A few of these things will really surprise you!
See great rooms with dogs, including labradors, terriers, and more, on CountryLiving.com.
National Historic Districts, hidden natural gems, and stunning views are only some of what small towns in Alabama have to offer!
Whether you're a native of Alabama or a tourist, there are several Alabama fun facts that are quite interesting about this southern state!
This small Alabama town is full of historic charm.
Sydney + Miles decided to host their celebration on Miles’ family property. Planner and event designer Honey + Thyme shares that the transformation that had to occur in order to host a wedding was a fun process to be involved in! It took a village and a creative vision, but it certainly came to life...
As Reese Witherspoon infamously said to Melanie Lynskey’s Sweet Home Alabama character, “You have a baby…in a bar.” So where is that baby today? The actress has a surprising update.
Downtown on Dauphin Street. Mobile, AL
Come fall, it’s all boots and bird dogs at this Southern family farm. Pine trees rooted in the rich, black topsoil of southern Alabama tower above the mossy wetlands of this Gulf state’s lower half. It’s in this part of the country, where behind a woodland curtain you’ll find open fields rolling into swamp bottoms, that a Birmingham-based family decided to build on their own piece of land. The husband and wife have owned this property for about 20 years, their three children now grown. Early on, the five of them built a small cabin together with their own hands. In 2010, they enlisted the help of architect Jeffrey Dungan to expand upon that original work. “The property has evolved from purely raw land, consisting of hardwood swamp bottoms, large pine plantations, and open fields,” the husband says. “It has been a true labor of love to see the land develop, and in particular see our wonderful main ranch house take form.” 1/2 Greeted first by screened-in porches, family and friends usher in weekends at the farm with hunting in the surrounding fields, woods, and lakes — birds and deer in the fall, turkey in the spring. “We have added dog kennels for our bird dogs and our guests’ dogs when they visit,” the husband adds, explaining that the family comes home to this place more and more — most weekends, in fact, and all holidays throughout the year. During the autumn season, when not outside, entertainment comes in the form of crackling fires and cozy chairs made for watching college football. “It reminds me of certain people you meet, where it’s ‘what you see is what you get.’ I think it creates a type of authenticity that is wonderful and refreshing,” says Dungan, who used natural materials including indigenous fieldstone and local reclaimed wood to craft a welcoming but informal, family-friendly setting. Dungan, the author of The Nature of Home: Creating Timeless Houses, wanted to design a warm, inviting household — something that spoke to the land around it and looked as if it had always been there. Expansive and relaxed, the property now comprises 7 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms, all styled in warm, neutral tones meant to honor the modesty of the family’s original cabin. I think it creates a type of authenticity that is wonderful and refreshing. —Architect Jeffrey Dungan 1/4 True to form, the activities at this Southern hearth haven’t gotten any fancier. “We spend a lot of time in the kitchen and open great room, and on the sprawling porches that Jeff [Dungan] designed for use year-round,” the husband says. “It is common for us to catch a batch of fish, clean them, and start cooking in the open kitchen mid-morning, serving friends and family on paper plates as we go, and end up with all the fish eaten and no one ever sitting down.” Resources Jeffrey Dungan, Principal | Jeffrey Dungan Architects | Mountain Brook, AL | 205.322.2057 Get The Look Feel the warmth of fall with these rustic down-home accents. Leather host chair (price upon request). Faux wolf fur pillow ($49.95). Aurora iron chandelier ($2,145). Salida coffee table ($689). Mounted longhorn steer horns ($234.16). PHOTOGRAPHY: William Abranowitz. Explore:Home & Ranch
National Historic Districts, hidden natural gems, and stunning views are only some of what small towns in Alabama have to offer!
The Courthouse in Monroeville, Alabama.
33deg31'2.07"N 86deg32'47.41"W About 15 miles east of Birmingham While researching Calcis, Alabama, I came across excerpts from the journal of E. L. Voyles, a road superintendent for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad during the first half of the twentieth century....
Doodle Swap #5 Mary Huddleston Song: "Sweet Home Alabama" Lynyrd Skynyrd
Monument to the cotton-destroying boll weevil.
