William B. Bankhead National Forest, 560,604 acres, in the northwest, about 30 miles from Decatur, west of U.S. Route 31. Beautiful forests, where deer roam through the underbrush; a favorite vacation spot for campers and hikers; hundreds of hunters come to the annual deer hunt every November; Natural Bridge is one of the principal scenic attractions
William B. Bankhead National Forest,
560,604 acres, in the northwest, about 30 miles from Decatur, west of U.S. Route 31. Beautiful forests, where deer roam through the underbrush; a favorite vacation spot for campers and hikers; hundreds of hunters come to the annual deer hunt every November; Natural Bridge is one of the principal scenic attractions.
Talladega National Forest, 200,000 acres, with two divisions in central and eastern Alabama, one on U.S. Route 82 about 45 miles from Selma; the other on U.S. Route 241, near Anniston. Robinson Creek Falls is an outstanding attraction. Conecuh National Forest, 339,573 acres along the Florida border, on U.S. Route 29; has a large recreational area with a 50-acre lake and picnic grounds. Cheaha State Park, 2,679 acres, near Anniston, on U.S. Route 241. Contains Cheaha Mountain, the highest point in the state. De Soto State Park, 4,650 acres, near Mentone, in the northeast, east of U.S. Route 11. Contains many beautiful cascades and waterfalls; famous De Soto Falls, 120-foot waterfall, is outstanding.
Azalea Trail, in Mobile, in the southwest on U.S. Route 90; a 17-mile road along which magnificent flowers bloom every spring. Mardi Gras, in Mobile, a colorful celebration on each Shrove Tuesday (the day before Lent). It has been held for the last 250 years. Boll Weevil Monument, in Enterprise, on U.S. Route 84. Perhaps the only monument in the world erected to an insect. When the boll weevil destroyed the entire cotton crop about 5 5 years ago, the farmers were forced to plant peanuts, which became such a successful industry that the people erected the Boll Weevil Monument in appreciation.
Mound State Monument, 12 miles from Tuscaloosa, in west central Alabama, east of U.S. Route 11. Made up of 34 Indian mounds, which cover 300 acres; once used by Indians as temples, houses, and community meeting places. Statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, in Birmingham, on top of Red Mountain. It is 53 ft. high, weighs 60 tons, and stands on a tower 127 feet high; it can be seen by people all over the city. Ginko Tree, in Selma, in central Alabama, on U.S. Route 80. A rare tree from China that grows through the roof of a cotton warehouse. Saltpeter Cave, near Scottsboro, in the northeast, on U.S. Route 72. Once a cave-dwelling for Indians; later a temporary courtroom of Jackson County while the first courthouse was being built; Confederate soldiers mined the saltpeter and used it for gunpowder during the Civil War.
