JSU Field School programs and events include hikes, paddling trips, campfire talks, astronomy safaris, environmental arts workshops, and more. The immersion-based learning, natural history interpretation, and outdoor adventure combine to create unique programs that are not only educational but extremely fun.

Design and literally “blow” your own Christmas ornament with the help of one of the glass artists at the Fort Payne glass blowing studio and gallery of artist Cal Breed. Breed’s work has appeared in Oprah’s O Magazine, Cooking Light, Food and Wine, InStyle, and Southern Living, as well as art galleries around the country.

Enjoy music and other special events, exhibits, a gift shop, educational programming, and more at the Little River Canyon Center adjacent to Little River Canyon National Preserve. Jacksonville State University owns the facility and leases a portion to the National Park Service.

The club features a semi-private, par 71 golf course located in Centre available to rent for private tournaments. The challenging layout measures 6,028 yards from the tips, with a course rating of 68.4.

There’s much to discover and hands-on learning here amid thousands of items from Cherokee County’s past and exhibits about trains, steamboats, cannons, quilts, football heroes, and more.

Enjoy a classic cinema experience seeing all new-release movies from the comfort of your car at the 411 Twin Drive-In Theatre & Grill between Centre and Leesburg. The theater is open year-round Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and seven nights a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Duke’s Alley is a fun family place to bowl, play arcades, hold birthday parties, and special events.  Eat in or dine out.  

The only blueway that has it all, from mountain streams to river delta to the salty waves of the Gulf of Mexico. Paddling and powerboat experiences and exploration abound along over 3,000 miles of accessible waterways with amenities and campsites to support everything from long-distance touring to organized paddles to races.

The natural beauty of the Appalachian Mountains provides a scenic backdrop for travelers on the byway as the route winds approximately 80 miles along lush vegetation, interesting geologic formations, and quaint historic rural communities. The byway connects Interstate 59 in Fort Payne and Interstate 20 in Heflin.

From the forested hills of the ridge and valley region to the rich pastures and farmlands of its river-carved valleys, the Appalachian Highlands Birding Trail provides a wide diversity of habitats for birds, including the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and area endemics like the brown-headed nuthatch and an exciting list of migrants and year-round residents.

This GPS tour will take you to historical sites, geological wonders, and popular recreational areas throughout Cherokee County’s bountiful farm country, lush mountain ranges, and lake land. The entire tour covers more than 80 miles starting in Centre and circling the lake as far north as Little River Falls and South to Terrapin Creek. Hints and notes at each site guide the way. Search for and record codes on a special marker at each location, then submit them to the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce for a Pathtag.

• Map of Locations
• Submit Codes for Pathtag

Spanning three states and 93 miles from Gadsden, Alabama to Chattanooga, Tennessee, the parkway features waterfalls, canyons, scenic brow vistas, unique towns and villages, state/national parks, preserve, and many more natural wonders. The Annual World’s Longest Yardsale takes place on the route each August.

A premier Alabama hunting lodge and Alabama fly fishing lodge nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in northeast Alabama, the lodge owns or has access to excellent Alabama hunting and fly fishing properties and provides outstanding service and amenities.

Plan a hunting adventure at the canyon and the backwoods area of the Little River National Preserve. Other activities in this area include horseback riding, camping, and birdwatching.

Rock climbers flock to this 300-acre park in Sand Rock that features boulders of limestone and quartz rising 200 feet and measuring 70 feet wide in places. Native Americans lived in the area from 8000 B.C. to the Cherokee Indian Removal in 1838. The park has natural arches, mountain springs, and walking trails.

Congo Nature Preserve is a permit-access-only natural area developed to protect area lands along the canyon within Congo, Alabama, a recently discovered, lost historical community from the late 1800s.

Stroll the nature trail and enjoy a picnic at this 5.5-acre park and see the first water-powered cold blast furnace in the country. The furnace was erected in 1862 and provided pig iron to the ironworks for the Confederacy and is said to be the best preserved in the southeast.

Not only can you enjoy ATV and OHV trail riding, but camping, fishing, and hiking at Indian Mountain ATV Park, which stretches over 4,700 acres in the Piedmont, Rock Run area.

Hiking, swimming, fishing, birdwatching are favorite activities year round at this day park, featuring a playground (ADA), pavilions, grills, and public restrooms. Park use is allowed through a fee structure of $15.00 for a 7-day pass and $35.00 for an annual pass.

A mountain-top river plunges into this surprising nature sanctuary. The Little River is one of the nation’s longest rivers that forms and flows for most of its length atop a mountain, beginning at 1,900 feet above sea level on Lookout Mountain, plunging off the Cumberland Plateau at the head of the canyon, and ending up at 650 feet above sea level at Weiss Lake. Popular spots are the Waterfalls on Hwy 35 and Martha’s Falls (Hippie Hole), known for its swimming area.

The site of many Weiss Lake fishing tournaments thanks to its size and amenities, this destination has a public four-lane concrete boat launch with two 50-foot access piers, ample paved parking that accommodates up to 262 truck and trailer rigs, RV camping with full hookups, a pavilion for large gatherings, a two-mile nature trail, one-mile walking trail, bathhouse, and primitive camping with beach and pier.

Yo, Ho, Ho! This water park in Leesburg offers a variety of fun options for mates of all ages, including tube slides, body slides, a water house, a splash pad, putt-putt, and zip-lining.

Welcome aboard! We are primarily lake sailors with club facilities on Lake Weiss at Leesburg, just west of Rome, Georgia, for which our club is named. The club loves to meet other sailors and would-be sailors and welcomes all to pay a visit.

This outfitter has two locations on Terrapin Creek to serve the canoeing and kayaking rental needs of those who want to enjoy the lower run to Ellisville year-round.

This day-use park built by Alabama Power is open dusk to dark for fishing, swimming, walking trails, and birdwatching. It’s a perfect spot for picnicking with the expectation that you follow the carry-in-carry-out rule of taking any trash with you.

Over 50 feet wide with 14 miles of floatable water, Terrapin Creek on Highway 9 South between Centre and Piedmont is a Class l-ll recreational stream that provides an excellent family-friendly canoeing and kayaking experience. For anglers, the creek is known for its spotted, largemouth, and redeye bass. Fly-fishing is popular along the creek. Outfitters include Redneck Yacht Club.

Kayak rentals and shuttle service business located in Gaylesville, AL, on the Chattooga River. 14 miles from Centre, AL; 23 miles from Fort Payne, AL; 28 miles from Rome, GA.

See the dam that created Weiss Reservoir. Construction began in 1958 as the first of seven hydroelectric projects on the Coosa that year, and ended three years later. The concrete and earthen gravity dam is 126 feet tall and named after Fernand C. Weiss, a former chief engineer of Alabama Power. The dam is located on County Road 20 near Leesburg.

Weiss Lake is owned and operated by the Alabama Power Company. The lake consists of 30,200 acres, all coming from the Coosa River, Chattooga River, and Little River, offering over 447 miles of shoreline and shallow flats, large coves, under-water drop-offs, and deep channels.

These picturesque waterfalls flow over natural rocks into Weiss Lake at the footers from the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway trestle and can be seen from Alabama Hwy 273 near Leesburg. The creek is a favorite destination for boaters and kayakers. In 1911, this scenic route was known as the T.A.G. Rail Line from Lookout Mountain to Gadsden, Alabama. By 1951 it had discontinued passenger service.