2009 Official Alabama Vacation Guide - (Page 26) Alabama Mountains A rchaeologists say it was the hunt for a food source—abundant wildlife—that brought humans to Alabama 12,000 years ago. Whatever the reason they came, the people who lived here have achieved greatness and left an indelible mark on the landscape and the history. Among the many reasons to visit North Alabama this year is the 75th anniversary of the Ave Maria Grotto. Located in Cullman on the grounds of Alabama’s first and only Benedictine Abbey, the Grotto consists of more than 125 miniature reproductions of famous churches, shrines, and buildings. A visit to Russell Cave National Monument in Bridgeport and the Indian Mound and Museum in Florence reveals prehistoric lifestyles of Native Americans, while Lawrence County’s Oakville Indian Mounds Education Center provides a more recent glimpse into their culture. Nearby is Jesse Owens Museum Park in Moulton, which pays homage to one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. Huntsville has several museums that interpret different time periods, from the early 1800s when Alabama became a state to the age of American space exploration in the mid-20th century. The newest addition to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center is the Saturn V Center housing the rocket that took man to the moon. PHOTOS: ATD/JEFF GREENBERG, ATD/KARIM SHAMSI-BASHA. left ••• right Butterfly House in Huntsville and Lawrence County Courthouse in Moulton. 26 w w w. a l a b a m a . t r a v e l http://www.alabama.travel
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.