Sweet Home Alabama: 8 Things to Know About the Heart of Dixie

There’s plenty to see and learn about Dixie as you road trip through Alabama’s cities, towns, gulf coast, and mountains. (Photo: Trish Hartmann/Flickr)

Some people go to Italy or Africa to immerse themselves in a new culture. But for me, a Northeasterner, my road trip to Alabama was just as educational. Turns out, Alabama is a world of its own … and you’d better know how to navigate the territory.

Heading to Alabama? Answer eight easy questions to help you decide if the “Heart of Dixie” is the destination of your dreams.

1. Moon or Mars?

I road tripped to Alabama because my daughter was going to Space Camp in Huntsville. Little did I know that Huntsville isn’t just a destination for astronaut-wannabe kids; it’s actually known as the “Rocket City,” because tons of space technology was developed here, and it’s got a long history of close association with space missions.

Road tripping in Alabama with the author’s teeny weeny trailer. (Photo: Lisa McElroy)

You can spend a whole day at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, home to authentic rockets, space memorabilia, a museum tracing the history of the space program, and an IMAX theater that shows exclusively movies about space.

Believe me when I say that you’ll want to attend Space Camp yourself after just a few hours there — and, yes, even adults can be trainees (Space Camp’s designation for campers).

And if you’re into to camping, like I am (I am a proud owner of a teeny weeny trailer), there’s a very nice campground right on Space Camp grounds.

Destination: Space Camp! (Photo: Lisa McElroy)

2. The Civil War or Civil Rights?

Any student of American history knows that Alabama figured prominently in both the Civil War and the civil rights movement.

If you’re a war buff, check out the Civil War Trail, which winds across the state to battlefield sites, depot museums, forts, and even an armory.

Related: I Took My Son on a Civil Rights Tour of the South

To learn about the civil rights movement, follow the Civil Rights Trail from the site of the Birmingham church where four little girls died in a bombing to voting rights outposts and museums to Selma and Montgomery, where Martin Luther King led marches, gave speeches, and started his ministry.

3. Beaches or mountains?

If you’ve never visited the Gulf Coast, you are in for a treat. Charter a fishing boat and bring dinner for the family (plus spot some dolphins along the way), or laze around on the white sand on the 32 miles of pristine coastline.

An Alabama coastline beach. (Photo: Thinkstock)

Divers will want to explore the reef wreck called the Lulu, a sunken freighter with lots to see at depths perfect for beginning and experienced divers.

More into heights than depths? Head to the northeast part of the state and Lookout Mountain, with its lush forests and waterfalls that will surprise you around bends on hiking trails. The rafting and kayaking on the Little River Canyon will take your breath away.

4. Boiling or Freezing?

If you’re in Bama in the summer or fall, you’ll think they’re joking when they ask if you if you’d like indoor or outdoor seating at the local Tex-Mex eatery. They’re not. And it’s a harder call than you might think; outside, it’s 104 degrees, but inside, it’s about 52 (yep, they pump the air conditioning up so high you think you fell asleep along your journey and ended up at the North Pole). Inside, you’ll need yoga pants, heavy socks, and mittens. Outside, lest you faint from dehydration, you’ll need to know the answer to the next question.

5. Coke or Coke?

Birmingham’s Dr. Pepper Syrup Plant, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Photo: Wikimedia)

You see, in Alabama, everything’s a “Coke.” That includes Sprite, Mountain Dew, 7-Up, root beer, and the unofficial state beverage: Dr. Pepper. When the Tex-Mex waitress asks you what you want to drink, you probably can’t get hot chocolate, even if you’re sitting inside. But order a Coke? She’ll ask you what kind. You’ll be puzzled, and then she’ll offer you some choices, which might even include Fanta Orange. But every time you need a refill (which will be nine or ten if you chose to sit outside), you’ll have to answer the question, “What kind of Coke was that?”

6. Ma’am or Sir?

Ask my 16-year-old daughter, and she’ll tell you I’m getting super old. But I’ve never felt it like I felt it in Alabama. Every single person you meet — whether it’s the elevator repairman in the hotel or the proprietor at the local junk shop — will “yes, ma’am” and “no, ma’am” you to death (I had no male companion on this trip, but I’m pretty sure every man gets the “sir” treatment.)

Related: Why Road Trips are Better Now Than When You Were a Kid

The funniest part? You’ll find yourself doing it. As in, “Want a refill on that Coke?”

“Yes, ma’am, and it’s root beer, and boy is this shady outdoor table nice!”

Alabama, perfect place for a road trip. (Photo: Thinkstock)

Along those same lines, Alabama men consider it a duty to treat a woman like a lady.

Remember the junk store proprietor? Well, first, when I picked up an object and asked him what it was, he turned a lovely shade of purple — and he hadn’t been drinking a Dr. Pepper “Coke” or sitting out in the sun. He stuttered, then answered, “Well, now, ma’am, that’s a personal item…”

Turned out it was an enamel urinal thingie that men used to use like a chamberpot. I had to look it up on my phone (you try searching “personal enamel pot with spout thing on top” and see what you find). Then, when I bought a cheese grater (I left the enamel urinal for the next customer), this same proprietor insisted on carrying my 9-ounce purchase, walking me to my GMC Yukon Denali, exclaiming, “Well, ma’am, how does a tiny thing like you drive a big truck like this?), opening my car door, and putting me and my grater safely inside.

7. Okra: OK or RA (really awful)?

At the Tex-Mex joint (where I chose to sit inside), I didn’t see okra on the menu, but it might have been an oversight. That’s because practically every other restaurant in Alabama serves it, usually fried, often as a part of a choose-one-meat-and-two-vegetables-and-one-bread-and-one-dessert-and-one-Coke special.

Related: My Midlife Crisis: I Bought a Teeny Weeny Trailer to Travel the U.S.

What’s more, Alabama natives get super excited about their okra. I was standing at a Southern buffet, trying to choose between the fried chicken and the pork chops, when a whole gaggle of church ladies came running up to refill their plates with okra. “That’s mighty good!” said one. “Sure is!” said another. A third commented on the tastiness of the butter beans, which looked larger than the largest multivitamin you can’t choke down and sort of lima-y. (When I asked about the name, all the church ladies were puzzled. They’re just butter beans. They just are.)

Okra make you want to gag? The correct response to get out of another serving is “I’m all full up now.”

They sure know how to make good steak in Huntsville. (Photo: Lisa McElroy)

One more interesting note about Alabama cuisine? If you ask, say, at a steakhouse like Oh! Bryan’s whether they have bread, they will bring you Texas toast. And macaroni and cheese is considered a vegetable (just like a Dr. Pepper is a “Coke”). And the grocery store has an aisle sign just for “Inst. Taters.” Just thought I’d mention.

And last but not least:

8. ‘Bama or Auburn?

Yes, you’d best know the answer to this question, and be ready to be shunned if the junk store proprietor or the elevator repairman thinks you’re just plain wrong.

That’s ‘cause the Alabama-Auburn rivalry is known as the biggest one in the country. Every year, the two football teams face off in a battle on the gridiron called (you guessed it) the “Iron Bowl.” For the rest of the year, all of Alabama talks about last fall’s game and makes predictions about next year’s.

It’s all part of the fun that is … Alabama.

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