Things to Do in Talladega

Hidden Hills Equestrian Center's owner and trainer, Stephanie Howard Gingles, shares her equine-related wisdom with casual and competitive riders during horse-riding lessons, which cover English-, hunter-, and jumper-style riding techniques and horse-care methods. Hidden Hills Equestrian Center's owner and trainer, Stephanie Howard Gingles, shares her equine-related wisdom with casual and competitive riders during horse-riding lessons, which cover English-, hunter-, and jumper-style riding techniques and horse-care methods. The facility’s lush, emerald expanses and white fences reserve a spacious area for advanced lessons in jumping and horse showing. Students can borrow one of Hidden Hills’ horses for riding lessons and fast-food runs, or can bring along their own steeds. Horse owners can also find adequate lodgings for their four-legged companions in Hidden Hills’ boarding stalls, which include grooming, feeding, and blanketing services.

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.

Since rolling out the green carpet in 1955, the emerald alleyways of Montevallo Golf Club have beckoned club-swingers to tackle its 6,000 yards of 18 Bermuda-grass holes year round. Bunkers speckle the par 71, beckoning errant golf balls to spend the day sunbathing in their sandy beaches. Players hone their swings at the driving range, and dedicated golfers can augment clubs and accessories with gear from the pro-shop.