Summer is in full swing! By now everyone’s gone to the beach, swam in the pool and attended at least 50 backyard BBQ’s. What to do now? Well, I have a few great suggestions!
How about visiting the very first licensed sheep dairy and producer of sheep milk cheeses in Alabama? Bring a little cash with you because you’ll definitely want to buy some of the cheeses that you get to sample while you’re there!
Dayspring Dairy offers tours, free cheese tastings, a gift shop and you can also witness them shearing the sheep and making the cheese. What a great way to spend a day with the kids!
Dayspring Dairy is located in Gallant, AL which is about 50(ish) miles northeast of Birmingham just before you get to Gadsden.
For more information, please visit their website: https://www.dayspringdairy.com/
Originally called Bat Cave, Cathedral Caverns was opened to the public by Jacob Gurley in the 1950’s. The cave was renamed because of its cathedral-like appearance. Purchased by the state in 1987, it was opened as a State Park in the summer of 2000. The first feature most people notice about Cathedral Caverns is its massive entrance. The huge opening measures 126 feet wide and 25 feet high, a possible world record for commercial caves. The grand entrance is only the beginning. Inside the cavern are some of the most beautiful formations Mother Nature has ever created including “Goliath”- one of the largest stalagmites in the world measuring 45 feet tall and 243 feet in circumference. Cathedral Caverns features many amazing sites: a “caveman” perched atop a flowstone wall, a “frozen” waterfall, a large stalagmite forest and a most improbable stone formation – a stalagmite that is 27 feet tall and 3 inches wide!
For more information, please visit their website: https://www.alapark.com/cathedral-caverns-state-park
This Preserve is extremely popular with hikers. It features several hiking trails ranging from trails for beginners all the way to trails for only the most experienced hikers. There are also several overlook locations that are popular with photographers.
For more information please visit their website at: https://www.nps.gov/liri/index.htm
Tigers for Tomorrow at Untamed Mountain is a non-profit 501-c-3 Wild Animal Preserve and Environmental Educational Center, home to over 160 animals including tigers, mountain lions, African lions, bears, wolves, black leopards and so many more wonderful animals. As the last stop preserve, the animals that come to live at this preserve remain here for the rest of their lives. Located on 140 acres in Dekalb County, Alabama, Untamed Mountain, home of Tigers for Tomorrow, is open to the public as a premier wild animal park and preserve, and family recreational destination, providing environmental education programming to the community and tourists of North Alabama. The Tigers for Tomorrow Mission is to uphold the highest standards of care and respect for native and exotic animals in need of secure and permanent homes.
This non-breeding preserve is home to over 175 animals, 90 of which are predators, big cats, wolves, and bears.
For more information, please visit their website: https://www.tigersfortomorrow.org/
“Although the creatures known locally as Dismalites are “close cousins” of rare glowworms found in Australia and New Zealand, they are actually fly larvae”
— Auburn University entomologist Gary Mullen
Dismal Canyon is a place everyone should visit at least once in their life. The light show from these creatures is beyond comparison. During the daylight hours, the park has an incredible amount of beauty to explore. There are rental cabins as well as camping facilities for those who want to make a weekend….or week…out of their experience. For more information please visit their website: https://www.dismalscanyon.com/dismalites
Now you have a few suggestions for some summertime outdoor fun!
Enjoy!!
