8 Of The Most Eccentric Towns In Alabama

Alabama is a tidal wave of eccentricity. Nothing stays above water, for the highly irregular tide hits big cities, small cities, small towns, and even unincorporated communities. Bigger settlements may have more oddities, but smaller settlements have bigger oddities—both in size and surprise. Craning necks and dropping jaws are common at places like the replica Stonehenge, rattlesnake rodeo, boll weevil monument, and a whole community from the twisted mind of Tim Burton. Curious where to find those and other Bamattractions? Learn more about the most eccentric towns in Alabama.

Millbrook

Millbrook is a minor city separated from its mother city, Montgomery, by the Alabama River. Though there are singular sights on the Millbrook side (Millbrook Theatre) and Montgomery side (Montgomery Zoo), the quirkiest attraction is on the river. Built on a private isle called Jackson Lake Island, Spectre is a fake town made for the 2003 Tim Burton film Big Fish and preserved today as a tourable landmark. Burton and Co. were supposed to remove their prop buildings after production, but the island's owners saw an opportunity to increase tourism. They kept Spectre, which, combined with fishing, kayaking, camping, and a tribe of free-roaming goats, attracts film and nature lovers.

Elberta

Like Millbrook, Elberta is an unassuming community whose quirkiest attraction sits south of town on a body of water. After touring the Baldwin County Heritage Museum in Elberta proper, head down to the peninsula between Wolf Bay and Bay La Launch, where Barber Marina draws seafarers with boats and sightseers with art installations. Commissioned by the titular mogul George W. Barber, dinosaur sculptures dot the marina's grounds alongside Bamahenge, a life-sized fiberglass replica of England's Stonehenge. But Barber-backed oddities do not end there. Also quirkifying the marina are sculptures of knights, dolphins, Neptunian figures, a giant spider, and a partially submerged woman named The Lady in the Lake.

Opp

Opp is a small southern city rimmed by wilderness via the Geneva State Forest and the Conecuh National Forest. For over 60 years, the snakes that rattled in such forests have been caught, displayed, and oftentimes killed for the Opp Rattlesnake Rodeo. However, like other rattlesnake roundups, Opp's event has recently shifted from extermination to education, leaving Sweetwater, Texas's fest as one of the last public snake massacres. The Opp Rodeo still has questionable activities, though, including snake racing and snake cooking, but the meat comes pre-processed from out of state, and most of the captured rattlers are released back into the wild. The next rodeo is set to run from March 27 to 29, 2026.

Scottsboro

Ever wondered where the stuff in unclaimed baggage ends up? The answer is Scottsboro, Alabama. Yes, this small, off-the-radar city hosts Unclaimed Baggage, "the nation's only retailer of lost luggage." Through purchasing agreements with domestic airlines and other travel companies, Unclaimed Baggage fills a 50,000-square-foot space with lost luggage treasures that are understandably discounted. They range from clothing, jewelry, toys, electronics, musical instruments, and pet products. Its wackiest items, namely the four-foot Hoggle puppet from Jim Henson's Labyrinth, pack a wing called the "Lost Luggage Hall of Fame." Some finds, such as a live rattlesnake, could not be kept in house.

After getting lost among lost luggage, you can find even more oddities at the Patches Merchant Emporium before switching to natural wonders at the Sauta Cave National Wildlife Refuge.

Evergreen

Evergreen is known for three things: collard greens, Bigfoot, and sausage. As part of Conecuh County, this 3,500ish-person city is called the "Collard Green Capital of Alabama" and annually hosts the Evergreen Collard Green Festival. During 2017's festival, guest speakers from Killing Bigfoot posited that Squatch, AKA the Alabama Booger Monster, lived in the area, leading Evergreen to also be designated the "Bigfoot Capital of Alabama." Though it is not called the "Sausage Capital of Alabama," Evergreen is home to the Conecuh Sausage Company, whose spicy links can be sampled year-round and celebrated in October during another annual food fest: the Conecuh Sausage Festival.

Phil Campbell

Many towns are named after a person. Few are fully named after a person. Phil Campbell, located in northwestern Alabama, is one such settlement. Legend tells of a businessman looking to build a town but needing a train depot, so he hired an engineer and paid him nominally. Of course, that engineer was Phil Campbell, the first of many Phil Campbells to visit Phil Campbell. Thanks to a New York writer named Phil Campbell, Phil Campbell became a meeting place for Phil Campbells from across the world. The Phil Campbell Convention transformed into the Phil Campbell Festival, which is held each June.

Bringing folks with other names to Phil Campbell is Dismals Canyon, a gorge illuminated by hundreds of rare glowworms at nightfall. It is anything but dismal.

Seale

America has tons of drive-thru restaurants, banks, and liquor stores, but perhaps only one drive-thru museum. Simply called the Drive-Thru Museum, it sits off Alabama Route 169 in the unincorporated town of Seale. A slow roll through the property will net you views as odd as the mode of transportation. Exhibits are inside shipping containers, and artifacts range from the "world’s largest gallstone" to a supposed Sasquatch footprint. The museum is run by artist-eccentric Butch Anthony, who maintains a network of oddporiums. While his drive-thru is open 24/7, Butch's non-drive-thru museum, cabin, studio, gallery, and home are available by appointment only.

For a more conventional jaunt, head to the Old Seale Russell County Courthouse, a stately, historic landmark open to tours and events by appointment.

Enterprise

In the mid-1910s, a beetle called the boll weevil destroyed most of the cotton around Enterprise, Alabama. Farmers barely escaped bankruptcy by switching to peanuts in the following years. That decision helped save Enterprise, but instead of honoring those valuable legumes, the town honors those ravenous weevils. "In profound appreciation of the Boll Weevil and what it has done as the Herald of Prosperity . . . " begins a plaque for the Boll Weevil Monument, dubbed by Atlas Obscura as the "World’s Only Monument To A Horrible Destructive Pest." Standing 13 feet tall and depicting a Roman-style heroine lifting a giant weevil, it leads an invasion of weevil statues that peaks in peculiarity outside McDonald's, where a weevilfied Ronald McDonald scares customers. Other weevily wonders include Bowl Weevil Lanes & Amusements and the Boll Weevil Fall Festival.

Now that you know where to find Bama's small-town wonders, go see them for yourself. Stationary spectacles, like Bamahenge and the Boll Weevil Monument, can be visited whenever you desire. Far-out festivals, however, are time-specific. To see them all, plan your eccentric Alabama vacay around the Opp Rattlesnake Rodeo in March, Phil Campbell Festival in June, and both the Conecuh Sausage Festival and Boll Weevil Fall Festival in October.