Fort Payne, AL

The strongest barbecue argument in DeKalb County, run by a team that sources pasture-raised, non-GMO meats from a local family farm and then smokes them to order. The Jo-Jo's — sliced, battered, deep-fried potato wedges — have been named one of the 100 dishes to eat in Alabama, and the handmade coleslaw and scratch BBQ sauce are the kind of sides that pull the whole plate together.

A locally owned restaurant inside the historic Big Mill Company building — an 1889 cotton mill that has been running in one form or another longer than Fort Payne has been a city. The draw is the combination of New American comfort food, an 80-plus beer selection, a courtyard, and live music most evenings, making it the most reliable all-in-one option in downtown.

A downtown bar-and-grill that has earned a dedicated local following for its half-pound burgers, wings, and fried pickles in a room that runs live music on weekend evenings. The beer selection is better than average for the area, the kitchen takes the burgers seriously, and the southern hospitality from the staff is genuine rather than performed.

A small-batch bakery and cafe that fills an obvious gap in downtown Fort Payne: a place to get a properly made espresso and something baked that morning before heading into the canyon or the park. The sandwich work is elevated — the Figgy with smoked turkey, white cheddar, and fig jam on toasted whole grain is the kind of thing that could hold its own in a larger city.

A family-owned Mexican restaurant that has been feeding Fort Payne since the early 1990s, combining Tex-Mex staples with authentic dishes from the family's home in Mexico. The homemade tamales with chili and cheese and the steak tacos are what regulars drive across town for, and the salsa is made in-house. Reliable, generous, and one of the few genuinely family-style spots in town.

A proper small-town diner operating out of Dogtown on the highway, opening before 6am and drawing a loyal crowd of locals all day for hand-formed burgers, fried catfish, and biscuits made from scratch. The portions are oversize and the prices are small-town, and the chocolate pie at the end of a burger-and-catfish lunch has its own following.

The most established restaurant atop Lookout Mountain in Mentone, running a rotating menu that swings from Mediterranean to Asian-inspired to straight Southern comfort, with a porch and garden setting that matches the mountain-town atmosphere. The tomato pie is the dish most mentioned in years of reviews, and the country store attached sells local art and jewelry alongside baked goods.

Mentone's fine-dining option: an intimate, reservation-friendly room above the canyon that sources ingredients locally and changes the menu with what is in season and from nearby farms. Dinner-only with a small number of covers most nights, which is why the OpenTable rating sits near the top — the kitchen has genuine commitment to the sourcing story and the food shows it.

An Alice in Wonderland-themed breakfast and lunch cafe on the Mentone strip, making everything from scratch including the breads and pastries. The Challah French Toast, Cheddar Grit Cakes, and scratch biscuits are the things locals mention first; the setting is whimsical without being precious, and the attached bakery and gift shop round out a longer visit.

A Cajun and Creole-influenced kitchen operating from the Moon Lake campus near the canyon, serving blackened catfish over Andouille grits, voodoo egg rolls, and dishes built around house-made bread and thoughtfully sourced local ingredients. A newer entry to the Mentone dining scene, but it has earned attention quickly from visitors who expected less.

The most popular hiking trail in DeSoto State Park: a 2.4-mile loop through sandstone ridges and mountain laurel forest with two distinct waterfall drops — a delicate cascade into a rocky basin and a tucked-away falls in a shaded ravine. Moderate enough for most hikers but with enough uneven rocky terrain to feel like genuine backcountry rather than a nature walk.

The most-reviewed trail in the entire Fort Payne area on AllTrails, and for good reason: a short out-and-back from the Little River Falls overlook that gives most visitors their first look at the canyon's scale — a 45-foot waterfall at the canyon's head, sandstone cliffs, and the beginning of a gorge that runs 23 miles south. Easy enough for families but spectacular enough to satisfy anyone.

The hardest trail in Little River Canyon Preserve and the one that rewards the effort: a steep 0.75-mile descent to the canyon floor where the river widens into swimming holes and the ruins of an old amusement park sit half-reclaimed by vegetation. It is an arduous route by NPS designation, meaning the climb back up earns its reputation, but the canyon-floor perspective is unlike anything accessible from the rim.

