I love Duncan Farms!…read more I recently moved back to the area and was looking for a CSA or a place to get local eggs and produce. Searching around I found Duncan Farms and was also excited they offer a compost program, which I promptly signed up for in Huntsville (it's only $35/mo, they pick up your compost bucket once a week and they use it on the farm and give you store credits and freebies.) Why am I writing this review? Well, I decided to visit their little farm store recently and loved that I could get fresh veggies, farm made bacon (I'm vegetarian but felt good about buying locally from a place where they treat their livestock with respect), local honey, the most delicious small batch goat cheese that I've ever tasted, and more. Check out their website, sign up for a CSA and their compost program and you will feel good about giving back.

I had a lovely shopping experience with 1818 Farms recently! A couple of Sunday afternoon's ago, I…read moreordered several lip balms and a beautiful "resin art - rectangular tray," please see the picture which does NOT do the product justice. These were birthday gifts for my favorite Sister. Fast forward to Tuesday, and the extremely well packed box arrived! Wow, talk about fast shipping! The lip balms were treated with so much care! They were packed in a reusable ice pack envelope, and packed so well, I had to get the scissors out to open them, which sadly, damaged the envelope package but not the balms. 1818 offers a handwritten note along with their products, which I forgot about. After Sister joyfully opened her gifts, I remembered the hand written note, which we retrieved from the abundant bubble wrap in the trash can, and Sister just loved the note! Such a nice, sweet, personal touch! To this day, Sister is looking for the perfect easel on which to display her beautiful resin tray, and you can even specify a color scheme for the flowers in the resin products. Do consider 1919 Farms for unique, natural, and in nearly all [perhaps all] cases handmade items that support a locally owned Farm. Thanks so much 1818 Farms for making my Sister's birthday extremely memorable!!!!!

I met the owner of 1818 Farms, Natasha McCrary, at a craft fair featuring Alabama made products…read moreearlier this year. 1818 Farms is located in the historic town of Mooresville, near Decatur, Alabama, population at last count was 53. Events here may triple the population of the town on a regular basis. In addition to Natasha's line of cosmetics, the beautiful little farm raises organic produce, heritage breed Babydoll Southdown Sheep, and other farm animals. It is a popular site for weddings and receptions I understand. Seminars, children's camps, classes and retreats are just a few of other activities that are found here. When I first met the owner, she told me about their farm-to-table dinners featuring produce grown on site and when I got home, went online and made reservations shortly before it sold out. On June 10, 2016, I attended my first Dinner on the Farm featuring Chef Jakob Reid of the Albany Bistro in nearby Decatur, Alabama. You will not find a prettier setting for a farm-to-table dinner. A rustic pavilion with fans, elegant seating and table settings is located in a shady corner of the property with a view of the woods and a nearby creek. Beautiful music provided by the Mellotones of Madison, Alabama, provided a really serene background of perfect relaxing live string harmonies. Appetizers were the first enticement offered to guests. A platter of grilled shrimp on miniature grit cakes tasted as good as they looked. A variety of pickled vegetables made in the Farm kitchens were spread with an assortment of cheeses, including a local goat cheese, and crackers. An egg salad dip from on site farm chicken eggs rounded out the bountiful appetizer table. A special treat with the Camembert cheese was a blueberry jalapeño jam hand made with on site ingredients by the hostess, Natasha McCrary. The slight spiciness of the jalapeños was a surprisingly good compliment to the sweet blueberries. With the cheese, it was a powerhouse combination. The first course consisted of a beautifully prepared bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, with a drizzle of Georgia olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and farm raised basil grown and picked just feet away from our tables. The second course was a small salad of fresh, young cucumbers marinated in Georgia olive oil, vinegar, dill and basil served on a wedge of Italian flat bread. The main course was a perfectly roasted moist and flavorful skinless chicken breast, named by the chef "airline chicken" with a wing bone left attached like the tail of an airplane. A grit cake well toasted on all sides with a faint taste of Andouille sausage was a great side to the chicken and was a fitting compliment, almost like a Cajun cornbread, to perfectly cooked vegetables which were my favorite dish of the evening. Farm grown squash, zucchini, and pole beans were steamed with a light seasoning that complimented but did not hide the wonderful taste of the vegetables. Chef Reid has the ability to showcase the taste of the wonderful fresh produce he prepares without over seasoning. The final course for the evening was a very French inspired baked meringue with a topping of strawberry mousse from locally grown strawberries and drizzled with a dark chocolate Ganache. It was a very decadent desert to end a very wonderful meal in a very wonderful setting. The special dinners served here do not include beverages except for water and so you are encouraged to bring your own. Most guests did bring their favorite wines which were very abundant. I prefer wines matched to the food on special dining occasions so a menu, which was not provided, would be a helpful suggestion. Dress is casual and should be comfortable for an outdoor setting.

