miles donovan author at My Family Travels
Article
This Old-School Alabama Bakery Has Been Perfecting German Family Recipes For Decades

The passport is the wrong document. What you actually need is an appetite. This Alabama bakery somehow manages to make a country...

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One Bite Of The Pierogi At This Alabama Bistro And You Will Be Planning Your Next Trip Back

The pierogi are having an identity crisis. Are they Polish? Are they Southern? Does it really matter when the butter is sizzling?

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Welcome To The Coastal Escape Alabamians Formally Conceded to Out-of-State Crowds

There is a moment every local eventually recognizes. “Oh. Everybody knows about it now.” That seems to have happened in this Alabama beach destination, where summer crowds...

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This Alabama Orchard Turns Autumn Days Into A Mouthwatering Festival Of Food And Family Fun

The apples are not supposed to be ammunition. At least, that is what common sense suggests. Then somebody loads one into an air...

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This Historic Indiana Town Hides A World-Class National Landmark Dedicated Entirely To Quilting History

A quilt can tell you who made it. Sometimes it can tell you what they believed was worth saving. That is what makes this Indiana...

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This Indiana Airport Is Becoming A Haven For Low-Cost Flights

The best airport perk might be getting there without needing emotional support. No marathon through parking garages. No endless...

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This Charming Alabama City Was Just Named One Of The Prettiest Small Towns In The South

A small city should probably pick one thing to be good at. This Alabama one apparently refused. Waterfall? Yes.

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Everyone Goes to Mentone, but This Nearby Alabama Town Might Be Even Better

A canyon called “Little Grand Canyon” is already enough to make you look twice. Then someone mentions the waterfall. Then...

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This Alabama Mountain Park Preserves Old-Fashioned Farm Life, Animals Included

The mansion has a mountain. The mountain has a farm. The farm has pigs. At some point, the whole arrangement becomes too strange...

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This Alabama Italian Restaurant Is Keeping The Old-School Tradition Of Sunday Gravy And Homemade Meatballs Alive

Some recipes are measured. Sunday gravy is negotiated. A little more tomato. Another meatball.

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The Sprawling All-You-Can-Eat Seafood Feast at This Coastal Alabama Staple Is Worth a Cross-State Road Trip

The seafood plate has hit the table. Nobody is talking. That is because everyone is trying to figure out where to start. Shrimp?

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This Iconic Alabama Theme Park Just Reopened Its Legendary Wooden Coaster After Years In The Dark

A roller coaster can disappear long enough to become family folklore. “I rode it once.” “You rode it?” “My dad rode it.” Then one day, the trains start moving again....

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This Charming Alabama Farm Market Is a Cash-Only Hidden Gem Run by Local Mennonite Families

The produce looks like it has not had much time to think about becoming groceries. That is a compliment. Green beans arrive...

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This Tiny Alabama Joint Serves Generations-Old Handmade Tamales With Incredible Flavors

The freezer is where good intentions go. You buy a dozen tamales for tonight. Then somebody mentions they freeze well. Suddenly...

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9 Hidden Diners That Serve The Best Homemade Fried Chicken In All Of Alabama

Fried chicken has a way of creating very confident opinions. Ask three people where to get it. You may get four answers. The...

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This Flat 0.6-Mile Roundtrip Boardwalk Through an Old-Growth Forest Is One of Alabama’s Most Relaxing Walks

A 0.6-mile hike should not require this much stopping. But then there is the bench. Then another. Then the view.

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This Historic Alabama Trail Leads You To an Ancient 12,000-Year-Old Cave Rock Shelter

The stroller can make it. That is the surprising part. So can a wheelchair. So can anyone who wants to stand inside a place where...

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The Dark Secret Inside This Forgotten Alabama Building Will Literally Give You Chills

The creepiest part is not the empty hallway. It is the nursery. Tiny beds. Old medical equipment.

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This Hidden Alabama Creamery Makes Every Scoop From Scratch With Local Farm Ingredients

The flavor board is where good intentions go to die. You walk in thinking vanilla will be fine. Then there is strawberry. Then...

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There is a Secret Restaurant in Alabama with Absolutely No Prices and It’s Changing Lives Every Single Day

What do you do when the check never comes? You wait. You ask. You eventually realize there isn't going to be one.

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This Little-Known 700-Acre Alabama Farm Is A Hidden Paradise For Rescued Horses

Somebody always falls for the same horse. It usually happens without permission. One horse looks up. You look back.

