Alabama Black Belt Nature and Heritage Trail
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A BLACK AM B B E A L L T A N L A I T A U R RE T & E Alabama Black Belt H ERITAG Nature and Heritage Trail Edmund Pettus Bridge - Selma Selma-to-Montgomery March Interpretive Center - White Hall Black Belt Treasures - Camden Birmingham More than 50 natural Legend Livingston - Aliceville Loop 82 159 and cultural sites in 43 Demopolis - Marion Loop Selma - Camden Loop 459 13 Alabama counties P I C K E N S Tuskegee - Union Springs Loop 86 Exit 97 Montgomery Tour Carrollton Portal Kiosks 5 Aliceville Lake Tuscaloosa 12 Interstate 359 11 Woodstock 14 59 US Exit 71 5 State 4 69 20 West Blockton County Sipsey River 82 Canebrake Scenic Byway 32 BIBB Black Belt Nature and Heritage G R E E N E 19 Moundville 50 Centreville Trail State Scenic Byway 39 Brent 20a 65 Selma to Montgomery National 25 20b Historic Trail and All-American Road 60 Payne Lake 231 Gainesville Lake Warrior Lake 69 Recreation Area 280 National Forest 20 18 Eutaw State Park 17 116 3 ❖ 14 HALE 17 Talladega National Forest US Army Corps of Engineers 29 National Wildlife Refuge S U M T E R 16 15 Greensboro 24 183 Warrior Lake - 29 Jennings Ferry Campground 14 21 23 14 22 5 31 43 Marion Mississippi 69 Georgia 2 13 30 ❖ Paul M. Grist SP Livingston 82 11 81 183 14 11 PERR Y 10 219 52 Demopolis 199 York 49 49 Tuskegee National Forest 1 80 Demopolis Lake 28 80 27 22 Tuskegee 47 80 28 Alabama River 85 50 69 Selma 25 Woodruff Lake 48 Chickasaw SP 51 ❖ 29 Cahaba River 140 40 44 17 41 45 46 12 25 22 80 Montgomery Linden 66 26 42 M A C O N 41 39 CHOCTAW 114 43 DALLAS MONTGOME RY Alabama River 31 110 BULLOCK 156 M A R E N G O 5 Hayneville 51 L O W N D E S Union Springs 28 97 10 William Dannelly Reservoir 331 53 197 82 82 Butler 10 33 89 Gee’s Bend 32 65 231 6 34 ❖ Roland Cooper SP 223 69 162 38 55 263 54 6 Camden 28 36 21 35 185 239 Tombigbee River 10 Clairborne Lake 265 10 N WILCOX 185 37 29 9 43 31 Choctaw NWR W E Coffeeville Lake Alabama River Bladon Springs SP❖ 84 8 65 S 7 84 Birmingham Legend Livingston - Aliceville Loop 82 159 43 Demopolis - Marion Loop Selma - Camden Loop 459 P I C K E N S Tuskegee - Union Springs Loop 86 Exit 97 Montgomery Tour Carrollton Portal Kiosks 5 Aliceville Lake Tuscaloosa 12 Interstate 359 11 Woodstock 14 59 US Exit 71 5 State 4 69 20 West Blockton County Sipsey River 82 Canebrake Scenic Byway 32 BIBB Black Belt Nature and Heritage G R E E N E 19 Moundville 50 Centreville Trail State Scenic Byway 39 Brent 20a 65 Selma to Montgomery National 25 20b Historic Trail and All-American Road 60 Payne Lake 231 Gainesville Lake Warrior Lake 69 Recreation Area 280 National Forest 20 18 Eutaw State Park 17 116 3 ❖ 14 HALE 17 Talladega National Forest US Army Corps of Engineers 29 National Wildlife Refuge S U M T E R 16 15 Greensboro 24 183 Warrior Lake - 29 Jennings Ferry Campground 14 21 23 14 22 5 31 43 Marion Mississippi 69 Georgia 2 13 30 ❖ Paul M. Grist SP Livingston 82 11 81 183 14 11 PERR Y 10 219 52 Demopolis 199 York 49 49 Tuskegee National Forest 1 80 Demopolis Lake 28 80 27 22 Tuskegee 47 80 28 Alabama River 85 50 69 Selma 25 Woodruff Lake 48 Chickasaw SP 51 ❖ 29 Cahaba River 140 40 44 17 41 45 46 12 25 22 80 Montgomery Linden 66 26 42 M A C O N 41 39 CHOCTAW 114 43 DALLAS MONTGOME RY Alabama River 31 110 BULLOCK 156 M A R E N G O 5 Hayneville 51 L O W N D E S Union Springs 28 97 10 William Dannelly Reservoir 331 53 197 82 82 Butler 10 33 89 Gee’s Bend 32 65 231 6 34 ❖ Roland Cooper SP 223 69 162 38 55 263 54 6 Camden 28 36 21 35 185 239 Tombigbee River 10 Clairborne Lake 265 10 N WILCOX 185 37 29 9 43 31 Choctaw NWR W E Coffeeville Lake Alabama River Bladon Springs SP❖ 84 8 65 S 7 84 Welcome to the Alabama Black Belt The Black Belt is named for the rich black soil that grew superior cotton during the 19th century. The collapse of the plantation economy during the Civil War left a legacy of “soul food” cooking, art fashioned from found materials, vast stretches of pristine river bottom land and, most recently, the Civil Rights Movement. The people of this remark- able remnant of the Old South invite you to explore what you’ve heard about: Tuskegee Institute, the Edmund Pettus Bridge at Selma, Gee’s Bend and the famous quilters, quaint shops in Marion, mansions in Demopolis and Greensboro, and candies made by hand at Priester’s Pecans. The terrain formed by the meanderings of the Black Warrior, Tombigbee and Alabama rivers is home to numerous species of flora, birds and other wildlife. Explore the biologi- cally