The hotel is dog friendly and many guests rent bikes to cycle from here along the Backcountry trail that starts just behind the hotel.
These recipes showcase just some of the foods that Alabama is famous for. I enjoyed my stay in the extremely spacious suite with classic decor, two double beds and a large living area. Its all washed down with endless refills of sweet iced tea. West Indies Salad on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, 20. Alabama Peanut Company Get your taste of boiled peanuts flavoured with Cajun spice or Dill Pickle, in their large, airy shop where they also roast and boil the peanuts. Plan your visit to Alabama on the Alabama Tourism website and follow on Social Media, Twitter @TweetHomeAla | Instagram @AlabamaTravel | Facebook AlabamaTravel. Your email address will not be published. The result should be succulent meat on the inside and crispy coating on the outside, making this the perfect comfort food. For the two nights I spent in Birmingham, I was in the grand and historic Hampton Inn and Suites Tutwiler Hotel, which is very centrally located in the Downtown area. Saws Soul Kitchen A small and unassuming diner in the hipster Avondale neighbourhood, where you can try the famous BBQ meats and other Southern soul food dishes, like their signature Pork & Greens. Visit Muscle Shoals Alabama for music history and more! Hotels in Alabama: You can check prices and book for range of hotels in Alabama here. Crisp cos lettuce is popular and a typical example was my Steakhouse wedge salad at Central in Montgomery, where the Cos was hollowed out and then topped with bacon, candied pecan, sliced vegetables and a generous topping of creamy blue cheese dressing. From fried catfish to the most excellent pulled BBQ pork found anywhere in the US, Alabama is unrivaled when it comes to throwing down in the kitchen. To discover more of Mobiles food scene we recommend you try this Mobile Food Tour. We love food tours as a way to dip into the local food culture, so recommend you take one like this Birmingham Food Tour.
Read about the places I visited on this road trip 20 fun things to do in Huntsville Alabama. Beignets are well known as a specialty of New Orleans, but I also observed them appearing on breakfast menus in Alabama as I drove south. My spacious room at the modern Huntsville Marriott hotel, had a view towards the adjoining Rocket Center, so I woke up with a view of the Saturn 1 and Saturn V! These unripened tomatoes are coated over with a cornmeal layer and then deep-fried to produce this tasty appetizer. The Seafood Bistro, (Dont be fooled by the hole-in-the-wall appearance) Montgomery, Alabama. A little further down Route 65 at Exit 215 is Peach Park, a well known farm shop and restaurant complex selling everything peachy. Birmingham Saws Soul Kitchen In the Avondale neighbourhood of Birmingham, Saws Soul Kitchen has just a few tables and a loyal clientele who constantly pop in for takeaways. Huntsville Marriott at Space and Rocket Center | 5 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, Alabama | Check availability and prices for other hotels in Huntsville. Alabama even has an official state dessert, the Lane Cake, which was mentioned in "To Kill A Mockingbird" set in the fictional Alabama town of Maycomb, and a state fruit: the blackberry. Also take a look at my map below to find all the places mentioned. The Gulf I loved the buzzing beach club feel of The Gulf, with a huge outdoor seating area overlooking the water and inexpensive casual dining. Gumbo is a thick soup or stew thats a staple of Creole cuisine, normally combining meat with seafood and vegetables such as peppers, celery and tomato, topped with some cooked rice, making this a substantial one pot meal. Hearing that boiled peanuts that are a popular snack in Alabama, I stopped at the Alabama Peanut company in Birmingham to try them out. For more information contact 020 8742 8299, [emailprotected] or visit www.americaasyoulikeit.com. They are a small pillows of dough, deep fried and served golden brown dusted with icing sugar. You might buy a cup of peanuts if you are going to the beach or a sports game, and even though they are boiled and served in their shells theres a clever way that the flavour of Cajun spice or Dill Pickle permeates through to the peanuts inside. Pizitz Food Hall A great food hall in the downtown area where you can eat world cuisines from over 12 different food stalls, an ideal stop for lunch or early evening cocktails. Hotel Indigo Orange Beach| 22843 Perdido Beach Boulevard, Orange Beach | Check prices and availability for other hotels in Gulf Shores. Woodside Restaurant A relaxed cafe on the edge of the Gulf State Park and the ideal place to stop for breakfast or brunch if you are cycling around the park. Gunrunner Boutique Hotel | 310 E Tennessee Street, Florence, Alabama | Check prices for other hotels in Florence. Think cola with a grape taste and no caffeine perhaps it could be your go-to fizzy drink to fuel your road trip through Alabama? I also loved the Shrimp tacos at The Gulf in Orange Beach, with reclaimed metal shipping containers and a huge seating area overlooking the water, filled with friends and family on holiday enjoying the many delicious food options. It was fun to visit the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery and even more fun to stay in one of the two apartments upstairs. On a hot day the iced tea was refreshing and cooling, and with temperatures over 30 degrees during the summer, I was grateful for the free refills to stay hydrated. Oysters are another Alabama delicacy from the Gulf of Mexico, where they are farmed and fished in Mobile Bay and other parts of the coastal waters of Alabama. Cahawba House An airy diner, which is the perfect place in Montgomery to try Southern specialties for breakfast, brunch or lunch. 
