I found this while driving back and forth between Huntsville and Birmingham. You'd hardly notice it…read moreexcept a tiny green "historical marker 1500 feet" sign. There is a small pull over area and the marker so you can stop and read about it. It was erected in 2000 and reads, "The restorative qualities of the mineral springs here attracted settlement in the early 1800s. Variously known as Chunn Springs (after Lancelot Chunn) and Manning Springs (after Robert Manning), the spot was named for early developers of the resort where a hotel and surrounding cabins were erected between 1818 and 1823. By 1834, when the first post office was established, it was called White Sulphur Springs. Jean Joseph Giers acquired the hotel and surrounding property in 1856, renaming it "Valhermoso Springs." Into the 20th century, travelers from all over the world came to the hotel and springs seeking relief from rheumatism, insomnia, consumption, and ailments of the skin, kidneys, stomach, and liver. The hotel closed in the 1920s and was destroyed by tornado in 1950."

This is not a restaurant. It is merely a sign/marker that i believe it is a important for the…read morehistory of this area & the ones who live here still today. A reminder of exactly what it used to be. The springs still exist to some extent. There's also a grave yard of some of the ones who inherited & lived in this area. When I visited I wasn't sure where the spring may be located at. I would have liked to visit it, if I had. Family who owns the property may have removed the exact location for privacy purposes. Just a shame, but I'm certain they have their reasons.

I love the Cambron Covered Bridge! Located atop beautiful Green Mountain on the Green Mountain…read moreNature Trail, it was built in 1974. This bridge is named after Joe E. Cambron, who was the Madison County Bridge Foreman from 1958-1974. Starting at the pavilion and hiking around, the bridge is located near the end of the 1.5 very easy trail. The Green Mountain Nature Trail is recognized as a Treasure Forest by the Alabama Forestry Commission, and it is also considered a Wildlife Sanctuary. The bridge is rustic as one would expect with numerous windows from which you can take some beautiful photographs of the lake and the park. It's especially pretty when we have beautiful fall colors!

Nice covered bridge in a peaceful setting…read more.. Covered bridges are scattered all around North Alabama and we had a glimpse of this bridge that took us back in time, when life was simpler. It's pretty cool... When we got to the bridge there was a kid fishing from one of the windows. Cambron Covered Bridge was built in 1974 and is located in Huntsville in Madison County AL. We walked on the wide gravel path that led to the bridge. The trail crosses the Cambron Covered Bridge surrounding Sky Lake. Entrance to the park is free, open to the public from 7a until 30 minutes prior to sunset. There are three large windows on each side of the bridge letting natural light in so it isn't so dark inside when you cross the bridge. Just below the windows are wooden benches. The bridge is picturesque and makes for great pictures, especially the black and white effect. I don't normally come across covered bridges too often... in fact, this may be my first time seeing one in real life (the covered bridge from the movie, The Bridges of Madison County, doesn't count). Review #1858

I love Bankhead! Who knew it is named for William B. Bankhead, a longtime former Alabama…read moreRepresentative and it is one of Alabama's four National Forests, covering a massive 181,230 acres. It is home to Alabama's only National Wild and Scenic River, the Sipsey Fork. It is located in northwestern Alabama, around the town of Double Springs. Driving to Navoo Alabama, the sign designating Bankhead is a "heads up" you are rapidly approaching wonderful, wonderful Camp McDowell, situated in Bankhead! Camp McDowell is the beautiful queen of Clear Creek, which is not really clear at all, and growing up, had plenty of leeches. Still, it's a beautiful creek and a lovely place in this national forest! Hiking ranges from long and tenuous, to short and easy peasy! Water features are abundant with plenty of little and large water falls to enjoy! Do visit Bankhead. Bring some hiking boots, a walking stick, and a backpack with waters and snacks. There is not a lot of commercialization in the region. Just a corner grocery store and a Jacks that are both ~10-15 miles of curvy roads away.

