Outdoor Fun 2009

Hartselle:

Hartselle Pool

The American Red Cross swimming classes:
Classes begin for ages 6 months and go through adult. The fee is $25.00 for ages 6 and older and $20.00 for 5 and under. Classes are 4 days per week for 2 weeks. Older students attend class for 50 minutes daily and the younger students attend for 30 minutes per lesson. An adult is required to get in the water with ages 3 and under. Registration mid-May Please call Lacy Garnett @ 773-2581

The pool has a homeschool swim at the end of the summer, this is discounted and open to homeschoolers only, always well-attended.

Cullman:
Hurricane Creek Park
Hiking, swimming/wading, bird watching, rock climbing, mountain biking
Located just off Hwy 31 between Lacon and Vinemont

Sportsman's Lake
Located just off Hwy 31 in Cullman, follow the signs
Offers small train, paddleboats, small Ferris wheel, carousel, biking on and off-pavement, walking and hiking trails, wildflower garden, playground, putt-putt golf and duck feeding.

Ave Maria Grotto
A collection of miniature buildings from around the world and some from stories, such as Hansel and Gretel, all in done great detail. Kids love this place. Show your AAA card for admission discount.

Smith Lake Park
Offers camping, lake access, putt-putt golf, pool with water slide
Go during the week to swim, it is always nearly empty then.
$6 age 5 and up, $3 age 5 and under
Pool is open 10:00 a.m. ‘til 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Saturday and 1:00 p.m. til 5:00 p.m. Sunday

Huntsville:
Huntsville Land Trust:
Offers hiking at many locations around Madison County.
Rainbow Mountain is a personal favorite. Located in Madison, it offers a 2 mile loop, playground, large rocks, good climb back up the trail.

Hays Nature Preserve
Hiking, birding trail, greenway access and offers many good community events all year round.

Green Mountain Nature Trail for a 1.5 mile stroll around Sky Lake,
5000 Nature Trail Road Huntsville, AL 35803

Classic Movies in the Park
Every other Friday night at Huntsville Museum of Art, starting June 13th
Pack a picnic basket and lawn chairs and watch a classic movie under the stars. All movies begin at sundown on the west lawn of the Museum and are free to the public.

Harmony Park is a federally licensed nature preserve of free-ranging exotic & endangered animals. Remain in your car on a two-mile route to see zebras, zebus, antelope, buffalo, a camel, ostriches, pythons & crocodiles.
Open daily 10 AM-Sunset March 1 through Nov. 30
Directions: Hobbs Island Road, Go 9 miles turn right. 431 Clouds Cove Road Huntsville, AL 35803 Contact: (877) 726-4625
Days/Hours of Operation:
Monday through Sunday 10:00 AM-8:00 PM

Sidewalk Arts Stroll, Downtown Huntsville’s Summer Arts Event 4:30-8:30 p.m.
The Sidewalk Arts Stroll transforms the sidewalks around the downtown courthouse square into stages for the visual and performing arts.

++++

DAY TRIP IDEAS:
A Day out in Birmingham:
Start your day at Ruffner Mountain, free, for a nice hike.
Head over to the Botanical Gardens, free, to see what is in bloom. Picnics are not allowed at the Gardens, so take yours with you to Aldridge Gardens, free, and have a look around afterward.

Head over to Sloss Furnaces, free, before heading back home, this location is just off the Interstate, so afternoon traffic will not be as much of a concern.

A Day out in The Shoals:
Head out toward Tuscumbia and once you pass through the small town of Leighton, keep an eye out for ‘Lagrange College Site 2 miles’ sign. Follow the signs to the small historic park, it has clean restrooms, a great view and room to stretch your legs.
Leaving the park, turn right and follow the road a mile or so to the dead end at the Antebellum Cemetery. This is the prettiest cemetery I have ever found, the stones are in excellent shape and some are very old.

Back on 72, drive past Tuscumbia toward the Mississippi state line. Follow the signs to the Coon Dog Cemetery for a unique experience. There is a picnic pavilion and a short trail to a natural spring.

Head back to 72 and into Tuscumbia. Follow the signs to Spring Park.
While not free, the $6 per armband gets kids (and adults) unlimited rides on the train, carousel and small roller coaster. There is an additional small fee to get in to the water park area, but all well worth it.

