The Alabama Bucket List

Although I have driven through Alabama multiple times and have also been there for business meetings, I’ve yet to stop and explore the state. Below are my “bucket list” items for Alabama that I’d love to experience, which are also recommendations for where to stay, eat, drink, and explore.

Jump To

Birmingham

Florence

Huntsville

Mobile

Montgomery

Orange Beach

Point Clear (Fairhope)

Birmingham

Kind of Visit: City, Historical - Home of the Talladega Speedway!

Where to stay

• John Hand Club Hotel

• Redmont Hotel Birmingham - Go to the rooftop for cocktails!

• The Elyton Hotel - Located on “The Heaviest Corner on Earth”

Where to Dine & Drink

• Bay Leaf Modern Indian Cuisine & Bar

• Bistro Two Eighteen

• Bocca Ristorante

• Cafe Dupont - reviews suggest to order the fried chicken

• Hot Diggity Dog - As the name might suggest, it’s all about hotdogs. For an added bonus, there’s a speakeasy in the back!

• Iron City - It comes with dinner AND a show!

• Marty’s P.M. - open late night from 11pm - 4am

• Ovenbird - Is entirely a small plate menu

• Pilcrow (Speakeasy)

• Satterfield’s Restaurant

• The Collins Bar

• The Essential

• The Marble Ring (Speakeasy)

Things to see & do

• Alabama Theatre

• Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens

• Ave Maria Grotto

• Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum

• Birmingham Botanical Gardens

• Birmingham Museum of Art

• Birmingham Oddities Store

• McWane Science Center

• Oak Mountain State Park

• Rainbow Tunnel

• Talladega Superspeedway

• Vulcan Park and Museum

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Florence

Kind of Visit: Historical - especially if you like music!

where to stay

• GunRunner Boutique Hotel

• Farmhouse Sanctuary

• Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa

where to dine & Drink

• Odette

• On the Rocks

• Ricatoni’s

• Trowbridge’s - Handmade milkshakes, sundaes, and sandwiches - open for over 100 years!

Things to See & Do

• Birthplace of Helen Keller

• FAME Studios - Artists such as Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Rolling Stones and Percy Sledge have all recorded here.

• Forks of Cypress

• Frank Lloyd Wright's Rosenbaum House

• W.C. Handy’s House - Father of The Blues’ Home

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Huntsville

Kind of Visit: Outdoor adventures and home of space camp!

where to stay

• 106 Jefferson Huntsville, Curio Collection by Hilton

• AC Hotel by Marriott Huntsville Downtown

where to dine & Drink

• 1892 East Restaurant and Tavern

• Catacomb 435 (Speakeasy)

• Char

• Connors Steak and Seafood

• Cotton Row Restaurant

• La Esquina Cocina

• The Speakeasy at Straight to Ale

Things to see & do

• Burritt on the Mountain

• Huntsville Botanical Garden

• Madison County Nature Trail-Green Mountain

• Monte Sano State Park

• U.S. Space and Rocket Center - this is where my sister would go to space camp every year!

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Mobile

Kind of Visit: Historical - great for a short weekend!

Where to stay

• The Admiral Hotel Mobile- Curio Collection by Hilton

• The Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa

Where to dine & drink

• Kitchen on George

• Las Floriditas (Speakeasy)

• Spot of Tea

• The Haberdasher (Speakeasy)

• The Trellis Room

Things to see & Do

• Crescent Theater

• GulfQuest National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico

• Mobile Carnival Museum

• Three Georges Candy

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Montgomery

Kind of Visit: Historical - think Martin Luther King Jr. and the Fitzgeralds.

Where to Stay

• Red Bluff Cottage

• Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center

• Smith-Byrd House Bed and Breakfast and Tea Room

• The Lattice Inn

where to dine & drink

• Cahawba House

• Central Restaurant

• City Grill

• Cork & Cleaver

• Leroy Lounge (Speakeasy)

• Vintage Year

Things to see & do

• Dexter Parsonage Museum - Dr. Martin Luther King Home

• F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum

• Montgomery City Planetarium

• Old Alabama Town

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Orange Beach

Kind of Visit: Beach, outdoor adventures

where to stay

• Caribe Resort

• Perdido Beach Resort

• Phoenix West 2109

• Turquoise Place

where to dine & drink

• Fisher's at Orange Beach Marina - Upstairs

• Foodcraft Coastal

• Perch - Perfect place for cocktails at sunset

• Playa

• The Gulf

• The Southern Grind (Cafe)

• Voyagers

things to see & do

• Beachside Mini Golf

• Cool Shots Selfie Museum

• Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail

• The Wharf

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Point Clear (Fairhope)

Kind of Visit: Beach, outdoor adventures - meant for a long, relaxing weekend.

(Point Clear is right next to Mobile - take a look at the list of recommendations for there as well)

Where to stay

• Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa

• Jubilee Suites Boutique Hotel

• Lucia Bleu Cottages on the Bluff

• Magnolia Springs Bed and Breakfast

where to dine & drink

• Camellia Cafe

• Gambino’s

• Mr. Gene’s Beans

• Southern Roots

• Sunset Pointe

• Tamara’s Downtown

• The Hope Farm

• The Little Whiskey Christmas Club

• Tongue & Groove Drinkery

• Warehouse Bakery & Donuts

• Wash House

Things to see & Do

• Fairhope French Quarter

• Punta Clara Kitchen (homemade candy)

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