Alabama's Seaside Paradise
Why you'll want to spend more than just one day in the charming town of Fairhope.
New Year, New Montgomery
Make a visit to the hometown of Zelda Fitzgerald one of your resolutions this year. by Erin Z. Bass
The Future of Gee’s Bend
In 2002, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, presented an exhibition of 70 quilts from Gee’s Bend, Alabama. The story goes that art collector William Arnett came across a photograph of one of the quilts while working on a history of African American vernacular art. He set out to find the quilt, and its maker, and arrived in Gee’s Bend. Arnett ultimately introduced the women of Gee's Bend and their quilts to the world, but not many people have actually visited the source. Recently, a group of Auburn architecture students and community leaders from Gee's Bend set out to change that.
Civil Rights Trail App
Recently, we were traveling through Alabama, passing through Mobile, Montgomery and Tuskegee, on our way to Atlanta. These cities, plus many more, all played a part in the South's Civil Rights history, but you won't necessarily know that looking at them from the interstate. We remembered reading about the Tuskegee Airmen and university, but weren't sure what there was to see off the exit. And we knew there had to be some good BBQ in Montgomery, plus similar historic sites. For those of you who've asked yourself these same questions, there's now an app for that. Edith Parten with Alabama's tourism department, along with Francis Smiley, a resource for black heritage and Civil Rights, launched the Alabama Civil Rights Trail app earlier this month, after watching the state's physical trail markers become an international tourist destination. The app includes attractions, historic sites, insider tips and places to eat and stay along the trail. Parten of course hits highlights like Birmingham's Civil Rights Institute, Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, but do you know where Coretta Scott King's family home and grocery are located or where the last lynching in Mobile took place? How about where to
Back to the Beach
As July 4 approaches, there's no better place than Alabama's beaches for fireworks and fun. by Erin Z. Bass On June 18, Alabama announced the launch of a new advertising campaign featuring celebrity chef Lucy Buffett, who asks vacationers to "Come on, get back to the beaches we all love." Buffett owns Lulu's on the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores and is the sister of beach crooner Jimmy Buffett. Her restaurant has become a hot spot in the area, and no trip to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach is complete without some Lower Alabama Caviar, a Cheeseburger in Paradise and Lulu's Rum Punch overlooking the water. With live music every day of the week in the summertime and an art market on Saturdays, you may want to visit Lulu's more than once during your trip. As Lulu herself will tell you, her restaurant is just one example of hometown places that give Gulf Shores/Orange Beach its charm. Everybody's got their favorites, whether it be cheesecake at Hope's just over the bridge from Lulu's, pancakes at Tacky Jack's, shopping at Tallulah's or the outlet mall in Foley. We know many of you are skeptical about a beach vacation where the beach could possibly
Oil-Free Shores
by Erin Z. Bass Deep South has been on a press trip in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach all weekend with the Traveling Mamas and a few other bloggers. We've been celebrating life along the Gulf Coast, along with the news that beaches are open and the water's fine! We started the weekend with a tweetup at Live Bait at The Wharf on Friday night, followed by breakfast at Tacky Jack's on Saturday morning and a full day of activities that included visits to the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Waterville USA and kayaking with Alabama Kayak Adventures. The amazing meals continued throughout the weekend with lunch at famed seafood joint King Neptune's, drinks and apps at Lulu's, dinner at Wintzell's Oyster House and breakfast family-style at The Hangout. Our accommodations at Phoenix All Suites Hotel West were condo-sized with all the amenities and service of a hotel. Managed by Brett Robinson, the hotel is only one of many affordable places to stay on the island. Current "hot deals" on the realty company's website include free tickets to Hank Williams Jr.'s Rowdy Friends Tour next month, Labor Day weekend specials and a Girls' Getaway package starting at $171.57 per person. But rather than telling
Simply Selma
by Erin Z. Bass If there's one town that's worked its way onto my radar since I started Deep South, it's Selma, Alabama. Located in the Black Belt region on the banks of the Alabama River and west of Montgomery, Selma is mostly known for the part it played in the Civil Rights Movement. In the University of Alabama Press's recent book "Alabama's Civil Rights: An Illustrated Guide To The Cradle of Freedom" by Frye Gaillard there's a whole chapter on Selma and the right to vote. The chapter begins, "In the winter and spring of 1965, Selma emerged as the decisive battleground in the struggle for black voting rights in the South." Activists in Selma had been working to register black voters since the 1930s, so by the time Martin Luther King Jr. came to town in 1965 to lead voting rights protests, the community was ready. In March, demonstrators began marching to Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they were blocked and beaten by state troopers. This day became known as "Bloody Sunday" and the marchers' attempt as the precursor for the now-famous Selma to Montgomery March. Two weeks later, on March 21, more than 20,000 marchers set out for Montgomery again,