Africatown, AL places on Smithsonian Magazine’s 15 Best Small Towns to Visit

Africatown Welcome Sign
Africatown Welcome Sign. (Liv George / The Bama Buzz)

Each year, Smithsonian Magazine compiles a list of the nation’s best small towns to visit. This year, Alabama’s own Africatown made the list. Read on to find out why.

About Africatown, AL 

Img 6816 1
The signage for Old Plateau Cemetery. (Liv George / The Bama Buzz)

Africatown, located just outside of Mobile, is where the survivors of the last slave ship, Clotilda, settled in the late 1800s. To commemorate their story, the town is building the Africatown Heritage House, which will be a museum. There you’ll find the last pieces of Clotilda and other historical elements of Africatown. 

Many of Africatown’s original founders are buried in the Old Plateau Cemetery and their descendants still live in the town. The town is also the birthplace of Union Missionary Baptist Church.

Smithsonian Magazine’s 15 Best Small Towns to Visit List

Africatown Welcome Center Research Signs
Africatown Welcome Center research signs. Photo by Liv George for The Bama Buzz.

Smithsonian Magazine comprises this list to celebrate America’s small towns and this tradition has become one of its favorites. The cities they feature on the list have to reach certain qualifications. 

Africatown made the list by meeting the magazine’s qualifications of: 

  • A population of less than 25,000
  • A high volume of cultural offerings.
  • A high volume of natural beauty. 

Africatown’s rich history made it a natural for the list. 

Learn more about Africatown with these stories: 

Other towns on the list

Other towns on the list include: 

Will another Alabama small town make the list? 

Stay updated on news like this—Subscribe to The Bama Buzz’s FREE newsletter today. 

Camille Womack
Camille Womack
Articles: 11