Suggested Travel Plans

Go underground to the Looking Glass Lakes, ride horseback through forested paths, travel scenic and historic routes, kayak the raging Little River, shop in historic downtown districts. This is only the beginning of what there is to see and do in DeKalb County, Alabama. Here are a few suggestions to help you make the most of your visit to our beautiful Northeast Alabama Mountains. 

Antiques and Unique Shops

• Begin in downtown Rainsville among their many unique shops. Travel south on Hwy 35 to a gift & specialty shop called To & From. Continue south on Hwy 35 to Myrtle Jane's Antiques & Gifts at 1032 Grand Ave. SW in Fort Payne. Move on to US Hwy. 11 in the historic district of downtown Fort Payne, where the shops are listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Here you will find unique antique shops. You will also find Hammers, carrying your favorite name brand discounts. Travel North on US 11 a few blocks to the Big Mill Antique Mall, housed in the impressive W.B. Davis Hosiery Mill structure. From there, travel north on US Hwy. 11 to find Simply Elegant, the only Vera Bradley dealer in town, and The Wishing Well housing one-of-a-kind gifts. Depart, heading north on US Hwy. 11 to AL Hwy. 117 South to the town of Valley Head. Here you will find Upscale Resale & Gift Shoppe specializing in new & used clothing, shoes & accessories. Stay on AL Hwy. 117 to begin your ascend up Lookout Mountain, but before you do, be sure to stop by Miracle Pottery & Art Gallery.  You will find some of the most amazing functional, decorative & unique handcrafted pottery anywhere around. As you top Lookout Mountain, you will find yourself in the charming town of Mentone, circa 1884. Here is where you will find the White Elephant Antiques, Mentone Log Cabin Village, The Mentone Inn and The Mentone Springs Hotel, which is the oldest functioning hotel in Alabama.  You will also find a serving of quaint restaurants, such as the Wildflower Cafe & Country Store. Most of these buildings are also listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Continue south on AL Hwy. 117 to the Hummingbird House for all your landscaping needs as well as unique gifts & handmade furniture. As you travel farther south on AL Hwy. 117 you will find Artisans Ltd. Inca Connection hosting one of the largest and most diverse collections of Inca art in the United States.

• Day One - Will’s Valley Tour - Begin in Collinsville on US Hwy. 11. Arrive early in Collinsville, (if it is Saturday) for Trade Days, an event that attracts 30,000 people each Saturday. Follow US Hwy. 11 North to Fort Payne, stopping to visit the Alabama Fan Club and Museum, the Depot Museum  and Opera House. Dine at one of many fine restaurants or take a picnic lunch to Fort Payne City Park. Continue North on US 11 to Valley Head. Make plans to tour Sequoyah Caverns while there. Settle down for the night at one of many unique accommodations listed in this website.

• Day Two - Sand Mountain Tour - Take Alabama Hwy. 117 from Valley Head to the top of Sand Mountain. Stay straight as the road becomes Hwy. 40. Follow to Alabama Hwy. 75, turning left. Head for Sylvania and the DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake. Drive around the lake or better yet, rent a boat. Continue to travel South on 75 to Rainsville, Fyffe and Geraldine. Take time for lunch at James Bar-B-Q in Geraldine. From there, take Hwy. 227 to High Falls Park and to Buck’s Pocket State Park. These places are exceptionally beautiful in Spring and Autumn.

• Day Three - Lookout Mountain Parkway (LMP) Tour - Begin in Mentone on Alabama Hwy. 117 and County Rd. 89. Go to Mentone Brow Park for a majestic view of Will's Valley. Travel County Rd. 89 South for DeSoto Falls, a 104-foot waterfall. (If Springtime - be sure to take notice of all the wildflowers, Mountain Laurel, wild Azaleas and Rhododendron in bloom.) Continue on County Rd. 89 to Cloudmont Ski & Golf Resort and Shady Grove Dude Ranch. (Ski Season from mid-December to mid-March. Golf & horseback riding year-round.), staying straight on County Rd. 89 where it becomes County Rd. 165. As soon as the road becomes #165, stop for a look at the Sallie Howard Memorial Chapel. Return to County 89 to go South to DeSoto State Park. Here enjoy nature hikes, boardwalk trails and pristine brooks and waterfalls. Continue 89 South to Alabama Hwy. 35, turning left for the Little River Canyon National Preserve. Take Alabama 176 to the right for a scenic drive along the rim of the canyon. Return to Hwy. 35, then back to County 89 to continue South on the LMP. Stop in Dogtown at Akins Furniture store. Take County Rd. 81 - Collbran Gap Road - in front of Akins, to the foot of Lookout Mountain, enjoying the scenic view of the valley. Turn to the right on US Hwy. 11 for Fort Payne. Be sure to check local listings for area festivals before calling it a day.  

Note - Readers Digest named the Lookout Mountain Parkway as one of America’s Scenic Drives. Southern Living named the Parkway an Autumn destination.

Historic Markers and History Driving Tour

• Begin your tour at the Fort Payne Improvement Authority on Godfrey Avenue South, approximate location of Stockade that was built during the forced removal of Indians on the Trail of Tears. Read historic marker about this tragic era. Travel North on Godfrey to 5th Street (Hwy. 35) and turn left for the Fort Payne City Park. Walk through the park to read markers about DeKalb County’s American Indian history and see statue of Civil War Soldier. See markers at the adjacent Depot Museum and Opera House. Cross Railroad tracks back to Godfrey Avenue. Turn left and follow to 38th Street North where you will find the Willstown Mission Cemetery, Indian burial grounds. Depart on 38th Street to Gault Avenue (Old Valley Head Road) and turn right for Valley Head. Drive by the Winston Place B&B, circa 1831, in Valley Head for historic marker of “Site of Old Council Tree”. The house is rich with history, including being taken over by Union Soldiers during the Civil War. Depart from the house for the Valley Head Town Square to view historic marker for “Battelle”, a deserted coal and iron ore community.

Little River Canyon National Preserve
Dan Brothers

Day Lilies along the Lookout Mountain Parkway

Use this map along with our suggestive travel plans and you are sure to make the most of your visit to the beautiful mountains of Northeast Alabama.

Come See...Just For the Fun of It!