The park also has a manmade waterfall-largest in the world at present, a nice playground, picnic area, a lake and a tank. At dusk on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, there is a light and fountain show set to music.

Florence also has Native American Mounds and all of the tri-cities have a River Walk area.

A Day out in Decatur:
Start the day at Wheeler Wildlife Refuge. Do their Junior Ranger Program, free, with your kids. After pinning on your shiny badges, sign up for the summer day camp with Daphne, it is fantastic.

Head over to Delano Park to play in the water park area. Once done there, grab some lunch and head on over to Cook’s Science Museum, free, for an hour of AC before heading back out. Keep in mind they are closed from 12-1 every day.

Take a walking tour, free, and end your day throwing rocks in the river from the Decatur Harbor as you watch the sun set over the town.
Or, end the day with a free concert by the river

A Day out in Cullman:

Start out at the Echota Cherokee Interpretive Center

256-735-0467 or 256-734-7337
Directions: I-65 to exit 318, Hwy 31 S toward Cullman
R on County Road 1282, R on County Road 1281, center is on the right

The Echota Cherokee Interpretive Trails have approximately 1.5 miles of naturalized trails with a wide variety of native plants and trees. Many of the plants are labeled for identification. Middle, Lower and Over the Hill Trail. An 1860’s log house shows the architecture and the life of early Americanized Cherokees.
FREE, Trails open: sunrise to sunset

Then continue back down hwy 31 to Sportsman’s Lake Park seeing what’s blooming on the wildflower trail. Feed the ducks or take out a paddleboat ($3 per person, limit 2 per boat) before heading over to Heritage Park to play in the water area and have a picnic lunch. Head back toward downtown and stop at Festhalle Market Platz, 209 1st. Ave. NE; (256) 775-7207; www.cullmancity.org.
Festhalle Market Platz, Cullman's Farmers Market, is located in the city's historic Warehouse District--a trendy shopping and tourism destination with really good gelatos. Within walking distance of the market is the downtown business district, the Cullman County Museum, L&N Railroad Depot and Depot Park.
Open: June-Oct. Tu 7 a.m.- 1p.m., Th 3 p.m.-7 p.m., Sa 7 a.m.- 1p.m.

Just through the warehouse district right up 1st Ave a few blocks on the left is the Duchess Bakery, you can buy fresh chocolate chip (and other, lesser cookies) for about .50 each. Hop back in the car and drive up the road another block or so and park on the right next to Weiss Cottage. Cookie picnic at the little chapel picnic table and stay to watch a train go by from the near-by bridge.  If you are in the mood for some interesting dining, head to the All Steak and ask to be seated outside.  Another favorite lunch spot is Sweet Pepper Deli, across 31 from the Depot Park

Just south of Cullman is the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, free. Huge Spanish-style plaza, beautiful cathedral, full-size castle complete with armor display, lovely gardens and a year-round creche with holy water on tap.

A Day out in Guntersville:
Start at the dam, hiking the Cave Mountain Small Wild trail

This is our favorite local hike.

Head over to the Guntersville Museum, free,
They will point out interesting graves in the local cemetery, plus the pictures of ‘before and after’ the dam are amazing.

Next up, Guntersville state park.
Of Note: every Saturday, Guided Nature Hikes
Departs from the Country Store or Park Office at 9 a.m.
256-571-5445
Take to the woods on a guided nature hike. A park naturalist provides you with an entertaining and informative program on any one of a number of trails. Hikes follow gentle to moderate trails and last approximately 2 hours. Bring water and snacks and be sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothing. Don't forget your camera! You never know when a deer or eagle might make an appearance.

Naturalist Patti Donnellan
256-571-5445

Secondary Guntersville/Henagar Day Trip:

If the state park is too crowded for your tastes, drive past it and stay on 227, keeping an eye out for the sign to turn at Buck’s Pocket State Park. Turn the opposite way at this intersection, staying on 227 for 1.5 miles further. Make a right on CR 356 and follow the signs to High Falls Park.

When finished there, head the 8 miles north to Buck’s Pocket State Park and enjoy the hikes, creek and solitude there. Do not drive down the primitive camping road, it is treacherous.

