This place is underrated . Drove past many times and never stopped til today . Went to a lovely mass this morning in a beautiful church on Divine Mercy Sunday . After we toured the grounds . Much bigger . It has a college attached .grave yard , grotto . Need at least an hour here . Spent 2.5 hours including mass . read more

See all

You really should visit Ava Maria Grotto in Cullman, or "little Jerusalem" as we called it when we were growing up. Admission is $10.00 per adult, Teens (13-17): $8; Children (5-12): $7; Seniors/AAA/AARP: $8; Military/Veterans/1st Responders: $7; Children 4 and under: Free. There have been Groupon offers in the past, also. The stone and concrete models are the work of Brother Joseph Zoettl, a Benedictine monk of St. Bernard Abbey, who devoted ~50 years to reproducing/replicating architectures and things like Noah's ark, the colosseum in Rome, Spanish missions, and other historic Christian buildings and displays and secular recreations including the Alamo, the leaning tour of Pisa, German castles, South African shrines, Hansel and Gretel's Temple of the Fairies (complete with a "caged" dragon). Having not visited most, if not all of the actual sites, himself, Br. Zoettl used 300 postcards he owned and I imagine, books, as points of reference for his designs. The film, "Brother Joseph and the Grotto," was released in 2013. Plan to spend from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours including spending time in the gift shop. I can't give 5 stars because the grotto is not wheelchair accessible, and I think that is a sad shame! read more

See all

Came back here for the2nd year in a row and it's really something cool to do during the holidays and it's only a few minutes from the Cullman Christmas Market. We brought our family here while visiting and they offered discounts for military and teenagers under 17, which was cool. They also had a hot cocoa truck out front. read more

See all

Beautiful gem, located in Cullman, AL. Nestled on the grounds of a monastery, the Ave Marie Grotto is a lovely walk through a forest grove decorated with mosaic and shell treasures that create historical, Biblical and fantasy worlds. It makes for a short roadside stop to rest, rejuvenate and explore the area. read more

Unfortunately some weather had blown through the area earlier in the day and they had cancelled the planned lights for the evening we were going to be attending. Not really a big deal, we were already in the area and stopped by on a last minute decision to check them out. This review is really only for the gift shop. Spread across a couple rooms they had a good variety of things relevant to what you would expect to find at the Ave Maria Grotto. Prices seemed to be reasonable and the staff were friendly when we checked out. All in all just a little disappointed we didn't get to do the main thing you want to do when you come here, stroll and check out the lights. Maybe next time we'll have better luck. read more

This spot was a beautiful (and affordable) stop for my family. We really enjoyed all the sculptures HOWEVER - if anyone in your party is even remotely unsteady on their feet, or on crutches, or in a wheelchair, TAKE CARE. The pre-ADA ramps are treacherous. If you have weak ankles or knees, skip this attraction. Several of the "ramps" are at 20 degree angles. The shade and moisture have led to a lot of slick spots on the sidewalk. Gift shop was great, they even sell bread made by the monks! read more

See all

This is a little park with sculptures along a walking path. The sculptures are replicas of famous buildings and religious sites, and there are a lot of really unique religious shrines made from concrete, rock, found and donated objects. read more

We had an amazing time visiting the grotto! All of the artwork is beautiful and so impressive. The walk around the grotto is very peaceful and mostly shaded. The path begins in a downhill direction, so towards the end, there is a portion that is uphill, but it wasn't anything crazy or difficult to walk. It's not too far off the interstate and is a great place to take a relaxing break when on a road trip. We spent about an hour here. Be sure to pick up some monk bread in the gift shop! The monks make it fresh daily on property. The monte Cassino flavor (Italian herb) is amazing and goes fast. I also recommend checking Groupon for discounted admission! read more

See all

I was looking for somewhere to take my children where they wouldn't be exposed to many people. This is a great alternative and we loved looking at the miniature towns here on display. It didn't take long to walk through either for those with younger than 12 children. The gift shop was clean and abided by the local social distancing guidelines. Everyone was very nice. I found this deal on Groupon but if they don't have it anymore. The price is reasonable to get in. read more

See all

Very cool miniatures to see, admission wasnt terrible. Bread is delicious! If you go make sure to pickup a loaf of bread. Only $5 too! read more

Ave Maria Grotto - Churches Near Me - Cullman, Alabama

it was a very interesting experience, even if you aren't religious like myself. seeing world wonders in a miniature state is a very interesting experience, especially with the knowledge that it was all build and detailed by a single person. i would recommend to go read more

