Cheaha State Park and Noccalula Falls Park/ Alabama Trip November 2025

 (Photos taken Fall Season November 4th-6th 2025)

We wanted to do some leaf peeping Fall of 2025, but we didn't want to go too far from home, so we took a little road trip to do some exploring in Northeastern Alabama. We visited Cheaha State Park in Delta Alabama, near Oxford, and Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden Alabama and much more.

We were told that the fall foliage was not what it usually is, but we did get to see some yellows, orange and reds on the scenic drives and we had a great time. The first day of our trip was spent just getting up there to Alabama to our hotel in Oxford Alabama, we drove from Florida and took our time getting there we stopped off in several small towns along the way, Clanton Alabama to eat lunch downtown and we went in an antique store with booths, and we also stopped at some thrift stores in Talladega Alabama as well. We reached our hotel just before dark, got settled in our room and then went to dinner and did some shopping in some of the nearby shopping centers.

 The next day we drove the winding scenic drive that led us to nearby Cheaha State Park, Alabama's Highest Point in Delta Alabama. 

This State Park is in the middle of nature and is a great place to take food with you and have a picnic. The weather was perfect for it. There were a couple of picnic tables here so we decided this would make a pretty spot to eat our Subway Sandwich that we brought with us in our ice chest... 

We went up to the top of the tower, to take in the views, you could see for miles from up there, my legs felt like noodles for a little while when I got back down, lol, but it was worth it.... (there were more steps than it looked like! ha!) 

Behind the tower were huge rocks so we took photos...

Next, we drove to the boardwalk at Bald Rock Trail, there's a paved parking area there for parking and restrooms too, the trail is 0.3 miles long and is a nice stroll, there is boardwalk trail all the way to the overlook. There are also two trails on either side the boardwalk that lead to the overlook.  At the overlook area you can go down some stairs to stand out onto Bald Rock...I took a picture of it from the boardwalk....

 

This above was the view from the overlook at the end of the boardwalk....

Next, we drove over to Cheaha Lake....The fall foliage was beautiful here, and it was a quiet and peaceful place, (we visited it on a weekday). 

Within the State Park there are scenic roads with some overlook areas to pull over, park, get out and take in the views of Cheaha Mountain.... and so we did....

We had such a fun time exploring Cheaha Mountain State Park. It was a beautiful place for us to spend the day. I'm glad there were some overlooks along the scenic roads and there was The Bald Rock Trail that we could take that was walkable and easy, with pretty views. There are many trails within this park and a lot of places to explore, but I do want to mention that most trails are what I'd call fairly rugged and steep, and not for everyone, so I recommend that you do your research and plan before you go, and be sure to stop in at the Cheaha State Park Office and get free maps and information. 

For more information on this beautiful place, you can visit the official Cheaha State Park website  HERE 

On the second day of our trip we visited downtown Oxford Alabama to do some junkin' and Cotton Antiques is where we ended up. We'd been here before, when passing through this part of Alabama a couple of  years ago, and I would highly recommend. I found a few little miniature Christmas houses that are so cute. 

After we explored downtown Oxford, we took a 40 minute drive north to see Noccalula Falls in Gadsden Alabama...

We had been here before in March 2024, and decided since we were this close, we'd go see the falls again. There wasn't as much water falling this time, (it was at a trickle compared to last time we saw it),  but it was still beautiful and we were so glad we got the chance to see it again...

 

The creek was really low on this visit, it had been an unusually dry fall season here....maybe that was why... Or, it could just be flowing more in the springtime than the fall season, I don't really know, but it was still beautiful here, just different from the last time. If you'd like to see it the last time we were here, I did a post on it as well... you can click HERE to see that post. 

To find out more about this beautiful place you can visit the official website of Noccalula Falls State Park  HERE

When we got back to Oxford I was determined to find the Covered Bridge at Oxford Lake Park....Robert googled it and google maps first led up to a parking lot, lol...but we tried again and were glad to find this beautiful lake area with the covered bridge.... 

It was the end of the day, and what a view to end our day with...

The old historic covered bridge was moved here at some point in time, I can't remember how old it is, but we enjoyed walking through and stepping back in time for a moment....

Anytime I can see water running over rocks I'm happy, and in awe! lol! There was a small stream too....

