Pelham/Birmingham, AL (State #5)-Oak Mountain State Park

Oak Mountain State Park was a fun place to visit. The park has so much to do. At 9,940 acres, it is Alabama's largest state park.

Some of the amenities included an 18 hole golf course, cabins, horse stables and trail rides, a marina, picnic areas with great views,

beach swimming area,

canoe/kayak rentals,

and lots of bike trails-about fifty miles. The Double Oak Trail at 22 miles long and 1600 ft of combined climbing was added to the list of Epic Rides by the International Mountain Bike Association. While it says that the trail has areas for all levels, we decided to stick to the Family Trail. It was listed as an easy trail but I wouldn’t call it EASY especially with the extra 40 pounds of Jordan. BUT it was a LOT of fun. It was only 0.7 miles long but had many hills and turns along with a couple of bridges. I only made it twice around with Jordan but Greg and Jacob went four times.

We also went on a couple of beautiful hikes. The first was to Peavine Falls. There was supposed to be a trail there but it disappeared. You could tell where hikers had begun to make their own trails. It was basically a trip down a rocky hillside to the bottom of the falls. It wasn't too bad but Jordan was wearing flip flops and Jacob was wearing rain boots, NOT the best hiking choices! Neither had any grip on the bottom. But we made it down without incident and here was the beautiful reward:

The next hike was to Maggie's Glen. There was more than one way to get there and I think we picked the toughest on the way there. Lots of hills but it was a pretty hike. The kids love to throw rocks and sticks in the water so of course they enjoyed this area. The hike back was easy and mostly flat.

Found these irises all along the trail, beginning to bloom.

The kids and I went down the Moccassin Wildlife Trail. It is an easy and short trail from the campground that travels along the water. We then found a trail that led out onto a peninsula. From there we could see the swim area for the campground.

Another cool thing about this park is that is has a BMX track and a BUMP track. I could have a lot of fun on these. And I really wish I could say that I did, but I would have had to go during the day without Greg and I can't get my bike off of the top of his truck alone. They had races there the weekend BEFORE we got there. Of course!

The park was also home to the Alabama Wildlife Center. This facility takes in about 1800 injured and orphaned birds each year. There was no admission fee. It was a small place and had a few viewing areas.

This is their “Freedom Flight Cage”. It is 60 feet long and allows such birds as hawks, owls and herons the space to fly around.

And this was the best part. The baby bird nursery! We were able to stand in an observation room that had one-way glass to watch in and see the care for the baby birds. For 12 hours a day, they are fed every 30 minutes! There were about three birds in each strawberry basket and about 5 baskets. When she would finish with the last basket, she had only a few minutes until the next feeding would begin!

The kids were in heaven! They loved it! Jacob is already making plans to return here to volunteer when he is eligible at 16. ;)

I also got to see some pretty birds at their feeders. My favorite was the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

and I really like the Indigo Bunting as well (the blue dot in this picture)

The park also had an Interpretive Center. It was still in the process of being remodeled so much of the exhibits were empty. It will be very nice once it is done.

There was also a “Demonstration Farm” in the park.

At the front, we were greeted by this peacock. (He was actually a little scary. I think we were interrupting his attempt to attract a mate)

We were able to see some pigs, donkeys, zebras, goats and sheep. You could just walk around the farm and many of the animals roamed freely. It was nice that you could not feed them so they weren't trying to trample over you for food.

Camping next to us was a family from Louisiana. Their 3 kids, Jordan, Ty and Sidney, were on spring break. Jacob and Jordan had a blast playing with them. Our campsite was in a cul-de-sac so they could safely ride their bikes together. But they also spent a lot of time in the woods creating a secret hideout. The entire family was super nice and even fed us some very good Jambalaya.

We celebrated Greg's birthday this week too! It was a work day so afterwards, we went out to eat at Zapata's Mexican Restaurant then had cheesecake back at the house.

Outside the park, the kids and I went to the McWane Science Center in Birmingham (free with our museum pass). It was a big place with FOUR levels. There was so much to do. Fortunately, we arrived just as the field trip groups were leaving.

There was a cool robot that would race you in a tangram puzzle. You could pick the puzzle and then he would construct the design while you did at the same time. He always won even though he was usually playing against 2 people at one time! It was so funny to watch him win too because the way they made it move was just like him saying “In your face!” and then taking a bow in all directions. You could actually cheat and push the button to signal that you had finished first. The robot's response was equally as humorous as if he were saying “You the man! I bow to you!” I should have videoed it!

Jordan tested out the bed of nails a few times. Jacob wasn't so sure about it.

This ball maze is in the lobby of the museum and I think most kids, as well as I, could just watch it for a half hour or more.

The museum just had a lot of fun things:

And finally, on Greg's day off, we ventured into Birmingham to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. They do not allow any photography inside the museum so I have nothing to show from there.

In an attempt to keep the kids occupied so that we could learn something at the museum and hopefully they might too, I printed out a few pictures from the internet of items that could be seen at the museum. They had to find them and write the title of the marker next to it while I read to them what it said. The reward for completing it (other than the obvious learning of something) was ice cream. They were eager to participate!

Some of the items on their “scavenger hunt” were in Kelly Ingram Park across the street. This is the area where some of the protests took place and the police turned loose dogs on the children and sprayed them with fire hoses. The park is very pretty BUT sadly not a place where we would ever go again due to the abundance of panhandlers.

From there, we stopped at WC Patton Park to have a picnic lunch. It was a very pretty park with people getting ready for birthday parties, having lunch and fishing. I was so impressed until I walked into the bathroom and then I was ready to run!

Our final stop was to see Greg's Great Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Sammy. They have lived in the Birmingham area for 35 years. 

They live in Uncle Sammy's grandfather's home that was built over a hundred years ago! The surroundings were beautiful.

We had a great time visiting with them and listening to stories of the past.  It was a wonderful opportunity to meet some family that I and the kids may not have otherwise.

Next we will be moving into Huntsville.