If you subscribe to thisisalabama on Instagram it's filled with amazing shots from Banhead National…read moreForest, literally, all the time. We had been meaning to take a day and explore and just never made it happen .... until now! It's not exceptionally clear when you have arrived, at least on the side we were on. No flashy signs or anything indicating 'ENTERING BANHEAD....'. We actually ended up using All Trails app to get the coordinates of where we wanted to go. We were directed through a neighborhood that had paved roads that shortly turned into gravel roads .... then we eventually go to our destination. This particular hike was about 4 miles round trip. Relatively flat except for a middle section that was pretty steep. But, at no point was the trail itself hazardous in any ways. This place was absolutely stunning! Small waterfalls could be found close to the path all the way to the end, which was the largest waterfall on the hike (Kind of small since it hasn't rained in awhile). All in all we really liked our day out here. The trail was well shaded which kept the overall temp down as much as it could. One precaution, if you have a truck or an SUV I would recommend taking that instead of a car. The road itself is quite bumpy (potholes) and if you have a car that is too low to the ground you may do some scraping (at least getting to the trail we went to).

This is a quaint glimpse of what Madison, Alabama was like until the population and growth…read moreexplosion that hit this particular area. Main Street is a quiet and definitely has that small town feel to it. Like I said, Madison, Alabama has exploded in growth and population and I would consider the area around the stadium to be the new main area of Madison. Still, this is a very cool place to check out and I would definitely recommend here and I give it five stars overall. If you find yourself anywhere in the area, I would definitely recommend checking this glimpse into the past out.

Main Street is a small block or two in old Madison. It was the commerce hub when Madison was…read moredeveloped in the 1850s around a stop of the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. Main Street is home to the Main Street Café (which is the former site of a local prison and features a jail cell you can dine in) and Old Black Bear Brewery, Madison (which also has an Athens, AL location). Other Main Street-area businesses currently are Holtz Leather (store front is Sullivan Street), Murphy Homes, and the Lanier House Tea Room and Private Venue. Main Street is surrounded by unique 1800s period architecture including homes on Church Street. The gazebo and surrounding historical markers on Main Street are worth a stop, albeit brief, to check out! I agree with yelper John M.'s review! And, honestly, one can drive right by Main Street Madison, AL without noticing it. Since the Town Madison development has come into play, the area around the Toyota Stadium now offers many entertainment, dining, and housing options and is considered "Madison" also. Of course, Town Madison does not have the old school charm and coziness of Main Street, Madison.

Nice every Thursday 5 pm mingle venue til mid October..back by popular request?…read moreSome German and domestic beers and wine - 16$ meals were good . Rec skip the desserts. Had a live band for an hour

Having lived in Germany for 11 years I am always looking for good German food ambience. Biergarten…read moremeet both for me. Excellent food and service! I highly recommend you give them a try, even if you've never had German food or Beer.

On Sunday March 2nd, Tony and I enjoyed the "Little River Canyon Rim Scenic Drive" located outside…read moreof Fort Payne, and OMG..the scenic overlooks are gorgeous, breathe-taking and best of all ...FREE.. Grace's High Falls Overlook visited by us on March 2, 2014. It is so lovely here. Considered the Grand Canyon of the East, Little River Canyon Rim Scenic Drive outside Fort Payne, AL..Here's a close-up picture of Graces High Falls. This 'high' waterfall plunges past river-carved sandstone.

Great place for a family get together or picnic. Somewhat off of the beaten path. It will be…read morebeautiful there in a few weeks when the trees start to bud.

Really great trail that runs right along the creek the whole way, with plenty of spots to walk over…read moreinto the water if you choose. (We opted out of this with two wild kiddos and being in from out of town!) While the trail starts on the map where indicated, we recommend parking at the middle school and dropping in midway along the trail. (There's a nice park there as well.) Trail is fairly flat with a few little hills here and there, but overall decent enough that we took a stroller and didn't have any issues beyond just being tired of pushing our youngest. Great views along the way of wooded areas, some little wetland pieces, going under bridges by a busy highway - good variety to keep the little ones entertained and remember landmarks on your return trip of this out and back style trail. Was a wonderful little break to our trip - very happy we found it and highly recommend to anyone passing through.

Great walking trail. Watch out for the homeless people at the south parking area. Recommend you…read morepark at the middle school.

