This is one of those off the beaten path places to visit. It's located in Demopolis, AL and it's…read moreeasy to miss if you don't know about it, but I found this plantation a little more realistic as it has a lot of original furniture, original plaster and wallpaper. It isn't perfectly restored which gives it some character. Our tour guide did an excellent job explaining the history of the owner and family, the architecture of the house, and even a couple of ghost stories.

This is an amazingly well preserved piece of history! The house is beautiful. The guides know…read moreeverything about the family that built and owned Gaineswood. People come from all over the country and tour this house.

Growing up learning about the history of Edmund Pettus Bridge and its relationship to Civil Rights,…read moresegregation and racism made my visit experience solemn and sobering. To freely walk about a bridge that people were prohibited from crossing invoked feelings I cannot describe. The bridge is well maintained and had a historical marker at its base for visitors to read.

Last time I went to see my sister in Brundidge Alabama. I drove over this amazing bridge. If you…read morenever been highly recommend going to see it. Its historical and it shows just how years ago bridges were made. If I get to go back again I be traveling back this way again. Thabk you

We have been to Old Live Oak several times. This was the first cemetery that I photographed in…read more2000. While on that day I shot with a 35mm film camera and those photos are in a photo album, these photos are from our visits over the years, shot with a 35mm to a memory card, as well as different types of Samsung phones. This is by far my favorite cemetery to photograph. I have several family members on my father's side buried here. -Kevin Old Live Oak Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Selma, Alabama, founded in 1829 and expanded in 1877. The newer portion is sometimes called New Live Oak Cemetery, and the cemetery is collectively known as Live Oak Cemetery. It contains burials of Confederate States of America leaders, as well as Benjamin Sterling Turner, a formerly enslaved African-American who served as U.S. Representative for Alabama during the Reconstruction era. The cemetery is at 110 Dallas Avenue, approximately 0.7 miles west of downtown Selma. Famous Burials: Robert Woodward Barnwell (1849-1902), Episcopal Bishop of Alabama Katharine Hopkins Chapman (1870-1930), author and historian William Joseph Hardee (1815-1873), Confederate Lt. General from Camden County, Georgia, whose published military battlefield tactics were used by military commanders from both the North and the South. Catesby ap Roger Jones (1821-1877), Confederate Naval Captain who commanded the famous ironclad warship the USS Merrimack (1855) during its first battle versus the Union vessel the USS Monitor. William R. King (1786-1853), 13th Vice-president of the United States. Historians have speculated that King was likely the first gay U.S. vice president and possibly one of the first gay members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. A lifelong bachelor, King lived for 15 years in the home of future U.S. president James Buchanan while the two served in the Senate. Buchanan, also a lifelong bachelor, is believed by some historians to be the nation's first gay president. John Tyler Morgan (1824-1907), CSA General, then six-term U.S. senator after the war. An ex-slave holder, he was an ardent racist and an advocate for Jim Crow laws and racial segregation. Benjamin Sterling Turner (1825-1894), the first African American U.S. Congressman from Alabama. Turner was born into slavery in North Carolina and taken to Selma by his owner as a child. He remained enslaved until the end of the Civil War. Turner spent much of his congressional career seeking financial aid for his broken southern state. He advocated racially mixed schools and financial reparation for former slaves.

Live Oak Cemetery is a potent example of the complex history of Selma…read more The final resting place of Benjamin Turner, he was Alabama's first African American representative in 1870. The plaque that honors him was installed by the Society of the Order of the Southern Cross so, of course, it implies that Turner was a Confederate sympathizer. The cemetery also features the mausoleum of William Rufus King, a vice-president who was pro-slavery (and may have had a long-standing homosexual relationship with President Buchanan). This long slim cemetery is filled with tall twisting trees from which faded green Spanish Moss hangs like garland. I meandered through the site until I came upon Confederate Circle. Atop a tall monument stands a soldier looking down ominously. Confederate flags are unwelcoming and chilling yet here were a number of freshly-planted ones sprouting like sprigs next to individual graves. Eight newly-installed metal plaques on a stone platform tell a story that clearly frames Selma as the victim during the Civil War. Referring to Abraham Lincoln as being 'avowedly hostile to the domestic institutions and to the peace and security of the people of the State of Alabama,' reference to yankees abound. Just a few minutes away is the Pettus Bridge. It's hard to reconcile that momentous civil rights history with the narrow romanticized southern vision of the Civil War that, obviously, still remains fresh in the minds of at least some here even after 150 years.