Biscuit and gravy Its biscuit, but not as we know it in the UK! Nice Information you have shared about Food. Iced tea cool and refreshing in Alabamas summer heat. Discover 20 fun things to do in Huntsville Alabama, known as Rocket City for its connection with the US Space Programme and the US Space and Rocket Center, Discover the US Civil Rights Trail in Alabama. My trip to Alabama was sponsored* by Alabama Tourism who provided the food and other experiences mentioned. Many of these places offer additional dessert types such as apple, cherry, and blueberry pies. The Alabama equivalent of the UKs Mr Whippy ice cream van, seems to be the Sno-cone van selling crushed ice, flavoured with different fruity syrups. Our recommended hotel in Mobile: Stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown Mobile, in the heart of the Downtown area near Dauphin Street. thank you so much I visited Decatur from.the UK I have craved real Southern Biscuits since Wonderful delicious.amazing.I loved them.now is online, I visited Decatur from.the UK I have craved real Southern Biscuits since Wonderful delicious.amazing.I loved them.with.breakfast.eggs.and.especially.with.pumpkin.butter Heaven. Luckily this hearty salad paired well with the smoked pork starter with peach chutney that I also ordered, and I certainly didnt leave hungry! America As You Like It can recreate my trip with a 9 night holiday from just 1,310 per person (based on 2 people sharing room only) including return international flights on American Airlines, car hire and hotel stays. Read about the places I visited on this road trip 20 things to do in Birmingham Alabama. I tried variations of this as Voodoo Shrimp at Connors and Firecracker Shrimp at Grille 29, both in Huntsville. One thing about Alabama, we are not lacking when it comes to restaurants cooking up delicious platters of fried green tomatoes. As one of the states most iconic foods youll find shrimp on menus throughout Alabama, but especially as you reach the coast where seafood is the main event! While Im not normally a huge meat eater, I enjoyed smoky, tender pulled pork in a few different dishes while I was in Alabama. I also treated myself to one of their peachy ice lollies from the freezer counter which came in a few different flavours. Its the food your mother or grandmother might have cooked if you grew up in Alabama and attracts all the locals who relish their childhood favourite foods of fried chicken, collard greens and a slice of pie. They also have a branch in Montgomery and other parts of southern Alabama. What to Know About Southern Cuisine, Top 5 Restaurants Worth Moving to Alabama For, What Food is Alabama Known For? Recommended reading for your Alabama road trip: Read Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads by Paul Theroux to soak up the atmosphere of the Deep South. You can choose how you like your eggs cooked, but generally they will come fried rather than poached (the fried thing is a bit of a theme). The Essential A fun little neighbourhood restaurant, with a menu full of well priced light dishes with a Southern take on world cuisine. Visit Muscle Shoals Alabama, for music history and more! Read more about the US Civil Right Trail and the Civil Rights locations that I visited on this Alabama Road Trip: It was slightly unexpected to find peaches everywhere in Alabama, but it made perfect sense when I stopped in Clanton, as I drove south from Birmingham to Selma on the Route 65 Interstate. Read more, 1. Odette Refined but relaxed, all seasonal and sustainable with a nod to Southern flavours and the go-to restaurant for foodies in downtown Florence. A guide to Pelion Greece from the mountains to the sea! Grits This porridge made with coarsely ground cornmeal, is definitely the dish of the south, although I cant say that I was converted! through the Gulf State Park and came across the van at the visitor centre a most welcome relief after my sweaty cycle ride. Like polenta, which it resembles, it doesnt have much taste in itself, but becomes a lot more appealing when you add lots of butter and salt or ask for cheesy grits with cheese melted in for flavour. There are plenty of BBQ dishes in the southern states of the USA, each with their own subtle variations. This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com, Posted on Published: September 23, 2019- Last updated: August 2, 2021, 3 fabulous day trips from Dresden for culture lovers Saxony, Germany. Plan Your Tour and taste different cuisine of different country. @Dj thanks, I'm writing as a visitor but of course I'm sure there are some things that locals will correct me on, in restaurants you don't always know the source of the fish and seems sometimes what you assume is local catch may not be! This soul food restaurant is a great place to try the famous BBQ meats and other Southern dishes, like their signature Pork & Greens. If youre from the UK youll be familiar with our English Breakfast fry up but there are some variations that make the Southern Breakfast a bit different. If youd like to explore more of Mobiles food scene, check out this Mobile Food Tour.
