Sultry summer nights, friendly people, good ol' down-home country cooking - you'll find it all in Alabama. From the southeastern-most end of the Appalachian Mountain Range in the state's northeast, to the white sugar-sands at the Gulf of Mexico, there is something here for everyone.

Alabama has five major land areas, the largest by far of which is the East Gulf Coastal Plain. Don't let the name fool you - the landscapes vary dramatically. From low, swampy Mobile, the elevation gradually increases through the wiregrass plains, and into a forested area known as the Central Pine Belt. There's even more diversification: The Prairie Black Belt that sweeps across the Plain is what allowed plantations and cotton farms to thrive - at least until 1915, when the boll weevils moved in.

In the eastern central section, the Piedmont Upland, with its low hills, ridges, and sandy valleys, is home to Cheaha Mountain, Alabama's highest point (2,407 feet/ 773.7 meters). Here is coal, iron ore, limestone and marble. Further northwest is the Appalachian Ridge and Valley region, composed of sandstone ridges and fertile limestone valleys. The coal, iron ore and limestone found here provide the necessary ingredients for central Alabama's steel manufacturing industry.

Progressing still further northwest is the Cumberland or Appalachian Plateau, with rolling hills, and the fertile land of the Highland Rim, much of which is found within the Tennessee River Valley.

Alabama is the birthplace of the US's Civil Rights Movement. Mobile, in the Gulf Coast area, is the original home of Mardi Gras, which was begun shortly after the French settled in 1702. In fact, it was members of Mobile's most prominent mystic society that traveled to New Orleans in 1857 to assist in setting up a similar society, leading to the birth of the New Orleans Mardi Gras. Mobile, however, maintains it as family-oriented entertainment.

The people of Alabama are proud to show off their beautiful land with its many characters. Why don't you come on down and visit a spell?