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Top Attractions in Anniston

Longleaf Botanical Gardens

The newest botanical garden in Alabama is adjacent to the Anniston Museum of Natural History and the Berman Museum. The Longleaf Botanical Gardens boasts the Tropical Cascade and the Rotary Sensory Gardens behind the Longleaf Event Center. The Tropical Cascade Garden evokes a lushness and explosion of bright colors in the warm growing season from spring until frost. The Rotary Sensory garden is the largest planting and addresses the senses. Fragrance, Texture, and Color stir the mind in this garden where touching the fuzzy leaves is encouraged. Bold bananas and elephant ears sway in the slightest breeze. One section of the cascade area is dedicated to fruiting and edible plants. An additional section is a pollinator garden for butterflies, hummingbirds and other nectar-seeking creatures. Additional plantings include some rare and unusual specimens for sun and shade. The rosemary and gardenia collection allow us to evaluate which varieties do best in central Alabama. We are raising drought-tolerant species, addressing water conservation in the landscape. Stroll around the premises to see a variety of perennials, trees, and shrubs. The Longleaf Nature Trail is a third of a mile path into the adjoining oak-hickory-pine woodlands where our namesake tree, the longleaf pine, grows tall and stately. Twenty-five native tree species are labelled for those interested in learning our native tree species. The trail feature native azaleas and hydrangeas. Although the gardens are in the infant stage, programming and educational opportunities at the Longleaf Botanical Gardens are well established and active with large attendance. The monthly series of Third Thursday programs are held on the day the gardens are officially open to visitors, the third Thursday of each month. There are two exceptions, in March we host the Spring Garden Symposium, and we are closed in December for the Holiday season. The Longleaf Botanical Gardens has a master plan for future garden growth. The plan provides a visual connection to where the gardens will grow and evolve. We look forward to phase one of the event garden and event field where numerous social and entertainment affairs will occur. The garden will feature areas focusing on an array of native plants, winter-blooming camellias, dryland water-wise plantings, herbs and medicinal plants and more. The garden experience will include walking trails, birding paths, and spaces for relaxation and reflection.

Anniston Inn Kitchen

The Anniston Inn Kitchen is an event center in Anniston, Alabama, and the only remaining portion of the Old Anniston Inn. The inn was built in 1885 as an upscale hotel for the planned company town. The majority of the inn burned on January 2, 1923, leaving only the portion containing the kitchen, children's dining room, and servants' living quarters. The kitchen annex matches the original inn's Queen Anne style. The building is two-and-a-half stories tall, with dormer windows protruding from the half-story attic. A portion of the original veranda sits along the southeast part of the exterior. The west end is occupied by the main dining hall with 17-foot ceilings and exposed purlins and beams. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Anniston Museum of Natural History

The Anniston Museum of Natural History is a museum in Lagarde Park, Anniston, Alabama, exhibiting more than 2,000 natural history items on permanent display, including minerals, fossils, and rare animals in open dioramas. In addition to exploring Alabama’s natural heritage, the museum features diorama-style exhibits that begin in pre-history and extend to the North American wilderness and the African savannah. Each of the museum's seven exhibit halls explores a different natural history theme. The Environments of Africa Hall contains more than 100 African animals displayed in simulated natural settings. Other highlights include 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummies from the Ptolemaic period, a cave-dwelling creatures exhibit and a children’s discovery room. The Dynamic Earth depicts the planet's formation and includes minerals, fossils, gemstones and dinosaurs. Nature Space offers a large learning area with hands-on activities. On the grounds are a wildlife garden, open-air animal exhibits, nature trails and the Berman Museum of World History. A Changing Exhibit Gallery provides fresh exhibits on a regular basis.The museum's history dates from 1930, when H. Severn Regar offered his personal collection of historical objects and biological specimens to the city of Anniston. Included were extinct and endangered species collected by 19th-century naturalist William Werner. This gift formed the cornerstone of the museum’s Birds of the Americas exhibit hall, which features more than 400 specimens of North American birds in their habitats. The museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

Berman Museum

The story of Farley and Germaine Berman reads almost like a novel, romance and espionage set against the backdrop of a war torn world. The story of the extensive art and weapons collection, once crammed mostly into the basement of their Anniston home, features its own intrigue. How did the more than 6,000 eclectic pieces find their way to a small town in northeast Alabama? Farley entered the world in 1910 in Anniston. A half world away, Germaine was a week away from celebrating her second birthday in her native Paris, France. Decisions made by others they did not know and would never know set the stage for their lives to intersect and make their remarkable journey possible. When Farley, a practicing attorney in Atlanta, received the call to active duty in World War II, German tanks had already rumbled into Paris. He started in the Ordnance Corps but was soon moved to intelligence. Germaine Kenne, who excelled in learning and speaking foreign languages, worked with the French Resistance, also in intelligence. Both operated in the North Africa region when they met, not exactly by accident. Information was leaking out and an intense effort was made to ferret out what was thought to be a double agent. Farley was assigned to spy on Germaine and Germaine was assigned to spy on Farley. Neither was the culprit. They fell in love and married in New York after the war. They settled in Farley’s hometown of Anniston and spent the next four decades amassing their collections. Farley preferred weapons and interesting articles of history while Germaine set her sights on various forms of art, including paintings and bronze sculptures. After his beloved Germaine died in 1993, Farley began thinking about what would become of their collections. When a museum was suggested, he latched on to the idea. Several community leaders set about to make that happen. The Farley L. Berman Foundation was established and ownership of the combined collection was transferred to the Foundation. The city completed the structure and in 1996 the museum opened with great fanfare. For the next few years, Farley paid regular visits to the museum and often lectured about pieces from the collection, especially spy weapons. He would load the trick flute, tire gauge, pen, screwdriver or a host of other such weapons with blanks and then without warning fire them, to the delight of his audience. In the summer of 1999, Farley died after living a rich, exciting life. The Farley L. Berman Foundation Board continues to promote the legacy of Farley and Germaine and with an eye toward the future expanding the gift the Bermans left. The addition of the Dr. Oliver and Pei-hwa Foo Asian collection enhances what the Bermans started. The Foo collection contains over 1,000 artifacts from China, Japan, Thailand, India, and other Asian regions that represent more than 2,000 years of history. The gallery housing much of their collection bears their name. It is a peaceful place, celebrating the opulent beauty reflected in artifacts of those cultures. Now the board turns its thoughts and plans to the next 25 years. It will continue to honor Farley and Germaine, possibly in a way that would give future visitors a more intimate glimpse of the Bermans and why they collected what they did.

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