Alabama Drive-thru museum

We use the Atlas Obscura web site to find off the wall things to visit and have had very good luck.  When in Eufala, AL we used it to find the Drive-Thru Museum of Wonder.  The museum started in the 1970’s as Butch’s taxidermy shop and artifact room, the Museum of Wonder is now filled with art, artifacts and antiques, and some very strange items. Drive-thru attractions make for an easy visit and this museum has brought this effortless approach to the world of outsider art.  Butch Anthony, the museum’s curator has collected curiosities since he was a kid, but didn't become an artist until his early thirties. It happened this way: a friend of his, John Henry Toney, had been plowing Butch's garden when he found a gnarled turnip with what appeared to be a human face. John Henry drew a picture of it, and he and Butch placed it in a local junk shop with a joke price tag of $50. They were shocked when someone bought it.
Butch, developed his talents and less than ten years after the turnip, Butch had become such an art celebrity that he was asked to design Alabama's ornament for the White House Christmas tree.  Butch’s popularity began to impact his ability to work on his art.  As it turned out, a new four-lane road had just been built a few minutes away from Butch's studio workshop. Butch bought the property and hauled over some 40-foot-long shipping containers, cut holes in them for windows, and filled them with his quirky wonders and art, creating the world's first drive-thru museum.
Butch added an Airstream trailer to the shipping containers to display even more wonders, and hitched it to his art-car Cadillac whenever he wanted to take his Museum on the road. The containers and trailer are lit from inside at night, which actually makes it easier to see some of the exhibits. The Museum of Wonder is a 24-hour drive-thru. Even if you're passing by at 3 AM you can visit, when it's just you, Butch's collection, and a lot of country darkness.

 
The wonders displayed in the drive-thru fall into two categories: Butch's art and the weird stuff that always seems to find a way into Butch's hands. He calls his art Intertwangleism, and it includes everything from freak taxidermy to sculptures made of metal and bones.  Butch, like any good museum curator, rotates his collection, visiting the drive-thru, he said, once a month to move things around and swap in new displays. Visitors hoping to discern some artistic pattern in his exhibit placement will be disappointed. However, the constant shuffling means that favorite items, such as the turnip, may not be on display when you visit, but also gives travelers an incentive to come back for another look.  Butch cut a slit into the last shipping container where visitors can deposit the Museum's recommended one-dollar donations, as well as any notes they care to leave. He keeps them all.

 
After the drive-thru museum take a quick ride to Eufala and visit the tree that owns itself. Once, a huge oak grew squarely near the center of the city at 512 Cotton Avenue and had the distinct privilege of owning itself. It was a favorite place for local children to play and was a landmark for the city so a local historian persuaded the city council to deed the tree to itself and through these acts it happened. It was given its freedom by the governor in 1936. The city, through its mayor, recorded a deed in 1935 which reads in part: “I. E. H. Graves, as Mayor of the City of Eufaula, do hereby grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the ‘Post Oak Tree,” not as an individual, partnership nor corporation, but as a creation and gift of the Almighty, standing in our midst—to itself—to have and to hold itself, its branches, limbs, trunk and roots so long as it shall live.” The tree is also known as the Walker Oak.

Gulf Islands National Seashore

 The Destin and Pensacola area offers some scenic rides along pristine seashore.  The seashore features offshore barrier islands with sparkling white quartz sand beaches (along miles of undeveloped land), historic fortifications, and nature trails. There are two areas that are also part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The first, Okaloosa Island, is between Fort Walton Beach and Destin. On July 8, 1950 the federal government conveyed an 875-acre (3.54 km²) parcel of Santa Rosa Island with 3 miles of Gulf frontage to Okaloosa County. The county paid the federal government $4,000 to complete the transaction. The portion of Santa Rosa Island transferred is now known as Okaloosa Island. The twelve-mile long beach road onto U.S. Air Force property, west of the Okaloosa Island portion of Santa Rosa Boulevard, was unguarded and accessible into the 1980s, but heightened security concerns have since led to it being guarded or blocked at all times. Various military missile launch and test facilities exist on Santa Rosa Island south and southwest of Hurlburt Field. The remained of the island remains with the National Park Service as part of Gulf Islands National Seashore.  The NPS portion of the island is monitored by a NPS host camper.

The second is at the next bridge to Santa Rosa Island at Navarre. The communities of Pensacola Beach, Navarre Beach are located on this part of the island. On the northern side of the island, are Pensacola Bay on the west and Choctawhatchee Bay on the east, joined through Santa Rosa Sound. Driving from Navarre Beach Blvd to the National Seashore you will see many interesting homes on of which is the igloo-looking Dome of a Home. 

 
The Dome of a Home is an incredible monument of dome design and construction. Located on Pensacola Beach, Florida, this 6,000 sq ft of indoor and outdoor living space provides spectacular views of both the Gulf of Mexico and Santa Rosa Sound.  Built by Mark and Valerie Sigler, this home features advanced construction and design techniques to help defend against huricanes and other forces of nature.