Reese Witherspoon stars in Sweet Home Alabama, a 2002 film about a woman who wants to cut all ties with her past but can't seem to escape from it.
A meteor shower in 1833 was the inspiration for a jazz standard and an Alabama state motto.
Alabama's most historic churches are also some of the state's most beautiful pieces of architecture.
Southerners love Sweet Home Alabama—the film's lines and the scenery reminds us of home. But do you know all there is to know about this Southern favorite?
In 2005 we shifted gears and changed a lot of things up. The new collection was edgier. We hired a new photographer, booked new faces and planned a new ad campaign. I remember standing in the background to watch the shoot and looking over at our art director and asking him if he had a name for the campaign. He grinned and said, Yeah, TURN IT UP. Then and now, nothing could be more perfect than the first line of Lynard Skynard's Sweet Home Alabama. The now-famous moment at the beginning of the song when Ronnie Van Zant says, "Turn it up," was not planned. Instead, he was telling his sound engineer to turn up the volume on his headset. The band liked it, kept it in the recording, and the rest is history. Growing up in the late 70s I was shaped by Southen Rock and influential bands like the Allman Brothers, ZZ Top, Gram Parsons, and of course Lynyrd Skynyrd. Sweet Home Alabama was our anthem in the tiny Texas town where I went to high school. Saturday nights we would turn it up and sing along... Muscle Shoals has got the Swampas. Jump ahead thirty-some-odd years and I was still turning it up and singing "Muscle Shoals has got the Swampas." But what was the Swampas? Where was Muscle Shoals? All these years I had been singing these lyrics and I didn't have a clue. A quick search on Google naturally turned into a time-sucking rabbit hole where I discovered Rick Hall and his Fame Studios where top musicians have flocked for decades, and finally the Swampers. Ha, the Swampers was not some sickly Southern virus or strain of swamp fever I once thought it was, but the rhythm section responsible for the Muscle Shoals sound - a mix of southern blues, country, rock, and pop. I loved everything about Muscle Shoals. The feel, the look, and the sound. It was a walk down memory lane. I tucked it all away and promised myself when I had the guts to do it, I would do a collection based on Southern Rock and Muscle Shoals. The Swampers, photo Magnolia Pictures Enter, Muscle Shoals the Documentary - 2013's tuneful chronicle of the musical legacy of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. I watched it and couldn't stand it any longer. I had to get it out. I had to do a collection based on the times - my coming of age in a post-Vietnam era where life was carefree and the sound coming through the 8-track tapes were long jams, country, and boogie blues. I had to do a collection based on what was hanging in our closets - musical icons like Cher, Gregg Allman, Gram Parsons and Lynyrd Skynrd influenced not just the music we listened to, but even the clothes we wore. I new Double D Ranch's Spring 2018 collection would be great. It would be groovy. It would be sexy. Because after all, we were great and groovy - and lord, we were sexy. Gregg Allman in Robert Warner leather The Swampers Jacket, copyright Double D Ranch 2018 Gram Parson, photo Robert Altman Rebel Heart Caftan, copyright Double D Ranch 2018 Backstage Pass Jacket, copyright Double D Ranch 2018 Hotlanta Top, copyright Double D Ranch 2018 Red Cloud Jacket, copyright Double D Ranch 2018 Tall Chief Tank, Copyright Double D Ranch 2018 Gregg Allman, photo Sidney Smith Santa Clara Velvet Dress, copyright Double D Ranch 2018 Boogie Boot, copyright Double D Ranch 2018 To see more of Double D Ranch's Muscle Shoals Collection, view the lookbook or shop online
June 24 marks the anniversary of the release of the song "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1974.
Sweet Home Alabama, the 2002 hit starring Reese Witherspoon as Melanie Carmichael, is known for its script. These are our favorite quotes and zingers from a movie that's slap full of them.
Alabama State Capitol Montgomery, AL www.preserveala.org/capitoltour.htm
Last month while the older three children were at camp, Joe and I took advantage of a quieter house with an anniversary trip to The G...
