You’ll find Alabama is a rather special state, full of history, character and emotion. From the inspiring riverside cities to the backwoods plantations, it’s a place to explore and immerse yourself in the ways of the Deep South.

Of course, it helps to have a hire car if you want to tour around Alabama. For example, it’s a long 356-mile drive from Huntsville in the north of the state to Mobile in the south. You’ll find that there are some excellent interstates to help you get around though. The north-south axis is taken care of by the I-65, running from Nashville down through Birmingham and Montgomery to Mobile.

West-to-east routes include I-20 from Jackson to Atlanta, via Birmingham, and I-10 from New Orleans to Jacksonville, which runs along the south coast of the state. Note that there are also four major toll roads in the state – speak with our branch staff before heading out about where these are.

The Alabama driving rules are much the same as in the rest of the US - but do note that the maximum speed is 70mph on the interstates, unless marked otherwise. You can read all of Alabama's state driving laws online here.

You’ll find a warm, hospitable welcome in the famous state of Alabama. Many of the old civil war and civil rights flashpoints have become visitor attractions and the state itself has blossomed into a region of fine cities among the river and mountain scenery.

The historic south

Throughout the state, you'll find cities and monuments that have played a part in building the USA we see today. Montgomery is the old home of the Confederate South, and you can visit the capitol building where leaders of the rebel states first joined forces. You’ll find civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr's church in Montgomery – step inside to see where he stood and preached to his followers.

Meanwhile, in Birmingham you can take in the 16th Street Baptist Church and the Civil Rights Institute – both being poignant reminders of the USA's history. Visit some of the grand plantation owners’ homes, many of which are open for tours - these ‘antebellum’ houses are dotted throughout Alabama.

Let the music play

Rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd may have sang about "Sweet Home Alabama", but the state’s real musical heritage dates back to early blues and country artists like WC Handy and Hank Williams and you can find traces of this classic blues and country wherever you go.

At Muscle Shoals you can visit FAME Studios – a recording studio which welcomed the likes of Etta James and Little Richard, and today celebrates the city’s key role in popular music. And the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia honours the state’s musical legends and displays recording equipment from the home of the pioneering Sun Records studios.

If you're visiting during the summer months, heading to a music festival will showcase just how much music means to Alabama. Hangout Festival takes place on the Gulf Coast at the end of May, whereas Sloss Music and Arts Festival is held in July.

Need for speed and adventure

The US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville is the world’s largest space museum. It houses spectacular vehicles from the Mercury, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs, plus interactive simulators and survival courses. Get a real taste of outer-space in the IMAX® Spacedome Theater, where you'll feel like you’ve been propelled out of the earth's atmosphere, and take in the best collection of rockets and shuttles across the Center.

Meanwhile motorbike fans have a treat at the Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham – it’s the world’s biggest motorbike collection with more than 1,200 machines to drool over. For petrol-heads, head for the Talladega Superspeedway during the NASCAR season to catch to buzz of race day and some real speed action.

Coastal retreats

The Gulf Coast beaches of Alabama’s south shore include 32 miles of fine white sand. The two main resorts, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, are filled with fine restaurants and nightlife.

Mobile stands around a large bay at the mouth of the city's river and today, it’s a major cultural centre with colourful events and acclaimed museums, theatres and art galleries – the Mobile Museum of Art and Conde-Charlotte House are two of Mobile's finest. Alabama’s seafood is highly rated across the US. Look out for local dishes using fresh fish and shellfish from the Gulf, including gumbo stew, marinated crab, turtle soup, fried crab claws, grilled shrimps and blackened fish.