2020 Jan 28, Day Trip to Guntersville, Alabama Parks, & Harbors

Hubby and I rode to Guntersville, stopping at the Guntersville Dam and looking for waterfowl, but we did not see any.

We stopped at Guntersville Harbor & Guntersville Municipal Park, where we saw hundreds of seagulls,& double-crested Cormorants.

We stopped at Dollar General for sweets.

It was getting near lunchtime, so we rode to Winzell’s Oyster House, where hubby and I  split a Sea Food Broil. $26.69 meal, which consisted of premium white fish, oysters, shrimp, stuffed crab, and scallops.

After a delicious meal, we rode to Guntersville State Park.

Double-breasted Cormorants 

Double-breasted Cormorants 

Seagulls 

Lunch at Winzell's  

Seafood Boil

 (12 shrimp, 4 oysters, 1 fish, 1 crab cake, & 5 scallops) 

A couple of deer come in for a closer look.

Lazy Billy goat

We rode to Lake Guntersville, which is located on the banks of the Tennessee River, where we saw hundreds of American Coots.

We saw a herd of deer grazing on both sides of the road near the campground area. 

We also saw an area with a small enclosed pond along with friendly petting animals such as donkeys, emus, and goats. 

We were hoping to see an eagle or two but saw none. 

The park at Guntersville was desolate, too cold for swimming, but a few were camping.

My sister-in-law had a transmission put in her car, so hubby and I rode to Decatur, and hubby drove the car home. 

I stopped at Jack's, on my way home, in Decatur for a couple of strawberry cheesecake pies. 

Had a pleasant day in Guntersville.

🚙2017 January 31, Tuesday, Day Trip to Guntersville

We left home around 9:00AM, stopping at Helping Hands Clinic for a B-12 shot.

We stopped at Foodland to get a Diet Coke and a Diet Mt Dew canned drink out of the vending machine.

Next, we stopped at Dollar General for a package of Fig Newtons made with real fruit and no high fructose corn syrup only 110 calories.

Being later in the morning traffic was not too bad as we rode north-west on I565 to 231 NW into Guntersville.

Our first stop was at the small Guntersville Airport to visit the Homer B. Wilson Vintage Museum but no one was there.

Glover Hotel
built 1933 by Campbell Wallace Glover sold in the 1950s and used as Dept of Pensions and Securities for 15 years.  In 1987 sold to George Kappler, and he opened a restaurant that now is for sale.

As we rode through Guntersville we noticed many of the old store buildings were remodeled and occupied. The Glover Hotel (built around 1950) was up for sale.

Abraham Lincoln Display Timeline

We rode to 1215 Rayburn Ave to the Guntersville Museum & Cultural Center (once the Rock Armory)

The museum is a unique historical setting with permanent collections as well as current exhibits. The museum is free to visit it is open to the public Tuesday-Friday 10-4PM Saturday & Sunday 1-4PM.

The door is locked from the inside and you have to ring a bell for service.

You are greeted by a curator of the museum, given a little history of the museum, and the location of each exhibit, and told you can visit all day if you want to.

Once inside the walls were covered with plaques about the history of Guntersville.

 There was a boat on display that represented all the activities that one can do on Lakes Guntersville. We saw Crusader, the Mechanical wonder Horse on which many a child had ridden. We saw a sign advertising "Bargains Days every Tues. and Wed. Adm "10 & 15 cents" including tax along with adjoining theater seats.

We saw an old spinning wheel, piano, trophy from Boat Race, wooden benches, a character readings machine, a fire hose cart, and a cardboard copy of Will Rodgers (He is the grandson of John Gunter, a namesake of Guntersville's).

The next rooms were TVA and the making of the land, This one is for the birds, a view of the past with Native American artifacts, local art, and famous sons and daughters of Guntersville. 

The grand room was a display about the life of Abraham Lincoln with a cardboard life-size statue of Abraham and a sculptured head inside a glass case.

We stopped to visit the Culbert Cabin next door to the Guntersville Museum and across the street was the Guntersville Theater.

Guntersville Theater

Chicken Plate (3 chicken fingers, coleslaw, biscuits, Chocolate chip cookie, and a drink) 

I shared a chicken dinner with Colonel Sanders at KFC

We traveled along 227 into Guntersville State Park passing through Short Creek, Hurricane Creek, Town Creek, and Minky Creek. We stopped at the lagoon in the state park to visit the donkeys, emus, goats, and ducks.

We stopped along the waterways to take pictures of Mabrey's Rock of Ages, Guntersville Lake, and the waterfowl. (saw no Eagles)

Mabrey's Rock of Ages

There were hundreds of ducks bobbing in the water

We stopped to take a picture of a deer. He looked right at us turned around and began grazing. He knew we would not shoot him.

We continued climbing the mountain to the top stopping at the State Park Lodge, and chalets overlooking Lake Guntersville.

I walked down to a rest area to take pictures of the view below. There I meet a woman eating her lunch. She said her husband had gone fishing and she was going to enjoy the day at the park.

She said before the tornado came through this area that you could not see the RV Park or the camping Area below. I also saw a couple Zip-lining. 

View of Campground from the Guntersville Lodge atop the mountain

Our last stop before starting home was Bucks Pocket State Park which is located on Sand Mountain in the community of Oak Grove. 

The road and picnic area had seen better days. The fencing around the cliffs was well and the view was awesome  Right now the thousands of trees below are necked and bare but in the fall will be vivid with color.

Sunsetting over the Rocket at the Space and Rocket Center Huntsville 

The sun was setting as we traveled into Huntsville and before we reached Athens it was pitch black.

We could see the stars above and a crescent moon.

We ordered a to-go meal from Taco Bell.

It had been a beautiful day, not too hot or too cold, a perfect day for traveling and hiking in the State Parks.