Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Football and More

'Bama and Bear Bryant

This is a football town without any doubt. If you could find a shop in town that doesn't sell some sort of 'Bama souvenir, clothing or memorabilia I would be surprised. There is big time college football here and it is an enormous part of the university and the city. Probably all Southeast Conference cities love their football teams, but I think none more than Tuscaloosa. If you're a football fan from any conference you'll truly enjoy the Bear Bryant Museum. You might even want to pick up a houndstooth hat in the gift shop.

The 'Bama campus is a typically beautiful southern university and worth spending some time exploring. Be sure to find the bronze football coaches all in a row - you'll know it when you see it. But, this is not the only college campus in town. If you tour the Shelton State Community College look for the Bean-Brown Theatre, home of Theatre Tuscaloosa. Should you be fortunate enough to arrive in Tuscaloosa anytime from October through July you may be lucky enough to catch one of the performances in this wonderful venue.

BBQ

Are you getting hungry yet? You're in the south so you have to have barbecue and if you have to have barbecue then you have to have lunch at Dreamland BBQ. They've been serving the best ribs you can find since 1958, so don't argue with 50 years of history - sit down, put on a bib and chow down.

American Art and Lodging as well

If you chewed the meat off of too many ribs it's time to take it easy and enjoy a nice quiet afternoon viewing one of the finest private collections of American Art in the world. This astonishing collection was assembled by Jack Warner starting in the fifties. The Westervelt-Warner Museum of American Art includes works by such notable artists as Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, James Whistler, Andrew Wyeth, John Singer Sargent, Duncan Phyfe and many others. I instantly recognized a terrific bronze by contemporary artist and craftsman Dave McGary. Dave is a celebrated artist from my home state of New Mexico and even has his own foundry for casting bronzes.

The Westervelt-Warner collection includes over 400 pieces made up of paintings, sculptures, furniture and other decorative arts. There are daily tours at 1:30 pm and special tours can be arranged by request. You can even arrange a special visit to Mr. Warner's private gardens and, if you're lucky enough to get to meet him, you'll be delighted with his knowledge and love of American art.

There is even more - the museum is connected to a 55 room lodge by a scenic foot-bridge where you, your guests or maybe your small conference group can stay and enjoy not only the art, but also golf, tennis, swimming and private garden tours.

Lodging

I stayed at the very nice, comfortable Hampton hotel on Harper Lee Drive. The location was very convenient and there were two things that I particularly enjoyed about it. First, was the fact I could go for long walks in the area without having to deal with heavy traffic. Second, was the complimentary hot breakfast each morning. An early morning walk and a good breakfast - the best way to start any day. And, if you recognize the name Harper Lee from the address, then, of course, you remember "To Kill A Mockingbird." I didn't get a chance to meet Ms. Lee on this trip but I have read that in spite of the fact that she really doesn't go out of her way to seek publicity, she is a delightful person with whom to share an afternoon tea. What tales she must be able to spin - one of her childhood friends was Truman Capote.

Mercedes Benz Factory Tour

Tuscaloosa is historic and Bear Bryant is legendary, but Tuscaloosa is also on the very cutting edge of technology as well. Witness the ultra modern Mercedes Benz factory and tour just a few miles down the road. If you've ever visited a NASCAR auto shop like Rousch Racing then you know that the workshops appear as clean as operating rooms in a hospital - maybe cleaner considering some of the things that seem to be floating around hospitals. The Mercedes factory is spotless as well and the automation is fascinating. It appears that all the welding is done by robots, but part of that work is screened off to protect visitors from the flying sparks. You can see enough to get the idea. Other places you can get up very close and view the operation. Watching the robots select the correct parts and install them is pretty impressive.

All the autos here are made to order. Each car has a bar code and the robots read those codes and install the parts that correspond to that particular order. One can easily become mesmerized standing and watching the robots pick up the windshields and rear windows and install them in only a matter of seconds to each passing vehicle on the line. There is also a museum with some beautiful early Mercedes autos here as well as a nice little gift shop, including some really neat little children's items.

Moundville Archeological Park

Before we leave Tuscaloosa County, there is one last mandatory stop. Do not fail to visit the Moundville Archeological Park, a part of the University of Alabama. About 800 years ago this was America's largest city north of Mexico. There is a really impressive new museum, nature trails, picnic areas, a campground, a lodge and, of course, the mounds themselves. Be sure to walk to the top of Mound B, the Chieftains' Mound, to get an excellent view of the entire area. Arrive here in October and you will be able to participate in the annual Moundville Native American Festival.

POW Camp

Although I didn't have time to visit on this trip I hope next time to take in the Aliceville Museum in nearby Aliceville, Alabama, where Field Marshall Rommel's famed Afrika Korps troops were held during WWII. You may not realize that nearly 400,000 German soldiers were held in 511 POW camps in the U.S. You'll learn more about it all when you visit the museum.

More to Discover

Enjoy your visit to Tuscaloosa. There is a lot more for you to discover on your own, like the Bama Theater, the Museum of Natural History, the Murphy African-American Museum, the Stillman College Campus, the Kentuck Art Center and lots more. Learn more about the city at Greater Tuscaloosa Convention & Visitors Bureau

Keep on Traveling.