This little place is a jewel to find. I drove by one day while the owner was setting up for the…read morespring and had a great conversation about my landscaping needs. He set a few things aside for me and when I returned two days later, we made a great deal and he loaded everything up. My wife and I are returning today to get five giant ferns for the poolside.

The Vineyard at Frog Holler is a secret tucked away in New Market. A small, family owned operation…read morewhere you can pick your own Muskadine or purple grapes. It's off the beaten path a bit, but absolutely worth it. The prices are fair and reasonable and you can take home more grapes than you've ever had in your life. The have both smaller Muskadines meant for baking, jellies and cooking and larger, sweeter ones for snacking. They're incredibly delicious and will literally explode in your mouth because they're so juicy. We really enjoyed ourselves, and the owner is friendly as can be. Our son had a blast picking grapes, and of course, eating about as many as he picked. If you're looking for a low-key, fun activity this is it. With the bonus that you're buying local and supporting your community.

I have come here for 2 years in a row now for their wreath making class and I absolutely love it!…read moreThey are a small lavender farm (hence the name) and they have a little shop with lavender products and hold different craft shops. The wreath shop sells out incredibly fast. The wreath shop is outside, but covered and there are outside heaters. They serve hot apple lavender cider, lavender pound cake, their lavender cookies (which are my favorite) and more. You can also find them at some of the local famers market during the market season. I highly recommend their business and their products and I will keep coming to their wreath activity as long as I can get a seat!

I got some of their lavender honey as a gift and it is quite possibly the best local honey I've…read moreever had. I love the rich taste of it and it is perfect in my evening tea!!

My friends and I, the Ghost Hunting Housewives, rented the Historic Lowry House for an event to do…read moreour own private paranormal investigation and we had a blast. Jane was absolutely wonderful to work with and Benny was great! He made it possible for us to investigate on Saturday for my friend's birthday weekend. We had the best time! Lots of memories made.

We had been wanting to stop at this place and visit for awhile now. We never see any cars here, so…read morewe weren't expecting much. We quickly found that this place is amazing. We didn't expect to be so big, but the memorial just kept going and going. It eventually leads to the Huntsville Depot Museum, if you want to check out some old train cars and steam engines or if you want to keep walking it leads to the Gateway Greenway walk path. This is one of the best memorials I have seen outside of DC. I highly recommend you visit. *I threw in a couple pictures from the Huntsville Depot Museum that's located at the end of the memorial.

This is a beautiful peaceful memorial on the north cusp of downtown near the Depot…read more Mom and I have walked around it several times and when my sister comes to town, she likes to visit it, too. We have purchased pavers in memory of lost beloved Veterans and the process is easy and the people are very professional and prompt. One purchased recently should be installed by the 4th of July. When you order one you get the option of having a certificate mailed to the family of the honored Veteran. I highly recommend this. The certificate is of good quality and comes with a brochure of the memorial and I think, the general location where the brick will be. So happy my hometown honors our beloved Veterans and our great nation with this memorial. There is a lot to see here, so you can stay and learn and walk through all the displays or just get the main gist where the flags and the fountain are. Do check it out - you won't be sorry!

I just adore this place. It is located in the middle of nowhere but it's a load of fun! This ain't…read moreyour average paint and sip. You get to build and paint things! A few of us ladies came to make the 4th of July signs. Took a little longer than we thought but the girls were super nice about not rushing us. We brought a whole spread of food and drinks and they were awesome about it. One of the ladies even went and bought a wine cork screw since us and the other group failed to bring a wine opener. Just wonderful!!