I tried shrimp in many guises while I was in Alabama, and one popular dish I saw on menus was Cajun shrimp which is coated in cornmeal and fried to make a crunchy crust, then mixed with a spicy Cajun sauce. Next on the list is an all-time favorite of Alabama natives. Book your trip with America as you like it who offer bespoke self guided tours of Alabama and the USA. You can build your own breakfast here with any combo you like, but I tried the Southern biscuit with pimento cheese biscuit, fried green tomato and crispy bacon. The Moon Pie comes in lots of different flavours and originated at the Chattanooga Bakery in Tennessee, but in Mobile its thrown from the carnival floats to an eager crowd and is the carnival favour that everyone hopes to catch. After trying everything else on the list, its obvious you saved some room for dessert. If youd like to discover more of Birminghams food scene, we recommend that you take this Birmingham Food Tour. I queued for some Pecan ice-cream, one of the many flavours on offer, although the server had difficulty understanding me when I asked for the Peee-can flavour, until she exclaimed Oh, you mean Pe-caaan!, There are rocking chairs on the verandah outside the shop where you can sit and enjoy your ice cream or pie, before heading off on the Route 65 interstate again. Look for the giant peach water tower as your signal to stop at Clanton, just off the Route 65 Interstate, for farm shops and restaurants that feature the local peaches peach ice cream, preserves and peach cobbler at Peach Park and Durbin Farms Market. While weve mentioned Pecan pie as being a popular dessert, there are lots of other pecan treats, since these nuts are widely grown and pecans are the state nut of Alabama. If you are feeling a bit weighted down by all the talk of BBQ and fried chicken in Alabama, you might think that a fresh green salad would be the answer, a balance to all the fried food. Your email address will not be published. The Tutwiler Hotel opened in 1915 and was known as the Grande Dame of Southern Hotels, hosting the great and the good of Birmingham in a hotel that reflected the citys prosperity at that time. I found a strong surf and turf theme going on in many restaurants that mixed the best produce of Alabama, serving both steak and seafood. Wintzells Oyster House A Mobile institution with a menu full of crab, shrimp and above all the oysters which are served fried, stewed or nude. Hampton Inn Mobile Downtown | Address: 62 S Royal Street, Mobile | Check price and availability for more hotels in Mobile, Alabama. Large portions of catfish with a side of coleslaw and French fries, please. You may also enjoy: Discover the Civil Rights Trail in Alabama USA in the footsteps of Martin Luther King. Read about the places I visited on this road trip Visit Muscle Shoals Alabama, for music history and more! The Gumbo Zherb is a twist on the more traditional dish, with local Conecuh sausage and other meats as well as collard greens in a smoky clear stock, and it made a delicious light lunch. Youll find a Moon-Pie store at 107 St Francis St in Mobile, selling gifts and souvenirs, as well as the Moonpie sweet biscuit sandwiched with marshmallow and coated in chocolate. Read more about all the places I visited on my Alabama Road Trip: You can use my map of Alabama to easily find all the restaurants and other places I visited on my Alabama Road trip. The takeaway service is also popular. Priesters Pecans, Fort Deposit, Alabama. The biscuit is served with gravy, the brown, meaty sauce that youd expect, but if you dont really fancy it, then just ask for the gravy to be served on the side or slather your biscuit with butter instead. Here is a list of some popular restaurants serving this popular dish. Montgomery | Cahawba House | The small frontage gives way to an airy diner, which is the perfect place to try Southern specialties for breakfast, brunch or lunch. The style here is classic, and I had a very elegant suite on one of the upper floors with classic wooden furniture and windows opening to the balcony.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Believe me, in Alabama you wont go hungry! The pies are made with a sweet pastry on the bottom to line the dish and depending on the filling there may be pastry on the top as well. Shrimp from the Gulf Coast of Alabama, 18. The Blue Plate Cafe The place to go in Huntsville if you want the full Southern Breakfast experience, of bacon, eggs, cheesy grits, biscuit and gravy or lunchtime favourites of fried chicken, collard greens and a slice of pie. You may also enjoy: Visit Muscle Shoals Alabama for music history and more! The Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum | Book the Zelda Fitzgerald Suite | Address: 919 Felder Avenue, Montgomery. Good story, but a lot of things are wrong in this article. Each of the suites leads directly off this common area, so you feel a bit as if you are in some rockstars home with guitars and memorabilia scattered around. Clanton in Chilton County is the peach capital of Alabama and the fruit are at their best in the summer months, especially in June, when holiday-makers break their journey to pick up a punnet of juicy fresh peaches.
