articles

Eufaula, Alabama Mini-getaway for Birmingham Couples

Sponsored Content

By Jess Searcy January 16, 2018

When our family lived in Atlanta, the road to the beach always took us through the small town of Eufaula, Alabama.  There is no way around it, the route goes straight through the middle of downtown.  So what is so special about Eufaula, Alabama?  Just one visit and you will know why.

The enormous, historic homes lining the main street, with its beautiful trees growing in the median, will be the first thing to catch your eye.  The first time we drove through Eufaula, I immediately had to research more about it.  And that's when I discovered the Eufaula Heritage Association's annual Christmas Home Tour, which immediately earned a spot on my bucket list.  Every year since, around Christmas time, I would visit the website in hopes of finally checking it off, only to be disappointed that something would prevent me from going.  But, this year, as part of my 40th birthday, I made it a priority and got the chance to go! 

To make the trip extra special, I enlisted the help of a neighbor to watch the kids and invited my hubby to go with me.  End result?  A unique, overnight mini-getaway for two.  And now that we've been on the Christmas tour, I can't wait for an opportunity to attend the Eufaula Pilgrimage, which occurs every Spring, and features more historic homes.

What surprised me most about the Eufaula Christmas Home Tour was the inclusion of newer, modern homes.  I just assumed we would be walking from house to house down main street.  But instead, we toured houses of all sizes, from a cozy bungalow, to a sprawling $1.5 million dollar lake front home, all over town!  It was a really fun way to see what it would be like to live in an historic Greek Revival mansion or in a modern home that looks modest on the outside, but is luxurious on the inside (one home had a screened-porch so big, we counted ELEVEN ceiling fans!).  There's something for everyone, from the history buff to the Beverly hillbilly wannabe (meaning, unless you strike Texas Tea someday, this is your chance to see how the other half lives.  Us, for example).  I also have zero talent when it comes to home decorating, so I thoroughly enjoyed the holiday eye-candy in every nook and cranny.

The 2017 Christmas Tour of Homes


Cheers to a delicious lunch in a beautiful historic home!  We are ready to enjoy our day.

Included on every tour, for both Christmas and during the pilgrimage, is the Shorter Mansion (built in 1906 and pictured above), which is home to the Eufuala Heritage Association, and its associated museum.  Upon arrival, we sat down to a fabulous lunch with fellow tour mates, complete with wine and dessert.  The entire first level of the mansion was decorated for Christmas.  Looking at the architecture of the house itself, though, Mike and I noticed the decorative texture on the walls.  It resembled frosting, piped on to the sides of a wedding cake.  When we asked a volunteer about it, we found out that is exactly how it was placed, by hand, throughout many rooms in the house!  We were even pointed in the direction of one spot near the ceiling that looks like Cinderella's carriage, where the artist forgot to put some lines!  Oh the stories this house could tell!  This was just one.


Every room was beautifully decorated for Christmas.  But the decorative piping on the walls caught my eye.


Piped by hand onto the walls throughout the room, see how the one on the right is missing some lines?  I LOVE little peculiarities that you might miss, without the help of knowledgeable storytellers.

The upstairs portion of the Shorter Mansion has been turned into a museum, which you can visit any time of year (Valentine's Day mini-vacay, p'haps?).  It is filled with historical, local artifacts and furniture, and you might even discover a few ghost stories that go with the house.  My favorite items were these fire hose nozzles.  Mike was sure they must have been for purely decorative purposes, but when I inquired about them, we learned they were in fact useful!  They don't make utilitarian objects pretty like this anymore.  Just look at them!


Two antique fire hose nozzles, one elaborately decorated, with a photo of Fire Company No. 3 in the 1880s.


A closeup of some of the interesting decorations on the sides of one of the antique fire hose nozzles.

My favorite house on the tour was the antebellum Cato House, built in 1858.  It features a "widow's walk," commonly associated with the Greek Revival style. See the boxy tower structure on the roof? That is the widow's walk. I asked why it was called that, and was told that sailor's wives would pace back and forth up there, where they would look, in vain, for their loved ones to come home from sea. Pretty cool... and sad... and a bit spooky! I love craftsman style anything, and this house kind of reminds me of that.


This was my favorite house of all the ones we saw.  The 12-foot windows extend to the floor, allowing easy access to the porch during social events.  Apparently, the Catos liked to party!


Inside the Cato House, the master bedroom features a beautifully tiled fireplace with a portrait of the previous owner, who happens to be the granddaughter of the original owner, still hanging over the mantle.



I *love* the colors of the tile and the ornate fireplace cover!


A beautiful, live Christmas tree dominates the living room.  Fourteen foot ceilings and original heart of pine flooring, so grand!

We also thoroughly enjoyed touring the modern homes!  Here are a few pictures from those.  This article would be way too long if I shared all the photos, of all my favorite nooks and crannies, so I created an accompanying Facebook album with more photos HERE.



Railee R., Eufaula resident, invited me to see the inside of her adorable custom built playhouse.  Look at those Dr. Suess-esque windows!  My guys would have loved this!



This house had a breathtaking hardwood ceiling.  This kitchen open all around to the rest of the house was such a fun space.



Several of the modern homes in this year's tour, were set on the shores of Lake Eufaula.  Some had stunning, panoramic views.  But, this backyard was my favorite!  Can I make an offer?



One home owner had wonderful, creatively-crafted decorations all around her house.  Then I discovered her crafting space, in an out building, in the back yard!  Oh how I would love to have a mom-cave like this one!

After the tour, Mike and I returned to the Shorter Mansion, for heavy hors d'oeuvres and drinks, including wine.  The food was tasty and hearty enough to call dinner, and a great end to our fun day exploring homes in this adorable town.  I'm so happy I had the opportunity to scratch my many-year-long itch to experience the Eufaula Christmas Home Tour.  One thing I did not know before this trip?  You can always visit the Shorter Mansion if you are passing through Eufaula, and visit its museum.  There is at least one other historic home in town that also holds a small museum.  But your next opportunity to go on tour to see many homes, is during the Eufaula Pilgrimage in Spring.  The Pilgrimage Tour is all older homes,  and so will be especially fun for the history buffs.  More information and 2018 dates and schedule can be found HERE.  Also, every year features different homes, so if you decide to go more than once, you will get to see new homes every time!


Disclosure - Thank you to the Eufaula Heritage Association for hosting Macaroni Kid South Birmingham to facilitate the writing of this article.


---------------------- 

Get a FREE kid-friendly event calendar for families living from downtown B'ham and south to Alabaster full of festivals, fairs, activities, events and more! Sign up by clicking HERE!

Macaroni Kid South Birmingham is a free weekly e-newsletter and website focused on fun family events and things to do with kids in the South Birmingham region. We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week, and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, book and product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more. We proudly serve families in downtown Birmingham, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover, Pelham, the Oak Mountain and 280 area, Helena and Alabaster.