diverse state parks and other natural habitats. Take your time. Spend several days here. Be trans- ported back to an era that you thought had vanished. Jeff Greenberg Jeff Governor Bluff Hall, Demopolis Information Parking Camping Swimming Viewing Area A publication of the Alabama Restrooms Canoeing Lookout Bureau of Tourism & Travel Cabins/Lodge Beach Area Tower Handicap Access Boat Access Picnic Area Visitors Center Biking Food Fishing Hiking Driving Trail Water Lee Sentell - Director Tommy Cauthen - Art Director The symbols used here are those of the various signage (official and unofficial) used by the Forest Service in marking recre- Mary Jean Packer - Coordinator ation and other accommodations throughout the national forests. Cover photos: Jeff Greenberg 2 A BLACK AM B B E A L L T A N L A I Livingston - Aliceville Loop T A Coleman Center for Arts & Culture • University of West Alabama Nature Trail • Gainesville Historic District • Aliceville Museum & U R RE T & E Cultural Arts Center • Aliceville Lake: Tom Bevill Visitor Center & East Bank • Broadhead Memorial Park & Walking Trail • Bladon H ERITAG Springs State Park • Coffeeville Lake Service Park • Ezell’s Fish Camp • Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge • Giant Geode This route traverses the westernmost reaches of Alabama’s Black Belt, from Coffeeville Lake and Bladen PICKENS Springs State Park in southern Choctaw County to Aliceville Lake on the Mississippi border. In commu- GREENE HALE nities along the way, immerse yourself in Black Belt hospitality and history, cuisine and culture. Begin PERRY SUMTER your explorations at the Coleman Center for Arts and Culture, which exhibits both regional and nation- MACON DALLAS MONTGOMERY MARENGO CHOCTAW ally acclaimed art and promotes traditional Black Belt arts, culture, and community. LOWNDES BULLOCK WILCOX Visit the antebellum homes, cemeteries, and churches of Gainesville’s picturesque historic downtown. The Aliceville Museum holds the largest collection of World War II German prisoner-of-war artifacts in the country—reminders of the region’s role in the war, during which it housed one of the largest German POW camps in the country. Broadhead Memorial Park offers a window into rural Alabama life in the 1800s, with its restored dogtrot house and grist mill. And at the Tom Bevill Visitor Center at Aliceville Lake, climb aboard the U.S. Snagboat Montgomery, a steam-powered sternwheeler that once cleared logs and debris from Black Belt rivers and is now a National Historic Landmark. During your journey, explore hardwood bottomlands, lakes, wetland sloughs, tallgrass prairielands, and the mighty Tombigbee River. Walk the nature trails at the University of West Alabama, where land managers are using prescribed burns to restore native tallgrass prairie. Cast your fishing line into the Tombigbee River and Aliceville Lake. Bring your binoculars to the cypress swamp overlook at Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge and search the shallows for Anhingas and White Ibises, Wood Ducks and Pin- tails. During your travels, you can camp at one of several campgrounds—Pickensville Campground on Aliceville Lake, Bladon Springs State Park, Service Park on Coffeeville Lake, and Lenoir Landing—or enjoy the comforts of accommodations in communities along your route. A publication of the Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel ACOE Sunrise on the Tombigbee River Wood Ducks Dave Menke, USFWS Lee Sentell - Director Tommy Cauthen - Art Director Mary Jean Packer - Coordinator Fermata, Inc. 3 1 Coleman Center for Arts and Culture Description: The Coleman Center for Arts and Culture has brought the arts to the Black Belt region since the mid-1980s, holding exhibitions, conducting workshops, and sponsoring local festivals and events. You’ll find the work of both regional and nationally recognized artists here.The Center regularly offers workshops in artistic media ranging from ceramics and photography to drawing and knitting. The Center’s goal is to improve the quality of life in the Black Belt region by nurturing creativity and by revitalizing traditional arts, culture, and community. The Center sponsors Black Belt Designs, a non-profit program that empowers Black Belt residents through production of custom-designed clothing and wearable art. The Coleman Center also provides space for town forums and adjoins the city library. Directions: From I-59/20, take exit 8 and drive 2.7 miles south on AL 17 to York. Turn left on Avenue A and travel one block.