Thank you, John Hunt, for being the historic pioneer who, in 1805, built a cabin in Big Spring Park…read morewhere he and his family resided, and Mr. Hunt is considered the founding father of this fair city! Mr. Hunt was a Revolutionary War veteran, and you guess it - Huntsville was named for him! It's known as the "Rocket City" and its motto is "Star of Alabama." In 1811, Huntsville became the first incorporated town in what is now Alabama. I was conceived and born here. Mom birthed me at Huntsville Hospital. Crestwood Hospital would have been around at that time at its former location off Jordan Lane north of Bob Wallace across from the former Westlawn Middle School. I heart Huntsville! From its humble beginnings as primarily cotton farmland, which began at what is now MidCity to the west which was considered "the country" back in the day. Huntsville has really grown ya'll. In 2022, the estimated population was 227.5K folks, making it the second most populous metropolitan area in the state after the Birmingham metropolitan area. There were 142K people living in Huntsville when I was in high school. Enough backstory. What's to love about Huntsville? We boasted about the largest number of PhDs per capita for decades, and this may still hold true. This differentiates us from other towns in Alabama. In the early 1940s Redstone Arsenal (RSA) was developed. And the rest is history: NASA, U.S. Army, FBI, Missile Defense Agency, AMCOM and more are located on RSA. The growth from cotton fields to rocket development was phenomenal. And the last two decades have ushered in a huge influx of people. You can barely drive a block without seeing orange construction barrels and cones, along with the ubiquitous crane. Apartment complexes are the latest developments with fewer condos for purchase. This influx has nurtured local restaurants [Cotton Row, Commerce Kitchen, all the Church Street Family eateries/wine shoppes, Green Bottle Grille] and extensive chain restaurants, too. There are craft coffee cards to get stamped, craft brewery cards to get stamped, and more "trails" to follow including real outdoor hiking at Monte Sano State Park, my favorite - Green Mountain, and Ditto Landing. Various entertainment venues are now options in "Hunts Vegas" including Mars, the Orion, the Von Braun Center, and bars with stages both big and small. HSV has the friendliness of a small southern town, with the perks of a larger city. We have rooftop bars, and lovely patios, covered picnic pavilions and sports - the Trash Pandas are always fun at Toyota Field, the Havoc are a blast if you love ice hockey, and we have a soccer [European "football"] team now, and there's always the Dixie Derby Girls, who do roller derby. Don't forget the US Space and Rocket Center and Space Camp, the Huntsville Botanical Garden, the Huntsville Museum of Art, Burritt Museum, the Weeden House, Constitution Hall Park and Museum, Early Works, the Huntsville/Madison County Veterans Memorial Park, the planetarium, and the mixed-use facilities, Lowe Mill, Campus 805, Stovehouse, and MidCity [with more on the way!] You can find events and festivals here: https://www.huntsville.org/events/festivals/ A great destination picnic location is Ditto Landing. Bank fish, or launch your boat and enjoy the beautiful bridge connecting south Huntsville to Lacey's Spring. If nothing in Huntsville "whets your whistle" or you are just itching to get out of town, Nashville is just 90 minutes north, Birmingham is 90 minutes south, Atlanta is ~ 4.5 hours SW, and the white sands of Orange Beach are just 5.5 hours due south. It's a hop and skip down to New Orleans by car, and you can always opt for the train that departs from Birmingham. Just please, please, don't move here - we are getting "full up" with people! Hence the 4 versus 5 stars. Traffic is also really crappy since the infrastructure has not kept pace with the population growth. Another minus for the Huntsville metro area is the dire lack of public transportation. Regardless of various efforts [I'm looking at you "Shuttle" busses and not "Orbit" busses], this is an area Huntsville falls short, especially for those who are wheelchair bound.

I've been in Huntsville for 3 months now and love it. There is so much to do and see here. Of…read morecourse it's the home of the Space & Rocket Center and Redstone Arsenal. Land of opportunity for careers! I've had several interactions with the actual departments of the City of Huntsville as well. One was a frustrating experience dealing with the City Engineer to get my certificate Occupancy for my house. I had to contact the Mayors Office and they resolved the issue within a few hours. Since then no issues. I also have my utilities through the city. Interestingly enough, they combine electric, water, and trash here. Their electric rates have been through the roof during the winter. I guess we will see how it changes in the. Next couple months. Another pro - taxes are cheap and the city offers a homestead tax break for people who own their primary residence in the City of Huntsville.

The guides are fantastic. Tons of information on the history of Decatur. The model train set is…read morereally something to see. Tour is free. Seriously go see the model train setup. The models of the local houses are incredible.

Now restored!! Drive by and check it out. The City of…read moreDecatur has bought this historic depot, and completed a $2.5 million major restoration. The south part of the depot will be a museum. It will house a theater, and there will be a large model train layout of the city of Decatur. The museum should be complete about Spring of 2017. I hope to update my review then, and add another star or two! The north part of the building will be used as office space by the Decatur civilian police department.