Located in downtown Montgomery, the Museum includes several areas featuring unique architecture, historical displays, and art galleries. Also offers guided tours of the Alabama Judicial Building, in which you will learn the difference between the trial courts and the appellate courts, and how a case is handled as it moves through the judicial system, ending with the Alabama Supreme Court. You will also learn about the Alabama appellate courts' rich history.

Cathedral Caverns was originally called Bats Cave. Jacob (Jay) Gurley bought the cave in 1955 and opened it to the public. When he took his wife into the cave for the first time, she was struck by the beautiful of one big room with all the stalagmites and stalactites and said that it looked like a "cathedral." Gurley wisely changed the name of the cave at that point and it has been known since then as Cathedral Caverns, although it has changed hands many times. Cathedral Caverns became a state p...

Research your ancestors, look up historical documents, or learn more about Alabama history at the Alabama Department of Archives & History located in Montgomery.

Ranging across 6,150 acres with 2.5 miles of sugar white sand beach, Gulf State Park has a spectacular resort/convention complex. It includes a 144-room beachfront resort hotel with an outstanding restaurant and cocktail lounge. Spend a lazy afternoon drifting in a canoe (the Park does not offer canoe rentals), by the shores of Lake Shelby, or a dip in the Hotel swimming pool. Fish off an 825 foot pier, the longest on the Gulf, or in a 500 acre freshwater lake a stone's throw away. Meander along...

The Huntsville Museum of Art, North Alabama’s leading visual arts center, fills its seven galleries with a variety of exhibitions throughout the year, including prestigious traveling exhibits and the work of nationally and regionally acclaimed artists. The Museum’s own 2,300-piece permanent collection also forms the basis for several exhibitions each year. In addition to its exhibitions, the Museum offers art classes for children and adults along with special programs, lectures, and musical pres...

Their mission is to bring the people of the River Region together to appreciate, learn and create all types of arts and cultures. The Arts Center has four classrooms with access to two overflow classrooms and a staged auditorium. The Pottery Studio is fully equipped with three pottery wheels, a clay press and sink. A second is equipped with a series of floor plugs to accommodate sewing machines, computers, etc. There is a music room with a small number of basic instruments for in-house use. And ...

Just off I-65, 15 miles south of Birmingham, Oak Mountain's 9,940 acres span pine-studded ridges and lush green valleys. The park offers vacation cottages, golf, improved camping, picnicking, tennis, swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, backpacking, a demonstration farm, and horse boarding and riding facilities. With the largest area and variety of outdoor recreational pursuits, Oak Mountain is sure to provide excitement for every member of the family.

Located 11 miles southeast of Gordon and situated in the southeast corner of the state, this 596-acre scenic attraction takes its name from the nearby Chattahoochee River. Come and enjoy a day's outing of hiking, picnicking and fishing.

Located in Athens, the Alabama Veteran's Museum was established to preserve the memories of our veterans by creating a permanent resting place for artifacts and memorabilia. Artifacts from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, W.W.I , W.W.II, Korean, Viet Nam, Desert Storm and the present "Operation Enduring Freedom" are displayed. The library has close to 1000 books and 160 videos, with the majority available for loan.

The new museum, completed in the spring of 2002, is now the largest art museum along the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Tampa. It is located in Mobile's Langan Park, just two miles from Interstate 65. Offers a permanent collection of more than 6,000 works of art, with American art of the 1930s-40s, work by southern artists, art of the French Barbizon School, contemporary American crafts, late 19th century American art, and Asian, African and European works.

434 Broad St. Gadsden, Alabama 35901 Phone: 256-546-5911 Gadsden Christian Bookstore offers Christian books and more, along with a selection of books and materials helpful to homeschooling families.

Public libraries around the country are finding new ways to serve the growing population of homeschoolers through physical spaces and creative programs catered to homeschooling families’ needs. This article takes a look at what libraries in Illinois, Colorado, and Tennessee are doing to meet the diverse needs of homeschooling families. 

Historical and cultural museum dedicated to presenting and preserving the history of Jackson County. Focuses on the history of the area from the Paelo-Indian era, 12,000 years ago, through the 1930's. The museum consists of the 1880 ante-bellum Brown-Proctor house; the pioneer village, composed of authentic buildings, named "Sagetown;" and the 1868 Jackson County Courthouse. The museum also offers genealogical research, special exhibits, special events and festivals. Special events include: art ...

The Montgomery Zoo features 500 animals representing over 150 species - all in a barrier free, natural environment and divided into continents featuring Australian, Asian, African, and North American realms. Take a rail tour through each realm on McMounty 102, the Zoo's train, and stop by our Gift Shop to find that perfect souvenir.

Located 15 miles north of Selma, Alabama. Tranquility prevails in this beautiful 1,080-acre park as visitors enjoy the relaxing atmosphere surrounding the 100-acre lake. Improved camping and refreshments are available. Facilities include - Pedal Boats, Canoes, Flat Bottom Boats and Swimming, Full Hookup Camping, Primitive Camping, Hiking, Picnic Pavilions, and Restrooms with hot showers.

From stunning mountain ranges to arid expanses of desert, America has been blessed with an incredibly diverse land -- and the vision to protect it for our and future generations to enjoy. These lands are ours to view, wander, learn from, and revel in. America's National Parks captures all that is great about all fifty-six parks in the national park system. It also gives interesting, easy-to-understand background on the geological and ecological forces that continue to make each national park so worthy of protection.

