Monday, February 2, 2015

Day Trips from the BnB - Hurricane Creek


Located just 20 minutes from the Bama Bed and Breakfast Lakeside location, Hurricane Creek is a great place to visit for the outdoor enthusiasts. 

The creek has earned a reputation among outdoors enthusiasts for its natural beauty. It has been a prime recreational draw for at least a century and a half, hosting church baptisms, fishing trips, family picnics, overnight rafting parties, and swimmers. 

The waterway often produces a a roaring sound like a hurricane as it rushes over it's rocky bed.  It's banks are bordered by a wide variety of trees - including birch, beech, oak, poplars, and others that form a tall canopy.  During autumn and spring, wildflowers appear along the creek banks and in mid to late summer, cardinal flowers make an impressive display.  Wildlife at the creek includes deer, rabbits, snakes, groundhogs, woodpeckers, great blue herons, eagles, various fish and waterfowl, and the Alabama state bird, the brightly colored woodpecker known as the yellowhammer.

Hurricane Creek is a great place for hiking, biking, fishing, picnicking, and more.  Be sure and ask our resident creek "expert", Kristina,  for tips!












Monday, January 5, 2015

A little Bama B and B History . . .

Marc and Kim Roberts have always had “open arms” when it comes to their home.   Shortly after they were married, in their early 20’s, Marc and Kim chose to open their home to foster children.  For over 20 years, they have fostered more than 40 children.  Today, they have five grown children, from the “baby” boy at 18 to the eldest at 37.  In addition to foster children, they have worked closely with the University of Alabama English Language Institute and have hosted many students from all over the globe.  In 2011, they opened their home to Bama fans from across the US, turning their home into a part time Bed & Breakfast.  In December of 2013, Marc and Kim both decided to retire as teachers and do some much needed relaxing . . . or not.  Instead, they chose to do what they love most: open their home to others.  Today, the Bama Bed & Breakfast is a family affair.  From cooking and cleaning to the marketing and technology genius, everyone is involved.  As a family, we are always finding ways to make our guests feel more at home . . . except for the baby brother.  We have no idea what he does.


www.BamaBedandBreakfast.com



Wednesday, December 3, 2014

University of Alabama History - Smith Hall

Smith Hall is home to the Alabama Museum of Natural History. The building has extensive displays of geology, zoology, mineralogy, paleontology, ethnology, history, and photography. On display are also the Hodges meteorite, the only meteorite confirmed to have struck a human, and the State Fossil of Alabama: Basilosaurus cetoides.

A lecture hall exists on the upper floor along with a teaching laboratory, offices, and three classrooms. Two more classrooms exist on the ground floor along with the museum which also takes up the upper floor’s center area. 

Smith Hall, constructed in 1910, was named for Eugene Allen Smith, a UA professor and State Geologist. The building's Beaux-Arts architecture was meant to reflect, on a smaller scale, the grandiose national history museums built in Chicago, New York, and Washington. The Grand Gallery and Mezzanine areas have recently received fresh paint, new lighting and restored wood floors.

Eugene Allen Smith

Laying the cornerstone of Smith Hall

Smith Hall

Smith Hall

Smith Hall

Construction on Smith Hall

Smith Hall