Alabama is bordered on the north by Tennessee, to the east by Georgia and Florida, on the south by the Gulf of Mexico, and on its west by Mississippi.
*Area,
51,609 sq mi (133,677 sq km).
*Pop.
(2000) 4,447,100, a 10.1% increase since the 1990 census.
*Capital, Montgomery.
*Largest city, Birmingham.
*Nickname,Heart of Dixie.
*Motto,We Dare Defend Our Rights.
*State bird,yellowhammer.
*State flower, camellia. 
*State tree, Southern (longleaf) pine.
If you've never been to Alabama, prepare to be awestruck. The beauty and diversity of Alabama wil mesmerize you the minute you cross any of the state lines. From the gently rolling hills to the sugar white beachfront, Alabama is full of surprises. From the major metropolitan areas, to its quiet villages and towns, Alabama is called home to many. You don't have to have been born in Alabama to love this state. And if you choose to come home to Alabama, love it you will.
The best way to get to know Alabama, in my humble opinion, is to take what I have come to call field trips. There are so many options for day trips, you can fill your life with them. State parks and National Forests abound. There are options for hikers, canoers, and bicycle enthusiasts. There are historic sites to explore, gardens and historic homes. For example, from Fairhope, it would take about four hours to drive to Selma, and explore the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. If you're really adventuresome, or need a more concrete connection to the past, you can walk the walk from Selma to Montgomery, on the same route taken on that fateful day. Just be sure to have someone come pick you up. I promise, you will have a greater measure of respect for those who walked and sang along with Martin Luther King and company.
Or, again from Fairhope, you can drive about an hour to Bellingrath Gardens and Home and take the tour there. Bellingrath is absolutely one of the loveliest places on this earth. Personally, I like to be able to go at various times throughout the year, as gardens are always changing.
Drive east from Fairhope, and you can find yourself in Pensacola, or northeast and you'll be at Lake Eufala, easily one of the greatest surprises in the state. There is a new Five Rivers outdoors pavaillion on the Causeway, where you can get maps and tons of information about the river trails for canoeing or kayaking, or heaven forbid, alligator watching.
Want to do some shopping? Head to Birmingham. From Fairhope it's just a five hour drive and there are tons of things to be bought there. Head to Mobile. Head to Foley. Head to any outlet mall in the state!
Maybe a lazy drive through some of the most beautiful countryside in the state is more your speed. You can't go wrong just relaxing with a picnic long an anonymous road somewhere.
Alabama is full of surprises, so prepare to be delighted. You can send me some of your own ideas and I'll include them here.
*Information from Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
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