Alabama's Charming Lakeside City Is A True Southern Gem Known As The 'Big Bass Capital Of The World'

One of the world's best bass fishing destinations is nestled against the shores of a giant Southern reservoir about two and a half hours south of Atlanta by car, just across the state border in southeast Alabama. Eufaula, located in Alabama's storied Red Hills region and on the banks of Lake Eufaula (also known as Walter F. George Reservoir) is known by some as the "Big Bass Capital of the World," and attracts bass anglers to its community all year long. But Eufaula is more than just a fishing town. It's got a colorful past stretching back to the early 19th century, and it boasts a stunning historic district featuring some of the most unique architecture in the South.

For outdoor lovers, Eufaula's natural assets obviously include 45,000-acre Lake Eufaula that can claim some 640 miles of shoreline. But the community is also home to the 11,000-acre Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge, which provides habitat for some of southern Alabama's most important native plant and animal species, like water storks, red-cockaded woodpeckers, white-tail deer and the charismatic and predatory reptile, the American alligator. For wildlife enthusiasts and birders, there are more than 300 species of birds and 40 species of mammals living on the refuge. Eufaula is a lot like nearby Brewton, an underrated city near Florida's panhandle that offers scenic, diverse trails and Southern charm.

Lake Eufaula is a man-made reservoir created by the Walter F. George Dam that was constructed on the Chattahoochee River in 1963 for flood control purposes. Since then, it's been one of the South's most dependable trophy largemouth bass fisheries, and Eufaula's location on the lake's shores makes it the perfect home base for anglers. The lake earned the title as the Big Bass Capital of the World in the late 1960s and 1970s, and it still offers trophy bass fishing every season. Bass anglers from all over flock to Lake Eufaula because of its unique subsurface topography. When the dam was built, it flooded more than just the river channel — it also flooded creek mouths and it boasts lots of points and shoals that bass love at various times of the year. It's also home to lots of forage fish that big bass eat. Like another Alabama bass fishing destination, Lake Guntersville — which happens to be home to some of the best fishing in the Southeast — Lake Eufaula is the stuff of bass fishing legends.

Every year, through at least 2023, Lake Eufaula has hosted 18 national fishing tour events. Bass fishing at Lake Eufaula is a big deal, both for anglers who just love to fish, but also for Eufaula and its surrounding communities that benefit from the year-round influx of trophy-seeking bass anglers. Every year, bass fishing contributes millions of dollars to the local and regional economy, as anglers book hotel rooms, fill up at gas stations and dine in local restaurants.

While trophy bass fishing is one of the most obvious activities for visitors to Eufaula, the community is also a destination for history buffs and those who appreciate classic Southern architecture. Eufaula was originally a Creek Nation settlement, but by the 1830s, the indigenous tribe was forced to give up its ancestral ties to its land as white settlers arrived in droves in search of agricultural land. In time, Eufaula became an important cotton-producing region, and its crops were delivered via steamboat to the Gulf of Mexico for eventual shipping around the world. And during those early boom years, the community took shape. Today, Eufaula's historic Antebellum (pre-Civil War) homes, ranging from Victorian mansions to Greek Revival estates, attract tourists from all over for the city's annual Eufaula Pilgrimage, the oldest home tour in the South.

After a day or two of checking out the stunning historic homes on gorgeous Eufaula Avenue in town, visitors can wander a bit and take in some of the natural wonders that make this corner of southeast Alabama very special. The Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge is a birding and wildlife watcher's paradise, and it's a great place to get out and see some of Alabama's increasingly rare long-leaf pine forests that provide habitat for all sorts of native flora and fauna. The refuge includes Wildlife Drive, a loop road through these beautiful public lands, where visitors who take it slowly and steadily can take in some incredible views and perhaps see deer, alligators and non-native wild hogs.

Unlike the state's more well-known destinations, like Orange Beach, a sugar-sand vacation destination that offers dolphin cruises, seafood shacks and sunset sails, Eufaula is a place where water, history and nature come together is perhaps the perfect vacation cocktail.