Alabama Fall Fun on Two Wheels

For some, there is nothing better than traveling the world on a motorcycle. If you’re one of those people, this road trip is for you.

Begin your journey in Birmingham, Alabama, at Barber Vintage Motorsports. The five-story museum houses over 1,600 bikes ranging from Harley-Davidsons to Ducatis to Hondas, and holds the Guinness World Record as the “Largest Motorcycle Museum” in the world. In addition to a plethora of motorcycles, the museum also houses the world’s largest collection of Lotus race cars. As soon as you step inside, you are surrounded by a beautiful display of bikes and cars. Some of the automobiles are displayed on the floor of the museum; others on shelves located throughout the museum, and yes, even hanging from the ceiling.

After lunch, take a trip to DeSoto Caverns, featured on the Alabama Tourism Department’s 20 for 20 Natural Wonders list. This attraction has one of the world’s largest continuing accumulations of onyx-marble stalagmites and stalactites. It is also home to a Native American burial ground and Civil War mines.

After exploring the caverns, head on over to your last attraction of the day, Cheaha State Park. Here, you can park your bike at the highest point in Alabama and encounter panoramic views of the Talladega National Forest. This beautiful point offers arguably Alabama’s most beautiful view of the sunset and truly will make you feel as though you are on top of the world.

Day two of this road trip has us heading to North Alabama, an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. In North Alabama, you can enjoy a 22 mile ride through the scenic Little River Canyon Parkway. You begin to move up through a beautiful cadence of decelerating, shifting back, looking into the bend and steering in the bend. Towering rock bluffs that look over the rushing river below make Little River Canyon a place of solitude where you can truly take it all in.

As you continue to ride, the forest will turn into agricultural fields, and you will pass by beautifully-maintained farms and houses that are truly the epitome of Southern culture. Keep on riding until you reach Rocket City USA, also known as Huntsville, AL. Huntsville is home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, which plays a large role in the development of the space program and the Apollo 11 rocket. The museum houses a space shuttle, an Apollo 16 capsule, a Saturn V and various films about space travel.

Once you hit Decatur, AL, you can experience some of the best BBQ in the state at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, home of its famous Bar-B-Q chicken and white sauce. This flavorful dish will give you just the right amount of energy to kick-start your next adventure to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, home of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and FAME Studios. A music lover’s dream, here you will learn the history of some of the greats that performed here including Rick Hall and “The Swampers.”

Once you’ve finished touring Muscle Shoals, it’s time to head back to Birmingham. On your way back to the Magic City, be sure to get some fresh air and sunshine at the beautiful Bankhead National Forest, also known as the Land of 1000 Waterfalls.
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