SOLO ROADTRIP IV: DAYS 10-11 [ALABAMA & FRANKLIN]

after leaving chatanooga, i made my way to alabama. i did not know much about alabama, but this stretch of the road had very pretty landscape with lots of trees. unfortunately i did not have much time, so i only travelled as far south as birmingham. the first stop was supposed to be sloss furnaces national historic site, but it was closed. there was absolutely no warning and it was not on the website. i was bummed as this was what i was the most excited for in the day.

i then tried to make my way over the bridge to downtown, but google maps kept wanting me to go down a flooded underpass (what i presume was leftover from hurricane helene). i eventually found a way to get over a different bridge, past downtown, to the historic area of birmingham.

a few blocks of birmingham has historical significant for the 1963 civil rights movement, which involved martin luther king jr. i remembered learning about some of these buildings & events in my history classes in public school & college; specifically the pictures of dogs being sicced on protesters. the first stop was the civil rights museum. 

the museum is part of the birmingham civil rights national monument, a new national park system still trying to find its footing. it is still being developed and as it was the middle of the week, the only site open was the birmingham civil rights institute, which predates the creation of the national park site. it was a little outdated (i enjoy seeing a well done museum from a bygone era - you do not see them like this anymore now that technology is so advanced). i knew it would be good as this is a smithsonian affiliate museum. it has less about artifacts & instead focuses more on telling a story. the exhibits are more immersive. they showed what it was like to live in segregation & important civil rights events that happened in alabama, especially the freedom rides & sit-ins.

like i said before, the park is more than the museum & includes other locations in the neighborhood. one such site is the AG gaston motel which was used as SCLC headquarters (& was bombed by terrorsits). today, the nps owns the building & has it open to the public certain days of the week.

in 1963, this black church was bombed by the kkk & 4 little girls died

a memorial is across the street dedicated to the 4 little girls that were murdered

across the street from the church is the kelly ingram park. the park has what is called the freedom walk & different statues, including the one above, either providing info about the civil rights movement or commemorating individuals. ceetain statues show the brutality protesters faced.

my whole visit was deserted, the streets were absolutely empty other than a few loiterers in the park. i did not see any other tourists when i was walking around. i only saw maybe one couple in the museum. i was shocked as this was a downtown area during the week. i expected to see at least the workforce. it probably is busier the days when the sites are fully open.

after visiting a local lovely antique store, i made my way north to fultondale where i would be staying for the night. i was very happy to find a local place to eat & try alabama bbq. i was very pleased. it was nice to have a full stomach because the motel i stayed at had several stink bugs in the room (i believe they ran in when the maid was cleaning), so i was kept busy trying to catch them.

i had pork links with yellow relish, toast, beans, & squash casserole (i also got the half moon cookie that they are known for).

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the next morning, i had breakfast at the motel. i picked a motel that was off the highway, so it was mostly truckers. the breakfasts during this trip were pretty bad (i feel like post covid, the bar is so much lower), but i was able to have bacon (a rarity)! 

my first stop was moorseville. i happened to read about it in a off the beaten path alabama book & it sounded cute with some old buildings. it was on the way back to nashville so i thought why not have a stop to stretch my legs. apparently it is known for being the filming location of the 1990s disney show huck & finn. the town is very small and as off 2020, less than 50 people lived there. 

mooreville was better than i thought & was a highlight of my trip, & certainly my day. i thought this was going to be a quick stop over, but i ended up spending hours here & was the only non-local i saw. it is such a hidden gem and oh so charming! my only complaint was mosquitoes (surprisingly, i did not see many during this trip). i stoped at the post office, as it is the oldest still operating post office in alabama (and the second oldest in the country behind one in new hampshire).

moorseville post office (c.1840)

the call boxes are from the civil war era!

i believe the post office is independently run, but is still used by locals (only open 4 hours a day several days a week). i overheard the worker talking about "crack muffins," so i had to ask. she told me there was a bakery across the field that is worth stopping at, so that was my next stop.

