Outdoors

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

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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

When Birmingham runner Ashlie Ithurburn laced up her shoes on the morning of October 16, she wasn’t just heading out for a run—she was setting out to make history. Five […]

Ashlie Ithurburn running the Pinhoti Trail

Birmingham runner sets new fastest known time on Alabama’s Pinhoti Trail

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November 13, 2025

A new kind of retail experience, highlighting the world’s best craftsmen and women, conservation through craftsmanship coalition, and creating community afield.

Outside of AVONTUUR in Homewood Alabama

AVONTUUR: The spirit of adventure finds a new home in Homewood

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November 10, 2025

Alabama teens can apply for the Shooting Sports Scholarship Fund to gain skills in firearm safety and outdoor activities.

Father and son hunting outdoors

Alabama teens invited to experience the outdoors through new sporting scholarship fund

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November 6, 2025

This weekend, the Birmingham community will come together to take meaningful steps toward a world without type 1 diabetes (T1D). On Sunday, November 2, Breakthrough T1D—formerly known as JDRF—will host […]

Breakthrough T1D Walk

Step forward for a cure: Breakthrough T1D Walk comes to Birmingham

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October 30, 2025

“This is my home river, so my drinking water the majority of my life [has come] from this river,” shares Justinn Overton, Executive Director of Coosa Riverkeeper.  That lifelong connection […]

Coosa River

Coosa Riverkeeper: Keeping Alabama’s waterways wild

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October 27, 2025

Alabamians know that fall is the perfect time to get outdoors. As September fades into October, the rolling hills are painted in shades of amber, orange, and crimson, and a […]

A forest scene at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama with tall trees covered in vibrant autumn foliage. Golden, orange, and red leaves fill the canopy, creating a warm, colorful landscape.

Discover Decatur: Fall forest bathing in North Alabama

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September 26, 2025

North Alabama’s Singing River Trail is more than just a network of greenways–it’s a vision for a connected, thriving region. When complete, the Singing River Trail will be a 200+ […]

Connecting Communities: What’s next for Alabama’s Singing River Trail

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September 25, 2025

On a crisp fall day along the banks of the Coosa River, the Wetumpka Wildlife Arts Festival (WEWA) invites Alabamians to slow down, look closer, and celebrate the natural beauty […]

The Wetumpka Wildlife Arts Festival returns to the Coosa River

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September 22, 2025

For generations, the South has been home to some of the country’s most remarkable makers and craftsmen. With pride poured into every project, these talented individuals have served as the […]

The story behind the Conservation Through Craftsmanship Coalition

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September 19, 2025

As summer winds down, the folks at McGee Farm are preparing for the arrival of fall. Each year, McGee Farm welcomes thousands of visitors to its Florence pumpkin patch to […]

Florence’s McGee Farm prepares for its 30th pumpkin patch season

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September 15, 2025

Tucked away in the historic town of Mooresville, 1818 Farms has become one of Alabama’s most celebrated destinations—featured in Southern Living, recognized by Amazon as a Top 5 Women-Owned Business, […]

1818 Farms: From Babydoll Sheep to a Fully Sustainable Flower Farm in Mooresville, Alabama

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September 7, 2025