Transcript:
Melea Hames: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama, part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. Today's episode features five unique must-sees in North Alabama. My guest is blogger, photographer, and social media expert Kristin Luna. Thanks for being here today, Kristin.
Kristin Luna: [00:00:16] Yeah, thanks for having me on.
Melea Hames: [00:00:18] Yeah, I'm excited. Kristin has a blog called Camels and Chocolate. She and her husband travel around the US and the world even in search of the best adventures. Then they share those adventures on the blog and social media. Tell us a little bit more about yourself, Kristin.
Kristin Luna: [00:00:35] I grew up in Tennessee, just over the border from Alabama, about 30 minutes or so into the state in a town called Tullahoma. I have a journalism background. I worked at several magazines in New York, like Newsweek and a Conde Nast publication and several other publishing houses before I went freelance and I started a blog and began chronicling my travels with my husband. We have now been to all 50 states, and I personally have been to over 130 countries. But we specialize in the south. We do a lot of projects promoting Southern destinations. We really love rural tourism in small towns. I think that's why we gravitate to places like North Alabama over and over again. My father is from Birmingham, so I do have some Alabama routes as well.
Melea Hames: [00:01:29] Yeah, that is so cool. If you all have been paying attention to our social media over the years, you've seen Kristin do a few things for us about the Mural Trail and just a lot of other cool things. I'm excited to jump in this list.
Okay. Well, you mentioned that you've been in North Alabama quite a bit. Tell us about this list of five unique things that people need to see in North Alabama.
Kristin Luna: [00:02:01] I've been to all 16 counties of North Alabama and filtered through all the counties to some of my personal favorites, starting with the Natural Trace Parkway, which I don't think a lot of people who are familiar with the Natural Trace realize that it goes through North Alabama. What it is is 444 miles of federal parkway that starts in Nashville, Tennessee, and winds its way down to the southern terminus in Natchez, Mississippi. But it also cuts through the corner of North Alabama, right across the Tennessee River, right through the heart of the Shoals. It passes right past downtown Florence.
For people who are driving that Natchez Trace Parkway, it's a great excuse to stop in the Shoals and kind of see what it's about. For those who don't really know what the Natchez Trace Parkway is, it's a storied byway that was traveled by the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez people. Very historically significant. Many thousands of people traveled this parkway through the years. You can see where the old parkway was in places where it was walked by travelers. There's also the newer parkway. That is the road that you can drive the entire length of the parkway. There's about, I don't know, a couple of dozen communities along it.
Melea Hames: [00:03:27] Yeah, that is so cool. When you think about the Natchez Trace Parkway, it's 444 miles and you're like, oh, we have a piece of that right through North Alabama. That's cool. Yeah. What are some of the, I guess, maybe off-the-beaten-path stops that you would see in North Alabama off the parkway that makes it so unique?
Kristin Luna: [00:03:51] When you're driving southbound from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi on the Trace, when you come across North Alabama, you're going to almost immediately enter the Shoals area and you can pull off under the bridge where Culvert Ferry is, take some really great photos along the Tennessee River. You can also spend some time exploring the towns that comprise the Shoals, which are Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, and Sheffield. You can see that musical history element and all the recording studios like Fame and Cypress. You can also visit iconic sites like Hellen Keller's birthplace and the site of where WC Handy was born. You really get more than just that Native American history when you're passing through this area. You also get a sense of the Americana sound that makes up Southern music.
Melea Hames: [00:04:45] Yeah, that is so cool. Of course, I mean, it's also beautiful to drive, to boot there in the fall and the spring. You've got lots of color.
Kristin Luna: [00:04:56] I think that there's not a bad time to drive it. We've driven the Trace in all four seasons. It's pretty green because it is so far south. I think even if you're just looking for a winter road trip, that's something unexpected. It's a good idea to take that trip this time of year even.
Melea Hames: [00:05:15] Yeah, take the scenic route. Yeah. Well, that is so cool. Well, next on your list, you had Bankhead National Forest. We've had a few people on to talk about this gorgeous forest. What is it for you that makes it so special?
Kristin Luna: [00:05:33] I think we had never been to Bankhead National Forest until we drove the North Alabama Mural Trail in full. We were just looking for a place to get out and stretch our legs, and we came across this massive national forest. It's one of just four national forests in Alabama. It's got over 90 miles of recreational trails. For anyone who's into hiking, biking, horseback riding, that kind of thing, it's the perfect place to get out and stretch your legs or to spend a weekend camping. We personally went there to check out Turkey Foot Falls and Mize Mill Falls, which we read about on Huntsville Adventure, a site that I know you featured and we reference a lot when we're looking for cool waterfalls and hikes.
They had some great information about tackling those two waterfalls. We went to do it. They were gorgeous. It was a little bit wet when we were there. I advise doing those hikes on a dry day because there was a lot of slipping and sliding. But even if you're just driving through on a wet winter day, it's a gorgeous drive. Just go through the length of the national forest if you're going en route to Decatur or somewhere else in North Alabama. Whether you're hiking or driving, it's definitely a spot worth stopping in.
