Parks around Tuskegee

In 1881, Booker T. Washington arrived in Alabama and started building Tuskegee Institute both in reputation and literally brick by brick. He recruited the best and the brightest to come and teach here including George Washington Carver who arrived in 1896. Carver's innovations in agriculture, especially with peanuts, expanded Tuskegee's standing throughout the country. The story continues....

Before the first African American military pilots became known as the "Red Tails" they wore striped tails as they began their flight training in the Army's PT-17 Stearman bi-plane. Their flying adventure started at Moton Field, in Tuskegee, Alabama, where the Army Air Corps began a military "experiment" to see if Negroes could be trained to fly combat aircraft. Come--share their adventure!!

On 27 March 1814, Major General Andrew Jackson 's army of 3,300 men attacked Chief Menawa's 1,000 Red Stick Creek warriors fortified in a horseshoe shaped bend of the Tallapoosa River. Over 800 Red Sticks died that day. The battle ended the Creek War, resulted in a land cession of 23,000,000 acres to the United States and created a national hero of Andrew Jackson.

Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1964, on the Walter F. George Reservoir (Lake Eufaula) in cooperation with the Corps of Engineers (COE). The reservoir resulted from impoundment of the Chattahoochee River between Alabama and Georgia. The Refuge, lying on the upper reaches of the reservoir, consists of 11,184 acres. There are 7,953 acres in Barbour and Russell Counties, Alabama...

Fishing is probably the most popular activity on West Point Lake. A dozen creeks and more than 40 square miles of lake provide plenty of good fishing spots for the thousands of anglers who fish here regularly. The lake abounds with bass, catfish, crappie and bream. Bank fishing is excellent at many locations, including public fishing piers at Hardley Creek Park, Rocky Point Park, and McGee Bridge ...

On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which extended equal voting rights for African-Americans. As both White and Black non-violent supporters led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the right to vote in Central Alabama, today, you can trace their march toward freedom on the 54-mile trail and connect with their stories at the Interpretive Centers.

There are 13 Corps of Engineers day use parks and 4 campgrounds on Walter F. George Lake, a great place to camp, fish, boat and picnic. Enjoy the natural beauty of the lake and the Chattahoochee River, as well as the gracious antebellum mansions located in nearby historic towns, such as Eufaula, Alabama and Cuthbert, Georgia. The lake, sometimes referred to as Lake Eufaula, extends 85 miles along ...

Woodruff Lake offers such activities as fishing, boating, water-skiing, picnicking, camping, swimming and hiking. The project features 11 parks that are well-facilitated for visitors. Conveniences at the parks include beaches, campgrounds, picnic areas, trails and boat launching ramps. Since construction of the first park in 1975, annual attendance figures have soared to over 2 million.

The Cheaha Wilderness now contains a total of 7,245 acres and is managed by the Forest Service. All of the Wilderness is in the state of Alabama. In 1983 the Cheaha Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities and extraordinary opportunities for solitude. In an age of "...increasing...

Talladega Drive offers a bird's-eye view of scenic mountains, rock outcroppings, and small rural settlements within the Talladega National Forest. Heading towards Cheaha State Park and Alabama's highest peak, with an elevation of 2,407 feet, travel the backbone of Horseblock and Cheaha Mountains, the southernmost extension of the Appalachian Mountains.

2015 Recreation Fee Schedule and Opening DatesPlaces of Great EscapesGet moving and take a “Great Escape” trip by exercising in one of Alabama’s national forests. A drive to one of our national forests provides opportunities for hiking, running, walking, bicycling, swimming, and canoeing.Exercising in the great outdoors can burn just as many calories as jogging on a treadmill, and an additional be...

Few U.S. Presidents have had such close ties with where they were born and raised. The rural southern culture of Plains, Georgia, that revolves around farming, church and school, had a large influence in molding the character and in shaping the political policies of the 39th President of the United States.

Lake George W. Andrews is named for George William Andrews, who was born in Clayton, Alabama in 1906 and served as a United States Representative from 1944 until his death in 1971. The project was originally named the Columbia Lock and Dam and was renamed for Congressman Andrews in 1972. Lake George W. Andrews day use parks include: Abbie Creek Park and West Bank Park located on the Alabama side...

