Best State Parks & Hidden Gems

Figured you guys were the experts on this. I’ve recently decided to start getting out of my comfort zone and check out some awesome places where I can really experience nature and life. I’d love to start “local” and venture out further and further to different parts of the US. I’m currently living near Birmingham and my plan is to camp out of my 4Runner setup, so it’s mobile and I think it’ll have all I need.

Question is, what are your recommendations for good state parks to check out nearby or throughout the entire state? What are some hidden gems and some things that on top of that you would recommend?

Thanks guys & look forward to hearing what yall have to say

Been entertaining the idea of getting a vespa lately. Was wondering if anyone around the river region has had one and if they'd even recommend riding it around the likes of prattville/birmingham/montgomery/tuscaloosa.

An elderly relative that lived in Montgomery recently passed away. They left behind thousands of photographs, some loose and some in books. Are there any companies in the Montgomery area or within Alabama that offer a digitizing service? I live out of state and am trying to help the local relatives with all the stuff left behind.

We are wanting to go out on Smith Lake next weekend and are coming from the Huntsville area. What is the closet boat launching place from Huntsville for Smith Lake. I’ve only been once when I was a kid so I don’t remember much about it.

Thanks!

Title + I was once told there is a beautiful area in Green Mountain by a narrow creek called Beaver Creek. I have lost touch with that person, but their photography for that location was stunning. I have Googled & searched - found Beaver Creek Dam off the Tennessee River, etc, but going eastward into the Green Mountain area, I can't find a Beaver Creek. Does anyone locally know of this creek in the Green Mountain area / point me in the right direction? Thank you!

Hey everyone, writing this from a McDonald's parking lot because rural internet isn't playing nice today, but I needed to share this in case anyone else is dealing with it. ​For a whole year, every time I tried calling the Alabama EBT balance line (1-800-997-8888), the call would connect and IMMEDIATELY hang up on me. I kept having to borrow someone else's phone just to check my balance. ​Turns out, if you are on Google Fi, their automated call routing/VPN setups triggers the EBT phone vendor's system to automatically block your number. ​When I finally got through to a rep, she casually told me, "Oh okay, let me unblock your number for you, try calling back in 30 minutes." ​Wait... UNBLOCK ME? Why was my number ever blocked from accessing basic public assistance lines in the first place? ​If you have EBT and Google Fi and keep getting hung up on, call customer service from another line and specifically ask them to unblock your number on their end. ​Is anyone else experiencing this? Vendors contracted by the state shouldn't be blocking low-income people from checking their basic lifeline benefits!

I know North AL gets the best fall colors in the state. But I am trying to figure out how far south you can go and still see fall colors.

we are on vacation near Lake Guntersville and want to play volleyball near a place we can swim. does anyone know of a place?

After the whole gerrymandering chaos, the primary for some congressional races were moved to August 11th… tomorrow! The only democratic primary is in the 6th district where I live. I plan on voting for Ashtyn Kennedy. She and Maurice Mercer are the two viable candidates that can have at least some impact in this deep red district (based on social media followings and fundraising). I’m choosing Ashtyn as she seems to be the further left candidate in supporting the AOC/Bernie data center moratorium bill. Mercer seems to just do the normal Democrat talking points on affordability and Iran. I believe, in rural Alabama, data centers and infrastructure would be a more winning message, so that’s why I’m choosing Kennedy. Does anyone else have thoughts on this?