We started our stay in Alabama by staying 2 nights in Huntsville. On our way to Huntsville we stopped at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, located in Sheffield, Alabama. They recorded many top hits mostly in the 1960s and 70s, with the Rolling Stones, Cat Stevens, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, etc. Its obscure location was attractive to many top recording artists since they could come and do some recording while being able to remain under the radar. The studio also boasted a band which had a very cool and unique sound and people wanted to come record with that band.

The next morning we went to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. I must admit I had no idea that Huntsville Alabama had such a rich rocket history! The Saturn V rocket that was used for the Apollo missions to the moon was developed and built there. It was flown from 1967 to 1973 and was used for nine crewed flights to the moon. They have a real size model of it and it is very impressive! It was amazing to read about all the work that went into the development of the rocket, and figuring out how to make it go all the way to the moon – and a lot of it done with pencil and paper!

The next day on our way to Selma, we stopped at America’s oldest baseball park, Rickwood Field in Birmingham Alabama. It was being used for a high school tournament today – which was fun to watch for a few innings. But its history is amazing! It opened in 1910 and many legends played there such as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, just to name a few.

When we arrived in Selma we went straight to the bridge and walked over it and back. It was surreal to see the bridge in real life after seeing it so much in the media. Also crazy to learn that the bridge is named after a Ku Klux Klan leader! Unfortunately, the town of Selma was pretty run down. We stayed right downtown in a place that had been completely refurbished, but the surrounding buildings were in disrepair. Hopefully now that the hotel is done and nice it will bring more interest to the area and nearby buildings will get fixed up.

After our night in Selma, we went down to Montgomery. We saw the first Confederate White House and a lot more information about Rosa Parks and the bus boycott. Looks like we’ll be dodging thunderstorms on our drive to Florida tomorrow!