Melea Hames: [00:06:50] Yeah, we've had David with Huntsville Adventurer on an episode. He talked about his favorite waterfalls, which they're a lot in Bankhead. He's got some really good directions. Because, like we always mentioned when we talk about Bankhead, you need to know a lot of things before you go because you can get lost quickly without some really good directions and a map and a compass. Yeah, we always like to throw that in there.
Kristin Luna: [00:07:18] You might need to have all of those directions printed off or screenshots because I remember not really having any service in the forest. Luckily, I had taken notes from his website and took a lot of screenshots for the turn-by-turn direction. We were able to find the waterfalls, which was very helpful.
Melea Hames: [00:07:35] Yeah. No service out there. Yeah, thanks for mentioning that too. Well, you also have an affinity for murals, which we mentioned that you did a whole thing for us when we launched our Mural Trail. You've got Public Art in Decatur on your list as number three, the unique number three thing in North Alabama. What specifically is it about the art in Decatur that makes it make the list?
Kristin Luna: [00:08:03] I love the chasing art project. I love that there's a long-term plan to add more murals to Decatur. I think it's always good to have a plan. I have a nonprofit doing public art as well. I admire anyone who's able to take a smaller town like Decatur and turn it into a bit of an art destination. I think the first thing that drew me to Decatur on the art side was when Michael McPheeters completed his Jimmy “Yellowhorse” Webster mural, which is a giant horse with these really colorful abstract patterns to honor Webster, who was a prominent Native American of Cherokee blood in the community. He was an activist throughout the area.
But I also think this is a great time to talk about the fact that deep Decatur is along the Trail of Tears. For people who didn't know that, they might see this piece and want to learn more about that history in Decatur. Then once they get off to see the McPheeters piece, they'll hit the square in a few blocks. Then you see all these other gorgeous pieces of art. My other favorite is by Adam Stevenson. It's called Homecoming. I know it's meant to honor his late sister. But it also gives me very Dorothy of Wizard of Oz vibes. Every time I see it, I think of that. It's very just whimsical and beautiful and really adds a lot to that town.
I know you could speak more about how art has evolved in Decatur. But I would say it's probably brought a lot more tourism to the area. I imagine it's brought a lot more visitor dollars to the businesses along the square. That's why I love public arts so much as it benefits everyone. Not only is it beautiful, but it helps these small businesses stay afloat.
Melea Hames: [00:09:52] Yeah, we have a North Alabama mural Trail, which has got murals, all the 16 counties. But our friends at Decatur, Morgan Tourism has a MoCo Mural Trail. Of course, all of these in Decatur are on that. Of course, that is one of the goals, is to encourage people to get out, go shopping the local businesses, and just walk up and down the street. It really has added a lot to the town. We had Adam on here too. He talked about his art that he's done here, and he's actually from Decatur and just some of the other art that he's done in Athens and other places.
Kristin Luna: [00:10:33] He has a gorgeous one in Athens. I think we were there right after it was finished. It's a music theme to one in the Alley. That was another one of my favorites along the Mural Trail. All of the ones in Decatur and then Adam's piece in Athens. Then, of course, Huntsville has some amazing murals. For someone who's a mural chaser like me, if you want a full day, you could start in Decatur and then hit Athens and Huntsville and really see a lot of cool art from a mix of people from the area and people from out of state. I believe Michael McPheeters is from Texas.
Melea Hames: [00:11:10] Yeah, that is a gorgeous piece. Right after you come across the bridge, you see that and it just takes your breath away. It's so pretty.
Kristin Luna: [00:11:18] It is stunning.
Melea Hames: [00:11:19] Okay. Well, next on the list is De Soto Falls. If you've just seen a picture of De Soto Falls, you know why it's on the list. Tell us, what is it about this waterfall out of all the waterfalls in North Alabama that puts this on your list of unique things to see?
Kristin Luna: [00:11:37] I had also seen the photos. Then I went there and I couldn't believe how much more dramatic it was than the photos because there are so many different cascades that fall into this limestone canyon, and there's a really great viewing platform there. When we went to the park, I think you see that initial falls when you pull up to the parking lot and you walk to the edge. But then there's all these other different viewing platforms you can step down into, you can hike along, and I believe you can even hike to the bottom if you really have the time and the stamina. We were there toward the tail end of fall, so we got some really gorgeous color. But I think it was just how dramatic it was. I mean, I believe it's 104 feet into that pool at the bottom of the canyon. It's just really set up well for tourists to go and take a walk. For a lot of people to be there and it not feel crowded.
It was just my favorite along the Mural Trail of waterfalls. That's cool about all the trails you guys have. You can combine some of them. That's what Scott and I did is we drove the Mural Trail in full, but we also hit a lot of the waterfalls along the way and we also hit Noccalula Falls in Gadsden. If you're already to Mentone and doing De Soto, why not head on south to Gadsden and hit that one up as well? Because you see two very different waterfalls, one smack in the middle of town, and then one in this more like artsy enclave in a forest.
