Alabama

I'm an explorer. My goal is to find out what each state has to offer for the nature enthusiast. I will examine the states alphabetically one at a time. I will show you how to obtain information about a state you might be interested in visiting and give a brief description of what I find. Come with me as I discover the states of the United States.


Alabama, which became our 22nd state in 1819, is a state absolutely loaded with history. There were Indians and Indian wars. There was the Civil War. The Civil Rights Movement was fought here. It is home to great athletes, authors, scientists, the Tuskegee Airmen, and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. There are museums, historical sites, fine arts, and shopping. But we want to see nature, right?

To begin my journey, I needed to know about Alabama. I went online to the official Alabama website where I ordered the Alabama Travel Guide (it's free). If you would like to order your own click on this link.I like to have things spread in front of me to see what I want to do. I also did an internet search for Alabama and discovered several sites with a lot of good information.

The Travel Guide arrived in 2 weeks and is chock full of information. It has 2 state birds, the yellowhammer and the wild turkey. There are also 2 state flowers, the camellia and the oak-leaf hydrangea. Of course I'll need a place to stay so I have my choice of hotels, motels, B&B's, cabins, and campgrounds. Once I choose what kind of place I want, I have to decide what I want to do.

With over 400 different species of birds, birding is very popular in Alabama. The North Alabama Birding Trail, Black Belt Heritage and Nature Trial, and Alabama Coastal Birding Trail are so popular that five new trails are being developed. At times there are special events and tours.

Let's consider hiking. There are more than 20 state parks, 4 national forests, 5 national parks, and numerous other trails listed in my various sources. I can just stroll on a path or maybe go rock climbing. Perhaps I'll duck into a cave and explore. There are a lot of options.

Am I interested in exploring in or around the water? For fresh water enthusiasts, Alabama offers the Mississippi River, the Tennessee River, and many creeks, streams, rivers, and lakes. I don't think of Alabama as a coastal state, but it has about 130 miles along the Gulf of Mexico for the salt water experience.

I can always observe the plant life with any of the above activities but maybe I'm interested in something a little more organized. There are gardens to travel through all over the state. Many are on the grounds of historical houses.

Yup. I think I like Alabama. Why don't you explore for yourself? And when you do, let me know what fun you've had.

Copas


Official site of Alabama