Cullman offers Southern hospitality, food, fishing and natural beauty.
Located between Birmingham and Huntsville, the city serves as the county seat for Cullman County and traces its modern roots to German refugee Col. John Gottfried Cullmann (they shortened the town name to one "n") in the 1870s. The climate offers mild winters and long, warm summers.
Jesse Newsom, director of tourism for the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce, says that no matter why people visit, they will find the city makes them feel right at home.
"The people here have that true Southern hospitality that makes you feel welcome," Newsom says. "It's a family type atmosphere once you get here. Just sit down and chat with a local, and in five minutes you'll feel like you're talking to a relative."
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THE WATERThe Cullman area has plenty of opportunities for visitors who want to get wet: Smith Lake, Sportsmans Lake and the Sipsey Fork.“The water in and around Cullman County is rejuvenating,” Newsom says. “There’s no doubt about it. Once you immerse yourself, you instantly feel peace.”Smith Lake Park Manager Tony Harris says the lake makes the perfect spot for folks looking to catch striped bass and other big fish.“It’s like deep-sea fishing on a lake,” Harris says.Smith Lake Park has nine cabins, over 200 full-service sites for the camper and RV crowd and 61 tent sites. The park’s 21,200 acres and 500 miles of shoreline offer plenty of room to roam.>The parks hosts several festivals and a fall fishing tournament.
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MARIA’S GROTTOThe Ave Maria Grotto features 125 meticulous miniature replicas of historic shrines, churches and other structures at St. Bernard Abbey, Alabama’s only Benedictine abbey. The four-acre park provides a natural setting for the stone and concrete masterpieces created by Brother Joseph Zoett between 1918 and 1958.
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TO MARKET, TO MARKETThe Farmers Market at Festhalle Market Platz opens for business on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. from mid-April to late October.>The Festhalle Market Platz, in conjunction with nearby Depot Park, goes all out for its 2nd Fridays events, which offer live music, farmers produce and local vendors on the evenings of the second Fridays of June-September.
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LOCAL FLAVOR“Check out the mom-and-pop stores around the city,” Jesse Newsom, the city’s tourism director, says. “Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy retail chains, but these mom-and-pop shops honestly want to make sure you have a great experience. From Southern Accents Architectural to MoMo She, Cullman is a sanctuary for retail shopping.”Newsom says he can’t say enough of the local food, especially its barbecue, which he ranks “right at the top.”“Seriously, the food is amazing,” he says.
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ROCK’N ITLaunched in 2012, Rock the South originally intended to serve as celebration of the recovery from the horrific storms that devastated the region on April 27, 2011. The organizers’ website says they have given back over $200,000 to local charities since the event began four years ago, citing The Link, Alabama Forever and Children’s Hospital of Alabama as beneficiaries.The festival stands for “Southern culture, family and giving back.”Rock the South performers include Dierks Bentley, Tyler Farr, Brantley Gilbert, Alan Jackson, Little Big Town, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Travis Tritt.>When the spring concert happens, Smith Lake Park’s camping facilities fill to capacity, Harris says.
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FUN FACTSFrankweiler, Germany, the hometown of the city founder, joined Cullman as its sister city in 1987.Cullman established the town in 1874, a special colony that attracted Germans and other Europeans as well as Americans from across the country. About 100,000 moved to Cullman in the last quarter of the 19th century.Population: 15,030 (2013 U.S. Census estimate)