Results tagged “black belt” from Alabama's Front Porches: A Blog About Alabama's Black Belt

For a pleasant weekend getaway, try heading south. No, not the beach, the Black Belt of Southwest Alabama. There's much to see and do-and close enough to make the trip with less than a tank of gas. We'll continue to add new trips to our list as the next year progresses.

For now, try this simple, one or two night getaway into the true heart of Alabama for an authentic experience of the Deep South. Don't have time to get away for a night? Well, you should, but if you just can't pry yourself away, try a daylong trip.

Begin your weekend getaway heading to Selma, Alabama. Approximately 85 miles from Birmingham (or a little over 200 miles from Atlanta, Georgia). Once you've arrived in Selma, plan to park near the river and just stroll around the downtown area. Park near the historic and recently renovated Saint James Hotel, directly on the river along Water Street and less than a block away from the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Try some down home cooking at one of the local eateries in Selma (during the week, try the Downtowner for an excellent "meat-and-three," a true Southern staple). There are excellent dining choices in Selma for a variety of traditional Southern fare, including BBQ, fried chicken and catfish, along with more exotic choices.

Join us in historic Camden, Alabama, as we showcase artists from the Black Belt region who stitch or weave their creative works, such as: Rennie Miller of the Freedom Quilting Bee, Deborah Carter, Dorothy Woods, Tinnie and Minnie Pettway of That's Sew Gee's Bend, representatives of the Gee's Bend Quiltmakers. The day's events will also feature story telling by Kathryn Tucker Windham and a concert by Alabama Blues musician, Willie King.

This event is being made possible by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts& the National Endowment for the Arts.

Saturday, November 8, 2008, 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Black Belt Treasures
209 Claiborne Street
Camden, Alabama

Plan to have lunch with us as we feature the debut of the Blue Spoon Cooking Company serving delicious barbecue sandwich plates for just $8.00 per plate.

For additional information please contact Black Belt Treasures at(334) 682-9878 or by
email info@blackbelttreasure.com. The public is invited to participate in all the activities of the Stitches & Blues event free of charge. For information about the day's schedule of events visit the Upcoming Events page on the Black Belt Treasures website, www.blackbelttreasures.com .

The Alabama Tourism Department produced a very impressive booklet about the many resources found in Alabama's Black Belt last year. Take a look!

The Black Belt is named for the rich black soil that grew superior cotton during the 19th century. The collapse of the plantation economy during the Civil War left a legacy of "soul food" cooking, art fashioned from found materials, vast stretches of pristine river bottom land and, most recently, the Civil Rights Movement.

The people of this remarkable remnant of the Old South invite you to explore what you've heard about: Tuskegee Institute, the Edmund Pettus Bridge at Selma, Gee's Bend and the famous quilters, quaint shops in Marion, mansions in Demopolis and Greensboro, and candies made by hand at Priester's Pecans. The terrain formed by the meanderings of the Black Warrior, Tombigbee and Alabama rivers is home to numerous species of flora, birds and other wildlife. Explore the biologically diverse state parks and other natural habitats. Take your time. Spend several days here. Be transported back to an era that you thought had vanished.

Click here to download the complete Alabama Black Belt Nature and Heritage Trail brochure (10.4MB PDF).

Source: Alabama Tourism Department