Tannehill State Park
in extreme eastern Tuscaloosa County
Best accessed from the interstate via the Bucksville exit, Tannehill actually lies at the corner of Bibb, Jefferson, and Tuscaloosa Counties, with the northwestern edge of Shelby County just a stone's throw away, as well. This area of the state is rich in the resources necessary to produce iron, thus the development of the ironworks in this particular location. The foundries themselves are still very much intact. The museum is worth a hour or two's browsing (depending upon your level of interest in the time period -- mid-1800s) and the park itself is a wonderful playground for kids. You couldn't find a better place to play hide 'n' seek in central Alabama and the stone-lined creek is a camping kid's delight.
photo:
Traffic streams into the park for "Trade Days," a monthly happening during the good-weather period of the year. Dozens of vendors bring their wares, ranging from antiques and comics to Confederate t-shirts and garden gnomes. In the picture, a woman steps into my pathway as I approach the Tapawingo Bridge, which was transported here from Shelby County. Her husband had warned her to watch out, a picture was being taken, but she panicked and stepped right into the photo. I could hear them arguing as I caught back up with my ride to cross the bridge.
click for larger legible JPG
click to read the sign
the
Bucksville/AL 216
exit
Geocache at
Lake Lurleen
State Park
nearby
Woodstock
The Board
All that judge-not shite is for invertebrates...