News for October 5th 2011
Chasing colors from Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast
The state tourism website alabama.travel has a great interactive toolto help determine when fall color peaks in Alabama. www.alabama.travel/activities/tours-and-trails/fall-color-trail/
Based on its predictions – and you can look out the window yourself to confirm this – slight changes will be evident in North Alabama through next weekend. The Birmingham area to the north should be near its color peak on Oct. 22, and areas north of Cullman will peak around Oct. 29. North Alabama will be past its peak on Nov. 19.
The Alabama tourism department also suggests the following scenic drives/areas:
1. Oak Mountain State Park, Pelham: Peavine Overlook and Peavine Falls
2. Oneonta/Blount County: covered bridges, Palisades Park
3. Cullman/Cullman County: Ave Maria Grotto, covered bridge
4. Bankhead National Forest, Winston and Lawrence counties: Double Springs
5. Natchez Trace: Lauderdale and Colbert counties
6. Joe Wheeler State Park, Rogersville: Joe Wheeler Dam area
7. Monte Sano State Park, Huntsville: Warpath Ridge Trail and its overlooks
8. Scottsboro/Jackson County: Russell Cave National Monument, Alabama 79 across Skyline Mountain, Alabama 65 through Paint Rock River Valley
9. Guntersville State Park, Guntersville: Buck’s Pocket State Park
10. Gadsden/Etowah County: Noccalula Falls Park
11. DeSoto State Park and Lodge, DeSoto Falls, Little River Canyon, Fort Payne: Lookout Mountain Parkway, DeSoto Parkway and Old DeSoto Parkway. Alabama 176, part of Lookout Mountain Parkway, includes scenic overlooks of Little River Canyon.
12. Cheaha State Park, Lineville: Bald Rock and Pulpit Rock trails, Talladega Scenic Drive, Skyline Drive and Skyway Motorway.
www.alabama.travel/activities/tours-and-trails/circle-of-colors/
For the complete article please see http://blog.al.com/living-times/2011/10/travel_feature_enjoy_the_color.html.
Edited: October 5th, 2011
Head for the hills at Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast
At Alabama’s highest point (2,407 feet), Cheaha State Park near Anniston offers chalets, cabins, hiking trails, waterfalls and some good views of Talladega National Forest. Lake Guntersville, Joe Wheeler, Buck’s Pocket and DeSoto state parks offer opportunities to walk the woods. Drive up Lookout Mountain on Alabama 117 to poke around the tiny downtown with the circa 1884 Mentone Springs Hotel, little shops (look for Oprah favorite Orbix glass from Fort Payne), restaurants like Wildflower Cafe, Log Cabin and Magnolia Joe’s. Little River Falls, Little River Canyon, Cloudland Ski resort and DeSoto State Park are nearby. There are lots of B&Bs and inns tucked in the mountainous terrain. The town’s Fall Colorfest is always the third weekend in October, which would make it Oct. 14-16 this year. Friday features a bonfire, and Saturday and Sunday include entertainment, a parade and arts.
Edited: October 5th, 2011