Alabama State Parks have long served as Alabama’s backyard.

That’s been more evident than ever in recent months, as Alabama’s 21 state parks remained open thanks to the wisdom of Gov. Kay Ivey, Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship and other state leaders. The number of day-use and camping visitors soared this summer, drawn by the variety of family-friendly activities and wide-open spaces that made it easy to practice social distancing.

Alabamians have always supported and visited state parks in high numbers, but plenty of new visitors have discovered the parks in recent months. “We don’t know why we didn’t come before, but we’re glad we did, and we’ll be back” has become a popular comment from many new guests. (more…)