By: John Limbaugh

With Spring Break around the Corner, students are preparing to travel, relax, or work for a week with no thoughts or worries about the final quarter of the semester. But for students who live within driving distance of the University, Montevallo has some travel hot spots of its own to be visited and enjoyed.

Students who are tied down by work or strapped for cash don’t have to travel far to have a good time or explore. Here is a list of the top five best places in or near the City of Montevallo to visit this Spring.

5. American Village

The American village is a unique Shelby County attraction located just thirty minutes south of Birmingham. It is the most well known on this list. The village is owned by the American Village Citizenship Trust, which was chartered in 1955 as a public educational institution.

Visitors can take a trip through time as historical interpreters guide them through the time period of America’s journey for independence. The museum hosts many highlights including Washington Hall, inspired by George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon; replicas of the white house oval office and east room; Concord Bridge; a colonial chapel; and a veteran’s shrine which tells the story of Alabama’s and America’s veterans.

The museum is open Monday through Friday 10-4. Admission is 10$ for adults, 9$ for seniors and youth. Admission is free for veterans, active military and children under 4. Check the American Village website for exclusions.

4. Aldrich Coal Mining Museum

This historical complex houses two structure relating to the Montevallo coal mining company. The only monument to coal miners in Alabama is located on the grounds of the Museum. Aldrich is an unincorporated community within the city limits of Montevallo.

The mines were owned by brothers Truman H. and William Aldrich. Almost everyone who lived in Aldrich between 1913 and 1942, when the company shut down, worked in the mines. Convicts were leased from the State prison to provide labor for the mines and a prison was built on the grounds to house them. A cemetery for the convicts is located near the grounds.

Farrington Hall was named after William’s son, who died of typhoid fever after cleaning one of the coal mine reservoirs. the building is said to be haunted. For fans of potentially haunted places or people fascinated by local superstition, the Aldrich Coal Mining Museum is open Monday through Friday 10-4.

3. Orr Park

Anyone who’s lived in Montevallo for an extended period of time has visited Orr Park at least once. The park houses a number of recreational facilities and the beautiful Shoal Creek runs through it providing opportunities for fishing, canoeing, birding or just enjoying lunch at one of the pavilions by the creek.

However, the park is known by most for the famous tingle wood forest, the most unusual collection of tree carvings in the United States. Tim Tingle, the man behind the strange carvings, began his work in 1993. Since then he has carved over 30 trees in the area around Shoal Creek.

He has carved strange faces, figures, dragons and storybook characters into the trees, stirring a buzz on the internet and becoming a popular “Off the beaten path” destination in Alabama. The park is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday.

2. Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

Breaking away from Montevallo into the next town over, The Heart of Dixie Museum is located in Calera and is the official state railroad museum of Alabama. The museum features a wide range of locomotives, cars and other railroad equipment that dates from the 19th century to the 1950s.

The museum operates a heritage railroad that offers 2 excursions every Saturday from March to December. It also offers special excursions on holidays like Halloween and Christmas. The museum offers visitors the opportunity to ride in the cab of the locomotive and caboose.

Additionally, Additionally, the museum operates a live steam engine locomotive and passenger cars on a one-quarter-mile long loop. This train served the nearby Birmingham Zoo for many years before being placed into operation at the museum.

The museum is open Saturdays 9-3:30.

1. Brierfield Iron Works State Park

The historical site of the Bibb Naval Furnace is a must see for history lovers and campers alike. Brierfield state park is an excellent spot for hiking and camping.

The Brierfield Furnace site was developed in 1861 by Caswell Campbell Huckabee, a Greensboro planter, and Jonathan Newton Smith, a Bibb County planter, on land purchased from Jesse Mahan near the Little Cahaba River, a tributary of the Cahaba.

The site lay abandoned for years after the Civil war and was scavenged for bricks during World War II. In 1976, the Bibb County Commission created a park containing 45 acres. At the urging of the Bibb County Historical Society. This initial effort has evolved over the years into what is now the Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park.

This attraction is number 1 because of its rich history and modern amenities. In terms of sheer scale and grandeur, nothing in the area compares to Brierfield State Park.

The campgrounds are open 9-6 everyday. Campers are required to pay a one time fee of $40.

Students and families living in the area can enjoy Spring Break without breaking the bank by looking into these 5 hot spots. For more attractions and ideas visit a number of travel websites like Sweet Home Alabama.