Before dark, head out toward Henagar, to get a good paring spot at the Henagar Drive-in. At $8 for your whole carload, this is a deal! They offer a double-feature Friday-Sunday night, call for movie details at 256-657-1340 or check here.

Find other operating drive-in theaters here.

Further Afield:

QUICK TIP: Whenever you are heading to a new town, or even somewhere local like Huntsville or Decatur, stop in at the Visitor’s Bureau and pick up some brochures from the area. If you know in advance you will be going somewhere, go to their website and have them mail you a visitor’s guide and save the time.

A Day out in Wetumpka:
First, rent and watch Big Fish-it’s set in Wetumpka
Rent a canoe ($30 per day, includes transport) and travel down the Coosa River.

When you get dried off, head over to see the Wetumpka Crater, you can see edges of the 5-mile impact crater from US Hwy 231 as well as from the Bibb Graves Bridge. The Coosa River that you just canoed ran along the western edge of the crater. A meteor 1,000 feet wide traveling 40,000 miles per hour smacked into our fair state some 83,000,000 years ago! It had an area of devastation 40 km (24.85 miles) around and would have been a 8.5-9 point earthquake on the Richter scale.

Of note: Mrs. Anne Hodges of Sylacauga remains the only human being in history known to have been hit by a meteorite, yea, Alabama!

A Day at Alabama’s Highest Point:

Cheaha State Park
www.alapark.com

There is a $1 per person entry fee, if you need to use your debit card, you can pay inside the General Store. You can pick up some brochures covering plants and critters you may see.

Drive into the park toward the camping area. Pass the tower and picnic turn and keep going until you come to the Lodge road. Take a right and park at the end and walk down the boardwalk trail to take in the view from Bald Rock, the highest point in Alabama. Walk down the steps and wander through the huge rocks.

When you are done, continue the drive around the loop road and make it a second time, this time, enter the tower/picnic area road on the left. Stop at the tower and climb up for some nice views. There is a playground here as well as picnic tables. Play a while, there are bathrooms at the end of the covered pavilion.

After leaving this spot, drive out of the park entrance and take a right, going off down the mountain. Make the first right turn, and turn into the first road on the right. Drive around and park behind the lake. There is a large shady playground surrounded by picnic tables, a swim beach, floating diving platform in the lake and you can rent paddleboats or fish.
Head back home or pick out a campsite, cabin, hotel room or chalet to extend your visit.

If you stay a second day, take in the local waterfalls-get directions at the general store.

A Day Out in Nashville
If you have a zoo pass, head to the Nashville Zoo for the morning, if not, head out to Warner Parks Nature Center to hike and learn more about the history and animals in the area.

Or go hike at Radnor Lake located on Granny White Pike, which is also very near the location of the excellent Girl Scout shop, if you have a Girl Scout: 4522 Granny White Pike, Nashville, TN 37204.
The Boy Scout shop is at 3414 Hillsboro Pike Nashville, TN 37215 (615) 383-0753
Do a little strolling around at the Bicentennial Mall State Park, bring a swimsuit and towels to play in the fountains.

Walk over to the Farmer’s Market next door for lunch at any of the restaurants and pick up some goodies at the International Market.

Head to Centennial Park by 6 to spread a blanket and claim your spot in front of the bandshell. Walk around and marvel at the Parthenon, play at the playground and head back to your blanket by 7 to catch the pre-show and snack on your goodie stash.

The 22nd Annual Shakespeare in the Park:
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)
&
BONUS
The Taming of the Shrew
(featuring the Byron & Beth Smith Apprentice Company)
August 13 - September 13, 2009
Thursday through Sunday 7:30PM
Labor Day Monday 7:30PM
At the Centennial Park Bandshell
2600 West End Ave. 37203

Other Ideas:

Spend a day at Little River Canyon, free, near Ft. Payne. Hiking, swimming, waterfalls, wildflowers and the near-by DeSoto State Park make this a great day trip. Swim all afternoon at Canyon Mouth Park, ($3 per car parking fee Memorial-Labor Day) finish with dinner at the Log Cabin Deli in Mentone. Do not miss the peach cobbler.  Or the fudge cake.

