Outdoors

Browse exclusive SoulGrown stories Alabama's great outdoors and natural beauty

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So often, the spring season is associated with “spring cleaning,” a time where we deep clean homes, spruce up our landscaping, and refresh our decor. However, we often forget that our body and mind could use a TLC, too.

1818 Farms

A simple spring reset with 1818 Farms

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March 25, 2026

Just off bustling Valleydale Road in Hoover sits Equip, a nonprofit that serves as a community, school, and workplace for adults living with disabilities.

Exceptional Baits products

Meet Equip, the Alabama nonprofit creating opportunity for adults with disabilities

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March 16, 2026

Longer days and warmer weather can only mean one thing: Alabama’s spring event season is in full swing.

Cherry blossom festival

SoulGrown Roundup: this week across Alabama

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March 13, 2026

Gulf State Park stretches across more than 6,000 acres, extending right across the street from the shoreline I’d spent years claiming as my happy place. Turns out, I’d been robbing myself of a part of the coast that would bring me more joy than I ever expected.  

Gulf State Park

Beyond the beach chair: rediscovering Gulf State Park

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March 10, 2026

In Alabama, honey isn’t just a pantry staple—it’s a product deeply tied to the state’s farms, wildflowers, and of course, its people.

Bees on hive

Why buying local honey matters in Alabama

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March 5, 2026

Craftsmanship, heritage and entrepreneurship took center stage in the recent episode of Afield with Christiana Roussel, featuring Luke Kolbie — founder of Kingfisher Leatherworks, Avontuur, and CEO of Russell Moccasin. […]

Kingfisher leatherworks

Afield with Christiana Roussel: Luke Kolbie

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March 5, 2026

Cullman is ready to celebrate its agricultural heritage as the 87th annual Alabama Strawberry Festival returns to Depot Park and the Festhalle Farmers Market on April 24–25. Officially recognized by […]

Strawberry baskets on table

The 87th Alabama Strawberry Festival returning to Cullman

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March 4, 2026

I gripped my father’s old Bushnell binoculars on an early spring morning in 2011 as I scanned the trees. All around me, I could hear the sounds of cardinals and […]

Chipping Sparrow

Alabama birding for beginners

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March 3, 2026

Alabama is known for its forests, rivers, wetlands, and rich biodiversity—but much of the state was once covered by native grasslands and prairies. Before widespread agricultural development and fire suppression, […]

Southeastern Grasslands Institute

The race to restore Alabama’s grasslands

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February 26, 2026

On a quiet Alabama morning, before emails and meetings begin to pull at the day, Tom Adams finds clarity in the field. Quail hunting has been part of Tom’s life […]

Father and son hunting outdoors

Lessons from the Alabama outdoors: how quail hunting shapes leadership

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February 19, 2026

One of the most underrated aspects of Alabama is the state’s remarkable capacity for ecotourism. Ranking fourth in the nation for biodiversity — and first among states east of the […]

Cheaha State Park

Our top Alabama outdoor experiences for nature lovers

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February 17, 2026

Alabama Sawyer is a Birmingham-based design and manufacturing studio founded and run by Cliff and Leigh Spencer that creates modern, environmentally sustainable furniture from fallen urban trees. Working exclusively with […]

Alabama Sawyer table

Afield with Christiana Roussel: Alabama Sawyer

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February 3, 2026

This past summer, I experienced a treat I didn’t expect would happen again in my lifetime. A covey of bobwhite quail made their summer home in the acreage around our […]

Holding on: a steady future for the bobwhite quail in Alabama

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February 2, 2026

In this memoir, Alicia Varnedoe traces her journey back to the woods of her childhood, where family backpacking trips in the Sipsey Wilderness became an early education in resilience—and a […]

Sipsey River

Backpacking with Dad in the Sipsey Wilderness

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January 9, 2026

Each January, thousands of cranes return to Alabama’s winter wetlands, and the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Decatur becomes the perfect place to witness them. From January 9–11, 2026, the […]

Cranes next to water

Experience winged wildlife at the 2026 Festival of the Cranes

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January 8, 2026

A new chapter in Alabama’s outdoor story is unfolding in the heart of the Black Belt. The new Blankenship Event Center was unveiled with an unexpected honor during a ribbon-cutting […]

Man with sporting dog

The Blankenship Event Center honors Alabama’s outdoor heritage

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January 2, 2026

For those looking to begin the new year outside, Alabama State Parks offer an easy and beautiful place to start. On January 1, Alabama State Parks will host First Day […]

Sunrise hike

Start the new year outdoors with Alabama State Parks First Day Hikes

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December 30, 2025

State leaders, conservation partners, and landowners gathered Nov. 6 at The Ridge in Greene County to launch a major effort to restore one of Alabama’s most endangered landscapes — the […]

Black Belt prairie

Bringing the prairie back: Alabama begins a landmark restoration of the Black Belt

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December 2, 2025

Claude Jenkins is a Senior Resource Stewardship Biologist with the Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF), the state’s oldest and largest nonprofit conservation group focused on wildlife stewardship, habitat management, and outdoor […]

Grasslands

What happened to the quail? A wildlife biologist shares the answer

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November 24, 2025

On three cultivated acres in Wilsonville, Alabama, something bright and beautiful is growing. Lovelight Farm, a Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) vegetable farm, is many things in one: a community hub, […]

Table in field

From healing to harvest: the story behind Lovelight Farm

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November 21, 2025

Discover Montgomery Whitewater through Robin Simms’ unique experiences as a river guide and outdoor adventurer.

Aerial shot of Montgomery Whitewater

How one outdoor adventurer found her way home to Montgomery Whitewater

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November 13, 2025