See all

Cullman's best (only?) tourist attraction! After sipping some root beer at Cullman's version of Octoberfest, take a stroll through the Grotto to view the work of Brother Joesph. Crafting amazing reproductions of the world's most significant edifices (including the lizard condo!), he spent 50 years perfecting the 125 reproductions using a variety of discarded building materials and even cold cream jars. Be sure to show your AAA card for $2 off admission ($7). read more

Ave Maria Grotto - St Peter's Church attacked by Catzilla! - Churches Near Me - Cullman, Alabama

THE SCENE Have you ever been someplace where, after you leave, you kinda don't know what to think? Well, this place is kind of like that. It leaves you with that odd feeling you have after seeing a house made of beer cans or furniture made of soda pop-tops or a garden of gnomes. The internal conflict of interesting and weird will have you in a state of wondering both why did I want to see this and why wouldn't I have wanted to see this?!? It should be noted, however, that if anyone comes here and can't appreciate the level of dedication it took to build scaled down replicas of some of earths most famous structure WITHOUT ever visiting many of them... they have no sense of drive or adventure! I can't say I was impressed by all of them individually, but collectively they are stunning. I certainly respect the time, dedication and energy it took to create this showcase one by one over nearly 70 years. It shows the motivation that comes from not only doing something you love, but desire to improve over your last creation. The story in the brochures simply goes like this: HISTORY In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue... wait wrong story! In 1892, Joseph Zoettl came to the newly founded St. Bernard Abbey at the age of 14. When he wasn't busy with his monk duties, he fiddled with all kinds of materials (stone, beads, marbles, seashells, broken plates, etc.) and used them in constructing miniature buildings. Clearly he had a huge imagination as most of the replicas he constructed had never seen his shadow. In fact, of the many buildings he'd constructed over his years as a monk, he'd only physically been in the presence of six of them. The rest were constructed from photographs or descriptions he read. This Bavarian brother lived a long life and is buried in the cemetery 100 yards north of the gift shop where you both start and end your journey through the grotto. There are 125 scenes throughout the walking path to view, some of the most impressive being St. Martin's Church, St. Peter's Basilica, Monte Casino Abbey, Little Jerusalem, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and of course the grotto itself. The path is about two city blocks long in a secluded part of the campus. Brother Joseph was born Michael Zoettl, and served most of his young years as a laborer shoveling coal into the furnaces or as a housekeeper for the priests. He was a simple man, small in stature. The book I purchased at the gift shop said before coming to America he almost died of a "virulent flu that swept over Europe." Maybe this was part of the reason for his size. It also tells of how one priest called his cooking "poison" and how his sculptures were considered a nuisance because their growing popularity began to draw too many visitors. They were eventually moved to a less intrusive location and from there he began to create more. Zoettl's handy works had become good business for the monastery. I assume from reading his story that he was asked to create the massive grotto after years of making miniature ones. In my opinion, he seemed concerned as he noted in the book that he was "getting too old" (he was around 54) and "could hardy do much anymore". Nevertheless he labored on the grotto until his health eventually failed him. He died at age 83. It is said no one has done more for the Saint Bernard Abbey than Joseph Zoettl. FINAL THOUGHTS When I learned of his story I was moved at how hard work and determination, coupled with an adventurous heart can speak so loudly for you, even when others consider your work a nuisance and ridicule your efforts. No matter who surrounds you, and no matter if they have good intentions or not, you have to follow your own heart. Stop for a visit and witness the life-long labor of a man who couldn't go around the world, so he brought the world to where he lived. Surely you will find the peaceful walk through the garden here a pleasant surprise. Don't rush it, there is much to see if you have the patience to look. NOTE: Ave Maria is Latin for "Hail Mary". That is probably no surprise to Catholics, but I had no clue! 2017/141 read more

See all

All I can say it AWESOME. you must get to Cullman Alabama and see the miniature replicas of famous structures from all over the world. read more

See all

This place is definitely worth a stop. It is $8 per person to walk through the path, and since it was rainy and cold they only charged us $6. It took about 30 minutes to see it all. I thought it was going to be a tourist trap, but it is not. All the miniature structures were built by Brother Joseph and they have been well maintained for many years. I read about this place in several blogs when looking for things to see between Nashville and Birmingham. Check it out! read more

I don't give many 5 stars but this place deserves it! It is absolutely beautiful, the staff was incredibly nice, the grounds were clean and kept very well, and the gift shop had so many options with a variety of price ranges. If you are looking for something to do definitely take the time to visit the Grotto. My pictures really don't do it any justice! read more

See all

I happened to be driving by (on a 3,000-mile road trip) and saw a sign and stopped in. Turned out to be the very best thing I encountered on my fabulous journey! You could stare at the Gaudi-esque artwork for hours, and not see every fascinating detail. Perfect for a game of "I Spy." I am not religious, but loved the magic and serenity of this place. I would have loved to spend hours there. Not to be missed! Los Angeles, CA read more

Great place to visit. Great for weekend or weekday getaway. A spiritual and artistic visit.

