News

One tank trips

By Peggy Blackburn
Email this story | Print this story

With gasoline prices at record highs, many people aren’t venturing far from home for a little summer rest and relaxation.

Elmore County is blessed with a variety of recreational and educational opportunities. Local lakes and rivers draw visitors to enjoy boating, fishing, skiing, kayaking, canoeing and swimming. Fort Toulouse/Jackson State Park provides a glimpse into the area’s frontier past along with the beauty of nature trails. The Alabama Nature Center at Lanark offers a variety of educational and recreational programs and outdoor venues. The list goes on.

But for those who want to tra�-vel a little farther afield, without breaking the budget, here are just a few of the one-tank trips within 100 miles or less of Wetumpka.

Tannehill Ironworks

Historical State Park

McCalla

100 miles

More than 1,500 acres in three counties at Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park offer hiking, camping and outdoor recreation. The site features a miniature railroad and, from spring through fall, a miller, a blacksmith and other craftsmen demonstrate their talents.

Pioneer cabins have been transformed into craft shops, and the park includes a cotton gin, pioneer farm and working gristmill. An iron and steel museum contains artifacts from the state’s 19th century iron industry. Visitors can also view Tannehill’s stone furnaces and join a horseback riding trip at Tannehill Trails.

In addition, Tannehill Trade Days is held the third weekend of each month from March through November. Offerings include tools, jewelry, furniture, clothing, knives and more.

McWane

Science Center

Birmingham

87 miles

Billed as the South’s premier science museum, aquarium and IMAX dome theater, the McWane Center offers hands-on activities, interactive science exhibits, aquariums, laboratories, fossil and artifact collections and the five-story theater.

The center, located on 19th Street North in downtown Birmingham, is part of the city’s downtown revitalization effort and is located in the city’s historic Loveman’s department store.

Cheaha

State Park

Delta

84 miles

The park has the distinction of being home to the highest point in Alabama at 2,407 feet above sea level. Its name derives from the Crrek Indian word, “chaha,” or high place.

Cheaha is located in Clay and Cleburne counties and surrounded by the Talladega National Forest and is the state’s oldest continuously operating state park.

Fishing, swimming, hiking, camping, a country store and nature trails are all on Cheaha’s list of attractions. Cabins and other accommodations are also available for overnight stays.

DeSoto Caverns Park

Childersburg

68 miles

Alabama’s big cave -- 12 stories tall and larger than a football field -- is filled with thousands of fascinating stalactite and stalagmite formations. Comfortable year-round temperatures makes the visit pleasant on the hottest days.

And the cavern system isn’t the only offering at the park -- more than 20 other attractions are included on site. Visitors can pan for gem stones, try to find their way through the lost trail maze, enjoy wacky water golf and more.

Kymulga Grist

Mill Covered Bridge

and Park

Talladega County

68 miles

Located four miles northeast of Childersburg, both the mill and bridge are more than 140 years old and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. They stand on the sites where they were originally built on Talladega Creek.

The 105-foot covered bridge, built in the 1860s, is near the mill which is still operational. The adjacent park features various plants and animals, including several large trees judged by foresters to be older than the bridge or mill.

American Village

Montevallo

64 miles

Montevallo’s American Village features costumed re-enactors and offers visitors an opportunity to rediscover the American journey for independence. The site includes a president’s classroom and full replica of the Oval Office, an orientation theater, a hall and meeting house, a replica of the Liberty Bell and numerous exhibits.

During June and July the village hosts “Fun Family Fridays” with a reduced admission rate. A special program is also held each Fourth of July beginning at noon and concluding with a fireworks show at dusk.

Thousands of school children tour Montevallo’s American history and civics education center annually, as well as many general tourists.

More information on these and other attractions are available online at the Alabama Bureau of Tourism Web site, www.800alabama.com, and at individual Web sites for specific attractions.

---