The big trail of the Little River Canyon area: a 16-mile route that connects DeSoto State Park through the backcountry of the National Preserve, crossing rolling wooded hills in the Wildlife Management Area and offering canyon views and remote creek crossings that the short day trails can't match. Multiple entry/exit points let you do the whole thing as a point-to-point backpack or pick a 3- to 5-mile out-and-back segment.

A working gallery and cultural center in Mentone's Chuck Sennett Center for the Arts representing over 60 regional painters, potters, glassworkers, jewelers, and sculptors. The collection rotates and leans toward the kind of serious craft work that doesn't usually land in rural mountain towns — worth more than a quick browse, especially if you are looking for something genuinely made in the region.

The area's one-stop guided outdoor outfitter, running rappelling, rock climbing, cave tours (Manitou Cave), kayaking, and orienteering from a base on AL-176 near the canyon. Small class sizes and guides who actually teach rather than just lead means the skill instruction is solid — useful for visitors who want to get into the canyon or onto the sandstone with some guidance rather than figuring it out alone.

A 23-mile scenic road along the western rim of Little River Canyon managed by the NPS, linking overlooks, trailheads, and canyon views without requiring any hiking. The canyon walls drop 600 feet to the river below and the road passes Grace's High Falls viewpoint, multiple pull-offs, and the main visitor center — genuinely one of the best drives in Alabama and accessible to anyone, including those with mobility limitations.

A 3,500-acre mountain park eight miles northeast of Fort Payne with 35-plus miles of trails, cascading creek walks, a CCC-built lodge and cabins from the 1930s, a seasonal swimming pool, and a small museum dedicated to the Civilian Conservation Corps workers who built the park's infrastructure. The CCC-built stone structures around the lodge area are a genuine piece of New Deal history.

The NPS-affiliated visitor center for Little River Canyon, operated by Jacksonville State University on the canyon rim. Beyond the standard interpretive displays, it runs the best free natural and cultural history programming in the area — ranger-led hikes, naturalist talks, and junior ranger activities for kids that make the canyon legible rather than just scenic.

A limestone cave system on private land near Fort Payne with documented Native American use and Civil War-era history, now accessible only through guided tours run by True Adventure Sports. The combination of geology, archaeology, and local history makes it a more substantive underground visit than most commercial caves — it is not lit like a show cave but explored with headlamps, which is part of the appeal.

One of the deepest canyons east of the Mississippi, carved by a river that runs almost its entire length atop Lookout Mountain — a geological oddity that makes this an NPS preserve rather than just a state park. The 23-mile canyon rim parkway strings together overlooks of 600-foot sandstone walls, waterfalls, and swimming holes, so the depth of your visit scales with your energy level.

The town's finest building by a wide margin: an 1891 Richardsonian Romanesque depot in grey sandstone with pink granite trim, now housing three rooms of local history from Cherokee artifacts to railroad memorabilia to a Norfolk Southern caboose out back. Free admission and volunteer staff who actually know the stories behind the dioramas.

Fort Payne's hometown band sold over 75 million records, and this museum covers that story with costumes, instruments, handwritten lyrics, awards, and the full arc from a young country group playing bar gigs to one of the best-selling acts in country music history. Browsing the gift shop is free; the full collection requires a small admission.

Alabama's oldest in-use theater, built in 1889 at the height of Fort Payne's industrial boom and still hosting live performances in a Victorian room with a first-floor and two-tiered balcony seating 448. It's on the National Register of Historic Places and the National Register of 19th-Century Theaters, and the interior looks almost unchanged from its original opening season.

A 104-foot tiered waterfall on the West Fork of the Little River inside DeSoto State Park, reached by a short paved path from the parking area. The upper falls are accessible to all abilities; the lower main drop requires descending about 50 concrete steps to the railed overlook. One of the more photogenic waterfalls in Alabama's northeast corner without requiring a strenuous hike.

Fort Payne was the Sock Capital of the World at its industrial peak — more than half of all socks worn in the United States came from here. This small museum, operated by DeKalb Landmarks in a former mill building, traces the story from the first hosiery machines through the industry's decline, with original equipment and oral histories from mill workers. An utterly singular American industrial story.