the bakery is also a very small antique mall (there are 4 vendors that share one room)

i knew i had to support this small business, so i bought the infamous blueberry "crack muffin" and some cherry blossom tea. i chatted with the worker & she was so nice & intrigued about my traveling and that i included mooresville in my plans. i also was very happy to be able to find something at the little antique room, a small 5x3 framed painting of flowers on a fence. she ended up giving me a steep discount for a whopping total of $4 (i also bought a guidebook & t-shirt). i was just so charmed! the mini painting now hangs in my room :)

i enjoyed my muffin and tea on the picnic table out front.

the field in the the center of town

the old stagecoach inn & tavern (1820s)

i was able to walk in, but no one was in there. i was surprised they leave it open to the public to peruse.

brick church (greek revival - c. 1839)

i decided i wanted to back track and see the tennessee river i crossed to get to moorsevile. that took me to rhodes ferry park in decatur. i was surprised to see there was interpretive signs here. not only was this a booming city due to the location next to the river, but is considered a part of the trail of tears. the cherokee were forcibly removed, taken onto steamboats, & dropped off here where they transferred to a train. this was the only place a railway was used in the trail of tears. 

rhodes ferry park & the tennessee river

i then stopped at a 3-story antique store on the main street. it was a cute store which included an independently ran shop that looked like a witchy, fairy-like room full of whimsical things.

across the street was the old state bank (c.1883), but it was closed for refurbishment

my last stop was franklin. i heard so much about franklin & was looking forward to my visit. in actuality, i enjoyed my day spent in alabama way more.  i was a little disappointed. it is very expensive to visit any of the historical houses & the streets were very busy for a weekday. though some of the buildings were cool, it is hard to enjoy when the cars & people make it so crowded. i think i just had different expectations since it is talked about so much online. on a side note, the band paramore is from franklin.

on my way to franklin i got a fancy coffee drink with a toasted marshmallow (i love anything with marshmallows)

the city is known for the battle of franklin. the city really leans into that history.

i went to one of the historical homes, but they will remain nameless as i did not enjoy it. it was expensive, i did not like how it was organized, the tour was too large for going into some of the buildings, & the tour was dry (and i am someone who loves history - like obsessed). i know there are others like me, but i have never met anyone who seeks out to visit as many historical places & museums as me & genuinely enjoys it. it is not everyones cup of tea. anyhoo, like i said the tour was so dry, i ended up dipping out early & just looking at the grounds.

the coolest thing i did get to see is the most bullet ridden (still standing) building from the civil war (this is a pic of the building from inside one of the bullet holes).

franklin is known for its antique stores. i only had time to quickly looks at one.

after leaving franklin i had to stop and at my favorite chain, cracker barrel (i just love it so much)

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there is no use starting a new post as the next afternoon i was flying home from nashville. i did not have a lot of time as i needed to drop off my rental & then get an uber to the airport. i did have time to stop at fort negley, a city park that includes interpretive signs providing info about the fort that was built here during the civil war. it was too early for the visitor center to be open, but the grounds were open to walk. i am a big morning walker, so i enjoyed just being able to take a brisk walk & enjoy my coffee from nearby. it is also nice as the park is perched up on a hill & you can see views of downtown nashville. 

i was also very entertained as there were goats fenced in and managing the lansdcape. there was also a livestock guardian watching over them. 

i love that there was a sign in case people were confused why there were goats fenced in.

on a side note, i got in trouble from my motel for having a dog & was charged double the price. i first thought they accidently charged me twice as my stay was purchased with travel credit card points in advance. i had never gotten charge more than i was supposed to at an accommodation. i obviously did not have a dog as i was a solo traveler who literally only had a backpack & had 2 flights that did not include a pet. my bank that my travel card is with had to get involved as the motel would not let me talk to the manager. the funny thing was my room did smell like a dog, but i am not one to complain & i was only there for one night. now i know. always say something so you do not get in trouble. learn from my mistakes, kids.