The Camp Sumter military prison at Andersonville was one of the largest Confederate military prisons during the Civil War. During the 14 months the prison existed, more than 45,000 Union soldiers were confined here. Of these, almost 13,000 died here. Today, Andersonville National Historic Site is a memorial to all American prisoners of war throughout the nation's history.

Cahaba River NWR is one of nation's newest National Wildlife Refuges, the 540th in fact. Established September 25, 2002 for the purpose of protecting and managing a unique section of the Cahaba River and land adjacent to it. Cahaba River NWR is home to five federally listed species including the Cahaba shiner, goldline darter, round rocksnail, and cylindrical lioplax snail. Currently, the Refug...

Watercress Darter NWR, near Bessemer, Jefferson County, Alabama, was established by the Service in 1980 to provide protection for the endangered watercress darter. Although the Refuge is only about 23 acres of ponds, mixed pine-hardwood forest, and a residence, it contains Thomas Spring, the original quarter acre pond where the species was described. A second pond was constructed on the Refuge i...

Bisecting Alabama's Black Prairie Belt, the William "Bill" Dannelly Reservoir encompasses 105 miles of the Alabama River. Dannelly Reservoir boasts an area of about 27 square miles and a shoreline of more than 500 miles. Since opening in 1974, the lake and its surrounding parks have become a recreational center, offering excellent fishing, skiing, boating and hunting. With its great appeal to sp...

The Dugger Mountain Wilderness now contains a total of 9,200 acres and is managed by the Forest Service. All of the Wilderness is in the state of Alabama. In 1999 the Dugger Mountain Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities and extraordinary opportunities for solitude. In an age...

Genealogy Research The Atlanta facility has extensive microfilm holdings of value for genealogy research, among them: Federal population censuses for all States, 1790-1930; indexes for the 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses (indexes are not available for all census years and all states); selected military service records and indexes; selected pension and bounty-land warrant applicati...

Claiborne Lake is the most primitive of the Alabama River Lakes. Nestled in Alabama's southwest hill country, the lake encompasses over 60 miles of the Alabama River, stretching from the Claiborne Lock and Dam to Millers Ferry Lock and Dam. Claiborne Lock and Dam was completed in 1971 but was opened for navigation in November 1969. It has no power installation. Although the lake remains mostly w...

A young boy grows up in a time of segregation...A dreamer is moved by destiny into leadership of the modern civil rights movement...This was Martin Luther King, Jr. Come hear his story, visit the home of his birth, and where he played as a child. Walk in his footsteps, and hear his voice in the church where he moved hearts and minds. Marvel at how he was an instrument for social change.

The Lake Seminole project, originally authorized as the Jim Woodruff Lock & Dam Project by the River and Harbor Act of 1946, was the first of three locks and dams constructed for navigation, hydro-power, recreation and related use purposes on the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint River systems. Construction of this muti-purpose project began in 1947 and was completed in 1957. Lake Seminole b...

Piedmont NWR is primarily an upland forest dominated by loblolly pine on the ridges with hardwoods found along the creek bottoms and in scattered upland coves. Clear streams and beaver ponds provide ideal wetland habitat for waterfowl and other wetland dependent species. Today the forest and native wildlife populations have been restored from what was originally abandoned farm land. The refuge ser...

Bond Swamp NWR, located 6 miles south of Macon, was established in 1989 to protect, maintain and enhance the forested wetland ecosystem of the Ocmulgee River floodplain. It opened to the public in 2000 and currently consists of 6,500 acres situated along the fall line separating the Piedmont and Coastal Plains. The refuge has a diversity of vegetation communities, including mixed hardwood-pine,...

Welcome to Ocmulgee National Monument this park is a memorial to the relationship of people and natural resources. Native Americans first came here during the Paleo-Indian period hunting Ice Age mammals. Different cultures occupied this land for thousands of years. The Mississippian culture arrived here around 900 constructing mounds for their elite. Today the mounds still remain for all to see.