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Alabama’s Most Scenic Water Shortcut: The 40-Minute Island Day Trip You Need to Take

The engine shuts off. The seagulls get louder. Your car is still technically in the middle of a road trip, except the road...

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This Thrilling Alabama Trail Takes You To An Abandoned Train Tunnel Hiding Thousands Of Bats

A wooden fence marks the end of the trail. Past it, darkness. And thousands of bats that never got word the trains stopped...

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This Stunning Alabama Theater Is Officially One Of The Largest Shakespeare Festivals On Earth

The British flag is the giveaway. Well, that and Shakespeare. Because everything around it looks very American. A huge green...

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Why Southern Road Trippers are Obsessed With This Alabama Fast-Food Legend’s Fried Chicken

There is a point on a long drive when nobody wants a proper restaurant. Nobody wants to wait. Nobody wants to read a menu the...

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Tens of Thousands of Giant Cranes Fill the Sky Over This Quiet Alabama Sanctuary at Sunset

The noise arrives before the birds do. At first, it sounds like something much bigger than a flock. Then the sky starts moving....

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This Massive 30,000-Square-Foot Alabama Wonderland Is Hiding A Mind-Boggling Maze Of Vintage Curiosities

The problem with looking for one thing is that there are about 300 people trying to distract you. Not intentionally. They just...

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This Cozy Alabama Italian Restaurant Serves An Absolutely Mind-Blowing Chicken Parm

The dining room is quiet for exactly one reason. Everyone is eating. Then conversation starts again. A chair scrapes.

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This Hidden Alabama Paradise Is A Bookstore, Café, And Bar All In One

“What are we doing after the bookstore?” That question becomes a little difficult here because the answer is apparently “the bookstore.” And coffee. And drinks.

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9 Secret Strip-Mall Eateries In Alabama Locals Try To Keep To Themselves

There is a certain look a restaurant gets when nobody bothered to make it look like a restaurant. A blank storefront. A neighboring...

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This Beloved Alabama Chinese Restaurant Is The Ultimate Go-To Spot For Authentic Comfort Food

Two years is a long time to wait for egg drop soup. Especially when you already know exactly how it is supposed to taste. A...

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This Remote Gas-Station In Alabama That Cooks Up Legendary Hickory Smoked Barbecue Pork Sandwiches

It started beside a Texaco pump. That sounds like the beginning of a bad business plan. Instead, it became a barbecue story....

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These 9 Historic Alabama Small Towns Look Like They Were Pulled Right From A Storybook

The best souvenirs from a road trip are sometimes photographs of things that were never on the itinerary. An old courthouse. A...

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Step Inside This Stunning Alabama Italian Trattoria And It Instantly Feels Like Europe

The original plan was simple: dinner, maybe dessert, then home. That plan did not survive the first hour. There was too much...

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This No-Frills Alabama Riverside Shack Serves Crispy Fried Catfish That Locals Guard Like State Secrets

The best way to arrive may be with river water still on your ankles. Paddlers already know the routine. Come off the Escatawpa,...

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Welcome to Alabama’s Most Overrun Coastline Strip Where Locals Avoid the Gridlock Entirely

The first time I hit summer traffic along the coast, I started wondering if everyone had the exact same vacation plan. Cars barely moved, parking lots were packed, and the beach...

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This Massive First-Saturday Outdoor Market Is Alabama’s Ultimate Hidden Treasure Trove

Set the alarm. Then set another one, because this place gets moving while most of Alabama is still asleep. Before sunrise, the...

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Alabama’s Most Elusive Burger Is Flipped In The Back Of An Old Country Grocery

“Are we there yet?” is a reasonable question when the destination looks like a grocery store. The answer, fortunately, is yes.

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This Alabama Nature Spot Has a Short Walk Leading to a Spectacular Overlook

The kids did not complain once. That might be the most impressive part. The trail is short, shaded, and smooth, with a boardwalk...

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Locals Swear by the Made-to-Order Sandwiches at This Hidden Alabama Country General Store Now

The sandwich was supposed to be a quick stop. Then someone started adding toppings, the bread hit the grill, and suddenly leaving seemed like a terrible idea.

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This Massive 4-Screen Alabama Drive-In Combines Blockbuster Double Features With Mini-Golf and BBQ

The movie has not even started, and the kids are already running off toward mini-golf. Someone is unfolding chairs beside the car, the radio is tuned to the right station, and...

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This Massive Alabama Facility Packs More Historic Combat Helicopters Than Anywhere Else On Earth

You count one helicopter. Then another. Then you look toward the ceiling and realize there are rotor blades hanging over your...

