Alabama Front Porches: The official website for Alabama's Black Belt

Birding Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, Dallas County, Alabama

Off The Porch with Judy and Don Self Northern Parula, photo by Joe Watts Old Cahawba Archaeological Park near Orville was chosen as the site for the Black Belt Birding Trail Advisory Group’s May meeting and, as a bonus, we conducted a 2-hour bird walk …

Dallas County

Download our Hospitality Guide for Dallas County Dallas County on Vimeo. My locationGet Directions Birding Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, Dallas County, AlabamaLocated in Dallas County | What you’ll find: Birding | Outdoor Recreation Off The Porch wi …

Dallas County Public Lake

Dallas County Public Lake is a compact site housing a good variety of habitats around a 100-acre lake-emergent lakeside edge, both second-growth and mature woodland and open pine-oak woods.  Upon leaving AL-41, look to the left on County Road 6. The cu …

Edmond Pettus Bridge

The Edmund Pettus Bridge, named for Edmund Winston Pettus, a Confederate brigadier general, and eventual U.S. Senator, is a bridge in Selma, Alabama. It is infamous as the site of the conflict of Bloody Sunday (March 7, 1965), where armed officers atta …

Ghost Trail

The Ghosts of the Black Belt: visit any town in Alabama and you will most likely hear a local ghost story. You will hear stories of civil war soldiers, haunted riverboats, spectral visitors at university campuses and many tales of apparitions that either met an early or unwarranted death. Learn more about our ghost stories and watch video interviews and tales.

Live Oak Cemetery

Live Oak Cemetery in Selma is a stunning image of the old South- antebellum mausoleums and grave sites framed by row upon row of massive live oaks, all draped in Spanish moss. The mature hardwoods are spaced in such a way as to provide excellent sight- …

Old Cahawba

Cahawba was once Alabama’s state capital (1820-1826) and a thriving antebellum river town. It became a ghost town shortly after the Civil War. Today it is an important archaeological site and a place of picturesque ruins As early as 4,000 years ago Ind …

Old Cahawba Prairie Preserve

The Old Cahawba Prairie Preserve is a 3,000-acre tract of remnant blackland prairie, one of the remaining half dozen such areas in the entire Black Belt.  The western portion of the parcel is almost five square miles of predominately native grassland, …

Paul M. Grist State Park

This is a tranquil 1,080-acre park that includes a beautiful 100-acre lake that is surrounded by hardwood and southern pine woodlands.  The park has modern campsites located on the edge of the lake.  There are also primitive campsites for those who are …

Selma Interpretative Center

(Welcome Center to the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail) The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail was established by Congress in 1996, to commemorate the events, people, and route of the 1965 Voting Rights March in Alabama. The March …

Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail

From beginning to end, the Selma to Montgomery March Byway is filled with civil rights history. Home to one of the most significant events in the American struggle for equality, this 54-mile stretch of highway marks the journey that led to equal voting rights for American citizens, regardless of race.

Selma Welcome Center

If you are interested in visiting Selma, a good place to start is at the Selma Welcome Center located downtown at 14 Broad Street. The Welcome Center has a wonderful collection of area attractions. You can pick up brochures on each of Selma’s museums, …

Sturdivant Hall

This magnificent structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in the 1934 American Building Survey. Its construction was begun in 1852 by Colonel Edward T. Watts, a local resident. Sturdivant Hall stands upon a spacious lot (292 …

Voting Rights Museum

The Museum and Institute chronicles the historical journey for the right to vote that began when the seeds of democracy were first planted by the “founding fathers” in 1776. The founders of the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute envisioned a space that captured the essence of struggles to empower America’s people.

Walton Theater

  The Walton Theater opened for operation in 1914.  During the late 1940’s, in addition to running feature films and hosting vaudeville shows, the Walton staged local “Amateur Nights.”   A typical weekend night at the Walton would include a featur …

Weekend Getaway to the Black Belt

Looking for a new place to explore? Visit one of the oldest and most historic parts of Alabama: the Black Belt of Southwest Alabama. There’s much to see and do–and it is close enough to make the trip with less than a tank of gas. Here’s a simple, one, …

White-Force Cottage

This Italianate-style cottage is located beside the historic Sturdivant Hall in Selma, AL. It  was built in 1859 for Mr. and Mrs. Clement Billingslea White. Mrs. White was the former Martha Todd of Lexington, Kentucky, and a half-sister of Mary Todd Li …