Well, perhaps not about them, but at least in name. The apartment is spacious and comfortable, and is decorated in the style of the 1930s when the couple lived there. But it's also well-known for many other southern and soul food favorites like Fried Green Tomatoes,Classic Southern Smothered Pork Chops, Collard Greens, Fried Chicken, Shrimp & Grits, and Tomato Pie. For a more refined version I tried the famous Gumbo Zherb, at Dauphins restaurant in Mobile, which has amazing views over Mobile Bay and offers Creole influenced cuisine, with plenty of seafood, such as crab, shrimp and fresh fish from the Gulf. For dinner at Odette in Florence, I paired a charcuterie board with a strawberry salad of cress leaves, whipped feta cheese, almonds, pesto and a fermented strawberry dressing.
Cobalt a relaxed but upscale restaurant with a large outdoor patio overlooking the water at Perdido Bay, with a great selection of Gulf seafood. Read more from this trip: 50 things to do in Alabama on a Road Trip USA. Sno-cone internal air conditioning in Alabamas summer heat, 16. Its owned by leading local chef Jame Boyce and offers relaxed dining with pizza, salads and pasta dishes. Bacon and eggs In Alabama the bacon is served well cooked and crispy rather than the soft floppy bacon we have at home in the UK. My choice was a lighter dish of Smokehouse Cobb salad, which still came with a generous portion of mouthwatering shredded BBQ pork on top| 12 West Jefferson Street, Montgomery, Montgomery At Central I enjoyed casual but upscale dining, using local ingredients and Southern flavours. Pieces of chicken on the bone are tenderised by soaking overnight in brine or buttermilk, then shallow or deep fried in a flour coating that sometimes has a bit of spice added. As I drove south through Alabama, I noticed that the Creole flavours and dishes became more prevalent in the cuisine, with French influence dating back to the 17th and 18th century, when the Gulf coast was under French colonial rule. I squeezed in at the bar on a Sunday lunchtime in Montgomery, among the families tucking into their smoked pork ribs, which Dreamland is best known for. After eating a few spoons of the ice cold fruity mixture, it was as if someone had turned on the air conditioning from the inside. In Alabama meat is king and seafood is queen, the portions are huge and if you order a salad it comes with at least ten toppings. Priesters Pecans A popular stop just off the Route 65 Interstate with a huge farm shop and cafe serving pecan nuts, pecan candies, pecan pies and pecan ice cream. You can sit and eat a few at the tables inside or browse some of their merchandise of t-shirts and baseball caps with the Southern and Salty slogan. This is where you can really get into the Southern style of cuisine with a basket of succulent fried chicken cooked to order, and sides of slaw, baked beans or French fries and a choice of sauces | 120 Second Street, Muscle Shoals. Alabama is known as the "Heart of Dixie" and was the 22nd state to join the United States of America. This is a drink that you can sip demurely and be quite the Southern Belle, especially if you are going easy on the alcohol as I was on my Alabama road trip. Its grown from the original roadside stall and now offers a whole range of food and gifts, selling peach ice cream, peach cobbler and lots of other peach products. You may also enjoy this article about 11 cool things to do in Mobile Alabama, which we visited on the same road trip. Peaches in Clanton peach capital of Alabama, 7. You can also find the full on BBQ experience at Saws BBQ in the Southside neighbourhood of Birmingham and at Saws Juke Joint where the BBQ is often paired with live music. For the couple of nights I was in Gulf Shores I stayed at the delightful Hotel Indigo, set just across the road from the beach, with a hotel shuttle to drop you off at the beach pavilion. Even if you dont eat a lot of fried food, youll need to treat yourself to some Southern fried chicken for the full Alabama food experience. For a flavour of the south and local insights, we recommend you take this Mobile Food Tour. The result is succulent and smoky meat that is served with a side dishes like potato salad and coleslaw. Mine was served with a slice of melon and some salad leaves that added a bit of sweetness to offset the sharpness of the vinegar dressing. Sometimes the banana pudding is topped with meringue which is browned under the grill. Fried chicken is another Southern favourite in the soul food repertoire of Alabama. In the diners and Mom and Pop restaurants of Alabama youll find a range of sweet pies to complete your meal, just like any good Southern Momma would make at home for her family. On my road trip through the state I tasted my way through a whole range of Alabama food, from the meltingly tender BBQ pork of northern Alabama, to the seafood, shrimp and oysters of the Gulf Coast. Oysters from the Gulf Coast in Alabama, 19. Dauphins Great views over Mobile from the 34th floor of the Trustmark building, specialising in Gulf seafood and Cajun flavours. 6. This is a state where theyll fry it if they can! Its a light tea that has been brewed and then cooled, served from large jugs that are either unsweetened or sweetened. Montgomery Dreamland BBQ Dreamland is a small chain of BBQ restaurants that started in Tuscaloosa Alabama. In that case, were sorry to hear that and please feel free to skip ahead. As Ive mentioned, theres a big thing for peaches, which are canned or preserved to last year round and are often made into pies and cobblers.