Trip to Huntsville AL

[Grumium]

Hi all,

For professional reasons, I will soon be spending a few weeks in the Huntsville area.

I'm wondering if there is any of you in this area and if it's photographically worth it (landscape, lost places, etc.) that I carry either the 4x10 or the Linhof 617 across the pond.

Is there anything, also from a photographic point of view, that I should not miss when I'm there?

Cheers
Gr

[djdister]

I'm not in that area, but I hear that the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham (100 miles from Huntsville) is interesting to photograph.

https://www.slossfurnaces.com/
https://www.slossfurnaces.com/photography-at-sloss/

[Gary Beasley]

Theres a rail museum in the area that has a few interesting things to shoot. Monte Sano State Park is another place to prowl for shooting. Then theres the Space Museum, thats a days worth of fun.

[Arne Croell]

Just West of Huntsville, towards Decatur, AL, is Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wheeler/

[CreationBear]

If you're able to drive a bit (and have an interest in U.S. history:)) the Shiloh National Military Park is definitely worth visiting. As for "scenic" areas, within a hundred mile radius you'll find some nice hiking trails in the Sipsey Wilderness to the west, as well as Little River Canyon National Preserve to the east. Otherwise, the state parks in the Tennessee portion of the Cumberland Plateau are well worth visiting, too. (A little further afield are the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the Nantahala National Forest in Western North Carolina...probably a bit too far for a day trip, but a bit bigger country to explore.)

At any rate, I taught down in Birmingham during the 1990's before moving here to Knoxville, Tennessee, and always thought Alabama was really a hidden gem--hopefully you'll find time to explore.

[BrianShaw]

photograph and eat barbecue!

[Bob Salomon]

Check out John Dersham’s My Alabama.

[Pat Kearns]

Not long ago I ran across The Dismals Canyon website; www.dismalscanyon.com/thecanyon. It is located in Phil Campbell, Alabama and it sure looks like a nice area. Sorry, it looks like it's closed until March.

[Bob Salomon]

Check out John Dersham’s My Alabama.

Left out his web site:

https://johndersham.com

[Corran]

The Space Museum! I will be there in a few weeks myself, only for a few days with my wife and my mom. We are also going to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. Now is the season where hundreds or thousands of sandhill cranes are there, and it is quite a site. They also have other migratory birds.

I will have to look up some of the other suggestions above myself.

[CreationBear]

Now is the season where hundreds or thousands of sandhill cranes are there,


Excellent, think about rolling up to the Hiwassee as well--you'll probably be a little early for the festival (mid-January) but I'm sure they're thick on the ground even now (apparently there's an overwintering population of sandhills that adds to the count, too.):)

[Corran]

My mom is a birder and so we'll probably spend a good chunk of time at Wheeler, then see what else is around. She actually lives near the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Preserve in south MS - a slight variation that is endangered. I've never seen one in the flesh myself, despite having gone to the preserve numerous times. Sandhills are interesting - and apparently good eating for some out west!

[Ron McElroy]

Thanks for suggesting the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge. It sounds interesting.

[Jim Michael]

If you go to Wheeler for the cranes the best times would be either sunrise before the flights to find food and evening when they return to roost in the water. They can't swim, so they'll be in the shallow areas. If they are in the area you'll be able to hear them. Here is some audio I recorded at Bosque del Apache a couple of years ago. https://soundcloud.com/jim-michael-5/sandhill-cranes-at-bosque-del-apache

[MrFujicaman]

Corran, you might want to go thru Scottsboro and check out the Unclaimed Baggage Center.

[Grumium]

Thank you for all your tips. I'm already looking forward to the trip and hope to find enough time for leisure.

@ Bob: Thank you for the link to John. The pictures actually show a very beautiful Alabama. Yet I consider his black-and-white pictures to be artistically and technically much more beautiful.

[morecfm]

Left out his web site:

https://johndersham.com

I participated in a workshop put on by John in the spring nearly two years ago at the Little River Canyon and Little River Falls in DeKalb County. It's a beautiful area and I learned from the workshop. I brought a 4x5 along with my digital gear and he was please to see that.

[lostlabs]

If im not to late to the party, Wheeler is wonderful its just west of the city and Little River is about an hour and a half away. We also have the rare and endangered mom and pop camera store called Southerland's Photo, they have a nice selection of pre owned film and digital, they also sell color and BW 35mm/120 and 4x5 but BW only. They still have a in house darkroom for BW.

If you wanna grab a drink or need a lift to wheeler shoot me a DM im local.

[6x6TLL]

Space Camp/Space Park!

[Michael Roberts]

Check out Cathedral Caverns State Park.