Alabama Black Belt Adventures

Across the middle of Alabama, from the Mississippi line to the Georgia line, runs a band of rich, dark soil that gave the Black Belt its name. It is a landscape of river bottoms, hardwood forests, pine stands and small courthouse towns, and it holds some of the South's most storied hunting and fishing ground. It also holds something harder to map: a deep tradition of quilters, folk artists, cooks and craftspeople whose work has reshaped how the world sees American art.

Alabama Black Belt Adventures invites travelers to experience both. In the Fall 2026 Special Holiday Edition of Explore USA Magazine, the organization introduced its newest way in: the Alabama Black Belt Makers Trail. Meet the makers. Make the journey.

What is Alabama Black Belt Adventures?

Alabama Black Belt Adventures is a nonprofit association that promotes outdoor recreation and tourism across the 23-county Black Belt region of Alabama. It highlights hunting, fishing, birding, paddling and the culture and creative people of the region.

Its website is a trip-planning hub for the whole region, from lodges and outfitters to museums and artists. Beyond the outdoors, it curates themed routes including the Flavors of the Black Belt Trail, the Black Belt Mural Trail, the Arts and Antiques Trail and, new for travelers this season, the Makers Trail.

What is the Alabama Black Belt Makers Trail?

The Makers Trail is a series of intimate, hands-on experiences with the Black Belt's artists, cooks and craftspeople. You connect with a local maker, learn a time-honored tradition and create a meaningful keepsake of your own.

The trail's promise is in its motto: Intimate by Design. Distinctly Black Belt. Experiences are offered in small-group and private formats, and each one is paired with nearby places to stay, eat and explore, so a single workshop can anchor an entire road trip. Read the full story in our feature, Meet the Makers: The Alabama Black Belt Makers Trail, and see every experience on the official Makers Trail page.

Who are the makers on the trail?

Featured makers include Gee's Bend quilters Claudia Pettway Charley and Andrea Williams, folk artist Butch Anthony in Seale, textile artist Aaron Sanders Head in Greensboro, sculptor Charlie "The Tin Man" Lucas in Selma, Chef Scott Peacock in Marion and printmaker Scott Peek in Waverly.

Makers Monday: Claudia Pettway Charley and Andrea Williams, Gee's Bend

Andrea Williams, whose work is held in the permanent collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is part of the Gee's Bend lineage that reshaped the global understanding of American art. Claudia Pettway Charley advances that legacy through major fashion collaborations with brands including Adidas, Ralph Lauren and Target. Together they lead a heritage-to-runway patchwork workshop. Take-away: a custom, Gee's Bend-inspired, one-of-a-kind garment.

Cabinets of Curiosity and Memory Jugs: Butch Anthony, Seale

Working from an 80-acre property he has shaped over decades, Butch Anthony creates an ever-evolving world of art, objects and ideas, blending storytelling, collecting and his philosophy of "Intertwangleism." His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries nationwide, and his Museum of Wonder is the setting. Take-away: a Cabinet of Curiosity or Memory Jug made from found objects and your own personal keepsakes.

Rooted in Craft: Aaron Sanders Head, Greensboro

A textile artist rooted in the land, Aaron Sanders Head works with natural dyes, hand stitching and quilt traditions at Sumac Cottage, his studio and dye garden. Guests explore indigo and shibori techniques. Take-away: harvest natural plant material and develop dyes for your own textile work of art, or make a custom kudzu basket.

Something From Nothing: Charlie "The Tin Man" Lucas, Selma

Charlie Lucas transforms discarded materials into powerful sculpture shaped by a lifetime of making. His work is held in major collections, including the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Take-away: a one-of-a-kind objet d'art designed from your own imagination.

More stops: Marion and Waverly

The trail also features the Alabama biscuit experience with James Beard Award-winning Chef Scott Peacock at Reverie 1858 in Marion, and a campus tour and custom silkscreen printing with Scott Peek at Standard Deluxe in Waverly. More experiences are added as the trail grows.

What outdoor adventures are there in Alabama's Black Belt?

The Black Belt is best known for world-class hunting and fishing, and Alabama Black Belt Adventures also promotes birding, paddling, hiking, biking, camping and shooting sports across the region.

Fall and winter are the heart of the sporting calendar. According to Alabama Black Belt Adventures, deer season generally runs from mid-October through January statewide, with many Black Belt counties extending into February, and waterfowl arrive in the winter months. Lodges and outfitters across the region host hunters, while rivers, lakes and backwaters draw anglers and paddlers in milder months. Birders come for the region's mix of open fields, wetlands and forest. Always check current Alabama hunting and fishing regulations before your trip.

When is the best time to visit the Alabama Black Belt?

Fall through spring is the most comfortable season for road-tripping between Makers Trail studios, and fall opens the region's celebrated hunting season.

Milder weather makes it easy to linger in outdoor dye gardens and folk art yards, and the holidays give a Makers Trail experience double value. A hand-dyed textile, a Gee's Bend-inspired garment or a memory jug made from family keepsakes is a gift nobody else will be unwrapping. Pair a workshop in Selma with a walk to the Edmund Pettus Bridge and the historic downtown, or combine Gee's Bend and Greensboro for a textile-focused weekend.

Plan your visit

• Official website: AlabamaBlackBeltAdventures.org for lodging, outfitters, trails and events
• Makers Trail: book experiences on the Makers Trail page; small-group and private formats
• Contact: Marina@alabamablackbeltadventures.com or 205-299-2104
• Region: 23 counties across south-central Alabama, from Mississippi to Georgia

The Makers Trail is featured in the Fall 2026 Special Holiday Edition of Explore USA Magazine. Meet the makers. Make the journey.