"You want to leave the coast to come to Birmingham... for watersports?"
When my brother, who's the president of his college wakeboarding club, asked if he could come visit, I was a bit surprised. Clearly, I had no idea what a gem of a wake park our new city has to offer.
Nestled in the beautiful Oak Mountain State Park, just a few hundred yards from the Highway 119 entrance, Flipside has two cables, super welcoming staff, and an impressive set of features for a small operation tucked into a state park (FYI: they also rent SUPs, kayaks, and canoes for the more leisurely inclined). Out of our group, my brother has been to the most places, and said Flip Side exceeded the places he'd ridden in the Carolinas and compared favorably to cables he'd ridden in Florida. Obviously, this isn't a massive compound like Valdosta, but there's a nice variety of jumps, rails, etc. for the size. When we visited in late fall, the lake was a bit low, which made the rails a bit more challenging (but a challenge several in our group enjoyed). Do be sure to check the hours, as they are seasonal and weather-dependent. read more