Fresh Air Family: Alabama

Make family time unforgettable with 75 outdoor adventures across Alabama—designed to spark curiosity and inspire wonder.
Getting kids outdoors and active in nature provides a wealth of benefits. It boosts creativity, improves physical health, builds confidence, and fosters a lifelong love of nature—not to mention strengthening family bonds! From waterfalls and wildflowers to caves, canyons, and coastal trails, Fresh Air Family: Alabama is your guide to the state’s most rewarding nature experiences for families. Whether you’re hiking to Alabama’s highest point atop Mount Cheaha or descending into the depths of Cathedral Caverns, every destination has been carefully chosen and personally explored by author Verna Gates—founder of the Fresh Air Family nonprofit in Birmingham.
This parent-friendly travel guide is packed with honest advice, fun facts, and thoughtful tips to help you make the most of every outing. Each listing includes age recommendations, accessibility info, local history, and STEAM-inspired ideas to help kids of all ages connect with the natural world in meaningful ways.
Inside you’ll find: - 75 outdoor destinations, organized by region - Helpful tips to make each trip a bonding experience - Age-specific activity ideas and STEAM opportunities - Nature facts, regional history, and stories that bring each place to life
Created in collaboration with Birmingham’s Fresh Air Family—an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to outdoor education and family adventure—this inspiring travel guide invites you to slow down, look closer, and experience Alabama’s wild beauty together.

Verna Gates has worked for Time magazine, CNN, and Reuters International. She is the author of 100 Things to Do in Birmingham. In 2006, Verna founded Fresh Air Family, an outdoor education program that have served thousands of children and their families. She has been honored as an Alabama Champion.