LOCATION

Alabama, the nerve center of the US's historic Civil Rights Movement, is the 30th largest state in the United States with 135,775 sq km of total area. Alabama ranges in elevation from sea level at Mobile Bay, to a little more than 1,800 feet or 550 meters in the Appalachian mountain in the northeast. The highest point is Mount Cheaha. About three-fifths of the land area is a gentle plain with a general incline towards the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The capital is Montgomery while the main cities are Anniston, Auburn, Decatur, Dothan, Florence, Gadsden, Hoover and Tuscaloosa.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN ALABAMA

Anniston Museum of Natural History: Here you can explore the African jungles, North American wilderness, and the mysteries of 2,000-year-old mummies.

Old Alabama Town: Remember all those colonnaded structures in Hollywood flicks set in the 19th and early 20th centuries? Re-visit the architectural masterpieces during a trip to over forty restored Alabama structures stretching along six blocks depicting life in the bygone era. See the South the way it really was!

HANK WILLIAMS MUSEUM: This museum is the one-stop shop for all you wanted to know about the legendary musician Hank Williams, who gave "country music much of its standard repertoire, a new definition of stardom and a legend so enduring that he is still the model for countless singers and songwriters." The centerpiece of the museum is of course Hank's 1952 Cadillac, which he was traveling in on the night he died.

Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts: The museum has on display more than 3,000 works of American paintings and sculpture; Southern regional and folk art, Old Master and contemporary works on paper, and decorative art objects.

The Montgomery Ballet: The city's only professional dance company puts up the Nutcracker every Christmas for the past 25 years. There are also two free performances each season ??? Performance on the Green in August and ballet and The Beasts in September.

Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park: The cultural park, designed by late Russell Page, has English-style grounds and lake. It also contains the new Shakespeare Gardens, which opened in 1999 and features herbs and flora featured in Shakespearean plays.

Shakespeare Festival Backstage Tour: For theatre-lovers, a visit to the backstage is a dream come true. You can do so now with the backstage festival tour.

THINGS TO DO IN ALABAMA: There is plenty to do in this beautiful state and at the outset let us suggest that you must come here with lots of time in hand.

The state can be divided into four regions and each of them has something different to offer: While the Gulf coast region is a hit with families because of its greenery and pristine waters, the river heritage region is the center of large cotton plantations. The must-see in this region is the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute at Selma. To the east of Selma are the Rosa Parks Library and Museum in downtown Montgomery and the Troy State University-Montgomery Library. For culture aficionados, Montgomery's Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park's, Carolyn Blount Theatre hosts the fifth largest Shakespeare festival in the world and offers productions on two stages year-round.

The mountains region is dotted with waterfalls, caverns and tree-crested mountaintops. For those looking for a peep into the state's glorious history, take a walk through the Huntsville's Burritt on the Mountain then stroll through Twickenham Historic District. Later, zoom into the future at the US Space and Rocket Center.