Decatur, AL

Decatur grew where Tennessee River navigation met two railroad routes, a location that made the city both a commercial junction and a contested place during the Civil War. Union forces occupied Decatur, and wartime destruction left only a few earlier buildings standing. The 1833 Old State Bank, which the city identifies as Alabama's oldest surviving bank building, now interprets that period; the restored 1905 Union Depot preserves a later chapter of the city's rail history. Decatur remains the Morgan County seat on Wheeler Lake along the Tennessee River. Water and park space continue to organize much of public recreation. The city maintains close to 30 parks, led by the more than 700-acre Point Mallard Park. Its golf course and 217-site campground operate year-round, a three-mile trail accommodates walking, running, and cycling, and a seasonal water park contains one of the country's first wave pools.

ATTRKe4roh at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0

Point Mallard also hosts recurring events including the Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic, Dragon Boat Festival, and Spirit of America Festival. Near the center of town, 28-acre Delano Park dates to 1887 and combines more than 400 legacy trees with a rose and native-plant garden, a one-mile trail, courts, an accessible playground, and a splash pad. Rhodes Ferry Park brings the system back to the river with pavilions, a playground, and a lighted walking loop on roughly eight waterfront acres. Indoor public programming includes the Cook Museum of Natural Science, whose hands-on exhibits contain a recreated cave, live animals, a 15,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, and a climbable tree with a rope bridge.