10 Best Small Towns in Alabama to Visit in 2024
Alabama is the beating Heart of Dixie, that brand of American idealism that has inspired historic epochs of abolitionism and Martin Luther King Junior’s civil rights movements. It is within this Yellowhammer State that one can find the best small towns in Alabama to visit in 2024, such as attractive seaports like Bayou La Batre and Gulf Shores, in addition to war-defying locales like Spanish Fort and Fort Payne. Many will be swept away by the august architecture of Vestavia Hills, while the more literary of you shall fancy a tour of Monroeville. Whichever of the best small towns you are visiting in Alabama this 2024, you will not leave the Yellowhammer State blue or disappointed.
Greenville
About 45 miles from Montgomery, Greenville is hailed as “Camellia City” due to the cornucopia of camellia flowers growing in town, which also happens to be Alabama’s state flower since 1959. Greenville has been an even more vital town in Alabama’s history since it is situated on a prolific Native American route connecting different communities in Alabama. The Federal Road was constructed in Greenville in 1775 to connect Montgomery with Mobile.
Later in the early 1860s, the Montgomery & West Point Railroad was built. History enthusiasts can now learn all about Greenville’s contributions to Alabama’s transportation at the Greenville Depot Museum. You might also be interested in visiting Fort Dale and Fort Bibb—both of which, like Confederate Park, have been sites of contention since the American Civil War.
Guntersville
About an hour and a half from the city of Birmingham, gun your vehicle towards the lovely town of Guntersville. With its location at the banks of Lake Guntersville—a 69,000-acre-long body of pure natural freshwater—and beside the lengthy Tennessee River, Guntersville contains a splattering of wondrous and diverse islets on Lake Guntersville for you to visit. The Guntersville Museum showcases a vast collection of Native American murals and artifacts representing the different Indigenous cultures that have made a residence out of Lake Guntersville.
The Whole Backstage is a 50-year-old theater organization that has provided many theatrical performances for locals and tourists alike in Guntersville. And every year in April, you can partake in the Art On The Lake, whereas in May, you can challenge your culinary prowess with the AWF Wildgame Cook-off. To cool off and dry yourself from all the watery activities, head over to the Lake Guntersville Bed & Breakfast, Cottages at Gunter’s Landing, or City Harbor Suites for whatever you need in Guntersville.
Fairhope
Approximately 30 minutes from Mobile, Fairhope is a good destination for those seeking the simple pleasures in Alabama. Fairhope has been a rather lackadaisical small town since its inception in 1908, when Single Taxers wanted a “fair hope” of having a stable living in the shores of Mobile Bay—a history and life lesson you can glean at the Fairhope Museum in addition to the many potters and Native Americans who prospered in the past. Travelers can charter boats through Mobile Bay from the historic Fairhope Pier. You can even head over to Gaillard Island to see the island wildlife in Mobile Bay.
To see even more biodiversity in Alabama, tour the Weeks Bay Reserve, which houses a wealth of biodiversity, or you can see Alabama’s largest assortment of crape myrtle at Fairhope’s French Quarter. Leave your worries behind as you enter Fairhope, and leave your belongings in safe establishments like Emma’s Bay House, Jubilee Suites Boutique Hotel, and Key West Inn.
Gulf Shores
For people who want to bask in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, go to Gulf Shores, a thriving small town in Alabama’s Gulf Coast. History continues to entertain and inform thanks to the nearby Baldwin Heritage County Museum and the 19th-century fortress of Fort Morgan, the latter being located at the mouth of Mobile Bay. From the Lost Bay Helicopters, you can find unspoiled views of the Gulf Shore and the Gulf of Mexico basin. The US Navy and the Blue Angels also showcase their aerial and naval prowess in the Alabama/Florida coastline every July and November.
Gulf Shores is mostly renowned for its seaside attractions and wildlife. A wide array of beaches, zip lines, and sand dunes can be experienced at the Gulf State Park. At the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, sea turtles and migratory birds flock to this warm haven during the warmer seasons of the year. The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, on the other hand, shelters more foreign animals like lemurs, kangaroos, and sloths. So if you are interested in uncovering more from Gulf Shores, then book a room at the Phoenix All Suites Hotel, the Staybridge Suites Hotel, or The Lodge at Golf State Park.
Spanish Fort
Spanish Fort was a major military barracks for both the American Revolutionary War and American Civil War. It has guarded the Mobile-Tensaw Delta during these pivotal conflicts and now serves as a gateway to the WildNative Delta Safaris and Meaher State Park. At the Historic Blakeley State Park, you can roam the ruins of a town once called Blakeley when it was destroyed during the Battle of Fort Blakeley.
There are also a few plaques in Spanish Fort which further pinpoint the specific battles that were fought in and around Spanish Fort. Last but not least, you can tour an actual warship from World War II, the USS Alabama in the Battleship Memorial Park, and a submarine named the USS Drum.
