Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Anniston (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Museum of Natural History, Hillside Cemetery, and World's Largest Office Chair. Also, be sure to include Parker Memorial Baptist Church in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Anniston (Alabama).
Table of Contents
Museum of Natural History
Museum in Anniston, Alabama. The Anniston Museum of Natural History is a museum in Lagarde Park, Anniston, Alabama, exhibiting more than 2,000 natural history items on permanent display, including minerals, fossils, and rare animals in open dioramas.
In addition to exploring Alabama’s natural heritage, the museum features diorama-style exhibits that begin in pre-history and extend to the North American wilderness and the African savannah. Each of the museum's seven exhibit halls explores a different natural history theme. The Environments of Africa Hall contains more than 100 African animals displayed in simulated natural settings. Other highlights include 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummies from the Ptolemaic period, a cave-dwelling creatures exhibit and a children’s discovery room. The Dynamic Earth depicts the planet's formation and includes minerals, fossils, gemstones and dinosaurs. Nature Space offers a large learning area with hands-on activities. On the grounds are a wildlife garden, open-air animal exhibits, nature trails and the Berman Museum of World History.
A Changing Exhibit Gallery provides fresh exhibits on a regular basis.
The museum's history dates from 1930, when H. Severn Regar offered his personal collection of historical objects and biological specimens to the city of Anniston. Included were extinct and endangered species collected by 19th-century naturalist William Werner. This gift formed the cornerstone of the museum’s Birds of the Americas exhibit hall, which features more than 400 specimens of North American birds in their habitats. The museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.[1]
Address: 800 Museum Dr, 36206-2813 Anniston
Hillside Cemetery
Cemetery in Anniston, Alabama. Hillside Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Anniston, Alabama. It was established in 1876, and laid out by Nathan Franklin Barrett. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since October 3, 1985.
Notable burials include US Representative Fred L. Blackmon (1873–1921) and Civil War general Daniel Tyler (1799–1882).
The Temple Beth El section of the cemetery was designated as an Alabama Historical Cemetery on October 15, 2008.[2]
World's Largest Office Chair
Tourist attraction in Anniston, Alabama. The World's Largest Office Chair is a roadside attraction in Anniston, Alabama.[3]
Parker Memorial Baptist Church
Church in Anniston, Alabama. Parker Memorial Baptist Church is a historic Southern Baptist church at 1205 Quintard Avenue in Anniston, Alabama. Built in 1888, it was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1981, and the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[4]
Address: 1205 Quintard Ave, 36201-4617 Anniston
Grace Episcopal Church
Episcopal church in Anniston, Alabama. Grace Episcopal Church, located at 1000 Leighton Avenue in Anniston, Alabama, is an historic Gothic Revival church that was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 3, 1985.[5]
Address: 1000 Leighton Ave, 36207 Anniston
St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church
Episcopal church in Anniston, Alabama. St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church is an historic church located at 1000 West 18th Street in Anniston, Alabama, designed by architect William Halsey Wood of Newark, NJ. It was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on November 23, 1976, and to the National Register of Historic Places on March 14, 1978.[6]
Address: 1000 W 18th St, 36201 Anniston
Temple Beth-El
Synagogue in Anniston, Alabama. Temple Beth-El is a historic Jewish synagogue at 301 E. Thirteenth Street in Anniston, Alabama. It was built in 1891 in the Romanesque Revival style. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[7]
Calhoun County Courthouse
Courthouse in Anniston, Alabama. The Calhoun County Courthouse is a historic county courthouse in Anniston, Alabama. It was designed by Atlanta architect J. W. Golucke and built in 1900, when the county seat of Calhoun County was moved from Jacksonville. It is one of the earliest Neoclassical courthouses in Alabama. An annex with a jail was added on the north side of the building in 1924. The courthouse was rebuilt after a 1931 fire, albeit with a slightly different clock tower. A southeastern annex was built in 1963. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[8]
Address: 25 West 11th Street, Anniston
Mount Zion Baptist Church
Church in Anniston, Alabama. Mount Zion Baptist Church is a historic church at 212 Second Street in Anniston, Alabama. It was built in 1890 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[9]
Address: 210 2nd St W, 36201-5977 Anniston
Kilby House
Kilby House, at 1301 Woodstock Ave. in Anniston, Alabama, was built in 1914. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
It is a large two-and-a-half-story Georgian Revival-style house with a hipped roof. It "is distinguished by its symmetrical massing and elaborate moldings. The five-bay central block, flanked by recessed three-bay wings, is centered by a segmentally curved pedimented portico with two fluted Doric columns and a fluted pilaster on each side." It was designed by architects Warren-Knight and Davis, Inc. of Birmingham.
It was deemed significant for its association with Thomas E. Kilby, who served as Lieutenant Governor of Alabama from 1914 to 1918 and as Governor from 1919 through 1923, and architecturally "as retaining perhaps the finest Georgian Revival facade remaining in Anniston."
It is also a contributing building in the East Anniston Residential Historic District.[10]
McKleroy-Wilson-Kirby House
The McKleroy-Wilson-Kirby House, at 1604 Quintard Ave. in Anniston, Alabama, is a Queen Anne-style house built in 1888. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
It is attributed "by tradition" to architect John Moser.
The house was deemed "architecturally significant as the last remaining mansion on Anniston's premier 19th century boulevard - Quintard Avenue" and as a good example of Queen Anne architecture.
It was also deemed "significant for its associations with John Martin McKleroy and his son, William Henry, both of whom occupied the house. The elder McKleroy was associated with a number of the major industrial concerns in the city and prior to moving to Anniston in the 1880s, was a powerful politician - serving as chairman of the State Democratic Executive Committee in 1886. His son served as mayor of the city and was president of both the Anniston National Bank and the Oxford National Bank."
The property includes its carriage house and a guest house.[11]