Alabama exudes the essence of the Deep South, evoking images of antebellum mansions, quaint country lanes and time-honored Southern traditions. You will find that and more here, including a world-class golf trail, a timeless football tradition and white-sand Gulf beaches rich with recreation opportunities.

Learn

The state capital of Montgomery was also the first capital of the Confederate States of America. Take a tour of the city to see the Greek Revival capitol building where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as President of the Confederate States of America in 1861. Also in town, you’ll find the Dexter Avenue Church where Dr. Martin Luther King presided for six years in his only full-time pastorate. Make sure to check out the Rosa Parks Museum, dedicated to the Civil Rights movement. Closer to the Alabama River, the Hank Williams Museum honors the country-music icon who moved to Montgomery when he was 14 years old and performed his first songs here.

Shipbuilding transformed antebellum Mobile into a modern city, and its most famous product, the battleship USS Alabama, earned nine Battle Stars in World War II. The vessel maintains a permanent berth at Battleship Park. Guarding the entrance to Mobile Bay, Civil War forts Gaines and Morgan still stand and are administered by the National Park Service.

In 1950, the United States Army chose Huntsville as its Ordnance Guided Missile Center; northern Alabama town soon earned the monicker, “Rocket City.” Today, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center is “Earth’s largest space museum,” taking visitors from the very beginning of space exploration to exhibits that offer visions of the future. A Saturn V moon rocket highlights the 1,500 permanent objects on display.

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Play

Alabama is justly famous for its pristine white-sand beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. In the central Alabama town of Tuscaloosa, college football is king, and each fall the University of Alabama “rolls” out its Crimson Tide. The Appalachian Mountains to the north are still formidable enough to host the country’s southernmost ski resort east of New Mexico. Over the eons, the Little River has carved gorges 700 feet deep to create the most impressive canyon scape in the Southeast. The Sipsey Wilderness calls itself the “Land of 1,000 Waterfalls,” and it is underselling the count.

Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail features several golf courses across the state; bring your clubs and tee off world-famous links. If you prefer fishing to fairways, the Alabama Bass Trail leads you on an odyssey for the Big One. The Alabama Scenic River Trail covers 631 miles for paddling and casting on the country’s longest single-state water trail.

More than two of every three Alabama acres is covered in woodlands, and that provides shelter for some 400 species of birds along the state’s many birding trails. Eight trails have been mapped out for birders; make sure not to miss Lake Guntersville State Park, a winter nesting site for bald eagles. The lake is also Alabama’s largest water impoundment, with 69,000 acres of prime largemouth bass fishing.

Experience

The first Mardi Gras in the United States was celebrated in Mobile in 1703—15 years before there even was a New Orleans. Nowadays, Carnival season begins in November, with exclusive parties and balls that roar through Twelfth Night on January 6. Every day for two weeks, leading up to actual Mardi Gras day, a parade takes place in Mobile.

When it comes to football, Alabama is legendary. There are many storied college football rivalries, but none can top the gridiron match-up between the two largest public universities in Alabama, the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide and Auburn’s Tigers. The two sides traditionally clash every Thanksgiving weekend in the Iron Bowl, a highly charged game that grabs the attention of the sports world.

Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel

Taste

When it comes to sweet treats, Moon Pies are an Alabama tradition. Earl Mitchell developed the graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate confection in 1917 as a snack for coal miners. Today, Tossing Moon Pies during Mardi Gras parades is a tradition in Mobile. The state’s largest Moon Pie Eating Contest is staged in McCalla every Labor Day.