U.S.S. Alabama and U.S.S. Drum
On our way to Destin, we stopped and checked out the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. Our neighbors had happened to do about the same trip a week before, and I saw that they stopped here. I knew our boys would love it!
Both the USS Alabama and the USS Drum are a self-tour thing. We started inside where there were a variety of planes and vehicles. There were great memorials to those who have served from Alabama, and then one I unexpectedly got emotional about - the dog tags of three from Alabama who were lost at the Pentagon during 9/11. It was a great reminder of the many sacrifices of our service men and women.
First we toured the USS Drum. It was straight and simple down one level, through, then back out the other end.
Then we headed over to the USS Alabama. The tour over there was a bit more like Ikea: you just keep following the arrows and it just keeps going and going, this way and that. Sometimes you find an out and sometimes you don't. Well, we will credit user error because we walked around the top, tried to climb up, then got REALLY hot and too tried to tour midway. Oh well. It was still fun!
I think we made it about 2/3's through the ship then we were tired, hot, and done. It was really neat! They did have AC in some areas, but the rest just really big fans (did you see Ryan in front of one?)
We headed back down and were ready to go check in at Destin! Thanks for joining along with us on this trip!
Video:
To see some more:
New Orleans (coming soon)
Destin fun (coming soon)