Alabama, NY Road Trips

Alabama, along with the South in general, has a reputation for "Southern hospitality." The people of this state are generally genial and helpful and often go out of their way to help a stranger. The state is named after the Alabama tribe, a Native American group who used to live at the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers. Known primarily for its status as the original capital of the Confederacy (in Montgomery) and the birthplace of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, Alabama can be a study in contrasts. The sport of American football is taken extremely seriously in Alabama. In addition to significant regional devotion to high-school football teams the entire state, in terms of college football, is divided into two factions: Auburn University fans and University of Alabama fans. The rivalry is so bitter, in fact, that it took an act by the Alabama State Legislature in the late 1940s to force the two colleges to play one another (the two had stopped playing each other in the first years of the 20th century over an officiating dispute). Even then, the two schools would not agree to play at opposing sites so the State of Alabama used taxpayer funds to build Legion Field in Birmingham as a neutral site. It was only in 1989 that the Crimson Tide finally visited Auburn and 2000 that the Tigers visited Alabama. This can also be a point of concern for tourists, as the rivalry is so serious that tourists are best not to mention it at all. Alabama is also noted for having the lengthiest constitution in the world.

1 Alabama State Capitol, Montgomery. (updated Apr 2019) 2 Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham. (updated Apr 2019) Helen Keller's Home, Tuscumbia. (updated Apr 2019) Moundville, Moundville. (updated Apr 2019) Mt. Cheaha, Delta. (updated Apr 2019) 3 Noccalula Falls, Gadsden. (updated Apr 2019) 4 U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville. (updated Apr 2019) USS Alabama Battleship, Mobile. (updated Apr 2019)

Gulf Shores is home to the National Shrimp Festival. This outdoor event is held annually in October and features over 300 vendors that offer fine art, arts and crafts, an international marketplace and plenty of shrimp. Three stages also carry music continuously throughout the festival. Over 200,000 people attend the festival annually and it has been ranked as one of the top twenty events in the southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society, and one of the top five in the state. 2016 will mark the 45th anniversary of this festival. The Oyster Cook-Off Craft Spirits & Beer Weekend has been a local staple in Gulf Shores for over a decade, featuring hundreds of food and beverage choices. The first week of November starts the cook-off, with Craft Beer tastings from breweries around the southeast, vast collections of rare spirits, and live music. The festival started humbly featuring master-grade oyster preparations alongside local farmers and has grown into a full fledged foodie festival featuring chefs of international acclaim and dishes well beyond the scope of oysters. It's a ticketed event, with a portion of sales going back to charitable causes. Tuscumbia is home to the Helen Keller Festival. This outdoor event is held annually in June for three days (Friday to Sunday) and kicks off with a lengthy parade complete with floats and its riders throwing candy to bystanders, high school marching bands, horses, Civil War reenactors and Shriners zipping about in their miniature go-karts.

Mobile has some of the best fried seafood east of the Mississippi River. Don't forget to try local oyster bars, and the shrimp is superb. Ask locals for recommendations that are off the beaten path and area favorites. Alabama barbecue is outstanding and comes in many forms, but pork is always most popular. There are several award-winning barbecue "joints" in Alabama, and their claim to fame is typically "pulled pork", but they will offer ribs, too. For dessert, look for pecan pie. During the summer, fresh peaches and blackberries are available. Fruit pies abound, and if you want something a little different, look for cobblers. Home-style peach ice cream is a particular treat.

Sweet Iced Tea. One delicious recipe for making sweet tea is to put on a pan of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling place two family-size Lipton tea bags in the boiling water, and then immediately turn the stove off. While the water is still raging hot, mix in 1⅓ cup of cane sugar and stir so that the sugar does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Wait one hour and then mix with one gallon of water in a gallon-sized container. Serve over ice. (updated Sep 2019)

Alabama is accessible by five interstate highways: Interstate 10 (I-10) crosses the state from east to west near Mobile in the south; I-20 enters Alabama from the east, traverses Birmingham, and joins I-59 as it traverses Tuscaloosa and exits the state in a southwesterly direction; I-59 enters northeastern Alabama, continues southwest through Birmingham, and exits the state toward the southwest; I-22 enters Alabama from the northwest and ends in Birmingham; I-65 enters Alabama from the north, traverses Birmingham, and ends in Mobile; I-85 enters the state in the east and ends in Montgomery. Greyhound Lines offers bus transportation to cities and towns throughout Alabama. Greyhound bus stops are found in Anniston, Athens, Birmingham, Dothan, Evergreen, Gadsden, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Opelika, Selma, Troy, Tuscaloosa, and Tuskegee. There is one daily Amtrak route serving Alabama, the Crescent. Trains 19 (southbound) and 20 (northbound) run from New Orleans to Washington, D.C. and New York City. There are three stations in Alabama: Anniston, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Coach and sleeper service is available, with checked baggage, a restaurant car, a café and a lounge. The largest airport in Alabama is the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport BHM IATA. Airlines servicing this airport offer direct flights from Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Tampa, and Washington, D.C..

Car is no doubt the best method, and the most scenic. Interstates converge on Montgomery, Birmingham, and Mobile, and make quick transportation between those cities and ones in other states. They also connect to Anniston, Tuscaloosa, and Huntsville. Elsewhere though, travel can be slower in more rural areas. Information on transit can be found here.