The Small Town Feel in Alabama

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In a brand-new feature article on GoNOMAD.com, Max Hartshorne writes about the “Charming Small Towns and Downtowns” in and around Mobile, Alabama.

Despite any imagined preconceptions some Northerners hold towards the deep South regions like Alabama, Hartshorne’s article captures a slice of the Southern attitude and spirit which disproves any biases: “I knew it and laughed when I was met with derision in the cafe when I told people my next destination. They’d start singing “Sweet Home Alabama,” and mocking my choice of a trip.”

Enjoy the excerpt below, and then go read the full thing!

In Alabama you’ve got to make your choice at a very early age. Unless you’re bound by your family tradition, it’s never too early to decide whether you love Auburn or The University of Alabama. Here, there is no doubt about which camp anyone is in. It’s refreshingly unambiguous.
I asked our bus driver Doug where he stood. “Alabama!” he thundered.
Our guide from Orange Beach Gulf Shores, Kim, said she was a Tiger. That’s the mascot for Auburn, they’re the Tigers. Alabama is the Tide. The Crimson Tide.

One of the writers we traveled with is a lifelong Alabamaian who graduated from The U of Alabama.

She still recalls the absolute shock and awe that her and her cheerleader friends experienced once when they were practicing in a gym and Coach Bear Bryant walked in. “We all just stopped and our jaws dropped, it was so amazing, nobody said anything, we were speechless.”
Such was the power of the legendary coach, who won more national championships for ‘Bama than any other mere mortal ever since.

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