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Montgomery -

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the First Confederate Capitol, the current Alabama State Capitol (pictured) was completed in 1851.

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Montgomery -

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.

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Montgomery - Devotees of country music legend Hank Williams (1923-1953) can pay homage to their guitar-plucking hero at Oakwood Annex Cemetery.

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Montgomery - Dating back to 1889, the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church is named in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. The building is presently on the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.

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Montgomery - The dazzling inner dome seen from the rotunda floor of the Alabama State Capitol building.

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Montgomery -

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.

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Montgomery -

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.

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Birmingham -

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.

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Birmingham -

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. 

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Birmingham -

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.

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Birmingham - Among the residents at Birmingham Zoo is a flock of colorful lorikeets. Visitors can offer them sugar water at feeding times.

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Birmingham - Operating as a pig iron-producing blast furnace from 1882 to 1971, the Sloss Furnaces is preserved as a historic industrial site. Guided tours around the complex take place daily.

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Birmingham -

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.

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Selma -

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.

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Huntsville -

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.

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Mobile - The impressive USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park not only features the World War II battleship, it includes several other WWII vessels and aircraft, plus military hardware from the Vietnam conflict.

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Mobile - The city's fabled Battle House Hotel dates back to 1908, and remained open during both World Wars. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, listed as the Battle House Royale.

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Mobile Bay - The seafood restaurants lining the Causeway are famed across the state for their deliciously fresh ocean harvest. Head for the Original Oyster House for classic fried oyster po' boy.

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Gadsden -

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.

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Leeds -

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).

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Cheaha Mountain State Park - A watercolor sunset provides a visual backdrop for the popular Cheaha Overlook, a favourite spot for hikers and photographers.

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Cheaha Mountain State Park - This solitary feline is common in Alabama, although the best chance of spying the elusive animal is at night. The cat can be found in a variety of habitats, such as heavily wooded uplands, bottomland forest, brushy areas, and swamps.

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Mooresville -

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.

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Fort Payne -

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. 

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River Canyon National Preserve - The state mammal, black bears found in Alabama are in fact a subspecies generally referred to as the Florida black bear. No matter what's in the name, stumbling across this majestic beast is a highlight of any visit to the state—as long as it's from a distance.

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Opelika -

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.

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Dauphin Island - The historic 1821 Fort Gaines is best known for its role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War. Pictured is the stronghold's gunpowder storage room. 

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Gulf State Park - The handsome Northern Flicker is Alabama's state bird. Look out for this flamboyant member of the woodpecker family near rotten or hollow trees, fence posts, and earthen banks.

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Kennamer Cove - The breathtaking Cathedral Caverns State Park shelters the Cathedral Caverns, a cave system and National Natural Landmark known for the column called "Goliath," one of the largest stalagmites in the world.

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Decatur - Held every Memorial Day, the Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic draws enthusiasts from across the nation, as more than 60 balloons take to the skies.

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Cullman -

The Ave Maria Grotto is the setting for 125 miniature reproductions of some of the most famous religious structures of the world. 

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Muscle Shoals -

The FAME Recording Studios counts Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones among its roll call of celebrated recordings stars.

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Muscle Shoals -

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.

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Moundville -

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.

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Tuscaloosa -

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.

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Montevallo -

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.

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Gulf Shores/Fort Morgan peninsula - The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico wash onto this pristine, white sand beach. The destination attracts thousands during the summer months.

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Gulf State Park -

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).

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Monroeville -

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.'

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Talladega - Feeling the need for speed? Hit the gas at the Talladega Superspeedway, the nation's longest NASCAR oval.

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Greensboro - This classic American treat is the state cake of Alabama, and they serve it up with sweet maple syrup at Greensboro's Pie Lab.

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Tuscumbia -

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.

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Tuscumbia -

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.

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Theodore - The Bellingrath Gardens and Home features 900 acres of bucolic grounds embroidered with a vivid collection of plants and flowers. The premises, the historic home of Walter and Bessie Bellingrath, can also be admired.

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Langdale -

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.

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Marbury -

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

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