Alabama is a land of incredible diversity, with something to offer everyone who visits. There are many great places to visit in this city, but if you are looking for the ultimate Alabama experience, then you need to head to one of the places below. Whichever part of Alabama you choose to visit, you’re sure to have an amazing time.
The Best Place to Visit in Alabama
USS Alabama
- Address: 2703 Battleship Pkwy, Mobile, AL 36603, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (13017)
- Phone: +1 251-433-2703
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PMTuesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PMWednesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PMThursday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PMFriday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PMSaturday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PMSunday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
5 Replies to 12 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Alabama
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Top 12 Tourist Attractions in Alabama
U.S. Space & Rocket Center
- Address: 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35805, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (10860)
- Phone: +1 800-637-7223
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMTuesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMWednesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMThursday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMFriday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMSaturday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMSunday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Reviews:
I went yesterday April 3rd. It was awesome beautiful weather. There were a lot of people but you couldn’t really tell it except from the parking lot. There is so much space and places to visit that it was extremely enjoyable. If history is your cup of tea, I highly recommend a visit to this place. It is great for all ages. I even noticed they had motorized scooters you rent if you couldn’t walk long distances which I thought was thoughtful. Everyplace seems wheelchair accessible. So do go and enjoy yourself.By Andrea Lemley (9 months ago)Wow. Just wow. What an experience. This place did not disappoint! We did 2 planetarium shows: The Sounds of Space and Cosmos and Cocktails. We had the amazing opportunity to speak with two WOMEN who are engineers for NASA. The gift shop employees were super knowledgeable and friendly.
The only confusing part was there was no honorable mention to Katherine Johnson (Hidden Figures). It would have been great to see a dedication to her.
It was a great experience all in all though.By Bobbie Hatfield (7 months ago)The people who work here take great pride in their history. It was great to see all the authentic pieces. We enjoyed the ability to climb into some of them and feel what it was like to be an astronaut. We also liked walking through the replica of the international space station.
They have many experiences that are not included in the admission price. So go check then out first before you decide which ones to choose. The place is showing its age.By Harper Voyages (8 months ago)Awesome experience!! Great permanent exhibits, and several temporary ones that change up a couple times a year. This month, they had a really cool Guinness Book of World Records – Science of Play exhibit in the main room! It was so much fun!! There were dozens of different games and challenges for kids of all ages to interact with. I highly, highly recommend going to the 8K Planetarium movie “Our Place in Space” !!! (Tickets are $10-$12 each, but its worth it!)By Laura Cavanaugh (10 months ago)Really great place, lots under construction when we went. Great places for kids to explore and do a space camp experience. There were many interactive things to do. Overall we took our littles here and got through it pretty quick. About 1 and 1/2 hours was all we needed but with older kids reading some info and doing the space camp would take much longer I’m sure.By Erik Robbins (3 months ago)
Gulf State Park
- Address: 20115 State Park Rd, Gulf Shores, AL 36542, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (9636)
- Phone: +1 251-948-7275
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
- Reviews:
Heard this was a great place to camp, it was beyond what was expected. We had full hookups. We will be back. Our campsite was #14 and was perfect. Lots of trails and paths for bikes, walking and golf carts. The campgrounds are close to the beach and everything else that GULF Shores has to offer. Well worth the time we spent there. We had heard about the alligator sightings but we never came across one. Our 1st evening and we had a flyover by the Blue Angels…awesome!By Harvey Farkwire (5 months ago)We think this is a great State Park, big spacious lots, we were in 255 which was a lake view very nice. The staff in the office were all very nice and make the check-in a very easy process.
We loved the bike share, the miles and miles of trails are great and easy to ride on.
With your park pass you can park and get on the pier for free, just take a picture of your pass to show the attendant. There is a path also that goes over the road and onto the beach which is nice. The bathhouses were really nice and the showers were good, we did notice a few of them around the park were closed due to repairs. In bathhouse 9 it wasn’t cleaned on the men’s side for a few days, I would think they would be cleaned daily. Another suggestion is have one of the bike share locations inside the park so you don’t have to drive to get to the bikes. If in the area again we would for sure visit this park again.
We visited Ft. Morgan , if in the area this is so worth the short drive to get there.