The next day it was time to head back home, but we did make a stop in Auburn Alabama, Downtown on the way home. We'd never been here before, so we found parking, parked the car and explored on foot for a little while. We got a famous lemonade and a coke float to share at the historic Toomer's Drug's, while we were there....so good! 

 This college town was really neat and pretty, with a lot of foot traffic....it has a youthful vibrant vibe and was a fun stop to stretch our legs for a little while ...We aren't fans of football, but I had to get a couple of photos of the University when we drove by it ....I loved the architecture. 

We really enjoyed our fall leaf peeping getaway! Thanks for coming along with us! 

Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park in Florida and The Grove Museum Tallahassee Florida

Recently we went on a little get away for a couple of days, to visit Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park in Florida, and we also explored the Tallahassee Florida area including The State Capital Building and The Grove Museum.....

(Photos taken April 29 & 30th 2025)

On our first day of exploring we went to Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. This is a photo of the backside of the Lodge, it is so unique....the whole place was beautiful and the ceilings were especially beautiful....they were artistically hand painted....from the minute you walk into the lodge, it feels like you are stepping back in time...

Inside the Lodge there is a gift shop, with an old fashioned vintage soda fountain bar that had stools to sit at, and they sold all kinds of snacks...coke floats, ice cream, and hot dogs. On the other side of the Lodge there is a very nice sit down restaurant that had white tablecloths and a great selection of menu items at affordable prices. The lobby was full of charm with leather sofas to sit in and watch the black and white movie they had playing, which was Creature From The Black Lagoon....of course it's an actual Lodge, so there are rooms for lodging there as well....

Just beyond the windows of the Lodge are the crystal clear waters of Wakulla Springs and the swimming area....

The grounds of the park are so pretty and well kept....

I didn't get a close up of the swimming area because it was busy with swimmers, but the water is very clear and pretty, and a lot of people were enjoyed the cool water....you might can see it just beyond the fence....

 Some old movies have been filmed here to include Tarzan's Secret Treasure and Creature From The Black Lagoon.....

My husband booked us a reservation in advance the day before, so we could take the scenic boat ride, which lasted about 45 minutes....the scenery was so pretty and we saw some alligators, birds, turtles and a deer....

These little model boats in miniature size were inside one of the cases that were inside the Waterfront Visitor Center,.....I think they are so cute! There were a lot of interesting things to look at inside the Visitor Center, as we waited for it to be time for our boat ride, it was fun looking at all the things....

On the grounds of the park were some storyboards that were interesting too....

There are nature trails at the State Park as well. We took a walk on one of them...they are wooded with native old growth trees, so nice, shady and peaceful....

This is the entrance to the Lodge near the parking area. We enjoyed our time spent here at Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park! 

Day 2  We explored a little bit of Tallahassee Florida, and the downtown area, we went to the Historic State Capital Building first, and then we went to the New State Capital Building that's behind it, to see city views from the 23rd floor, (the observation floor), and the views were great of the city....

Here we are standing behind the Victorian Era life size cut-out people inside the Historic Capital Building...

Here's the rotunda with it's pretty stained glass....there were a lot of storyboards to read and we spent a lot of time there.

After exploring downtown, we went to The Grove Museum....The historic mansion and grounds are beautiful....it's a hidden oasis inside the city limits of Tallahassee, you wouldn't even know it was there.... it's location was very surprising....

I took photos of a couple of the rooms inside....there were many storyboards to read about the history here, a guided tour was available as well, but we didn't get there in time to do that tour. After we got here, we actually wished we had spent less time at the Capital Buildings, and more time here, because it was so peaceful and relaxing here. So anyway, we just took the self guided tour, because we didn't allow for enough time to do all we wanted to do. This place has a rich and interesting history and the old mansion is truly a work of art. 

This is a special place.....while standing underneath the big old trees....I wanted to stay longer and longer...and just let my imagination carry me away to another place in time....that's what places like this do, and I think that's why I love visiting them every chance I can. We were in awe and amazed by the size of these massive old trees....and love the southern charm of the moss draping them! We will definitely visit here again if we are in the area again, and next time we'll bring a picnic...they have several picnic tables. (By the way the parking and entry fee is free).

It was a fun few days of exploring things we had never seen before! 

Thanks for coming along with us!

To find out more about The Grove Museum you can visit their official website HERE

To find out more about Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park you can visit their official website HERE

If you are looking for more things to see and do in the Tallahassee Florida area, be sure to check out my post on Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park  HERE