ViewTube

For the third year in a row, USA Today readers have said Gulf State Park has the best recreational trails in the country!

The Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail, a network that connects Gulf Shores to Orange Beach through Gulf State Park, has been ranked as the top-rated recreation trail in USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards.

“You’re spoiled for choice at the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail complex, which offers 26 trails across nine different ecosystems,” said the trail’s 10Best entry. “You can trek through wildflowers and tall pines on the Rosemary Dunes trail, take in the views from the overlook on the Gulf Oak Ridge trail, and enjoy the abundance of complex amenities, like the Butterfly Garden and the Pavilion.” 

Kevin Bacon is starring alongside two Alabamians in his new Amazon Prime horror-comedy series called “The Bondsman.” 

Gadsden, Alabama, native Beth Grant, a prolific character actor, and Huntsville native Bill Billions have roles in the show about a resurrected bounty hunter tasked with tracking demons.

In a recent interview, Billions described the show: “Kevin Bacon plays Hub Halloran, a man who is sent back from the dead as a bounty hunter for the devil to recapture escaped demons. While back, he has the opportunity to reconnect with his ex-wife, develop a relationship with his son, and try to resurrect his music career.” 

The New Hope Baptist Church Mass Choir of Birmingham was recently named the top choir in the nation at the Sound Awards in Dallas.

“This choir is magnificent,” said the Rev. Gregory L. Clarke, pastor of New Hope Baptist for 38 years.

Judges watched performances by nominated church choirs from across the country.

“The Sound Awards contacted us,” Clarke said. “There were about 30 choirs nationally.”

“We didn’t know who was going to win it, but we knew we were in the top five,” Clarke said.

“We’re so grateful,” said Mike Mays, choir director at New Hope Baptist, which has about 40 to 50 singers in its mass choir.

It’s not the first time New Hope Baptist Church has been recognized as a top choir.

In 1996, The Birmingham News asked a group of 12 panelists chosen for their exposure to a variety of gospel choirs to pick the best choirs in the Birmingham area.

New Hope Baptist Church was named Birmingham’s top church choir in that survey.

 #thisisalabama   #churchchoir   #music   #baptist   #birminghamal 

Congrats are in order for Jessie Holmes!

The former reality television star from Odenville, Alabama, won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in March, finishing in 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds.

 #thisisalabama   #sleddograce   #iditarod   #teamcantstop 

Big Bob Gibson's turns the big one-oh-oh this year and was recently highlighted in Southern Living!

Southern Living named this famous Decatur restaurant in their “The South’s Best Barbecue Joint In Every State 2025” list.

The blurb calls Big Bob Gibson “the oldest restaurant on this list.” Southern Living also lauds the eatery’s smoked chicken and Alabama-style white barbecue sauce.

 #thisisalabama   #bbq   #barbecue   #wheretoeat   #southernliving 

If you ever wondered how Alabama would fair during an alien invasion, you can breathe a sigh of relief...according to GIGACalculator, a website that offers online calculators to help users with everyday math problems and statistics.

According to the website, Alabama is well poised to hold its own against rampaging creatures from outer space.

New York, Minnesota, Florida, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Alaska and Georgia rounded out the top 10, in that order, with Virginia taking the No. 1 spot. 

 #thisisalabama   #aliens   #alieninvasion   #survival   #rankings   #outerspace 

Do y'all know about Bama Bucks Steakhouse?

There are a lot of unique eateries in Alabama, but there aren’t a lot of them that offer customers the chance first to meet a bison (or elk or gator or...) and then eat one.

Except, of course, for Bama Bucks Steakhouse, Wild Game Restaurant and Exotic Animal Park in Boaz, where diners can spend their wait time getting up-close and personal with black bears, lemurs and more before chowing down on a elk steak.

“I guess the reason this all really got started is I’ve always wanted to raise white-tailed deer. When I was a kid, there was a neighbor where my aunt and uncle used to live and they kept a little white-tail deer. I’d always go down there and look at it and I thought it would just be so cool to be able to do that someday,”said Bama Bucks Owner Terry Turk when reflecting on how the unique restaurant came to be.

“I got six fawns that first year,” said Turk. “That was almost 27 years ago, and since then, we have probably raised, honest to goodness, somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 fawns. And along the way, we started bringing in some elk and buffalo and so on.”

The restaurant includes a full menu of gourmet wild game dishes like Creole-battered gator bites, bison lasagna, elk steak and more that guests would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere, in addition to more traditional fare like pulled pork barbecue, grilled chicken and shrimp alfredo. Among its signature items is the Bama Bucks burger, which includes a bison patty topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, bison chili, slaw, an onion ring, cheese and a fried egg.

 #thisisalabama   #bamabuckssteakhouse   #placestoeat   #placestovisit 

Auburn University has made Conde Nast Travelers' list of the 54 most beautiful college campuses in the United States. Proving it truly is the loveliest village on the plains, Auburn University’s campus in Auburn garnered a spot on the list, which didn’t include a ranking of the schools. It was the only college in Alabama to do so.

“Easily one of the most recognizable buildings on campus, Samford Hall stands on Auburn University’s former central building, known as Old Main,” Auburn’s entry of the list reads.“In 1887, Old Main burned down and Samford Hall, which still stands today, was built. Ever the sentimentalists, the architects behind the new building used salvaged bricks from Old Main.” 

The list includes school campuses from all over the country, from Ivy league quads to more modern architecture.

 #thisisalabama   #auburnuniversity   #wareagle   #collegecampus   #condenast 

Old Farmer's Almanac's Alabama spring 2025 forecast: Tornado season may bring "Thunder and Zing" 🌩️

But what will get Alabamians’ attention is this line:
“An unusually late winter storm brings a blanket of rain, sleet, and snow across the Atlantic Seaboard and mountainous areas in the Southeast during the first week of April.” ☃️🌧️⛰️

 #thisisalabama   #oldfarmersalmanac   #winterweather   #tornadoseason   #aprilshowers   #latewinter 

Would you swipe for these Alabama cities? Check out the Shorts we posted today to see all 9 profiles.  #valentinesday   #datingapps