Kick-It Picks Things to Do in Alabama
The stops worth the boots — and the truth about the ones that aren't.
Alabama is more than the interstate lets on: the last of the tallgrass gives way to canyons up north, a Saturn V rocket stands over Huntsville, and the barbecue predates the automobile. These are the picks worth the drive.
Regions: North · Birmingham Metro · Central · East · Gulf Coast
Everything below is a Kick-It Pick — the entries we’d grab you by the collar for. Each one is pulled from Kick the Bucket List: Alabama, our 120-stop field guide, and each carries a blunt Bucket Rating so you know what’s non-negotiable and what to skip. Prices and hours drift; we stamp every page with the date we checked it and fix what changes.
The Big Ten
Stand Under a Saturn V Rocket
Non-negotiableEat White-Sauce Chicken Where White Sauce Was Invented
Non-negotiableFeel a Restrictor-Plate Pack at Talladega
Non-negotiableHear Where the Muscle Shoals Sound Was Born
Non-negotiableThe Great Outdoors
Explore the Best Trail System Nobody Charges For
Non-negotiableStand on the Top of Alabama
Non-negotiableCatch a Rare Lily Blooming in a River
Non-negotiablePaddle Into "America's Amazon"
Non-negotiableEats
Order the Snapper Throats at the Bright Star
Non-negotiableSurvive the Line at Niki's West
Non-negotiableHave a Real Dinner at Highlands Bar & Grill
Non-negotiableEat Ribs the Way Dreamland Intended
Non-negotiableMake the Pilgrimage to Conecuh Sausage
Non-negotiableEat Royal Red Shrimp
Worth the driveRoad Trips
Small Towns
Month by Month
Get all 120 in Kick the Bucket List: Alabama
These are the marquee Kick-It Picks. The book has 120 — adventures, eats, road trips, and the small towns worth the detour — each with a checkbox, a date line, and a Bucket Rating. Fill it in. Score yourself.
See the Alabama book →