The Atlas Obscura Guide To Alabama

87 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Alabama

Updated July 30, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Alabama

Unclaimed Baggage Center

Scottsboro, Alabama

Unclaimed Baggage Center

One person's lost luggage is another person's treasure.

Spelunkers dropping into Neversink Pit.

Fackler, Alabama

Neversink Pit

This natural wonder drops 16 stories straight down through rare flora and streaming waterfalls.

First glimps of spectre through the styrofoam trees

Millbrook, Alabama

Spectre Set Ruins

The remains of an idyllic small town built for the film 'Big Fish' still stand around a rundown main street.

(Flickr/DelosJ)

Haleyville, Alabama

Alabama's Natural Bridge

148 feet long and in the middle of a verdant forest.

Tuscumbia, Alabama

Rattlesnake Saloon

You'll need cowboy boots to trek to this old-fashioned saloon nestled in a giant natural cave.

The Drive-Thru is next to the Museum of Wonder.

Seale, Alabama

The Drive-Thru Museum

A wealth of local folk art, antiques, and curios, without ever leaving your car.

The Museum Of Wonder

Seale, Alabama

The Museum Of Wonder

A former taxidermist has turned his old shop into a folk art mecca.

Dismals Canyon

Phil Campbell, Alabama

Dismals Canyon

Famous for its bio-luminescent inhabitants, known as "dismalites."

See All 87 Things To Do in Alabama

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Alabama

Tuscumbia, Alabama

Rattlesnake Saloon

You'll need cowboy boots to trek to this old-fashioned saloon nestled in a giant natural cave.

William T. Mullen's distinctive grave.

Clayton, Alabama

Whiskey Bottle Tombstone

In 1863, a woman buried her hard-drinking husband beneath his beloved booze.

Opelika, Alabama

Melanin Cafe

At this coffee shop, each drink celebrates African-American history and luminaries.

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

4 Monuments to Alabama’s Beloved Animals

Maybe you love your cat a lot—maybe even enough to commission a little painting of your furry companion. But the people of Alabama can do you one better. Here, you’ll find a whole cemetery devoted to hounds, a heartfelt memorial to a fish, even a statue of a pest that drove farmers batty before it also spurred them toward ingenuity. Alabama knows how to fete Fido, as well as his scuttling, swimming, and spacefaring compatriots.

The boll weevil monument is a grand celebration of a tiny critter.

Explore Alabama

Museums 9

Architecture 9

History 9

Statues 8

Cemeteries 8

Animals 8

Memorials 6

Monuments 6

Architectural Oddities 6

Ecosystems 5

Caves 5

Space Exploration 5

Alabama Leaderboard

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justindrakecroft

wants to go to The Museum Of Wonder
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wants to go to Alabama's Natural Bridge
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wants to go to Old Cahawba Archeological Park
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wants to go to Big Peach Water Tower
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wants to go to Key Underwood Coon Dog Cemetery

Stories About Alabama

Podcast: Old Cahawba

We unravel the surprising tale of this onetime capital city in Alabama.

by The Podcast Team

Matthew Niemiller spotted the first Shelta Cave crayfish in more than 30 years when snorkeling in May 2019.

To Rediscover a Rare Cave Crayfish in Alabama, Grab a Snorkel

Thought for decades to be extinct, the tiny animal has stayed hidden in a former subterranean speakeasy.

Poncho and his family mug for the camera.

Meet Poncho, the Steer Whose Nearly 11-Foot Horns Just Set a World Record

It's a major turnaround from the longhorn's close call with extinction a century ago.

by Abbey Perreault

A man with his catch during a Point Clear jubilee in 2012.

The Mysterious Bounty of Mobile Bay's Midnight Jubilees

On this stretch of coast, fish unpredictably flock ashore, providing a windfall of seafood.

by Anna Marlis Burgard

September 20, 2018

Lists Featuring Alabama

Blue Sky Mausoleum.

Darwin Martin House Complex.

Skylights on the exterior porch made of red cypress.

A restored Wright house on the Burnham Block.

A 12-Stop Road Trip of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Most Surprising Designs

A UFO-inspired church, a futurist gas station, and more deep cuts.

Including Blue Sky Mausoleum, The Darwin D. Martin House, and Kentuck Knob

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