Gulf Breeze Zoo

If you are in the Destin / Pensacola area a visit to the Gulf Breeze Zoo is worth the price of admission ($20.95 adult, discounted for seniors and retirees).  Gulf Breeze Zoo was originally The Zoo of Northwest Florida.  It was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan and closed in 2009.  The zoo was rescued by a team of zoological professionals from Virginia Safari Park who bought the zoo in December of the same year.  The Zoo was renovated and reopened on February 18, 2010, as Gulf Breeze Zoo. On January 20, 2018 the first baby White Rhino was born at Gulf Breeze Zoo. The first ever rhino calf to be born in its 34 year history.  

This guy was very curious

The zoo is divided into 20 acres of walking exhibits and a 30 acres of free roaming preserve area that guests take a guided train ride through. The walking portion includes many animals including primates, lions, tigers, marsupials, bears, tortoises, and a large variety of exotic birds. The zoo has several interactive feeding areas including a large petting area, a giraffe feeding area, 

Giraffe feeding area

and a walk-through budgie enclosure. Other highlighted exhibits throughout the park include red river hogs, otters, alligators, camels and primate exhibits. Another unique area of the walking portion of the Zoo includes a large raised boardwalk that allows visitors see herds of deer, antelope, capybara, kudu, rhino and the Gorilla Islands.  The walking area is well laid out allowing for easily navigating the exhibits.  You do not spend a lot of time staring at the park map wondering if you missed anything.  The layout is very simple and efficient. 

The train

Additionally as you near the end of the walking path it places you near the “train station”.  A C.P. Huntington locomotive train will take you on a 20-minute narrated tour, where you will see many different types of deer, antelope, zebras, and white rhinos roaming in a 30-acre free-roaming preserve to get a close view of gorillas and Nile hippos.

Destin HarborWalk and Dolphin Cruise

When visiting Destin, FL make sure you visit the harbor walk.  The Destin Boarwalk stretches one quarter mile along the historic Destin Harbor and was completed in June 2012 with the purpose of providing increased waterfront access to visitors and preserving the unique history and character of the heart of the World’s Luckiest Fishing Village: the Destin Harbor.
A stroll along the Destin Boardwalk allows you to take in the sights of the harbor, enjoy the sunshine (or sunset), and take part in some of the many activities the Boardwalk has to offer. The Boardwalk boasts many shopping opportunities, iconic restaurants, children’s activities, access to watersports and boating activities, photo opportunities, and a first-hand look at the World’s Luckiest Fishing Village’s renowned charter fishing fleet.
The west end of the Boardwalk offers the most shopping opportunities, with\upscale resortwear boutiques, designer shoes and sunglass stores, jewelery shops, specialty food stores, and more at HarborWalk Village. As you make your way east along the Boardwalk, you’ll find more activities, booking booths, and convenience type stores.
There is no shortage of good food in Destin, and the Destin Harbor Boardwalk is no exception. Restaurants like Crab Island Cantina, Harry T’s, Aj’s Seafood & Oyster Bar, Dewey Destin’s, the Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Boathouse Oyster Bar are all on on the boardwalk, though some are open seasonally. Restaurants run the length of the Boardwalk, and good food abounds. Many of the restaurants also offer a Cook Your Catch option if you choose to take advantage of the fishing opportunities in the World’s Luckiest Fishing Village! 

Food Galore

There are plenty of kids activities on the Boardwalk include the HarborWalk Mining Company, where children can “mine” for precious stones, arrowheads, and shark’s teeth; the inflatable water balls,

Water Balls

Kids love running around in these water balls!

; feeding fish from fish food dispensers, and of course watching the boats come in with their catches of the day! It’s also fun to take silly photos at several of the plywood props.  There are also zip lines and a ‘drop’ tower for the oler, more adventurous visitors
Special events are hosted along the Destin Boardwalk year-round, from fishing tournaments, to parades, to fireworks displays, to the annual Destin Seafood Festival. There is always something to do and see on the Boardwalk. 

The Destin Boardwalk stretches from the east end by the Destin Yacht Club westward to the Harborwalk Village and is accessible year-round. Parking is available to the public in several different lots along the Boardwalk, and is free! So, if you’re looking for an activity that is fun for the whole family, come on down to the Destin Boardwalk, and experience Destin’s true heritage as you stroll along its picturesque walkways. Stop by and see us when you do!

In the parking lot of the Harbor walk you will see a dolphin tours office. This is  what brought us to the Harborwalk.  However our tour was cancelled and as we were walking the board walk we found two other tour operators.  One was not offering tours since there boat was in drydock.  The third, Olin Marler, was in operation and running that day so we booked the tour.

The Hannah Marie runs Dolphin Cruises daily. This is a family owned and operated cruise and fishing operation.  A dolphin tour is an ideal way to enjoy a relaxing 1.5 hour cruise watching dolphins play in their natural habitat. These boats feature a glass bottom viewing area, snack bar, restrooms and an air conditioned and heated cabin.

The Dolphin Cruises are 1.5 hour narrated cruises through the Destin Harbor, through the East Pass into the Gulf of Mexico and into the Bay. We enjoyed the tour from the bow of the boat so never saw the glass bottom.  In the bow there is a lot of noise from wave action and hull slap as you move through the waves so near the break water hearing the narration proved difficult.  Also it was not the calmest of days that we chose so as we neared the break water it got pretty rough and we did not venture out far. Fortunately we saw dolphins all the way from the harbor to the breakwater 
The tours depart early morning, noon or sunset cruise depending on the season and there is a concession stand on board for light snacks and beverages.