Fort Payne
Feel no pain and receive some gains when you are in Fort Payne. As a town located in the valley of Lookout Mountain, you can be sure to visit several pristine wilderness spots on the slopes of Lookout Mountain. Among them is Little River Canyon Falls Park. There is also the fungal-shaped rock formation called Mushroom Rock that you can photograph, as well as the beautiful cascades of Graces High Falls.
If you wish to see DeSoto State Park from a great vantage, then traverse the Azalea Trail. The Lookout Mountain’s close neighbor, Sand Mountain, also contains a few parks and landmarks, such as Buck’s Pocket State Park and High Falls Park. Fans of the Country Music Group of the Century can see their memorabilia and greatest hits at the Alabama Fan Club and Museum. At the same time, the Hosiery Museum gives a detailed explanation as to why Fort Payne is “The Sock Capital of the World.” Only about 44 miles from Guntersville, you can always seek accommodations at the Bee on the Brow Bed and Breakfast, Mentone Mountain Getaways, or the Great Buck Lodge.
Eufaula
Eufaula is a small town close to the border between Alabama and Georgia. Its name originated from the Eufaula band of Creek Native Americans in its founding in 1823. With its location along the western bank of the Chattahoochee River, you can be sure to enjoy one of the largest historic districts in Alabama, the Seth Lore and Irwinton Historic District.
From there, you can tour the dozens of historically preserved abodes from the 1800s, like the Shorter Mansion and Fendall Hall. You can follow the Chattahoochee River towards the bass-filled waters of Lake Eufaula, or you can go trekking through the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge and the Lakepoint Resort State Park. You will not feel unwanted in Eufaula, especially in resplendent lodgings like the Eufaula House.
Vestavia Hills
Vestavia Hills is one of many residential communities on the periphery of Birmingham. As a town that embodies the perfect blend of Southern hospitality and Alabama charm, Vestavia Hills offers you a bevy of attractions from the slopes of the Shades Mountains to the Shades Valley in the foothills of the Appalachian Chain. In the 1920s, the then mayor of Birmingham, George Ward, was so impressed by the Temple of Vesta in Rome—the Roman goddess of the hearth—that he commissioned an architect to build his home based on the temple.
Ward named it “Vestavia”, which roughly means “hearth by the roadway”, and since then has grown into the beautiful small town all know and love. Ward also had a garden gazebo built, which mirrored the Temple of Sibyl at Tivoli and served as an entranceway to a bird sanctuary. In honor of the founder and Birmingham mayor, Wald Park contains a beloved playground, swimming pool, and a handful of picnic spots for everyone’s leisure. There are also several wooded trails in McCallum Park and along Little Shades Creek.
Bayou La Batre
Just a stone’s throw away from the border of Mississippi lies the town of Bayou La Batre. Since the 1800s, Bayou La Batre has been a vital fishing community and a thriving resort, hence why it is also known as the Seafood Capital of Alabama. Every first week of May, the townsfolk commemorate their boating and fishing industry with an annual Blessing of the Fleet. One can charter a boat towards Isle Aux Herbes or to Dauphin Island, the latter containing well-preserved cannons, a blacksmith’s shop, tunnels, and bunkers in the American Civil War fortress of Fort Gaines.
For those of you excited to see the local wildlife in Alabama’s Gulf Coast, then you ought to explore the marshy wetlands of either the Portersville Bay Wetlands Forever Wild Tract or the Grand Bay Savanna Wildlife Management Area. Whichever course you are taking on your journey through Bayou La Batre, remember to sleep well and comfortably in Bayou Inn & Suites.
Monroeville
There is a chance that your English teacher must have required you to read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. And for those of you who can still recall and picture the simplistic suburbia of Maycomb, you can literally walk through that literary setting in the real-life town of Monroeville, Alabama. As the home of not just Nelle Harper Lee but also other writers like Truman Capote, Mike Stewart, Cynthia Tucker, and Mark Childress, Monroeville is widely regarded as the “Literary Capital of Alabama.”
Fans of Harper Lee who may also have watched the movie To Killing a Mockingbird might recognize familiar locations such as the Old Courthouse Museum, Clausell Park, and more. So, for those of you who are fans of Lee or Capote or simply enjoy literary and movie references of a simplistic and American nature, then head over to the laidback town of Monroeville.
Beyond the major cities of Montgomery, Huntsville, and Birmingham are some of the best small towns in Alabama to visit in 2024. At the wooded foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Vestavia Hills shines brightly with antiquity and modernity. On the lapping shorelines of the Gulf of Mexico, marine abodes like Gulf Shores and Bayou La Batre will provide all the seafood and seaside wonders in Alabama. As for verdant destinations like Fairhope, Greenville, and Eufaula, you will be charmed and delighted by Alabama’s natural facades and enthralling escapades. Let Alabama’s famous Dixie hospitality entertain you in your travels to the best small towns in the Yellowhammer State in 2024.