Most places/museums in Selma are closed on normal days, mostly due to COVID. So, I was surprised…read morethat this place was open on a Sunday afternoon. They guy working there was so helpful and friendly. He allowed me to go back to the small museum area in the back that was open and then provided me with maps and information about the events surrounding the bridge. The museum area is small (only a small section of the first floor is opened, the other two floors are currently closed due to COVID) but it is still powerful, educational, informative and has pictures/exhibits from that Bloody Sunday and Turnaround Tuesday. The guy working there also provided with a map and pamphlets so I could do a self guided tour and directed my to the Brown Chapel AME Church, where the marchers started. The place is easy to get to and is part of the US Park Service. It is located right before you cross the bridge and has free parking right out front. They also have a small gift shop in the front, where the proceeds help support the Center. In the museum is a power voting display that is definitely worth a few photos. So, if you are touring Selma, this is a must stop. It is FREE and I recommend going here first to get your itinerary laid out. This place is simply awesome. A diamond in the rough.

We arrived in Selma on good Friday so many places were closed. Luckily this superb Center was not…read more The entire building is clean, modern and educational. There are immaculate bathrooms on every floor, safe stairs and an elevator. The film on the third floor is the perfect start, it moved me to tears. In addition, the chairs are so comfortable. There are superb photographs and quotes everywhere. You can see the Edmund Pettus Bridge from the windows and will want to continue your tour there. This is a must see!

We often visit during the day but decided to make a couple of camping trips. It had decent…read morefacilities, the bathhouses are ran down but usable. If you are looking for a darker campground, this is absolutely not the place. They have so many white lights throughout the campground at night it is blinding. I would recommend buying completely blackout curtains and hoping they darken the lights some.

We come here very often as it is a great place to get some exercise and we can bring our dog. We…read morerecently visited on a Trade Day weekend and it was fun but extremely crowded. It states on their website and on various signs around the park to not bring your dogs in to the trade day area but I noticed a couple of people were walking theirs around. I plan to follow up with them to get some clarification. Overall, this makes for a fun day and it is really cool to see all of the old mills.

Saturday, March 8th, Tony and I visited the John Wesley Hall Grist Mill at Tannehill State Park…read more OMG..it was so pretty there. I just loved the water, it was so clear. reminded me when i was a small kid and used to play in the water at my grandma's house. I wish there were some blooming flowers there, it would have been so beautiful. The mill itself was closed, but we were able to walk around it and check it out. If you go to the park be sure to check it out.

Half standing structures. Old abandoned buildings that look creepily intact. Bricks and windows…read moreready to fall apart. Out of nowhere some random stones and monuments. All 200 years old. Right away, I'm already engineering ideas and solutions in my mind to make this place more worth your time. Because it's an anthropologist's dream come true. A real ghost town. Legit eery looking stuff. But unless you are watching Nick Cage track down the treasure 'round here you are faced with too many things that frustrate your experience. It's not worth the drive. I get that Alabama's first state capital was carved out of the wilderness. BUT now that it's a present day state park they could do a better job carving out the roadways and walking paths. With map in hand, I drove halfway down to see several sites but the road was just too littered with big branches and rocks and who knows what else. Did a storm just blow through here? Unless you roll in with your 350 this road just doesn't work for visitors to pass through. I'm bummed that I had to turn around and miss more creepy stuff. Fix that. You have to stay off the grass. And there's so much of it. Is there a way to manage it a little bit? Well.. Ecologists celebrate ....because yes of course I stayed off the grass. But now how am I supposed to approach and see the speck of an image that is advertised. Bring binoculars. Don't harm the environment..but I wish there was some sort of path to see the old church (the one you CAN'T really see) and industrial towers (the ones that are the size of your thumb). Come here during halloween, folks. Shivering right now. When it gets into your head..it can be real creepy. Oh, and bring cash. Unless you carry checks any more the entrance fee is cash-only.

Wow! So glad that I found this place! I came here with my boyfriend and I am so glad that I did…read more This place is super creepy! So awesome though! We got here a little late due to the distance that we did not realize we had to drive. Make sure you allot yourself at least two hours to roam the quarters if you are an inquisitive bunch like we are! There is a lot to see and you have to drive around in order to get to each spot. The houses that have been preserved are so cool to look at! We spent a significant amount of time viewing each home and seeing how they were built while reading the placards outside of each point. Note: The lake behind or in between the park is really beautiful. Don't miss it! Tip: get here well before dark because when it gets dark, IT GETS PITCH DARK! Even our headlights were not as helpful as they could've been had we not been in those thick woods so late. Would I recommend? Absolutely! I already have. Will I be back? I plan to! I didn't get to see everything.

Not much to see except the beautiful view at this ridge…read more You can go down these stone steps with all these bushes around... Wasn't trying to go down the steps and have anyone ask if I'm alright

There isn't much to see here, but if you are in the area, stop by. There is a big drop off so if…read moreyou have children with you, keep an eye on them. There is parking right there so you can hop out, walk down a little path, and there you are. The area in general is cool for the amazing views down into the valley any time of year.