An Alabama family holiday ticks all the boxes for older kids and teens, from Gulf Coast beaches and thrilling outdoor adventures to space exploration and fascinating history.
Mountain biking, Alabama family holiday
Hit the Alabama Gulf Coast for 32 miles of shimmering white sand beaches and clear seas. If you’re looking for days doing nothing much but lazing in the sun and dipping a toe in the water occasionally, that’s very much one of the vibes here. But it’s far from the only one, which is great news if energetic and up to something every second of the day is more your Alabama family holiday mood.
Kayaking, Gulf Shores, Alabama
Make energetic beach days part of your Alabama family holiday
Pick up a paddleboard or kayak at Gulf Shores Beach or Orange Beach and you’ll find ideal conditions for hours of adventuring. Just don’t be surprised if you have company. Spotting dolphins, manatees and turtles as they paddle is one of those magical experiences kids will always remember.
For more up close encounters with the marine life, snorkelling is a bit of a passion in Alabama so you’ll find plenty of places to hire equipment, and collect some local advice on where to see what.
Snorkelling conditions are pretty much perfect year round with water temperatures a balmy 27° in summer, and comfortable at around 13° in what passes for the depths of winter in the Deep South USA: definitely not winter as you know it in the UK. Guided snorkelling tours are also great fun, easy to arrange and another experience to add to the memory bank.
Paragliding is big on the beaches here too, along with jet skiing and sailing: all easy to arrange and endlessly exciting.
Hog Wild BBQ, Gulf Shores, Alabama
Alabama’s southern hospitality is even sweeter on the waterfront
When you’re done adrenalin boosting you’ll be pleased to know that Gulf Shores and Orange Beach like a restaurant with its toes in the sand, so be prepared for a lot of choice here.
It goes without saying that seafood is fresh and amazingly good on the Gulf Coast, although steakhouses with sea views will tempt you too, and for those times when you just want comfort, this is definitely the coastline for Southern home cooking; elevated or traditional, the choice is yours.
Gulf State Park, Alabama
Where to stay on an Alabama family holiday by the sea
Don’t miss a day out in Gulf State Park which amazes with no fewer than nine different eco-systems, then stuns you even further with a network of trails to explore them.
Hiking might not be your speed, in which case you can take advantage of the park’s free bike-share programme to pedal multi-use trails instead. In fact there so much to do here you might want to spin out your stay at one of Gulf State Park’s charming family cabins, available to rent year-round.
Although you’ll always find plenty of places to spend the night or more on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, from luxury resorts and easy-on-your-budget hotels in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach to holiday rentals right on the waterfront or even city centre hotels in Mobile, to add an urban twist to your seaside adventures.
Cheaha State Park, Alabama family holiday
Get outdoors and go hiking, biking, ziplining and caving
Speaking of adventures, Alabama certainly doesn’t limit them to the coast. A total of 22 state parks, plus several nature preserves , give you the best excuse for playing outdoors, or even planning an easy family road trip.
Cave keen kids won’t want to miss Rickwoods Cavern State Park near Birmingham for a tour of the 260-million year old cave that takes you 175-feet underground. And if you walk the fascinating Fossil Mountain Hiking Trail you’ve more than earned a cooling dip in the park’s Olympic-size swimming pool that’s fed by refreshingly cold cave waters.
Wild about ziplines? Alabama state parks have got you. Intrepid young flyers can take tree canopy tours on Screaming Eagle Ziplines at Lake Guntersville State Park or DeSoto State Park, both close to Huntsville, and also at Wind Creek State Park, an hour’s drive from Birmingham.
A family-friendly hike to the immense 104-feet tall DeSoto Falls is another reason to visit De Soto State Park. Or head a few minutes south to its neighbour, Little River Canyon National Preserve for more falls, along with tranquil forests and stunning canyon views.
Cheaha Resort State Park at the most southerly end of the Appalachian Mountains is also the highest point in Alabama and a paradise for mountain bikers with its network of trails ranging from gentle whites to more challenging blues.
Alabama also has four national forests, so trail walking through trees is something else you don’t want to miss. Real wilderness for 7,500 acres is the calling card of Talladega National Forest, so it’s perfect for communing with nature. Or Conecuh National Forest east of Mobile and the coast, comes with its own swimming beach.
Mardi Gras celebrations, Mobile, Alabama family holiday
Make your Alabama family holiday an historic experience
Nothing if not versatile, Alabama scores high on family attractions too, along with an enormous share of impressive history.
This is the home of America’s first Mardi Gras and you can trace that colourful heritage, and much more, on self-guided walking tours around Mobile.
Music Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama
If that puts you in the mood for music, you’re in the right place for that too.
Not only is Alabama home to iconic Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, it’s the birthplace of such diverse musicians as Lionel Richie, and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes. Everyone from Aretha Franklin to the Rolling Stones has recorded music in the state, so a visit to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia reads like a who’s who of musical history.
Although, if you want to delve even further back in time, W.C. Handy, known as the ‘Father of the Blues’ was born in Florence, Alabama in 1873. Not that Florence considers this ‘old news’, as it still hosts the lively W. C. Handy Music Festival every summer.
Space Camp, U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Don’t miss the world’s largest space museum in Huntsville, Alabama
The state’s music credentials might seem starry, but they’re nothing compared to its historic connections to earth’s galaxy itself. To find out what that means, spend a day at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville.
This is the world’s largest space museum, earns its hometown the nickname ‘Rocket City’ and lets you experience what it’s really like to be an astronaut, even just for a few hours.
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Alabama family holiday
Follow the history of the American Civil Rights Movement
Back down to earth, Alabama also played a pivotal role in the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s, and this is an area of its history that older kids will find particularly interesting.
Birmingham Civil Rights District marks the 1960s battleground for the movement, as well as commemorating the lives and deaths of several key figures. It’s also where you’ll find the excellent Birmingham Civil Rights Institute for a deep dive into the past and present of the movement, where it is right now and what the future holds.
Alabama’s state capital, Montgomery, is another city that’s synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement and its poignant Civil Rights Memorial is justifiably world famous. Take a tour of the Civil Rights Memorial Center while you’re here to see the Wall of Justice and The Martyr Room, and leave time for the Apathy is not an Option theatre which connects the late 20th century fight for civil rights to social justice activism of today.
Now visit Sweet Home Alabama to get your next family adventure started