Thank you
PJVBy Penny Vidler (5 months ago)I absolutely love Gulf State Park. My husband and I bike the many trails several days a week. The views are incredible. The beach pavilion and pier are great places to visit. The park offers many other things to do including an educational center, playground, dog park, and much more. I highly recommend visiting.By Kathryn Loescher (2 months ago)This is my favorite place to camp. The majority of the sites are nice and big and there are nice trails throughout the park including directly to the beach. You also get a pass that allows you to park free at the pavilion for additional beach access. It’s beautiful and well kept with easy access to a ton of restaurants and shopping including the Tanger outlets. We liked it so much we booked two additional stays while we were still there.By Barb Miller (2 months ago)What a wonderful park! Beautiful views and trails to bike or walk. And the lakes are so picturesque. Free bike share app is available & the boardwalk trails through the marsh areas are amazing. And of course then there’s the beach! You only have to pay for parking. It’s also very dog friendly. We’re going to bring our golden next time for the dog park/beach on the lake.By Todd Tyson (3 months ago)
Birmingham Zoo
- Address: 2630 Cahaba Rd, Birmingham, AL 35223, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.3 (7090)
- Phone: +1 205-879-0409
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: ClosedTuesday: ClosedWednesday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PMThursday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PMFriday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PMSaturday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PMSunday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Reviews:
We visited yesterday for Memorial Day. There wasn’t a line to enter so that was great. The zoo layout is good and the pathways provide a combination of sun and shade so we weren’t too hot. I believe the majority of the animals were out for us to see. They don’t give you a physical map and the digital one was confusing. It is better to use the large maps throughout the park.
Now for the cons. A lot of the exhibits with glass were hard to see through because it was so dirty. It made seeing and taking decent pictures nearly impossible. The food and drinks are so overpriced. Pack your own water to avoid paying $5 a bottle. There were quite a few off exhibit display signs so I’m not sure which animals we didn’t get to see.
Overall a good experience. We enjoyed ourselves.
By Alisha B (7 months ago)We came to celebrate my nephews first birthday. I enjoyed the Zoo so much. I want to get a season pass and come out more. I love that they have many shaded areas along with a splash pad for the kiddies. I love that you can rent a wheelchair, electric cart , or strollers for the kids. I love that the Zoo has upgraded and I actually enjoyed the food here too.By LadyLoc LL (Geli) (7 months ago)We had such a fun day. At the gate you can purchase tickets for the train ride, carasel and general admission. You can purchase tickets to feed the giraffes, as of Sept 24, 2022 it was $4 per person, kids under 2 is free. The zoo employee was sweet in handing us lettuce to give to the giraffes and take pictures for us. We loved seeing the primates and the elephants. There are loads of animals to see such as zebras, ostrich, red pandas, sand cat, lion, jaguar, and so on. They are adding some new exhibits very soon. If you do the train make sure to check the times for when it departs, we made a mistake of not checking and ended up not being able to get onto the train by the time we left the zoo. If you need strollers or wheelchairs you can rent those, the kiosk is on the outside of the gift shop. They don’t hand out maps, there is a QR code you can scan to get the map on your phone. The gift shop is very nice, we bought only a magnet but they sell toys, stuffed animals, clothes, hats, jewelry, hand soaps, posters and many more things.By Melody Owen (4 months ago)My family and really enjoyed this zoo. It wasn’t over crowded and had many of the animals we wanted to see. The zoo had map boards posted so it was very easy to navigate around. We had a great time and I highly recommend this zoo.By Christopher Bell (4 months ago)Glow Wild at the Birmingham Zoo is absolutely incredible. There are many lighted sculptures and it’s fun to meander around and try to see them all. The train ride is about 8 minutes and you get to see a lot of different areas. This is a great family-friendly event that’s totally enjoyable for adults as well. Have a hot chocolate with Schnapps to take the chill off and wander around the fairy tale grounds. Highly recommend! Also can’t wait to visit the Zoo in the daylight hours and see the real animals which are not part of Glow Wild since it’s dark.By Janis Taylor (a year ago)
Vulcan Park and Museum
- Address: 1701 Valley View Dr, Birmingham, AL 35209, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (4141)
- Phone: +1 205-933-1409
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PMTuesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PMWednesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PMThursday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PMFriday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PMSaturday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PMSunday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Reviews:
