After enduring a cold, snowy winter in crowded New York City, I decided to head south to Alabama. I wanted to stretch my arms out without whacking someone in the head and look up and see sky and not skyscrapers.

Besides, I'd never been to Alabama. All I knew about it was the song "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, the movie of the same name (that was filmed mostly in Georgia), and the country fried rock band Alabama. I admit, I was curious. Alabama is a big state, so I stuck to the north and checked out the bed and breakfast inns.

I didn't know what it would be like in Alabama. The worst case scenario I imagined would be stepping back into a pre-Civil Rights world. Fortunately, although I saw few people of color while I was there, I did see mixed race couples and in general, everyone was friendly. In fact, most people seemed thrilled to have visitors. On the other hand, I'd heard Alabama was the self-proclaimed buckle of the Bible Belt and indeed that is true. The Christian community is strong here. The bed and breakfasts I went to were all owned by religious folk - former reverends and preachers' daughters. It's not the place to go for wild nightlife or even a well-chilled martini. But for a woman traveling alone, I felt very safe everywhere I went.

There are a lot of bed and breakfasts in Alabama, even in northern Alabama, so here are a handful that I checked out during my visit.

Huntsville
I flew into the Huntsville International Airport. Many people who vacation in this area drive from nearby towns, but if you fly, this is the most convenient airport for north Alabama. Although I was in a hurry to see everything, I did manage to spend a few minutes at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. Okay, it's kind of for kids, but anyone at all interested in space would be impressed by the rocket that was designed here to take astronauts to the moon, and an actual-sized Space Shuttle. This is also where they have the world famous Space Camp.

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