This charming college town has been the home of the University of Alabama since 1831, and many stately houses from that era still stand. (It was also the state capital for 20 years, starting in 1826.) Visit Battle-Friedman House, an 1835 Greek Revival mansion (phone 205-758-2238); the Gorgas Home, built in 1825 (the former college dining hall contains a good display of furniture, heirlooms and colonial silver); and Mildred Warner House, parts of which date from the 1820s. (See the art collection, which includes works by Mary Cassatt and Edward Hopper.) Phone 205-553-6200.
At the university, stop by the Alabama Museum of Natural History, which has a collection of 140,000 fossils from a number of prehistoric eras (phone 205-348-7550; http://www.amnh.ua.edu). Crimson Tide football fans will want to stop by the Paul W. Bryant Museum to trace the history of the university's football team from 1892 to the present. Of course, there's a special section devoted to the career of the late Alabama coach "Bear" Bryant (phone 205-348-4668; http://www.bryantmuseum.ua.edu). Art lovers will want to see the Warner Collection at Gulf States Paper Corporation, with more than 150 works of art in different media by well-known American artists.
When in the area, we suggest a drive to Moundville Archaeological Park in Moundville, 20 mi/32 km south of Tuscaloosa. The site is nationally recognized as the most important prehistoric Native American settlement and ceremonial center of the South. It includes an archaeological museum, a restored temple and nature trails. Phone 205-371-2234. http://www.moundville.ua.edu.
Tuscaloosa's neighbor across the river, Northport, hosts the annual Kentuck Arts Festival on the third weekend in October. The festival features 250 national and regional folk artists. If you aren't in town for the festival, go to the Gallery at Kentuck or the Kentuck Museum of Art—both showcase folk art. Phone 205-758-1257. http://www.kentuck.org. Tuscaloosa is 50 mi/80 km southwest of Birmingham.
