Wine trails and artsy towns: why a USA road trip through Alabama is truly sweet

Why your USA road trip should be through Alabama, by Jaymi McCann

Passing the Sweet Home Alabama sign on I-20 interstate, the iconic guitar riff played in my head. We had just crossed the border from Georgia and were on our way to begin a road trip that would take us from the northern foothills of the Appalachian mountains to the Gulf coast in the south.

Looking out the window down to the cars below, I was conscious of the size of the vehicle my husband Ben and I were driving. RVing had never really been on my radar. In all honesty I felt like it was for people a few years more senior than us. But what better way to get deep into the heart of a country than by the roads and arteries used by regular people every day?

America is the home of the road trip, and an RV gave us the ability to explore beyond typical tourist destinations. We wanted to find a different side to the country and the state of Alabama, with its down-home values and glorious scenery, which seemed as off-the-beaten track a state as you can find.

Our first stop was Oxford, a picturesque town just 30 miles over the state border. Oxford is everything you feel small town America should be, full of fairy lights, colourful shops, farm-to-table restaurants and a vibrant arts centre. There’s even a rickety looking ferris wheel, although I am assured it is perfectly safe.

Oxford is also the nearest town to Talladega Superspeedway, one of the most iconic tracks on the Nascar circuit, a sport that perhaps epitomises American excess more than any other. Twice a year 170,000 people descend for a spectacle of fast cars, big trucks, loud music and free-flowing beer. Our escape for the first night in the RV was Mount Cheaha, which at 2,411 feet is Alabama’s highest peak. State Parks have facilities for motorhomes, including pitches with electricity, water, showers, and a place to ‘dump’ the waste tanks.

We had rented ours from Cruise America, and had everything we might need from pots and pans to bedding and towels. As it slept five, there was plenty of room for the two of us, and the shower, though not exactly built for a giant, was perfectly suited for Ben’s 6’1” frame. Early next morning the best part of RVing became apparent — waking up in the great outdoors. I enjoyed tea surrounded by trees and chirping cicadas, before catching the sunrise from the eastern side of the mountain.

It felt poignant to be connected to a landscape that holds so much importance to the Muscogees, the Native American tribe who would send their young men to the mountain’s summit as a right-of-passage — but were forced to relocate by the US Government 200 years ago. How to reconcile that with the modern world is complex, but Shonda Borden, Cheaha’s superintendent, is keen to recognise the area’s spiritual importance. As we perched on Bald Rock gazing over the view she told me in her soft southern drawl: “You are standing where people have stood for centuries, asking the big questions in life. I don’t know how we can change what once happened here. But I hope we can look after this land and do it justice.”

Our USA road trip continued north. I had thought handling such a large vehicle would be daunting, but the powerful engine, simple automatic gearbox and wide American roads made it feel a lot easier than navigating the A5 back home. In fact, its elevated position gives you the perfect vantage point to see more of the state than you otherwise would. Before long we reached the glistening waters of Lake Guntersville which at 279km-squared is almost four times the size of Loch Lomond.

It sits alongside the Tennessee River and 6,000 acres of woodland that is home to nesting bald eagles. The best way to enjoy the lake is to get on it, so we went fishing for largemouth bass with Lee Pitt, a professional guide who loves showing visitors Alabama’s waterways. As any good fisherman (or woman) knows, patience is vital in this game, and after a few tantalising bites we were rewarded by a three-pounder to be proud of. Back on dry land, our celebratory treat came in the form of a wine tasting at the nearby Jules J. Berta Vineyard in Albertville, a winery that draws upon the Berta family’s Hungarian heritage and Alabama’s climate to produce sweet muscadines and velvety merlots.

The south may not be known for its wine, but this is the first of six businesses that make up the North Alabama Wine Trail, which celebrates their unique terroir. Plus, the names of some of Jules J. Berta’s bottles, such as White Trash and Bama Belle, certainly reference the southern sense of humour. Heading back south, we passed through villages, towns and cities, exploring a state that’s full of history.

The sand is so powdery it has a texture I’ve never come across before: it squeaks as you walk on it

In Birmingham we learned how the murder of four African American girls in 1963 in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing galvanised the Civil Rights movement. In Montgomery we saw how in 1955, Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat for a white passenger led to a legal battle that changed the country – and the world. Alabama is a state full of contradiction and complexity, and they’re still learning from the past today.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Selma. Driving through, it would be easy to miss it, but it was home to one of the most iconic protests of the 1960s, one that was immortalised in a 2014 movie named after the city. When a group of 600 tried to leave Selma and march to Montgomery for voting rights, they were met with unprecedented violence from law enforcement, who attacked, tear gassed and beat the protesters.

The shocking footage aired around the world, sparking global support and leaving the federal government with no choice but to ensure the walkers, including Martin Luther King Jr, a safe departure, and implement legislation to safeguard voting rights. We met with Joanne Bland, who was there that day and now conducts tours sharing her first hand experience of the “brutality” she saw. Now, Selma is having a renaissance, with new arts projects, cafes, museums and hotels popping up alongside its vintage Broad Street and the wide Alabama River. The town feels abuzz and its people ready for Selma’s next chapter.

As we set off on ours, the weather became more humid as we arrived at Gulf Shores, Alabama’s most southern point. What started off as quartzite stone up in the Appalachians has been ground down on its journey to become 60 miles of pristine, white beach sandwiched between Florida and Mississippi. The sand is so powdery it has a texture I’ve never come across before: it squeaks as you walk on it. The Gulf State Park is a gem of a resource, ensuring a large expanse of seafront is not developed at all, so instead of rows of hotels you find sand dunes.

Laying under the evening sun we reflected on the places and people we met on our journey. After RVing 1,320 miles I got to know Alabama intimately. It really is true what people say about the south, its people and their warm and welcoming hospitality.

Book a USA road trip yourself

America As You Like It (americaasyoulikeit.com/020 8742 8299) has an 11 night RV holiday to Alabama from £2230 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights from London to Atlanta on British Airways, one night room only in Atlanta and 10 nights RV rental, including unlimited mileage, vehicle and personal kits, and all local taxes. For more information go to alabama.travel and cruiseamerica.com

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