I love that this was a fun and easy hike up to from 5 points! I didn’t get to go exploring the trails, just the museum and statue, but still enjoyed it quite a lot. One $6 ticket allows you into the museum and a ride up the elevator to the feet of the statue (or you also have the option to walk the staircase *inside* the pillar, which is absolutely what I did!). The museum is nicely done, approximately 7-8 rooms with the history of the town, culture, community, and struggles. It also gives a history of why this spot was so important to Birmingham. I would have loved to see more of the cave aspect, but I can only imagine it’s not as safe or stable… You get a great overview of the city from even the base of the statue! There are binoculars to use, and a little drink and snack cart (with adult beverages!) to treat yourself after that hike. I loved that they had this really neat bicycle tuning tool near the parking lot! I’ve never seen anything like it! It had everything you could need to fix anything with your bike. How thoughtful!By Megan Morris (9 months ago)A great stop after driving all day in the car. We walked up all 158 flights of stairs. The views were great. Tickets were 6 dollars and allowed entry to the museum as well. They are good all day. There is an elevator. A few steps down there is an entrance to an old mine. There was also a concession stand. The museum was well done and impressive. I would recommend this for a quick break from the car on road trips.By Laur Whitney (7 months ago)Small area and average park. Sufficient parking space available. You can see the entire downtown area from the Vulcan statue which is accessible via lift but you need to buy tickets for that. Good location for a morning walk or evening gathering. I didn’t see any outlets inside but there is a museum and a small souvenir store inside.By Jakir Hossain (9 months ago)A great stop after driving all day in the car. We walked up all 158 flights of stairs. The views were great. Tickets were 6 dollars and allowed entry to the museum as well. They are good all day. There is an elevator. A few steps down there is an entrance to an old mine. There was also a concession stand. The museum was well done and impressive. I would recommend this for a quick break from the car on road trips.By Laur Whitney (7 months ago)Unexpected, simple beauty. Great museum to learn some history of Birmingham, the Civil Rights movement, how the Vulcan came to be….even Coke and Pepsi. The park grounds are well manicured. Great views of the city can be had here without even climbing to the Vulcan’s highest level. Being able to take the stairs or the glass elevator up the statue is a great option. You are only able to get to the foot of the Vulcan which is still extremely high. Overall a great park.By marcus veazey (10 months ago)
McWane Science Center
- Address: 200 19th St N, Birmingham, AL 35203, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (4086)
Huntsville Botanical Garden
- Address: 4747 Bob Wallace Ave SW, Huntsville, AL 35805, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (3908)
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
- Address: 2612 Lane Park Rd, Birmingham, AL 35223, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (3618)
Cheaha State Park
- Address: 19644 AL-281, Delta, AL 36258, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (3487)
Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo
- Address: 20499 Oak Rd E, Gulf Shores, AL 36542, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.2 (3202)
Bellingrath Gardens and Home
- Address: 12401 Bellingrath Gardens Rd, Theodore, AL 36582, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (2628)
Cathedral Caverns State Park
- Address: 637 Cave Rd, Woodville, AL 35776, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (2186)
Little River Canyon National Preserve
- Address: 4322 Little River Trail #100, Fort Payne, AL 35967, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (2071)
Although Alabama is a large state with many amazing places to visit, these 12 locations stand out as the best according to traveler ratings and reviews. Did your favorite spot make the cut? Let us know in the comments above!
We loved it! We spent 3 hours with our 3 children ages 5-9, and we didn’t realize we’d been there that long!
The self guided tours were easy to follow. You can choose to stay on the main level of the ship to get some of the history, watch a film in the theatre, and walk out onto the deck. The stair wells are unsurprisingly steep. Well worth it though if you’re able to go up and down!
The museum where you first come in has tons of aircraft. The submarine was a nice bonus.
Veterans discount, active duty free/active duty family at discounted rate 🙂
100% recommend!
Let me start by saying that I’m personally not affiliated with any branch of the military, nor is my wife. We were just looking for something to do in Mobile since we were only there for a day, and we sure glad we ended up going here. The stores and information told throughout the self guided tour really put into perspective what these brave people lived through. The memorials and information about the captain, officers and crew really touched us deeply. This is a great way to honor their sacrifices and effort. Well done!
As for the tours, there are 3 colored routes you can take, Yellow, Red & Green. All are self guided and all start from the same position. You’ll easily spend a few hours if you do all 3 routes, so keep that in mind. Also, try and stick to the markings and the paper they hand out, it will prevent you from losing your position and potentially skipping something. Traversing each level of the USS Alabama was very fun in itself, just be careful going up and down the ladders and it can get steep and narrow. The views from the upper levels of the freaking awesome and the engine room and sleeping quarters in the bowels of the ship are super interesting.
If you get the opportunity, do yourselves a favor and check it out at least once in your lifetime!
We loved the 3 different self guided tours with the arrows and the numbers to follow, it was excellent and super easy! Fascinating piece of history with little factoids all along the tour routes. The inside was nice with the a/c but topside was awful with the heat, we really wanted to go all the way to the top but the metal rails were burning our hands. The hanger with all the planes was awesome as was the sub, the USS Drum. There really needs to be a light at the entrance/exit to the park because getting in and out was a nightmare. All in all a great experience though and lots of fun.
This experience was amazing we spent 6 hours touring this site. Everyone should visit to better understand history. This museum provides a deeper appreciation of the sacrifices that were made defending our freedom. Donations are appreciated to help preserve this priceless piece of history! The retired volunteer service personnel were a wealth of knowledge. This would make a great class or group trip.
Fantastic! This is the best one word I can give this visit. Everything from parking to exploring was fantastic. This ship is huge it has so many levels and things to see and learn about. These is also a submarine, airplanes and tanks to see. Highly recommend visiting and then after your visit plan another one because you are sure to miss something on the 1st.