Alabama city named among nation’s top 10 ‘hidden gems’ for snowbirds

Alabama city named among nation’s top 10 ‘hidden gems’ for snowbirds

Six Alabama cities earned a spot on Architectural Digest’s list of 75 “hidden gems” for snowbirds to visit in the winter, with one of those six earning a place in the top 10.

Architectural Digest ranked the cities based on housing and lodging availability, Yelp ratings for activities and eateries, home sale prices, and winter weather conditions to determine the best cities for snowbirds.

It determined a city to be a “hidden gem” if it boasted establishments with high ratings—between four and five stars on Yelp—but only six to 75 reviews, indicating that they are still relatively undiscovered.

Once the scores were tabulated, New Orleans was the top-rated “hidden gem” for snowbirds with a total score of 86.89. The Crescent City 1st for housing & lodging availability and 3rd for activities & dining. It also scored solidly in the cost (27th) and weather (24th) categories.

Among the subcategories examined in the study, New Orleans ranked 2nd in number of homes for sale on Zillow, 3rd in number of highly-rated, hidden gem lodging options and 2nd in number of highly-rated, hidden gem bars and restaurants.

Coming in at #10 overall on the list was Mobile, ahead of other Alabama cities Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa and Gulf Shores — although all six made the list.

Mobile ranked 18th overall for housing & lodging, 14th for activities & dining, sixth for cost and 34th for weather. Among the subcategories included in the study, Mobile was found to have the highest percentage (68%) of walking trails with high ratings and low traffic, according to AllTrails.

Here’s how the other five Alabama cities fared in the study:

Huntsville — 23rd overall

  • 17th in housing/lodging availability
  • 20th in activities & dining
  • 22nd in cost
  • 60th in weather

Birmingham — 24th overall

  • 32nd in housing/lodging availability
  • 17th in activities & dining
  • 4th in cost
  • 56th in weather

Montgomery — 31st overall

  • 30th in housing/lodging availability
  • 34th in activities & dining
  • 3rd in cost
  • 48th in weather

Tuscaloosa — 33rd overall

  • 33rd in housing/lodging availability
  • 33rd in activities & dining
  • 18th in cost
  • 55th in weather

Gulf Shores — 38th overall

  • 21st in housing/lodging availability
  • 71st in activities & dining
  • 38th in cost
  • 27th in weather

The full report can be read here.