Do you want to make a new family goal that is attainable, fun, and you actually look forward to? Are you also on the hunt for great places to visit over spring break, summer break, or just a three-day weekend? Look no further! I have the perfect resolution for you and your family! It’s called Discover Alabama.
Discover Alabama is a project-based learning adventure I started with my daughter this summer. I learned of the idea from a brilliant and creative colleague, Heather Kirk. She recommends using the coloring book Amazing Alabama: A Coloring Book Journey Through Our 67 Counties by Laura Murray and the Alabama PastPort Bicentennial. Additionally, another great resource is Discovering Alabama, a documentary series featuring Alabama’s Natural Diversity. (Let me tell y’all, librarians know how to do it! We can make finding and learning information so much fun!)
Discover Alabama is the initiative to visit all 67 counties of our beautiful state. This project had me thinking: “How long have I lived in Alabama and how many counties have I actually visited?” The purpose of Discover Alabama isn’t just to check a box and say we’ve passed through this or that county. Instead, it is to do and learn something unique and/or historic in that county and, of course, have some fun along the way! **Disclaimer: this is a long project! It is not something you can get done in a summer. But, this should give you the freedom and autonomy to participate in Discover Alabama as you choose and savor each little trip you take with your family and friends.
Below I have listed each of Alabama’s 67 counties and several fun, kid-friendly places to visit in that county. If you participate, I would love to see your pictures and adventures by using the hashtag #discoveralabama.
Autauga
Prattaugan Museum and Heritage Center
Baldwin
Fort Morgan State Historic Site
Barber Marina’s Lady in the Bay
Removal of the County Seat Mural
Baldwin County Heritage Museum
Barbour
Bibb
Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge
Brierfield Ironworks Historic State Park
Blount
Miller’s Soda Shoppe
Bullock
Bullock County Historic Murals
Butler
Hank Williams Sr. Boyhood Home and Museum
Calhoun
Anniston Freedom Riders Murals
Janney Furnace Civil War and Native American Museum
Berman Museum of World History
Anniston Museum of Natural History
Chambers
Little Nadine Earles Dollhouse Grave
Cherokee
Little River Canyon National Preserve
Cherokee County Historical Museum
Chilton
Choctaw
Wilson’s Grist Mill and Broadhead Memorial Park
Choctaw County Historical Museum
Clarke
Thomasville Sports Hall of Fame
Clarke County Historical Museum
Clay
Cleburne
Coffee
The Huey Helicopter and Wall of Freedom
Pea River Historical Society Depot Museum
Colbert
Ivy Green, Helen Keller’s Birthplace
Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Cemetery
Conecuh
Brown Hawkins Rural Learning Center
Coosa
Covington
Crenshaw
Brantley Hitching Post
Cullman
Clarkson Covered Bridge and Park
Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament
Crooked Creek Civil War Museum
Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama
Dale
Dallas
Old Cahawba Archaeological Park
Ancient Africa Enslavement and Civil War Museum
National Voting Rights Museum and Institute
Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church
DeKalb
Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge
Elmore
Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson Park
Escambia
Thomas E. McMillan Museum and Alabama Room
Parch Band of Creek Indians Museum
Etowah
Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge
Gadsden Museum of Art and History
Fayette
Fayette Civic Center and Art Museum
Franklin
Dismals Wonder Garden and Canyon
Geneva
Greene
Alabama Civil Rights Freedom Farm Museum
Hale
Moundville Archaeological Park
Safe House Black History Museum
Henry
Houston
Peanut Monument at the Dothan Visitors Bureau
George Washington Carver Interpretive Museum
Hunt’s Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Bar
Jackson
Payne’s Sandwich Shop & Soda Fountain
Russell Cave National Monument
Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center
Scottsboro-Jackson Heritage Center
Stevenson Railroad Depot Museum
R & J Cafe
Jefferson
Arlington Antebellum House and Gardens
Birmingham Civil Rights Museum
Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
West Jefferson County Pioneer Home
Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Lamar
Local History Room and Museum
Vernon City Complex
Lauderdale
Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House Museum
W.C. Handy Birthplace, Museum, and Library
Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall (Tom’s Wall)
Lawrence
Jesse Owens Memorial Park and Museum
Pond Spring, The General Joe Wheeler Home
Oakville Indian Mounds Education Center
Lee
Lee County Historical Society Museum
Julie Collins Smith Museum of Art
Standard Deluxe (Old 280 Boogie)
Limestone
Fort Henderson Historic Site and Trinity High School
Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives
Lowndes
Macon
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
George Washington Carver Museum
Booker T. Washington House (The Oaks)
Tuskegee Institute Historic Site
Legacy Museum at Tuskegee University
Madison
10th Calvary “Buffalo Soldiers” Memorial
Alabama Constitution Hall Historic Park and Museum
Marengo
Gaineswood National Historic Landmark
Marengo County History and Archive Museum
Laird Cottage and the Geneva Mercer Museum
Marion
Marshall
The Colonel Montgomery Gilbreath House
Mobile
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park
Mt. Vernon Arsenal and Barracks
Hank Aaron Childhood Home and Museum
South Alabama Archaeology Museum
National African American Archives and Museum
Richard’s DAR House Museum
Monroe
To Kill a Mockingbird Experience
Rickard’s Mill Historical Park
Courthouse Cafe
Montgomery
F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum
The City of St. Jude Interpretive Center and Garden
Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church & Parsonage Museum
First White House of the Confederacy
Freedom Rides Museum in the History Montgomery Greyhound Bus Station
Montgomery Zoo and Mann Museum
Rosa Parks Museum and Children’s Wing
Morgan
Cook Museum of Natural Science
Military Order of the Purple Heart Memorial
Historic Decatur Union Train Depot
Rhodes Ferry Park and Cherokee Trailhead
Blue and Gray Museum of North Alabama
Perry
Pickens
Tom Bevill Visitor Center and Snagboat Montgomery
Pike
Troy Terracotta Warriors in the Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park
Johnson Center for the Cultural Arts
Randolph
Randolph County Historical Museum
Russell
Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Center
Shelby
Montevallo Fire and Rescue’s Annual Prevention Parade
Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
Karl C. Harrison Museum of George Washington
Shelby County Museum and Archives
Davis Drug Co.
St. Clair
John Looney Pioneer House Museum
Sumter
Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge
Talladega
Kymulga Grist Mill and Covered Bridge
Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind
Jemison-Carnegie Heritage Hall
Tallapoosa
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
Tuscaloosa
Alabama Museum of Natural History
Murphy African-American Museum
Walker
Bankhead House and Heritage Center
Washington
Wilcox
Wilcox Historical Society Tour of Homes
Gee’s Bend Quilt Mural Trail and Quilters Collective
Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center
Winston
In the words of my wonderful colleague, Heather: “Our state truly is ‘the beautiful!’ There is something amazing around every corner!…Don’t feel pressure to see it all, just get out and explore! She won’t disappoint you! Now head out!”