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The Stunning “White Cliffs” Of Alabama Look Like They Belong In The United Kingdom

You round a bend on a quiet highway, and a wall of chalky white rock appears out of nowhere across the river. Pale cliffs glow above green water like something borrowed straight...

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This Sprawling Alabama Living History Park Preserves Century-Old Farming Traditions and Restored Farmsteads

A one-room schoolhouse. A mule-drawn plow. An old drugstore where you can still get ice cream. Somehow, they all ended up in...

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This Restored Railroad Caboose In Alabama Lets Guests Sleep Beside The Same Tracks It Once Rode

You might expect a caboose to come with a few reminders of its railroad days, but sleeping beside an active train line takes that idea a little further. Here, the original tracks...

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This Pitch-Black Alabama Cave Is Home To Hundreds Of Thousands Of Bats That Erupt Into The Sky At Dusk

No big sign marks the entrance. Just a chained-off strip of old road, easy to drive past, somewhere in Alabama. A short walk...

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This Remote Alabama Canyon Nature Preserve Protects Rare Ice Age Ferns Found Nowhere Else In Town

The gravel road looked so unremarkable I checked my map twice before trusting it. Then the trees split open, the ridge dropped away, and a green canyon appeared like it had been...

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10 Hidden Gem Eateries In Alabama Tucked Away In The Most Unlikely Locations

The address says restaurant, but the surroundings might tell you otherwise. Across Alabama, hungry travelers can stumble upon dining rooms hidden under rocks, inside former train...

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This Hidden Alabama Forest Path Reveals Massive Concrete Ruins of a Forgotten 1800s Ore Crusher

What if a quiet forest trail suddenly led you to the remains of a massive piece of mining machinery? One Alabama preserve hides an unexpected reminder of the region's industrial...

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This Beautiful Alabama Park Features a Massive Outdoor Amphitheater Framed by Historic Stone Terrace Walls

Picture a theater without walls, surrounded by towering trees instead of city lights. That is the setting at this historic Alabama park, where a 1930s amphitheater sits against...

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This Hidden Alabama Farm Table Serves Up An Endless All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Inside A Gorgeous Country Barn Setting

Would you rather choose one meal or build your own plate from an entire country-style spread? The second option is the obvious temptation here, where buffet dining meets a peaceful...

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This Iconic Alabama Roadside Diner Focuses Entirely on Farm-Fresh Turkey Dinners and Sandwiches

Would you take a road trip just to eat at a restaurant devoted almost entirely to turkey? One Alabama roadside favorite has been giving travelers exactly that reason, building...

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This Overlooked Alabama Valley Offers Gorgeous Mountain Views Free From Large Crowds

Would you rather admire a mountain view in peace than squeeze into a crowded overlook? One Alabama state park makes that easy, with rugged canyon scenery, forested ridges, and...

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This Remote Alabama River Boardwalk Loops Right Through A Protected Swamp Packed With Migrating Birds

What if you could walk straight through a quiet swamp without ever leaving the trail? One Alabama nature destination makes that possible with a boardwalk that winds through protected...

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8 Out-Of-The-Way Alabama Smokehouses Serving BBQ So Good It Attracts Diners From Across State Lines

How far would you travel for a plate of barbecue you could not stop thinking about? Some restaurants become destinations because the food is simply too good to keep local.

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8 Hidden Alabama Swimming Holes With Clear Water, Stunning Views, And Easy Access

Why spend a hot summer day squeezed into a crowded pool when nature has already done the hard work? Alabama is home to refreshing swimming holes where cool water, towering trees,...

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This Alabama Foothills Town Is The Ultimate Budget-Friendly Jackpot For Retirees Seeking Quiet Mountain Views

What if you could trade crowded city streets for peaceful mountain views without stretching your budget? Finding a place that combines affordability, natural scenery, and a relaxed...

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9 Tiny Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurants In Alabama Where The Food Is Worth Every Single Minute Of Waiting

Have you ever waited longer than expected for a meal and realized the first bite made it completely worth it? Some restaurants earn their reputation not because they are big or...

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This Alabama Farm Is Totally Exploding In Popularity By Offering Scenic Walks With Alpacas

Most walks are about the destination. This one is about who you are walking with. Instead of a typical trail through the countryside,...

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This Tiny Alabama BBQ Shack Sells The Sweetest Homemade Pies And Most Tender Ribs In The State

Who says you have to choose between great barbecue and homemade pie? Sometimes the most memorable meals come from the places that do both exceptionally well.

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