Things to Do in Talladega

Along Stepping Stone Farm's 130 acres of pastures, trails, and tree-studded hills, owner Courtney Huguley provides opportunities for students to hone horsemanship skills and connect with natural surroundings. During lessons, Courtney and assistant instructor Melissa Croxton teach students the basics of saddleseat riding, a traditional English style from which many other methods have originated, including jousting with swimming noodles. Once students gain comfort and confidence during private lessons, the instructors introduce them to group lessons with up to four other riders to master walking, trotting, and synchronized neighing.

Weeklong summer camps are also available for younger riders. During these sessions, each camper is assigned to one specific horse, learning responsibility and companionship.

From their home base at Frank House Municipal Golf Course, the PGA pros at the Harper Miller School of Golf help golfers fix broken swings and patch up holes in strategic thinking. Lessons zero in on the fundamentals of grip, posture, and alignment—key components of a winning swing and textbook ice-cream-cone devouring. Short-game clinics help to develop confidence around the green with practice on the putting stroke, chipping accuracy, and bunker play. The pros also follow students out onto the course for playing lessons, which focus on such course-management tactics as how to choose the right club, when to lay up, and when to lie down and take a moment to enjoy the beauty of nature around you.

In one corner, kids practice cracking a safe. In another, tiny hands sift through sand to find ancient fossils, with no archaeologists in sight. Toddlers, meanwhile, wander through a surreal dreamscape of 10-foot milk cartons and car-sized paper towel rolls. But these aren’t scenes from a zany summer movie about all the adults disappearing: they're snapshots of the McWane Science Center, whose dozens of fun, interactive exhibits enliven science.

Notable exhibits include a collection of Alabama dinosaur skeletons that help us understand what life was like in the state millions of years ago. An aquarium area boasts a Shark & Ray Touch Tank, delighting visitors with an aquatic petting zoo. Interactive contraptions such as the pulley chair lift—which lets kids learn about simple machines as they hoist themselves aloft—convey abstract concepts with fun activities.

Led by director Carla Higginbotham, the instructors of Dance Trance aim to create a fun, lively workout using intuitive, easy-to-follow dance moves and upbeat music. The instructors demonstrate the routine without shouting disruptive directions as students shake and shimmy their way through strength building and cardio drills.