The name I chose for the other blog I had been working on was "We're Going Places". Our family consists of me, Paula, my husband, Andy, and our 13-year old, Brianna. Plus we have two dogs, Buddy and Sasha, two outside cats, Smokey and Prince Pounce-a-Lot, and a rather large aquarium which houses only one large goldfish and at last count, about 12 guppies. We love going to Alabama-based events and have also traveled to a few other states for different adventures. We also love taking pictures and thought it would be a great idea to share some of our adventures - especially the ones in Alabama; therefore the name "We're Going Places" evolved. Lots of people don't know about some of the special things to do in Alabama, so we hope you enjoy what we have to share and that it will encourage you to get out and see some of Alabama and the surrounding areas with your family.
The first place we'd like to share is about an hour away from our home in Gadsden - it's the 250-acre Noccalula Falls Park. The City of Gadsden has a great website with lots of information about the park.
We have been going to Noccalula Falls since we first started dating in 1999. It's a great family trip and if you watch their calendar, you will have the opportunity to attend many great, family-centered festivals with lots of activities. The main feature of the park is the magnificent 90-foot waterfall. It is beautiful and depending on the time of year you visit the park, the water flow varies significantly. You may catch it flowing rather rapidly with lots of water or at other times with only a very small amount - as you can see from our picture below.
The bronze statue at the edge of the falls is of the Cherokee maiden Noccalula who, according to local legends, plunged to her death after being ordered by her father to marry a man she didn't love. The statue of Noccalula was, at the time of its creation, the first statue of a person jumping off a cliff. The bronze used in the statue was made from pennies collected from local school children in the mid-1960s. That must have taken a lot of pennies to school!!
There is a bridge across the water above the falls that you can walk across and feed the ducks. There are lots of rocks around this area to climb on and take pictures and sometimes even get up close and personal with the ducks.
Below the falls you'll find a gorge trail winding through its basin and past caves. In the park area there is also an aboriginal fort, an abandoned dam, pioneer homestead, and Civil War carvings. A trail winds through a large portion of the park and you can follow it and see much of what there is to see. There are benches along the way if you want to stop and rest and just enjoy all that is around you. The park also has an area with animals - a lion (which we heard roar) and petting zoo, mini-golf course, the Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge (built 1899) and a replica 1863 C. P. Huntington train ride. We always have to take a ride on the train - it's so fun! The botanical gardens has an extensive collection of over 25,000 azaleas and is so beautiful when they are in bloom.
Admission to the park is very reasonable - Adults: $6, Seniors: $4, Children 4-12: $3 and Children Under 3: No Charge. We always have a great time when we visit Noccalula Park and hope you will consider going to enjoy a special, family-fun day there soon.
