Dothan, AL

Peanuts are more than a nickname in Dothan. When the Wiregrass shifted from boll-weevil-damaged cotton to peanuts, the crop became central to the region's economy; the National Peanut Festival began in 1938 with George Washington Carver as its guest speaker and still returns each fall. Dothan became the Houston County seat in 1903 and now serves as a commercial and civic center for southeastern Alabama. Downtown translates the agricultural story into public art: more than 40 five-foot peanut sculptures share the streets with building-scale murals about Wiregrass history. The city's current City Center program has renovated the 1915 Opera House and opened Porter Park and Events Plaza, which hosted concert and outdoor-movie series in 2026. Outdoor recreation is spread across Dothan's large municipal footprint.

ATTRCvernon1 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Forever Wild Trails at Beaver Creek protects 400 acres inside the city limits and provides more than 14 miles of wooded routes, including a mile of bridges through wetlands and three trailheads. Eastgate Park adds 200 acres, a two-mile walking route and boardwalk, fishing ponds, pickleball courts, archery, disc golf, a dog park, and youth baseball fields. Back downtown, Wiregrass Museum of Art uses five galleries for changing exhibitions and maintains a hands-on children's space. A different regional institution sits at nearby Fort Rucker: the U.S. Army Aviation Museum displays about 50 of its collection of more than 160 military aircraft in 70,000 square feet and on outdoor grounds. Museum admission is free, though visitors without military credentials must follow the installation's access process.