Gadsden
Gadsden, Alabama
Slow Down Awhile
By: Yolanda Putman
DRIVE TIME:
1 hour, 25 minutes from downtown Chattanooga
GREAT FOR: Families › Outdoors
BEST IF YOU HAVE:
1-2 days
Escape the routine rush of life in Gadsden, Alabama, where you’ll find historic Southern charm, fabled waters and a contemporary celebration of culture. Even the journey there can be part of the fun. Lookout Mountain Parkway stretches for roughly 100 miles between Chattanooga and Gadsden, taking travelers through three states on a scenic ride past cascading waterfalls, steep canyons and small towns amid the lush scenery. The slowdown of the Scenic Byway adds approximately two hours to the journey, but it’ll be time well spent.
> WHAT TO DO:
A Walk Through Time Forrest Cemetery
256-549-4693
It’s not every day that a cemetery makes a top-10 list of places to see, but A Walk Through Time Forrest Cemetery is like none other, according to reviews on TripAdvisor. Visitors will see historical graves while learning about the city pioneers buried there. Town historians impersonate the community’s former movers and shakers as they tell their role in framing the city. Sometimes, the people telling the story are descendents of the deceased.
This award-winning Alabama microbrewery churns out beers like Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale, Naked Pig Pale Ale and Freckle Belly India Pale Ale. Swing by for a tour or some live music. The brewery is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
The children’s museum play space is equipped with a puppet theater, makeshift train tunnel, jukebox and diner. There’s also a kid-size train and boat, and life-size dinosaurs. The interactive exhibits include a farm, medical clinic, and storyland where storybook characters come to life.
> COMING UP:
The Mort Glosser Amphitheater is a unique venue that hosts the city’s Summer Concert Series. Celebrating 10 years, the outdoor music series is free and family friendly and pays tribute to a different genre of music each month.
> THE GREAT OUTDOORS:
Noccalula Falls Park
1500 Noccalula Road
256-549-4663
Located just two miles from downtown, the park allows visitors to leave the stress of the day behind as they connect with nature. The area includes trails, cabins, a pool, playground, mini golf course and petting zoo. The park’s namesake falls features a 90-foot drop of continuous water into Bear Creek. The waterfall was named after an Indian princess who wanted to marry a man from her tribe. When her father pushed her to marry a man she didn’t love because he was wealthier than her true love, she jumped to her death and her father named the falls after her.
» Weekends from May 31 - July 7, visitors can experience the Indian princess’s love story through an original immersive outdoor theatrical adventure, though they should note that it includes walking a portion of the park trails and standing for up to an hour.
The reservoir, known for its excellent recreation and fishing opportunities, stretches along 77.6 nautical miles and consists of 11,200 acres of rippling blue waters. A well-managed lake with little flooding and deep water year-round, it’s called Alabama’s best-kept fishing secret. Neely Henry hosts tournaments nearly every weekend in the summer, and ducks flock to the lake in the winter.
Located behind Gadsden Mall, the park’s 2.9-mile mostly gravel loop path stretches along the backwaters of Neely Henry Lake. Walk the trail while watching for migrant songbirds and shore birds like egrets and herons. Boardwalks give visitors access to some of the wooded islands at the mouth of Black Creek.
> DON'T MISS:
Gadsden is big on golf. It’s home to four of the courses on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Meanwhile, the Twin Bridges Golf Club was dubbed “One of the Best New Affordable Public Golf Courses” by Golf Digest.
> WHERE TO EAT:
COST KEY:
$: Under $10
$$: $11-$30
$$$: $31-$60
$$$$: $61+
Tre Ragazzi’s Italian Cafe
519 Broad St.
256-543-2726
Cost: $$
This no-frills, family-friendly eatery serves up seriously oversized hand-tossed pizza and calzones nearly the length of an adult’s arm. While size seems to matter in Gadsden — most of the customer photos are of pizza pockets that could eat you for dinner — there are classic pasta dishes as well as some Southern takes on classics, like baked spaghetti in a bread bowl.
Top O The River
1606 Rainbow Drive
256-547-9817
Cost: $$
Family owned and operated for more than 25 years, this is purportedly one of the Southeast’s largest catfish and seafood restaurants. The kind of place where cornbread is served in skillets and paper towels await on the table, you can expect fried seafood at its finest in a setting overlooking the lake.
Blackstone Pub and Eatery
525 Broad St.
256-543-7473
Cost: $
Offering 42 beers on tap and over 150 craft and import beers, plus nightly specials and live music, this place is a local hangout. If you get hungry, you can choose from American bar options like the grilled chicken salad, BBQ chicken quesadilla or BLT pizza.
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