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WHAT IS IT?A spacious cave that has yielded evidence of 9,000 years of human habitation.
BEAUTY (6/10)
The cave faces east, protected on all sides by a steep wooded cliff that is still green in the middle of February. With a freshwater stream and the warm morning sun flowing into the cave, it’s no wonder early Alabamians made their homes here.
A steep mile-long hiking trail takes you up the face of the mountain but the best views of Russell Cave can be see just a short distance from the Visitors Center. A boardwalk into the cave itself allows one to imagine life here 10,000 years ago. The life-sized figures placed inside the cave look a little ragged, but they are adequate as spatial aids.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (5/10)
Russell Cave is one of several Archaic sites that have been found in the Southeastern United States. Excavations began in 1953 by the Tennessee Archeological Society, continued from ’56 to ’58 by the Smithsonian Institute funded by the National Geographic Society and then concluded in 1962 by the Park Service when National Geographic donated the land.
Groups of hunters may have sought shelter here as early as 7,000 B.C. Based on artifacts from the cave itself and nearby burial mounds, it is assumed that Russell Cave served as either a winter dwelling or a permanent home for small groups of Indians once a number of rock falls raised the cave entrance above the water.
Different bands or family groups used the Cave throughout the years, as evidenced by a variety of styles of spearheads, clothes and personal effects recovered by archeological explorations. The land around the cave would have provided its inhabitants with game, fish, fruits, and other food sources, as well as natural protection from the elements, making life in Russell Cave quite pleasant.
CROWDS (6/10)
A father and son were making their way to the cave as we were leaving. The other two visitors didn’t affect our stay here in any way. Not too many visitors to Bridgeport, Alabama this time of year.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (1/5)This was our second attempt at visiting Russell Cave NM. The first time we either took a wrong turn or missed our turn. By the time we realized our error, we were 40 miles away from the Site, but only 5 miles from the Jack Daniels Distillery Tour in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Serendipity.
It is easy to get lost in rural northern Alabama. The Rand McNally Atlas does not mark the tiny roads with numbers. To top that off, Russell Cave sits on the Tennessee border where all the local road numbers change. Good luck.
The Park Service recommends that you approach the Site via U.S. Route 72. Then follow County Road 75 towards the town of Mount Carmel for a few miles. Once you get to Mount Carmel, take County Road 98 north. Russell Cave NM is in five miles on your left.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (3/5)
There are a few books for sale here. The neatest items by far are the engraved shell amulets and bow drills with flints – both reproductions. They are reasonably priced under $10, well-crafted and specific to the Site.
COSTS (4/5)
Entry is free.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (4/5)
We had the undivided attention of the Ranger on duty, but couldn’t find anyone to answer our questions when we returned from the cave.
TOURS/CLASSES (5/10)
The DVD player was broken so we missed out on the introductory video. The Ranger tried to give us a recap as well as she could. She walked with us through the small museum that features artifacts found in Russell Cave and explained reproductions of amulets and pump drills as we looked through them in the bookstore.
Not much is known about early inhabitants of the cave so there is not much to say.
FUN (5/10)
We enjoyed browsing in the cozy Visitor Center and our walk to the cave was refreshing. We chose not to hike up the nature trail – wet leaves covered the pathway which looked a little too slick for accident-prone Gabby.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (4/10)The cave is interesting, but unless you have a real affinity for southeastern Archaic sites and aren’t easily frustrated with the lack of real information and amount of speculation involved in these kinds of sites, we might recommend taking a deliberate detour to Lynchburg.
TOTAL 43/80
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