Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [117]
If the idea of sleeping with the monks doesn’t appeal, from East of Cullman head west on Hwy 157 to Hwy 72, then take Hwy 247 (southbound) to Tuscumbia, where you can sleep in a souped-up grain silo at Seven Springs Lodge. The locals aren’t sure what to make of this, but it’s actually kinda nice.
About 55 minutes south of Tuscumbia is Dismals Canyon, a secluded primeval forest offering hiking, camping, cabins and the strange phenomenon of dismalites, little glow-in-the-dark larvae that light up the inside of the canyon walls like an air traffic control map. This spot is the only one in the world outside New Zealand where these little suckers thrive.
Take in the countryside on the four-hour jaunt down through Tuscaloosa south to Old Cahawba Archeological Preserve, a whole lot of nothing near Orrville. The former capital of Alabama is a bona fide ghost town – there’s literally little here beyond a former street grid and one or two abandoned homes – and driving through beckons all sorts of mysterious questions: What happened here? Where did the people go? Were they Crimson Tide or Auburn fans?
Head to Montgomery on Hwy 80 (eastbound), then hang a right for the three-hour drive south to Enterprise. Here lies the Boll Weevil Monument, perhaps the world’s only monument dedicated to an agricultural pest. It’s smack downtown in the middle of the street, where it has been rammed several times by drunk drivers and stolen many times by pesky vandals. (So many times, in fact, that this is a replica. The original is in a nearby museum.) But the Boll Weevil isn’t the only reason to come to Enterprise. There’s nothing quirky about the Rawls Hotel and Rawls Restaurant, but the historic hotel and dining destination are entirely too good for this town. Try the crab-stuffed salmon and ponder how a restaurant like this survives in a town that picked a farmer’s nuisance as it mascot.
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More than 200 feisty coon dogs are buried in the Coon Dog Cemetery outside Tuscumbia, many with elaborate tombstones and even more elaborate names (Strait Talk’n Tex, Rockliffs Red Rusty). The only cemetery of its kind in the world, it all started in 1937 when racoon-huntin’ hotshot Troop was buried here by his owner, Key Underwood.
From Dismals Canyon, it’s a 45-minute ride north on Hwy 43 to Tuscumbia. Head out on Hwy 247 (southbound) for 12 miles and follow the signs.
Hwy 231 (northbound) then I-65 (northbound) brings you back to Birmingham, where there are yet more oddities. The courtyard at Garage Café is a fine place to spend an evening tackling the sufficient beer list amid enough junk, antiques and ceramic statues to sink the Titanic. If you don’t get lost among the clutter, call it a night at Redmont Hotel, the last place Hank Williams slept in before he died – only in Alabama would anyone care about that!
Kevin Raub
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TRIP INFORMATION
DO
Ave Maria Grotto
This fascinating 4-acre park features stone and cement miniatures of the world’s most important religious shrines. 256-734-4110; wwwavemariagrotto.com; 1600 St Bernard Dr, Cullman; adult/child $7/4.50; 8am-6pm Apr-Sept, 8am-5pm Oct-Mar;
Boll Weevil Monument
Perhaps the only monument in the world dedicated to an agricultural pest. Main St, Enterprise
Dismals Canyon
A primeval forest that’s home to waterfalls and eerily glowing dismalites. 205-993-4559; www.dismalscanyon.com; 901 Hwy 8, Phil Campbell; adult/child $9/5.50; 10am-5pm Mon-Thu, 10am-10pm Fri, 9am-10pm Sat, 9am-5pm Sun;
Old Cahawba Archeological Preserve
Alabama’s first state capital is now a spooky ghost town, interesting if for no other reason than the eerie absence of anything. 334-872-8058; 9518 Cahaba Road, Orrville; 9am-5pm
Unclaimed Baggage Center