Must-See Historic Attractions STORY BY SHARON FOX
Parts of the Town of Spectre still stand in Millbrook today
IMPACT CRATER
About 83 million years ago, an asteroid estimated to have been about 1,250-feet struck what is now considered downtown Wetumpka. The only evidence of the impact crater is 5 miles of steep cliffs and rocky, rolling hills surrounding the town. Most of Wetumpka sits inside the crater. The impact was the greatest natural disaster in Alabama history, roughly 175,000 times greater than the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima in 1945. A map of how to see the crater is available at the Elmore County Museum. The Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission is planning a Crater Tour and Lecture in November 2021.
FORT TOULOUSE-JACKSON PARK 2521 W. FORT TOULOUSE RD., WETUMPKA
Fort Toulouse served as an outpost of the French colony of Louisiana in 1717. You will find restored 1814 American Fort Jackson, walking trails, a 1,000-year-old Indian mound and the recreated 1751 Fort Toulouse and Creek Indian Houses. Stop by the welcome center for a guide to begin the tour. Fort Toulouse holds monthly living history programs and one of the most significant living history events in the state, Alabama Frontier Days, in November.
THE BIG FISH HOUSE 401 E. BRIDGE ST., WETUMPKA
The 1874 house, which sits on a hill, overlooks
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Beau Robbins traveled from Montana to participate in Alabama Frontier Days
the entire downtown of Wetumpka. It is visible from almost anywhere in the downtown area. Located behind Grumpy Dog, the house is best known as the lovely Victorian home of the Bloom family in the movie Big Fish. The home is privately owned, and tours of the house are not available.
TALLASSEE FALLS MUSEUM 201 BARNETT BLVD, TALLASSEE
Opening in 2013, the museum sits at the edge of Benjamin Fitzpatrick Bridge. The museum is filled with Native American history, information on the only known Civil War armory still standing, the Tallassee Confederate Armory.
THE TOWN OF SPECTRE CYPRESS LANE, MILLBROOK
A part of the small, rundown town of Spectre on the movie set of Big Fish still stands in the town of Millbrook. The storefronts in the movie were lost in a fire a few years ago; however, some of the homes and the church can still be seen. If you are looking for Jenny’s house, you will only find the front columns. The line of shoes from the movie is still there. Visitors are encouraged to add their shoes to the line.
CHARTERS OF FREEDOM 100 E. COMMERCE ST., WETUMPKA 2021-22 FYI
