Birmingham, you drive past Gadsden all the time. It's the exit you don't take on the way to Chattanooga — an hour and change up I-59, sitting on the Coosa River at the foot of Lookout Mountain. I've spent thirty years in northeast Alabama. I went to Gadsden State. I've stood at the bottom of Noccalula Falls in October when the gorge turns copper and gold. Let me make the case for taking the exit.
Noccalula Falls: a 90-foot waterfall inside the city limits
Most towns would kill for this. Gadsden has a 90-foot waterfall pouring over a sandstone ledge in a city park, and in fall the hardwoods around the gorge light up like somebody struck a match. The park wraps around the falls with walking trails, a campground, a petting zoo, and a miniature train that loops the grounds — the kind of thing your kids will remember longer than anything you planned on purpose.
The falls are named for Noccalula, the Cherokee chief's daughter who, the legend says, leapt from the ledge rather than marry a man she didn't love. Her statue stands at the brink, mid-stride. Whatever you make of the story, standing under that ledge on a cold morning with the spray coming off the rock — it stays with you.
Go early. The light in the gorge is best before noon.
Theatre of Gadsden: Sweeney Todd, downtown
Here's the thing outsiders miss about Gadsden: it has a real theater culture, not a token one. Theatre of Gadsden is a working community theater with a decades-deep bench, and this fall they're doing Sweeney Todd — directed by Skylar Wheat, with Jason Wright in the title role. Community theater Sondheim is a high-wire act, and this is a company that's earned the attempt. Their CharACTers troupe puts kids on stage year-round, which is how a town keeps a theater alive for the next generation.
If you've never seen small-town Alabama do the demon barber of Fleet Street, this is your season.
The Coosa River: fall paddling weather
Summer paddling on the Coosa is a heat negotiation. Fall paddling is the reward. The river runs right through Gadsden, and the city's greenways trace the bank — flat, walkable, good for a morning before the day gets going. Cooler air, lower humidity, and foliage on the water make October the best month to put a kayak in.
Broad Street: old brick, real businesses
Downtown Gadsden runs on Broad Street — wide, old-brick storefronts from the days when this was a steel and rubber town. What's in those storefronts now is the encouraging part: local restaurants, shops, an actual functioning downtown rather than a preserved shell. Park once and walk it.
Lookout Mountain Parkway: the drive itself
Gadsden sits at the southern end of the Lookout Mountain Parkway, which means it's the front door to one of the best fall drives in the state. Point the car northeast and you climb toward DeSoto State Park and Little River Canyon — a river that runs on top of a mountain, cutting one of the deepest gorges east of the Mississippi. Peak color in northeast Alabama usually lands late October into early November. Pack a thermos. Stop at the overlooks. Don't rush it.
How to spend a fall weekend in Gadsden
Drive up Saturday morning and be at Noccalula Falls by nine, while the gorge still has its fog. Ride the train if you've got kids; walk the gorge trail if you don't. Lunch on Broad Street, then spend the afternoon driving the Lookout Mountain Parkway to Little River Canyon and back down as the light goes gold. Saturday night, get tickets to Theatre of Gadsden. Sunday, walk the Coosa greenway with coffee before you point the car back toward Birmingham.
Total drive from downtown: about an hour and fifteen minutes. Total excuse for not having done it yet: none I can think of.
Matt Headley writes about Northeast Alabama for the Anniston Star and Southern Legends. He went to Gadsden State, and he'd like Gadsden to know he's grateful.
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