After the old hotel burned, rental cabins, many on the brow of Lookout Mountain, grew popular in Mentone. Cupid’s Past, above, is built of old heart pine logs. At an elevation of about 1,700 feet, the cabin offers expansive views of Big Wills Valley, more than 800 feet below.
Good Getaways
Escape to Mentone Story and photos by David Moore
M
aybe sometimes you want to get away to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge and join the bustle of people pounding the seemingly endless strips of tourist attractions, souvenir shops and pancake restaurants. Then sometimes you want to go to the mountains and truly escape from all the hassle and skip the five-hour drive. Nestled on the brow of Lookout Mountain northeast of Fort Payne, Mentone is an hour and 11 minutes from Guntersville. Along with nearby DeSoto State Park, Little River Canyon and their waterfalls, it makes for a scenic and quiet destination – though it was not always quiet. Founded in the late 1880s as a tourist town, Mentone’s namesake is a small port on the French Riviera. It supposedly means “musical mountain spring,” which may be local FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2021
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