Statewide:
www.alabamabirdingtrail.com
Sites all over the state to see a huge variety of birds in their natural habitat.

http://www.800alabama.com/things-to-do/tours-trails/covered-bridge/
Directions to and information about the many covered bridges in North Alabama

Natchez Trace Parkway
Excellent destination, it’s a beautiful drive to get to Nashville with stops all along the way at many historic and natural sites

Camping/hiking:
Alabama State Parks
www.alapark.com
Information and reservations for all 22 Alabama State Parks
or 1-800-ALA-PARK

TVA
www.tva.gov
100 public-use areas for hiking and camping, boating and fishing all through the Tennessee River Valley

Federal lands
http://www.recreation.gov/
Information and reservations for campgrounds, cabins and day use areas all over the U.S.

Forever Wild
List of Alabama’s Forever Wild land tracts open to public use

National Forests:
Information on all campgrounds within Bankhead National Forest in AL

Information about campgrounds in the Talladega National Forest in AL
Information about campgrounds in the Cherokee National Forest in TN
North River is our personal favorite in the forest. Tellico Plains is a wonderful town and the Cherohala Skyway is a must-see.

National Park Service
offers information on all National Park lands and public use areas as well as a listing of Junior Ranger Programs

List of Nature Conservancy Lands

Anywhere:

Letterboxing:

Following clues down trails or though parks to locate a letterbox. Inside will be a log book and a stamp. You carry a log book and stamp with you as well, the stamp can be bought or carved yourself. When you find the letterbox, stamp their log with your stamp, write down your name and the date, then stamp the box stamp in your log book, writing down the name, location and date.

Directions for hiding your own boxes or to get clues to get started, check out
www.letterboxing.org or
www.atlasquest.com

Geocaching:

Using a GPS, hunt down coordinates to find caches. These can be found all over the state in every city. Clues can be found at:
www.geocaching.com

Check out http://www.decaturcvb.org for more information on the Decatur Geocaching Passport.

Useful Sites:
www.outdooralabama.com
Interactive State Map
Lists State Parks

http://www.800alabama.com/yooa/
Year of Outdoor Alabama
Lists many places to explore outdoors as well as the Top 100 Outdoor Adventures to be had in Alabama.

www.freshairfamily.org
Group located in Birmingham, but they travel all over the state. Offers free or significantly discounted field trips for families to various locations: caves, state parks, nature centers and so on. Also offers camping trips and classes, the group is active all year round.

Other Places of Interest:
Huntsville:
Big Spring Park-metered parking around park, feed ducks, free wi-fi access.

There is a hot dog man the block above the park who sells beef hot dogs out of a wagon at lunchtime.
Walking distance to the downtown library, Museum of Art, Harrison Brothers Hardware Store, Earlyworks History Museum, Historic District Walking Tour (pick up map from Chamber of Commerce) Constitution Village and the Von Braun Civic Center.

Monte Sano State Park has an entrance fee of $3 per car. They have hiking trails galore, a wonderful playground and picnic area, Japanese Gardens and camping.

Moulton:
Prairie Cedar Glades, a property of the Nature Conservancy-link above-has 12 wildflowers that grow only on this type of land, the largest intact cedar glade in the state of Alabama.

Near Moulton: Bankhead National Forest, Native American Mounds, Jesse Owens Memorial Park.

Madison County Back in Time:

Stop at the town of Moorseville just across the Madison County line off 565 for a walking tour, free, of the wonderful old buildings and houses. You can pick up information at the visitor center, which is marked.

Head on over to Burrit on the Mountain near Monte Sano State Park. There is a charge to get in, but well worth it. There are many buildings and houses to see, an old church-if you check the website, they have old-fashioned singings at the church in the summer which are free to attend.

Come back through town and stop at the Depot. There is a small fee here, and again the value of the tour is worth it. You can save money by combining a ticket for Earlyworks, the hands-on history museum and Constitutional Village. Let them know you are a homeschooling family, teachers do get in free.

Arab:
The Arab City Park is worth a stop if you are passing through. They have a pool, playground, picnic area, walking trails and a historic village with businesses, a school and a church. These are open periodically and there is no charge.