As someone who has visited every county and most cities in Alabama, I can tell you our state has a love of quirkiness that rivals that of any other.

I enjoy nothing better than seeking out things like World’s Largest Business Shirt (Andalusia, Ala.), the World’s Largest Office Chair (Anniston, Ala.) or the movie town of Spectre used in the 2003 film “Big Fish” (Jackson Lake Island, Ala.)

I made a list of 11 cities in Alabama that are the definition of “eccentric,” meaning “unconventional” or “quirky,” in the best possible way.

Let’s see if you agree. What cities would you add? Email [email protected].

Abbeville

The Henry County town of Abbeville, whose population hovers at about 2,400 people, is not on the way to anywhere. Located in a far southeastern corner of the state, within spitting distance of the Georgia line, it’s a little town with tons of personality. Civic leaders and Abbeville’s most prominent resident, Jimmy Rane, have preserved the town’s historic buildings, encouraged new businesses and added fun and quirky touches to make Abbeville a destination city. Rane’s collection of vintage neon signs hangs on the city’s main street, filling it with color and nostalgia. Rane also opened a restaurant named for the legend of Huggin’ Molly, a witch of local lore. The eatery is filled with Rane’s collection of movie memorabilia.

Daphne

The city of Daphne is located on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. With about 30,000 residents, it is the largest city in Baldwin County. Daphne gets its quirkiness from two things, one natural and one manmade. Daphne is nicknamed the “Jubilee City” thanks to the natural phenomenon of jubilee. This event occurs when oxygen levels in the water change and force fish, shrimp and crabs to jump onto the shoreline. When it occurs, people flock to the shore to collect their “catch.”

Daphne also benefits from the unique art of Bruce Larsen, who lives in nearby Fairhope. The U.S. Sports Academy in Daphne commissioned several sculptures from Larsen, who creates figures from found objects. The sports figures dot the campus and draw curious visitors.

Elberta

Elberta, located in Baldwin County, is home to about 2,000 souls. But at any given time, that number is much higher due to people who come to Barber Marina. People come for the usual reasons, to fish or boat, but they also come to take a little trip inside the mind of George Barber. Barber, the owner of the marina, has commissioned dozens of quirky artworks to adorn his property. Fish Trap Road, which winds its way to the marina, is dotted with four oversized dinosaurs and a Stonehenge replica. The bay itself is home to the Lady in the Bay, a huge female figure who seems to float in the water. But there are smaller surprises everywhere, including statues of knights, seahorses, alligators, dolphins, a giant metal spider and a massive ornate fountain adorned with horses and lions.

Enterprise

This city of 30,000 people is unusual from the get-go because it is located in two counties: Coffee and Dale. It is best known for having the statue of an insect in its main downtown intersection. The figure of a woman holds aloft an oversized boll weevil, which the city erected in 1919 because the bug’s destruction of cotton harvests forced farmers to diversify their crops and grow peanuts. But the insect statue is not the quirkiest thing about Enterprise. Just over 100 years later, in 2022, the local McDonald’s erected a boll weevil version of Ronald McDonald, complete with six legs and a snout. Enterprise is a city you don’t want to miss!

MORE: 7 clever Alabama roadside attractions that help tell their towns’ histories

Evergreen

Evergreen is a quaint small town in Conecuh County with about 3,500 residents. It is known as the Emerald City because it was once the smilax capital of Alabama (for the uninitiated, smilax is a type of beautiful greenery that can be draped as decoration. In the 1890s smilax was gathered from Evergreen to decorate the White House at the request of President Grover Cleveland, according to a marker outside the city’s historic train depot. But Evergreen makes this list not for its greenery but for its Bigfoot sightings. In 2017, the city council voted to name Evergreen, the “Bigfoot Capital of Alabama.” While Bigfoot hasn’t made an appearance in town, many folks claim to have seen him, or her, in the surrounding woods.

Fyffe

On Feb. 11, 1989, several people reported seeing UFOs over Fyffe, a DeKalb County town of about 1,200 residents. The sightings would become a national story.

The New York Times reported: “The prospect of seeing a UFO lured more than 4,000 people to this town of 1,300 in northeast Alabama Friday night, but for all the hoopla no unidentified flying objects were sighted. Visibility was difficult because of clouds and light rain. Fyffe got on the UFO circuit Feb. 10, when a woman reported seeing a strange light in the sky and the police later reported seeing a large lighted object passing silently over them. Numerous other sightings have been reported since then.” The sightings were given validity by the fact that then-Police Chief Charles “Junior” Garmany and Assistant Police Chief Fred Works saw the UFOs. Today, the tiny town commemorates the event with a festival called UFO (Unforgettable Family Outing) Days each August. It features hot air ballons and entertainment.

Leeds

Leeds, a Birmingham suburb that is home to about 12,000 people, is unusual because it crosses three counties: Jefferson, St. Clair, and Shelby. But it made this list because it’s another mecca for the quirky art of George Barber, a one-time racecar driver. Leeds the location of Barber Motorsports Park and Museum, where people can watch races or visit an exhibit of Barber’s collection of 1,300 motorcycles, for which he holds a Guiness World Record. He has also filled this property with statues and quirky figures such as a giant ant carrying an oversized Coke, a colorful horse, tigers, spiders and zombies. It is also home to a second (the other is in Elberta) giant woman in the water, this one called the Lady in the Lake. Read how Barber ended up commissioning two ladies in the water for Alabama here.

Mentone

Mentone, a mountain town in DeKalb County, is known for its arts colony and its plethora of natural wonders, including DeSoto Falls and Little River, as well as a ski resort with manmade snow. Mentone is home to about 319 people. A couple of its eccentricities include the Sallie Howard Memorial Chapel, which is a church built around a boulder that forms its pulpit, and the ruins of Mentone Springs Hotel, a Victorian-era lodge that burned in 2014.

Seale

Seale is an unincorporated community in Russell County with about 200 residents. What makes it quirky is resident Butch Anthony, an artist who invites people to his “drive-through” museums. Anthony created the Museum of Wonder, where he displays artwork outdoors on his property and encourages visitors to walk or drive through. He has also erected shipping containers at the corner of Alabama Highways 1 and 169 to display even more art, including paintings, taxidermy, found objects and folk art.

Slapout

This community makes the list for one reason: its name. It has now mostly been absorbed by Holtville, an Elmore County city of about 5,000 people. According to lore, Slapout community got its name from the 1920s-era general store, which was typically “slap out” of many staples. When quizzed about his stock, the owner would respond simply, “I’m slap out.” Residents still honor the legend by naming business Slapout Produce and Slapout Barber Shop.

Wetumpka

Wetumpka, the seat of Elmore County, is home to about 7,200 people. It received national attention in 2020 when it was featured on HGTV’s “Hometown Takeover.” It is also known as the filming location for many scenes in the 2003 film “Big Fish.” The 1874 Victorian home featured in the film is located on a hill overlooking the city. Other scenes were filmed outside Elmore County Courthouse and downtown businesses. An oversized catfish made from hubcaps is located in downtown Wetumpka to commemorate the film. It was also the location for filming the 1995 film “The Grass Harp,” by Truman Capote, as well as “The Rosa Parks Story.” Wetumpka is also unusual because it is the location of a meteor crater that is 4.7 miles in diameter and thought to be 85 million years old.