Nature lovers will be captivated by gorgeous photos of landforms, flora, and fauna. Families will appreciate the information that is sure to enhance vacations at the parks. And visitors to any of the country's national parks will forever treasure this book as a memento of past visits and an inspiration for future ones.

Unlike any other book published on national parks, America's National Parks is a must-have for anyone who relishes America's natural wonders and wants to learn more about the powerful forces that created them.

For tourists, family campers, and serious lovers of the outdoors, here is a big, beautiful, color-illustrated book that describes more than 50 national parks, sites, and seashores that stretch from Cape Hatteras on the Atlantic coast to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Yosemite in California, Haleakala in Hawaii, and Glacier Bay in Alaska. More than 400 breathtaking photographs capture the beauty and atmosphere of each site, and 54 color maps show each park's location and major features. Visitor information panels give important details on access points, accommodations, and recreational activities such as hiking, rafting, birdwatching, and fishing. Here is a wonderful volume that will inspire plans for trips and evoke marvelous memories of past experiences in America's great outdoors.

The concept of the national park is an American contribution to world civilization, and it remains a defining characteristic of our country. From the rocky shore of Maine's Acadia to the barren crater and lush rain forest of Hawaii's Haleakala, America's national beauty is celebrated and preserved in its national parks. This book retells the history of each park, describes its most important features and wildlife, and reproduces its gorgeous scenery in full-color photographs that will enthrall armchair travelers and entice others to lace up their hiking boots and reach for their sporting gear. Organized by region of the country, it includes well-known parks like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Glacier as well as lesser-known destinations like Shenandoah, Biscayne, and Kenai Fjords.

Now in its fourth edition, the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America is the ultimate birder’s field guide. Sturdy, portable, and easy-to-use, it features the most complete information available on every bird species known to North America. This revised edition features 250 completely updated range maps, new plumage and species classification information, specially commissioned full-color illustrations, and a superb new index that allows birders in the field to quickly identify a species.

The National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fourth Edition will continue to be a bestseller among the fastest-growing sector in the U.S. travel market—the nearly 25 million people who travel each year specifically to observe wild birds.

Educational Travel on a Shoestring shows parents how they can help their children learn–and have a blast–while traveling. From researching destinations to sharing activities that both teach and entertain, this priceless guide offers practical information for parents who want to have more fun with their kids, build closer family ties, and enjoy richer educational experiences–all without spending a fortune.

Stand amid soaring Douglas fir in the great hall of Glacier Park Lodge or sit in the setting sun and gaze into the Grand Canyon at El Tovar. This beautiful gift book will transport you to the majestic lodges of our national parks to relive the glory of past vacations or plan adventures anew. This book and the PBS television series of the same title (to air in spring 2002) take armchair travelers into these architectural wonders and explore the surrounding natural beauty of our national parks. Lodges, wildlife, and stunning vistas are showcased in 175 full-color and black-and-white photographs, along with historical documents from the PBS series. In his introduction, Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers a call to preserve this national heritage, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book go toward the rehabilitation of these magnificent buildings.

If a picture's worth 1,000 words, this book--with its hundreds of breathtaking photos of America's National Parks--is a well-stocked bookstore. Accompanied by the words of poet laureate Mark Strand, These Rare Lands is a perfect coffee-table book for anyone who has enjoyed the wonders of nature's wildest places. From a storm over Sequoia National Park in California to the otherworldly stalactites and stalagmites of New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns and an Atlantic sunset in Maine's Acadia, this is a book that draws you back again and again. Photographer Stan Jorstad's obvious love of nature comes through in the thoughtful approach he takes to his life's work, contained in the pages of These Rare Lands.

What makes a trip to a national park so wonderful? For starters, America's national park system is more diverse than any park system in the world. You can stroll the seashore at Olympic National Park in Washington or Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts, climb craggy mountains in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, or go underground into the world's largest cave system at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. You can marvel at the largest canyon on Earth (Grand Canyon National Park), hike among the planet's largest collection or rock arches (Arches National Park), explore the lowest and hottest place in the Western Hemisphere (Death Valley National Park), or wander a realm of forests and misty mountains (Great Smoky Mountains National Park).

And these are just a few of your park options.

America's National Parks For Dummies gives you guidance to decide which park is for you, when to go, and what to see when you reach your destination. This guide will help you plan the best trip imaginable, whether you are

• An inexperienced traveler looking for guidance in determining whether to take a trip to a national park and how to plan for it
• An experienced traveler who has yet to explore the national park system and wants expert advice when you finally get a chance to enjoy one
• Any traveler who doesn't like big, thick travel guides that list every single hotel, restaurant, or attraction, but instead looks for a book that focuses on the places that will provide the best or most unique park experience

America's National Parks For Dummies is user-friendly and organized in a logical fashion. Each park is broken down in a chapter that delves into the nitty-gritty of trip planning and highlights, including tips for

• Planning your trip by touching on the diversity of the park system, explaining some of your vacation options, and telling you when parks are the most (and least) crowded
• Ironing out the details by describing how you get to the parks and how to find your way around after you arrive
• Exploring America's national parks by giving you the lowdown on 15 of the best parks, detailing things like each park's wild kingdom, the best spots for memorable photographs, and a few safety issues

The pages of this book resemble a great long-distance hike – you never know what's around the next bend in the trail. So throw on a backpack, take a swig of water, and get ready to explore the national parks!