This seems to be Cullman's main and perhaps only attraction besides playing "spot the Trump sticker." You enter through a large gift shop and admission is $7 for adults. The path winds down and back up and brings you back through the gift shop. Some of the sculptures are quite impressive and most are chaotic, with cold cream jars and broken tiles, bottle caps and marbles, even a dragon. The makings of a fractured, scattered mind? Bavarian monk, Joseph Zoettl, was transplanted to Alabama and spent 50 years toiling away here in these woods. I suppose you would go a little batty after a couple of decades. I find it sad that one could never visit the places they dream of, only hibernate and make miniatures from photographs. So maybe I found it a little gloomy here. A little desolate and contemplative. As a whole this place is strange and creative, interesting and leisurely. The grounds and adjacent cemetery are also lovely to walk through. read more

See all

I think this place is pretty dang neato. I took a friend to visit the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament (amazing place,btw and definitely worth visiting) and neither of us had been to the Grotto yet, so we decided to go here before heading home. Although it is best known as mini Jerusalem... it does have replicas of religious places of the world. Also, not so religious structures. There's castles, fairies and the Alamo...just to name a few. It was really cool following the path through the gardens seeing the replicas on each side. They are all quite amazing and very beautiful. It was built by Brother Joseph over a period of 50 years. 50 years! Can you even imagine spending 50 years making something? And did you know postcards served as his visual aid in making these replicas? Even though he died in the early 60s, each one of his replicas looks brand new. They are well maintained and quite impressive. The Grotto is on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey, which is over 100 years old. You can visit the Abbey as well as eat lunch. read more

See all

My husband and I stopped here on our way to Tennessee. It is located about five minutes off of the interstate. You enter through the gift shop and pay there to enter to see the 125 grottoes behind the building. The cost for adults is $7, but if you are a AAA member, then it is only $5. You don't have to be Catholic or even religious to enjoy the walk and look at the miniature reproductions of some of the most famous historic buildings and shrines of the world. There is even a Statue of Liberty and Hansel and Gretel cottage. Most do have a religious them. They are made from all sorts of material..concrete, marble, cold cream containers, glass plates, colored glass, barrel of a flashlight, glass bulbs from fishing nets in Ireland. It's a very peaceful walk, although you do have to walk up and down a couple of steep walkways. It takes 30 minutes to an hour to see everything. We even saw one of the monks in his monastic clothing in the gift shop. I didn't go to the adjoining cemetery. Dislikes-I realize the grottoes are in a "natural setting, but the grounds seemed unkempt and not well groomed. There is stagnant, insect infested water in some of the displays. You are given a paper when you enter, that names each grotto in order, but I would have liked to have had more info on the flyer and beside each piece. read more

See all

This is probably one of the prettiest things in Alabama. I choice this place for my mom because she loves beautiful figures. It was $8 for adults and for children age 6-12 is $5. It's a walk around a circle, which is not bad. The architecture was very beautiful. The small building have shells, rocks and little gems in it. The ave Maria grotto has a little shop where you can buy bracelet and necklace even holy water and sage. They also have baked good made by monks. This place has so much history. In each building comes with there own story. read more

See all

Read Brother Joseph Zoetl's story. Nice ladies at the front desk. Check out the gift shop, the prices are reasonable. This place offers camp grounds and retreats. Thank you read more

See all

This place was just awesome! A little out of the way, but well worth the detour! For $10 you take a self guided tour through the decades long handiwork of a very talented monk. His creation was so detail oriented, so incredible, and demonstrated religious history from around the world. I genuinely enjoyed it! read more

If your driving by on the freeway, its a 5 mile must see detour. The admission was like 5 bucks, and you might spend only 45 minutes here but it is impressive and unique. The ingenuity and effort that went into each sculpture was incredible. I caught myself peeking in doors and windows looking for new or more pieces I hadn't seen on the others. There was a few I actually thought were 'ugly' on their own, but not knowing each piece in reality still made it special and when factored in as a whole landscape it is one of the most unique places you will ever visit. The path is easy to follow, its clean, cheap, quick, and really a special spot. The gift shop and bathrooms were all nice, as I said up top, its a must see detour. read more