Melea Hames: [00:13:10] Yeah, it's really cool. Just the view that you get from the top, like you said, and then walk along the little path there and then going down to the bottom, you get some amazing views. It's beautiful. It's beautiful year-round, too. Because especially in the wintertime, sometimes people think, oh, it's winter, we got to stay in hunker down. It's cold. But we have a lot of rainfall in the wintertime, which makes the waterfalls really flowing. Sometimes people don't expect that.
Kristin Luna: [00:13:43] No. Actually, I love visiting waterfalls in the winter. Because in our part of the south, it's pretty gloomy in December and January. But you go to a waterfall and it's gorgeous. Like you said, it's gushing. It doesn't really matter if some of the trees are bare from leaves because the focus is the waterfall and all these rock formations. I saw a photo of how gushing Noccalula Falls is right after some recent rain. I think it's actually waterfall chasing is a great winter activity as well. I know we always try and do a New Year's Eve hike. The waterfall near where we live, for that very reason. We can really get some impressive views and some great photos with that fresh rainfall.
Melea Hames: [00:14:30] Yeah. That's a good idea. New Year's Eve, New Year's Day hike to see waterfalls. You want to put that on your list. Okay. Well, let's switch gears then to your fifth item on the list, which is Ave Maria Grotto. It is so cool. It is so unique. Tell us why this place made your list.
Kristin Luna: [00:14:53] I know that probably north Alabama natives are going to think I'm crazy for never having known this existed. But again, something we discovered while driving the mural trails. We saw this sign for Ave Maria Grotto. More like, I wonder what that's all about. We turned off, we followed the signs, and we saw this fantastic four-acre park. It was a little miniature world created by a monk from Germany. It was just the coolest thing. It was like, I don't know, this whole fantasy land. We've spent a lot of time in Germany. I love seeing that influence on the art from the monk who created it. But it's just this little miniature world that you can see. It's all outdoors. It's all tree-shaded. He's carved some pieces into rocks and into cliffs, and it's just so unexpected for being outside of Coleman, Alabama.
Melea Hames: [00:15:52] Yeah. He made it all by himself with rocks and shells and all kinds of things that he found. It's really cool.
Kristin Luna: [00:16:00] Yeah. It's a great example of upcycled art created from sound pieces. It just really adds to that area. I mean, Coleman already has a really cute downtown. It has some murals as well. But then you can view this very different type of tourist activity while you're there as well. They have a gift shop and the grounds are really beautiful. Then if you keep driving 15 miles or so, you end up in the most unexpected spot, I think. That's a monastery on 400 acres. It's a mouthful to say the shrine of the most blessed sacrament of our lady of the angel’s monastery. Say that five times fast.
Melea Hames: [00:16:47] I'll just let you say it.
Kristin Luna: [00:16:50] But it is just an absolutely breathtaking piece of land. It's a little bit outside of Huntsville and it's open to the public. Just make sure that you're dressed appropriately. This time of year, you're going to be dressed appropriately to go into a place of worship. We were there when it was a little bit hotter. But at certain times, you can go in if there's not a certain service or ritual going on. It's just the architecture is incredible. I did not expect to see this in rural Alabama. I felt like I was in Austria.
Melea Hames: [00:17:29] Yeah. It's just like you said, right out in the middle of nowhere. You come up on it and it's like, wow, another breathtaking moment.
Kristin Luna: [00:17:40] Exactly. I just love that about the part of Alabama that you live in. It's that there are so many different things you can do waterfall, public art, visit a monastery, see this little miniature world created by a monk and travel the Natchez trace. That's a whole lot of different things in addition to all the great cities that you have as well.
Melea Hames: [00:18:03] Well, I love your list. I know that we could just keep adding and adding like you said. There's a ton of stuff that people need to put on their bucket list here for North Alabama. This is a good start, everyone.
Kristin Luna: [00:18:19] Exactly. You can do all of these in the succession we talked about them. The chronological order from west to east in North Alabama. You can make a little road trip and stitch all five of these together over a long weekend.
Melea Hames: [00:18:34] Yeah. Absolutely. We love that road trips.
Kristin Luna: [00:18:39] Always.
Melea Hames: [00:18:40] Yes. Well, thank you so much for being here today, Kristin. For our listeners, tell us where they can find you on social media and online.
Kristin Luna: [00:18:48] On social media, I'm @LunaticAtLarge everywhere. You can find me through searching that or my name Kristin Luna and my blog is called Camels & Chocolate. It's at camelsandchocolate.com.
Melea Hames: [00:19:01] She has a lot of gorgeous photos and travel tips. I know you've been sharing lately about all these different travel tips for people to get if they're wanting to travel the world or the US. Definitely give her a follow. You will not regret it.
Well, thanks for being on here. North Alabama's social media platforms are linked in the description. If you're loving listening to our podcast, we would love if you'd us a review. Thanks for joining us and we'll be back next time with more about North Alabama Adventures. This has been another episode of the Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast, part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network, hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Relic.
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