The journey from Atlanta to Guntersville, Alabama was comprised entirely of rural two-lane highways which meandered through the foothills of the southernmost edge of the Appalachian Mountains. Although Interstate driving has its perks (straighter paths, more lanes/rest stops/gas stations) we always enjoy changing it up with a drive through the country like this. Not only are the views usually better, but it also gives a better sense of the area and how people live.
Before arriving at the campground, we opted to stop just outside Guntersville in the town of Albertville, Alabama to visit the Cherrywood Market – a fun little home goods store which hosts a farmers’ market on the weekends. As luck would have it, when Sam told her friend Katie that we were heading to Alabama, Katie mentioned that she followed this fun little store place on Instagram that always had the cutest stuff and after looking into it, we figured out that we would be going right past it! Although parking the trailer nearby was a slight headache, we were so glad that we stopped to check it out. Sam was able to find some fun, small fall décor for the trailer, we picked up a big bundle of fresh apples (more on that later), and I got my hands on some pork chops from a local hog farmer. And let me tell you about these pork chops… These were the best cuts of pork I’ve ever eaten in my life, hands down! Hell, I still talk about them every time we eat pork chops (to Sam’s chagrin) and say that nothing compares to “those pork chops from Alabama.”
In a continuation of our “Southern Lake Tour,” our campground for the week, Lake Guntersville State Park, was located right on the shores of… that’s right, Lake Guntersville. Although the sites in this area weren’t quite as secluded as our recent COE campgrounds (plus the park was packed due to a Bass Pro fishing tourney going on that weekend), this spot had the added benefit of full hookups! It may not sound like much, but after going a few weeks without full hookups, they’re something to celebrate (we do a little “FULL HOOK-UPS” chant each time we are reunited with sewer after any sort of hiatus).
If you look closely at that last photo, you can see a structure on the top of the mountain in the background. After a few days of wondering what was going on up there, curiosity finally got the most of us and we ventured up there to see what turned out to be a masterfully placed hotel. The views from the hotel (and the adjacent golf course) were spectacular! If you’re ever in northeastern Alabama, consider checking out The Lodge at Lake Guntersville State Park. I can’t speak to the quality of the hotel or the level of service, but I can tell you that you will have some beautiful views if you stay here!
Our time in Guntersville turned out to be another laid back week. We had aspirations of driving over to nearby Huntsville, but we just never made it over there, and instead opted to spend most of our time just hanging around the campground, going on walks, and taking in the scenery. We even found time to do a little baking while we were there and whipped ourselves up a scrumptious apple crisp using the apples that we scored at the farmers’ market – so fall!
Overall, we had a wonderful week on the shores of Lake Guntersville. Between walks along the water, football on the tv, and apple crisp in our bellies, we didn’t have much to complain about!