Alabama Road Trips: Roland Cooper State Park from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

When traveling to the beach, the goal for most people is simple. Get there as quickly as possible. While this is understandable, there is no reason the journey can’t be as enjoyable as the destination. One way to accomplish that is to ditch the interstate and follow the winding backroads along our state’s namesake river.

Lula Hatcher, owner of Lannie’s in Selma. (Alabama Department of Tourism)

So instead of taking Interstate 65 from Montgomery, cut over to Selma and then head south on Highway 41 toward Camden. Be sure to grab some BBQ sandwiches on your way out of Selma from one of the two locations of Lannie’s (205 Medical Center Pkwy., 334-872-8573; and 2115 Minter Ave., 334-874-4478). Lannie’s has been dishing out some tender cue since 1946, and earlier this year was one of 29 restaurants named to the Alabama Department of Tourism’s inaugural Alabama Barbeque Hall of Fame class.

After a pleasant 40-mile drive, you arrive in Camden, perhaps best known for the Gee’s Bend community. The nationally recognized work of the Gee’s Bend quilters and their beautiful quilts can be found there. Watch a documentary on the quilters below.

Gee’s Bend is also home to the Gee’s Bend Ferry (334-375-6049). Before ferry service was reactivated in 2006, it took nearly an hour to make the roundabout drive from Camden to Gee’s Bend. Now it is a quick 15-minute ride across the river.

Camden also is home to secluded Roland Cooper State Park (285 Deer Run Drive, 334-682-4838), located along the backwater of the Alabama River about 5 miles north of town (follow the signs). Roland Cooper has six cabins, 46 campsites and an easily walkable 9-hole golf course. It also is a popular fishing spot, and is the site of several angling tournaments each year.

Roland Cooper State Park is full of recreation opportunities and is also where alligator hunters bring their gators to be weighed. (Alabama State Parks)

“If you’re in the city and want to get in the woods, this is a perfect place to come,” park worker Sharon Dailey says. “We’re just kind of a little piece of paradise in the middle of nowhere.”

That is also a good way to describe the rest of this trip. These are some of the most remote roads in the state (so be sure you have plenty of gas), and also some of the most picturesque. In fact, the 34-mile trek on Highway 41 from Camden to the town of Franklin is stunningly beautiful, with a twisty, hilly route that makes you feel like you’re in the state’s northern mountains rather than near the southern river delta.

A quick side trip can be made by taking County Road 17 at Franklin and following it until it reconnects with Highway 41 at Fountain. Some of the sights along the way include Isaac Creek Campground (5030 Lock and Dam Road, 251-282-4254), the Alabama River Museum (31 Isaac Creek Road) and Haines Island Park (334-682-4244), a popular spot for bird watchers.

Turn right at the town of Fountain onto County Road 39 for an 8-mile drive to Claiborne. When you reach Highway 84, turn right and travel 1 mile for a gorgeous view of the Alabama River. Then backtrack and travel 3 miles before turning right onto County Road 1. Still standing at that intersection is the oldest building in Monroe County, Masonic Lodge No. 3, which was built in 1824 and was visited by French general Marquis de Lafayette a year later.

For the next 22 miles you are on a true backroad. Nothing much to see here other than the rolling hills and a few horses and cows. Turn right once you reach Highway 59, then barely a mile later make a quick detour onto County Road 84. This spur will take you once again to the banks of the Alabama River, and also will pass by the burial site of William “Red Eagle” Weatherford, a noted Creek Indian chief.

Back on Highway 59, it is a 23-mile jaunt to Stockton. Though you cannot see the river from this part of the road, it is always nearby. That is obvious by the large number of vehicles you see towing boats, and the numerous signs for boat landings. One of the newest is the Live Oak Landing, which opened in 2012.

Just before returning to I-65, stop at the Stagecoach Cafe in Stockton (52860 State Highway 59, 251-580-0608) for quintessential Southern cooking, highlighted by fried chicken and biscuits. After that, it’s time to head to the beach. After all, there is a destination at the end of this journey.

THE QUILTS OF GEE’S BEND from Souls Grown Deep Foundation on Vimeo.

The Quilts of Gee’s Bend documentary accompanies the major exhibitions of Gee’s Bend quilts. Set in the quiltmaker’s homes and yard, and told through the women’s voices, this music-filled, 28-minute documentary takes viewers inside the art and fascinating living history of a uniquely American community and art form.