Things to Do in Alabama
Ten stops running from a real rocket testing ground to a beach that gets overlooked by nearly everyone driving straight through to Florida instead.
Alabama tends to get driven through rather than driven to, which is a shame given what's actually here, serious civil rights history, a proper stretch of Gulf coastline, and a rocket centre that trained real astronauts. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what stuck.
US Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville
Huntsville earned the nickname Rocket City for good reason, this is where NASA developed the Saturn V rocket that carried astronauts to the moon, and the centre now displays a full-scale example alongside decades of other space hardware. Space Camp runs from here too, the actual programme, not a themed exhibit, and still trains kids through real astronaut-style simulations.
The rocket park outside is free to walk through even without museum admission, a decent stop on its own if you're just passing through and short on time.
Hours Daily, roughly 9am-5pm
Address 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL
Rosa Parks Museum & Civil Rights Sites, Montgomery
Montgomery holds an unusually concentrated stretch of civil rights history, the Rosa Parks Museum sits close to where she refused to give up her seat in 1955, and the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached, still operates as an active church nearby. Both sit within walking distance of each other, a proper half-day covering both without much travel between.
The Legacy Museum, a more recent addition covering the wider history of slavery through mass incarceration, is a heavier, considerably more sobering stop, best approached with real time set aside rather than squeezed between other plans.
Hours Tue-Sat, roughly 9am-4.30pm
Address 252 Montgomery St, Montgomery, AL
Gulf Shores & Orange Beach
A proper 32-mile stretch of Gulf coastline that tends to get overshadowed by Florida's beaches just a short drive further along, sugar-white sand and considerably calmer crowds outside of peak summer weekends. Family-friendly resorts line most of the developed sections, and the state park protects a quieter, undeveloped stretch if that suits better.
Dolphin cruises run regularly from the marinas at Orange Beach, a straightforward, kid-friendly way to spend a couple of hours on the water without committing to a full fishing charter.
Best time May-September for swimming weather
Address Gulf Shores, AL
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile
A decommissioned World War Two battleship, permanently docked in Mobile Bay and open for self-guided tours through most of its decks, engine rooms, and gun turrets. A submarine sits alongside it too, the USS Drum, both included in the same admission and both properly absorbing for kids who like clambering through tight, mechanical spaces.
Bring proper shoes, several sections involve steep ladders and narrow passageways that aren't especially forgiving in flip-flops.
Hours Daily, roughly 8am-5pm
Address 2703 Battleship Pkwy, Mobile, AL
Alabama's White Sauce BBQ Trail
Most of the country's barbecue sauce runs tomato or vinegar-based, Alabama's own invention swaps that for a tangy, mayonnaise-based white sauce, invented in Decatur in the 1920s and still served almost exclusively within the state's borders. Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, the sauce's birthplace, still runs the original recipe and remains the benchmark most other spots get measured against.
It's an unusual enough flavour that it's worth trying even if barbecue sauce doesn't normally interest you, nothing else in the country tastes quite like it.
Address Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, 1715 6th Ave SE, Decatur, AL
Talladega Superspeedway
A 2.66-mile oval that holds the record for NASCAR's fastest average lap speed, the banking on the turns is steep enough that standing at the fence during a race weekend gives a proper sense of just how fast these cars actually move. Race weekends draw serious crowds, book accommodation well ahead if attending one specifically.
The International Motorsports Hall of Fame sits right at the track entrance and stays open outside race weekends too, a decent stop for racing fans even between events.
Address 3366 Speedway Blvd, Lincoln, AL
Little River Canyon National Preserve
One of the deepest canyons east of the Mississippi, carved by a river that runs almost entirely along the top of Lookout Mountain rather than at its base, an unusual formation that gives the whole preserve a properly distinctive look. A scenic drive runs along the canyon rim with several overlooks, a good option if a full hike isn't the plan.
Little River Falls, right near the preserve entrance, is reachable via a short paved path, a good stop even for visitors not planning to hike further.
Best time Spring for waterfall flow; autumn for foliage
Address Little River Canyon National Preserve, Fort Payne, AL
Cathedral Caverns State Park
An enormous cave entrance, roughly 126 feet wide and 25 feet tall, leading into a system with one of the tallest stalagmites recorded anywhere. Paved, well-lit walkways run through most of the accessible sections, a properly manageable underground walk for most kids without any real climbing involved.
The temperature inside stays a steady 60°F year-round, a light layer helps even on a hot Alabama summer day outside.
Hours Daily, tours run on the hour
Address 637 Cave Rd, Woodville, AL
Mobile's Mardi Gras
Mobile holds the actual claim to the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the country, predating New Orleans' version by well over a century, complete with its own parading societies, throws, and float traditions that developed largely independently. The Mobile Carnival Museum covers this history year-round for anyone visiting outside the actual festival dates.
If your visit lines up with the pre-Lent season, the parades here run with considerably smaller crowds than New Orleans while keeping most of the same spectacle, a good alternative if the bigger event feels like too much.
Best time The weeks leading up to Ash Wednesday
Address Mobile Carnival Museum, 355 Government St, Mobile, AL
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute & 16th Street Baptist Church
The institute sits directly across from 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of a 1963 bombing that killed four young girls and became a pivotal moment in shifting national opinion toward the civil rights movement. The museum covers this history in real depth, exhibits that walk through the wider Birmingham campaign alongside the specific events at the church.
Kelly Ingram Park, the small park between the two, was itself a site of major 1963 protests, a slow walk through before or after the museum fills out the fuller picture.
Hours Tue-Sat, roughly 10am-5pm
Address 520 16th St N, Birmingham, AL
Best time to visit Alabama
March through May and September through November cover the most comfortable weather for this list, mild enough for the outdoor stops without summer's serious heat and humidity.
Gulf Shores works well through summer specifically if beach weather is the priority, warm water and long days make up for the heat elsewhere on this list during that stretch.
Getting around Alabama
A car is essential, the distances between Huntsville, Montgomery, Birmingham, and the Gulf Coast run into several hours each, this is a state best covered with your own transport rather than relying on anything else.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Alabama worth visiting?
- Yes, particularly for the civil rights history in Montgomery and Birmingham, essential sites for understanding the movement, and the Gulf Coast adds an easy, relaxed contrast.
- How many days do you need in Alabama?
- Five days gives a comfortable pace to cover Huntsville, Montgomery, Birmingham, and a couple of days on the Gulf Coast.
- Is Alabama expensive to visit?
- No, generally affordable, food and accommodation both run below the national average outside of race weekends specifically.
- What's the best Alabama trip for kids?
- The US Space & Rocket Center and the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's ten decent slices of a state most people only ever drive through.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