I LOVE this place. It's definitely worth a day trip if you're in Huntsville as it's about 1.5 hours one way. There's a bunch of bbq places in the area to eat lunch at too. It's probably better to go in the spring, but if you happen to travel there in the winter, the gift shop lady may offer you some hot cocoa (yum!) I recommend watching the video before you make the walk. It give you the back story and puts things in perspective. read more

Say you're a monk, right, and maybe you've been stashed away, all monk like, and even if you weren't a monk there's not really a whole lot to do in the town you've been stashed away in anyway. So, what do you do? Well, you find every scrap of broken tile/ glob of mortar/ toothpaste cap you can find, and you build miniature replicas of various religiously significant locations, of course! Often referred to as "Jerusalem In Miniature", this is one of the few touristy-type things to do in Cullman. I guarantee, once you visit, you will never think the same way about the life of monks again. read more

What a unique and beautiful place to visit. The grounds are lovely with rich foliage. Brother Joe has created miniatures of Rome, Jerusalem, missions, Bethlehem and so many more! read more

Well worth your time!!! It was amazing how much work one man can put into such an endeavor. Very nice gift shop. read more

Ave Maria Grotto - Just a small glimpse. - Churches Near Me - Cullman, Alabama

See all

We stopped here on our way to Mobile. We are not Catholic but we thought we would check it out. It cost $5 for each of us and we spent about 35minutes there. It was really cool! You just look at things. It is for people who appreciate art and or religion for sure. It is a cool little place to stop for a much needed break from a road trip. Only 5 minutes or so off the Interstate. read more

I was able to share this with my fiancé and we took many pictures of course. This is incredible. The detail of the miniatures is outstanding, especially considering the materials. The admission was $10 for us both, but WELL worth it! read more

Well worth a visit... a walk through iconic miniature recreations of Christian religious history and sites, in a beautiful setting and impressive life's work of a Brother Joseph. read more

I would pass by the Grotto on school trips to the Space Center in Huntsville and always wanted to stop. I got my chance 30 years later. My mother and I decided to take the 1 hour drive from Birmingham on a mission to do something different. The Grotto isn't very exciting at first glance. You can do the entire walk in 10 minutes if you don't stop to read the informational placards. But who would do that?? It took us about 45 minutes. That's because there's a story behind each magnificent building. The love and detail is so amazing we just stopped to stare in wonder and notice the details listed in the posted descriptions and free brochure. It takes a creative mind (and a great deal of time) to construct the various models. There was Hansel and Gretel's Temple of the Fairies complete with a dragon in chains to reassure visiting children it was contained. The city of Jerusalem was one of my favorites. It showcased the various stages of JESUS' life, such as the tomb with an angel sitting at the opening with a sign telling all HE is risen and the tomb from which he called Lazarus. On a somber note, there was a miniature cemetery with 27 miniature crosses to represent the lost lives of former students to various wars. It is definitely a unique experience well worth the stop on the way to a more intended destination Be sure to bring a cold bottle of water during a summer visit. It was quite hot. There were a number of benches underneath shade trees for a rest, though. Bring walking shoes for the winding path. read more

See all

It is amazing to think that 1 man spent 50 years of his life completing 125 miniatures of famous churches and other important edifices, using stone, jewels, and whatever he could get. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and this is worth a visit. Fee is $5 pp. read more

What an amazing little place! We were on a roadtrip and wanted to make a stop to kill some time. The works were incredible, and very reasonably priced. Their gift shop had so many fun trinkets! The bread that the monks made were delcious, I wish we would have gotten 2! All the employees were very friendly and helpful. Overall, such a great little stop. read more

Visited with a local. Enjoyed the artistry of Bro. Joseph. Even if you aren't into the religious side of this, go for the creativity!

The exhibit itself was absolutely amazing, but my sisters and I and our mother didn't get to enjoy it at all!!!! My mother is in a wheelchair. When we saw the first slope of the exhibit we asked the lady at the front desk about it, concerned that it would not be feasible for pushing a wheelchair. She said the slope we were concerned about was the steepest slope, so we decided to press on. What she failed to tell us was that the rest of the exhibit was uphill and downhill!!! We were terrified pushing my 80-year-old mother in a wheelchair up and down that exhibit worried that she was going to topple out of the wheelchair!!! And there is no turning back once you head out the doors. When we mentioned our concern coming back in, we got no apology or offer to refund our admission since we had such a frightening experience. You should be prepared to walk up and down slippery slopes before taking on this exhibit. read more