Recreation
With 555 square miles of mountains, valleys, forests, rivers and lakes, Etowah County is one of the most diverse areas for outdoor sports and recreation in the southeast. Whether it's a trophy buck or largemouth bass, chances are you'll find it here. Or you can hike, bike, ATV or horseback ride through scenic trails, as well as sail, jet-ski or canoe on a river or lake.
Golfing
Golf is a year-round activity at Gadsden’s 257-acre Twin Bridges municipal golf course (named in Golf Digest’s 2004 list of America’s Best New Courses) and at the Hidden Oaks, Wills Creek and Gadsden Country Club courses. The Silver Lakes championship golf course on Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a 20-minute drive from downtown. Golf Digest’s Metro Golf Survey ranked Gadsden as the #9 metropolitan area in the nation for being golfer-friendly.
Fishing and hunting
Boardwalks, piers, boat ramps and marinas provide convenient access to the Coosa River, Lake Gadsden, and the 11,235-acre Neely Henry Lake. The city is host to many local, state and national fishing tournaments, and has co-sponsored such events with Crappie USA, the Bass Federation, Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society, and the Women's Bass Fishing Association.
Information about hunting seasons and bag limits for deer, dove, quail, duck, goose, turkey, fox, rabbit, squirrel, raccoon, bobcat, beaver, wild hog and coyote is at www.outdooralabama.com. There are local ranges for bow, pistol, rifle, muzzleloader and skeet shooting.
Parks
Noccalula Falls Park, three miles north of downtown, features a 90-foot waterfall. Nestled among the trees in the park is a pioneer village, a group of rustic, hand-hewn log buildings representing a display of pioneer living conditions. Other park attractions include a botanical gardens, animal habitat, hiking trails, sightseeing train, playground, carpet golf, picnic pavilions, war memorial, RV and tent campground, cabins and meeting facilities.
The James D. Martin Wildlife Park and Heronry, part of the Alabama Birding Trails, are located on the 300-acre Lake Gadsden in the center of the city. It contains a boardwalk, pavilions, and bicycle and pedestrian trails. The wide range of upland, wetland and open water habitats support a variety of species including water fowl, songbirds, birds of prey, amphibians, fish, small mammals, insects and native plants.
Tigers for Tomorrow, home to more than 130 animals, is a federally licensed exotic animal park and a premier rescue preserve specializing in tigers, lions, cougars and leopards.
Sports
The Gadsden Sports Complex consists of a five-field softball complex, a twelve-court tennis center, a combination football/soccer field, a baseball field, a skate park, a one-mile lighted walking track and a sports coliseum. The complex has hosted numerous regional and state-level competitions in softball, tennis, soccer, football and basketball. The coliseum is home for the city’s Therapeutic Recreation Department.
Other municipalities in Etowah County also have sports complexes, and throughout the county are public parks (some with sand volleyball courts), picnic areas, playgrounds and community centers.
Local sports activities include Little League, Babe Ruth and Pony League baseball; youth football, basketball and soccer associations; adult softball leagues and tournaments; tennis tournaments; bowling leagues; swim meets; and water skiing. Also, there are private schools for gymnastics, cheerleading and martial arts; four health clubs and a large YMCA; and an 18-hole disc golf course here.
Motor sports
Racing fans will enjoy our Green Valley Speedway (which also has a go-kart track) and the Alabama International Dragway. The Alabama International Motor Speedway and the Barber Motorsports Park are within an hour's drive.
There are several nearby offroad parks for dirt bikes, ATVs, side-by-sides, four-wheel drives, rail buggies and rock crawlers, including the Choccolocco Mountain Off Road Vehicle Park and Campground.
Kayaking and rock climbing
Gadsden is bisected by the Coosa River, part of the Alabama Scenic River Trail. Big Wills Outfitters and Terrapin Outdoor Center offer canoe and kayak rentals on area creeks.
The nearby Cherokee Rock Village attracts climbers from across the southeast. Horse Pens 40 is an historic nature area that features bouldering, camping, and hiking.
The Little River Canyon National Preserve, about 45 minutes away, has areas for hikers, horseback riders, four-wheel drive vehicles, primitive camping, picnicking, swimming, class III to VI whitewater kayaking, cliff climbing (most routes are expert level) and rappelling; an 11-mile scenic drive overlooks the 600-foot-deep canyon and river.
Scuba diving
Dive Land Park in Glencoe is a 150-foot-deep quarry dive site, open to certified divers from April through October. Dive Alabama, an hour away in Birmingham, has SCUBA training, equipment rentals, air and nitrox fills, and a 140-foot-deep quarry dive site.
More activities
The Cloudmont Ski Resort has two 1,000-foot beginner/intermediate slopes with an elevation of 1,800 feet and a vertical rise of 150 feet. Skydive Alabama offers parachute jumps up to 18,000 feet, tandem jumps, and accelerated freefall lessons. True Adventure Sports provides zip line and sky swing experiences. Each is just an hour's drive from Gadsden.
Festivals
The Chamber of Commerce’s Riverfest is held each summer. More than 50,000 attend the family-oriented, weekend event, which features national recording artists, many vendors and children’s activities.
Rainbow City's Alabama Chocolate Festival features a taste-off competition, recording artists, arts and crafts vendors, and children's activities. The City of Southside's CityFest has an antique car show, children’s area, vendor marketplace, prizes, and all-day concerts. Glencoe's Celebration in the Park and the Altoona Day City Celebration have music, food and games. The Etowah County Fair has musical entertainment, food, games, amusement rides and a petting zoo, among other attractions.
And, for weekend getaways, the Smoky Mountains and Gulf Coast beaches are within a half-day drive.
Visit the Gadsden-Etowah Tourism Board and Gadsden's Parks and Recreation Department websites for more information about these and other recreational activities.
