The holidays are here, are you ready for takeoff?
Browse the gallery for some good old southern hospitality.
Showcased at the superb Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is a collection of rare vintage and modern motorcycles and racing cars, including early Harley-Davidson models (pictured).
Comprising a wealth of original, early 19th-century buildings, this historic destination features among other standout premises, a brick church (pictured), which dates back to 1839.
Little River Falls is a picturesque beauty spot set within the Little River Canyon National Preserve, and is the first stop to make on your scenic tour of the park entering from the north.
The community is celebrated for its rich collection of late 19th-century buildings, exemplified by the Lee County Courthouse (pictured), a fine example of Neoclassical Revival architecture.
The alluring Noccalula Falls Park, a popular leisure and activity destination, is defined by its 90 ft waterfall, above which stands a bronze statue of a young Cherokee woman, Noccalula.
The Edmund Pettus Bridge is the site of the infamous Bloody Sunday conflict of March 7, 1965, when armed police attacked civil rights movement demonstrators as they were attempting to march to Montgomery.
The Ave Maria Grotto is the setting for 125 miniature reproductions of some of the most famous religious structures of the world.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the First Confederate Capitol, the current Alabama State Capitol (pictured) was completed in 1851.
The Vulcan Statue that stands on Red Mountain on the outskirts of Birmingham is the largest cast iron statue in the world. The adjacent interactive history museum chronicles Vulcan and Birmingham's history.
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is a mandatory stop for anyone interested in the struggles of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.
Housing more than 24,000 artifacts representing numerous diverse cultures, the Birmingham Museum of Art has one of the finest collections in the southeastern United States.
The landmark 16th Street Baptist Church is infamous as the site of a 1963 racially motivated bombing carried out by members of the Ku Klux Klan. The attack claimed the lives of four young girls.
The Bus Stop Historic Marker on Court Square at the end of Dexter Avenue identifies the spot where Rosa Parks boarded a bus and famously refused to give up her seat to a white passenger.
The First White House of the Confederacy was the 1861 Executive Residence of President Jefferson Davis and his family while the capitol of the Confederacy was in Montgomery.
Among the treasured artifacts showcased at the outstanding US Space & Rocket Center is a moon rock (pictured), brought back to Earth by intrepid Apollo astronauts.
The FAME Recording Studios counts Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones among its roll call of celebrated recordings stars.
This modest bungalow was the home of Martin Luther King Jr. and his young family early on in his career as a minister. He was pastor of the city's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
Besides music, the destination is known as the start of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, a colossal collection of 468 holes of championship-caliber golf at eleven sites across Alabama.
The Moundville Archaeological Site contains 26 prehistoric, Mississippian culture-era American Indian earthwork mounds, burial sites, and artifacts. An adjacent museum explains everything in fascinating detail.
The state's finest musicians and music industry personalities are honored at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Inductees include Nat King Cole, Tammy Wynette, and Sam Phillips, the man who first recorded Elvis Presley.
Alabama-born author Helen Keller was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree. Ivy Green, Keller's birthplace and home, is now a popular museum-house.
A poignant air hangs over Confederate Memorial Park, which operated from 1902-1939 as a haven for Civil War veterans of the Confederate army.
See also: The best road trip route through the Southern United States
Sited along the Gulf of Mexico, the park encompasses pristine beaches, marshland, pine forest, and a network of briny streams. Local feathered residents include the ubiquitous brown pelicans (pictured).
Horace King (1807–1885) was the most distinguished bridge builder of the Deep South. The Horace King Memorial Coverage Bridge (pictured) was constructed in 2004 following his style and in his honor.
Follow the Tinglewood Trail at Orr Park and marvel at folk artist Tim Tingle's quirky wood faces, carved out of dead or dying cedar trees.
Home field of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Bryant-Denny Stadium positively rumbles during the annual Iron Bowl clash against the rival Auburn Tigers.
The Old Monroe County Courthouse was built in 1903 and now serves as a museum. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Harper Lee grew up just a few blocks from the building, which stages annual productions of 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'
All in Alabama: exploring the Deep South
Southern hospitality at its very best
TRAVEL Usa
Cradle of the Civil War, country music haven, and birthplace of the civil rights movement, Alabama is all this and more. If you're planning a Deep South vacation, here's what to see and where to go.
Browse the gallery for some good old southern hospitality.