the Gulf Shores Museum and learn about local culture, see the "phenomena of a hurricane" through photos and take a virtual ride with the Hurricane Hunters. Explore the variety of Alabama gardens right out the museum’s back door. The Orange Beach Indian & Sea Museum showcases early exploration and settlement of the area and chronicles its days as a fishing community.

Water parks
What's the best way to beat Alabama’s summer heat? By visiting one of Alabama’s many exciting water theme parks! The first water park constructed in the state, and the one that boasts the first wave pool in the United States, is Point Mallard Water Park in Decatur. The Gilmer Blackburn Aquatic Center features a sandy beach along Flint Creek. Vision Land Theme Park, south of Decatur, is more than a water theme park with rides like the Rampage roller coaster. The park is also home to Steel Waters. Guinn Water Park in northwest Alabama packs big fun in a small park. Auburn is known throughout the nation for academics and athletics, but it is fast becoming a destination for those desiring to submerge at Surfside Water Park. If in Dothan, it means a trip to Water World. Relax beneath large shade trees in Styx River Water World in Loxley just north of Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Guests in Gulf Shores can find a change of pace from salt-water to fresh in a 20-acre water wonderland at Waterville, U.S.A.

Birds
With so many migratory birds wintering or crossing Alabama in their southward flight, Alabama has a variety of locations across the state offering great opportunities for bird lovers. Dauphin Island is one of the major paths traveled by thousands of neo-tropical migratory birds each spring and fall, and it has been identified as one of the top birding locations in the nation. Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Decatur attracts thousands of wintering waterfowl yearly. The refuge includes two walking trails and the Givens Wildlife Interpretive Center, one of the South’s largest educational centers for waterfowl and wildlife study. The Treetop Nature Trail allows visitors to observe some of Alabama’s birds of prey; Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge is a feeding and wintering habitat for waterfowl, birds of prey, songbirds and other migrant birds. And Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of 22 national reserves protecting estuarine waters, marshes, shorelines, and adjacent uplands for research and education. Other locations for eyeing feathered friends include the rest of Alabama’s 26 state parks and four National Forests, as well as botanical gardens in cities like Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile and Dothan.

Golf
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is the largest golf course construction project ever attempted anywhere in the world with 378 total holes. In 1994, Frequent Flyer Magazine named the Trail as one of the world's top 10 golfing trips. The Trail hosted the 2000 Buy.Com Tour Championship, the AFLAC Champions LPGA Tour event, and the 1997, 1998 and 1999 Nike Tour Championships. Alabama and the Trail ranked #3 in Golf Digest's list of America's 10 best states for golf values in 1995. Golf Magazine comments: “Alabama has the American golfer's equivalent of Disney World."

Belle Mont
Belle Mont is Alabama's finest expression of Jefferson Palladian architecture. The brick U shaped structure, built 1828-1832, is one of the state's first great plantation houses. Its design details strongly suggest the influence of Thomas Jefferson. Belle Mont is near Tuscumbia, located 1/4 mile west of US 43 on Cook's Lane.

Bottle Creek
Bottle Creek site is a large complex of ceremonial and domestic mounds located on Mound Island in the Mobile/Tensaw River Delta. A large village site has been located in association with the mounds. Extensive investigations have proven Bottle Creek to be an outstanding archaeological site, as evidenced in its designation as a National Historic Landmark. The site is open to the public but the only access to the site is by boat. In 1819, the State of Alabama was carved out of the wilderness. At the time, Cahawba, its capital-city, had a reputation for flooding because of its low elevation. In 1826, those opposed to the selection of Cahawba as the capital were successful in persuading the legislature to move the capitol to Tuscaloosa. Within weeks Cahawba was nearly abandoned. Today Cahawba is an important archaeological site and a place of picturesque ruins. Located 14 miles southwest of Selma, off Highway 22 and County Road 9, at 9518 Cahaba Road, Orrville, Alabama.

Fort Mims
Fort Mims site commemorates the bloody battle that took place August 30, 1813. The fortification had been occupied by settlers, Indians, slaves and militia when a body of Creek Indians attacked. The Creek Indians killed more than three hundred people, including women and children. This event was a chief cause of the Creek War of 1813-1814. Fort Mims is located 7 miles west of Tensaw in Baldwin County off State Road 59.

Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan is a five-sided masonry fortification, positioned to guard the mouth of Mobile Bay and prevent any hostile power from entering the bay. The fort is most famous for its role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War. While this battle was raging, Union Admiral David Farragut issued his now famous order: "Damn the Torpedoes, full speed ahead!” Fort Morgan is located at 51 Highway 180 West, Gulf Shores.

Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson
Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson Park has been occupied for more than three hundred years—by French, English, Creek Indians, and, finally, American troops. The latter came to the site during the War of 1812, having defeated the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, rebuilding it as Fort Jackson. The Treaty of Fort Jackson, which ended the Creek War, was signed here in August of 1814. Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson hosts an active Living History program, providing insight into the Native American and military history of the site, and lifestyles during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson is located just north of Montgomery, off US Highway 231 at Fort Toulouse Road, Wetumpka.

Gaineswood
Gaineswood was designed and built under the supervision of its owner, General Nathan Bryan Whitfield, from 1843-1861. It is considered one of America’s finest examples of the Greek revival style of architecture, and for that reason, is one of the few houses in Alabama listed as a National Historic Landmark. The house also contains original Whitfield family furnishings. Gaineswood is located at 805 South Cedar at US 43 in Demopolis.

Magnolia Grove
Magnolia Grove was built about 1840 as the town house of Col. Isaac Croom. It is also the birthplace and boyhood home of Croom's nephew, Admiral Richmond Pearson Hobson, a hero of the Spanish American War. The twelve-acre site includes the temple style Greek revival mansion and three original outbuildings. Magnolia Grove is located at 1002 Hobson Street, Greensboro.

General Joe Wheeler home
The General Joe Wheeler home place, also called Pond Spring, is a fifty acre site that includes a ca. 1820 dog-trot log house, a ca. 1830 Federal style house, the ca. 1870 Victorian style Wheeler house, seven out-buildings, three cemeteries and a boxwood garden. The large collection of Wheeler family furnishings and artifacts chronicle the life and times of a fascinating family. Wheeler Plantation is located about 15 miles west of Decatur on State Highway 20 in Hillsboro.

Area: 51,705 sq. mi

State Capital: Montgomery

Largest City: Birmingham

Geology: Land Area; 50,766 sq. mi.; 29th

Highest Point: Cheaha Mountain; 2407 feet

Lowest Point: Gulf Coast: Sea level

State Bird: Yellowhammer (Northern Flicker)

State Flower: camellia

State Nickname: The Heart of Dixie

State Song: "Alabama"

State Tree: Southern Pine