Chewacla State Park Receives TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award

Chewacla State Park Receives TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award

Auburn’s Chewacla State Park was one of eleven Alabama state parks awarded the 2016 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor, a travel website featuring traveler-generated content and reviews. The award celebrates establishments that provide excellent guest experiences and consistently achieve positive reviews on the TripAdvisor website, tripadvisor.com.

2016 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Awards for Alabama State Parks:

(Park name or attraction and award name)

• Cathedral Caverns – State Parks

• Cheaha - State Parks

• Chewacla - State Parks

• DeSoto - State Parks

• DeSoto Falls - Mountains, Nature and Wildlife Areas

• Gulf - Campgrounds

• Gulf - State Parks

• Gulf Adventure Center at Gulf State Park (zip line concessionaire) - Zip Line Adventures

• Gulf State Park Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail - Trails

• Gulf State Park Pier - Piers and Boardwalks

• Joe Wheeler - State Parks

• Lake Guntersville - State Parks

• Lake Guntersville Lodge - Lodging

• Lakepoint - State Parks

• Monte Sano - State Parks

• Oak Mountain - State Parks

• Wind Creek - State Parks

Chewacla State Park's 696 scenic acres offer plenty of rest, relaxation and recreation, and is conveniently located in the Auburn-Opelika area. Facilities include a 26-acre lake, swimming area, playground, a modern campground, picnic areas with tables, grills and shelters, cabins, hiking and mountain biking trails.

In the 1930's the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built six stone cottages in the park, which are available for rental year round. The cottages have been renovated and feature hardwood floors, stone fireplaces, beautiful new bathrooms, modern kitchens and televisions. Each has central heating and cooling so your stay will be comfortable no matter what time of year you visit. Linens are provided.

If you prefer roughing it the park also offers 36 full hookup camping sites and 10 primitive sites. Shower facilities are available in all camping areas.

The Alabama State Parks Division relies on visitor fees and the support of other partners like local communities to fund the majority of their operations. To learn more about Alabama State Parks, visit www.alapark.com.

Skip into Spring

It’s finally here – the beautiful twilight of weather between January and June that brings us cool breezes and warm temperatures.
It won’t be long before the sweltering summer sets in, so here’s a few ways you can enjoy the sweet sunshine of spring in scenic Auburn-Opelika.

1.Hit the links
The Grand National grounds are nothing short of gorgeous, especially on a crisp spring day. Take an afternoon and enjoy one of the three courses Grand National has to offer. Afterward, have a relaxing lunch on the porch as you gaze over the grounds and lake.


 2.Picnic in the park
Just because Valentine’s Day is past doesn’t mean you can’t have a romantic date. Pack a picnic lunch and a blanket and grab your sweetheart - the soft rolling hills of Kiesel Park underneath the trees are perfect for this sweet surprise. You can also take your date to Town Creek Park and enjoy your lunch by the pond. Either way, you’ll both soak up the sunshine during a luxurious afternoon.


 3.Hike & Bike in Chewacla
Chewacla State Park is a perfect getaway for outdoor activities. Now that the weather is warmer, take the Mountain Laurel Trail to Chewacla Falls and dip your toes in! If you’re the adventurous type, grab your mountain bike and tackle the trails the Central Alabama Pedalers have been working on.


4.Take a downtown stroll
Enjoying the outdoors doesn’t always mean you have to be out in nature’s thickets. Take a scenic stroll through Auburn or Opelika’s scenic and historic downtown to put some spring in your step. Enjoy a Toomer’s lemonade (or ice cream!) at the end of your jaunt in downtown Auburn on Samford’s lawn, or stop in for a pop from the Overall Co. in downtown Opelika and enjoy it on their rooftop patio!

How do you celebrate spring in Auburn-Opelika? Let us know in the comments!


Written by guest blogger Rachel Pipan

Tots Take to the Trails with Base CAMP

Most of us remember hopping on a bike around age 9 or 10, trying desperately to balance as Mom or Dad helped us “bike” along the sidewalk. Scraped knees and tumultuous tumbles were the price we paid for vehicular freedom from training wheels.

The Central Alabama Mountain Pedalers do it a little differently. 

Every Saturday at 10 a.m in Chewacla State Park., the members of CAMP run Base CAMP, a kids biking development program that helps kids as young as two years old learn to mountain bike. 

“You, me and everyone else learned how to bike with training wheels,” said Philip Darden, president of CAMP. “But that’s not the best way to learn balance, which is why we fall so much when trying to learn. You need to learn the balance first.”

CAMP has a fleet of Strider balance bikes for Base CAMP, which are bikes that have no pedals. 
“The kids push along with their feet,” said Eric Smith, creator of Base CAMP. “It helps teach them balance first so when they get on a real bike they won’t need training wheels.”

Eric Smith took the idea for Base CAMP from a program in Durango, CO. “It made so much more sense to teach kids to bike that way,” said Eric Smith. “It seemed logical to bring that skills development here.”

During Base C.A.M.P., kids ride along with the members of C.A.M.P. on the many trails that made up the interconnected loops of Chewacla State Park.
“It is so awesome to watch a kid realizing that they are balancing a bike on their own for the first time,” said Hiro Fukai, member of CAMP. “It’s a great program for the kids, parents and volunteers.”  

Base C.A.M.P. is open to kids (and parents!) of any age that want to learn how to bike while also experiencing the great outdoors.

And no child is too young to start learning.
“Both my boys started biking at 18 months,” said Eric Smith.

The main goal of Base CAMP is to help kids be more confident on a bike, whether it is in their neighborhood or crunching across leaves, boulders and other obstacles on a mountain biking trail, although the members of CAMP favor the latter.

“Base CAMP is a way to develop skills and introduce the mountain biking culture to the really really little guys,” said Philip Darden. “Because little mountain bikers grow up to be big mountain bikers.”

For more information, visit www.camp-sorba.org or email Philip Darden at camp.sorba@gmail.com.

By guest writer Rachel Pipan