Alabama
AMAZING AMERICA 250: Alabama BBQ Joints Keeping Tradition on the Fire
In Alabama, some of the best history lessons come with a side of ribs.
Across the state, family-owned barbecue restaurants have served as gathering places and landmarks for generations, surviving wars, recessions and major cultural shifts by sticking to what they know: slow-cooked food and the communities that grew up around it.
At Bob Sykes Barbecue in Bessemer, the pit has been going since 1957, and owner Van Sykes says the magic isn’t about chasing the latest flavor trend. “The art of barbecue is not in a rub it’s in patience and time,” Sykes said.
Sykes grew up in the restaurant, taking orders as a child at his parents’ drive-in. Many of the familiar touches are still there, including old signs, original recipes and even the pit. “Whatever the world does, we just get up and do what we do every day and that fire has been burning since 1957,” he said.
The restaurant has weathered economic downturns, wars and COVID, and like many family businesses, it has evolved while keeping its roots intact. Sykes said customers often return to the meals they remember from growing up. “They always come back to the food they grew up on I hadn’t even been home yet, I came by here first,” he said.
In Northport, Archibald’s Bar-B-Q has also drawn generations of customers, even with a small building and a simple menu. Locals and visitors still line up for hickory-smoked ribs that have made the restaurant a staple for more than 70 years.
Owner Woodrow Washington III said keeping the business in the family has been central to its longevity. “Grandmother said keep everybody together and keep it in the family so that’s what we’ve done,” Washington said. “This is Archibald senior— started in 1962 myself and my brother we’re the 2nd and 3rd generation.”
In Tuscaloosa, Dreamland Bar-B-Que has become part of Alabama culture, with walls filled with memories tied to football legends, coaches and families who have been coming for decades.
Longtime customer Hugh Heller said the place still tops every barbecue stop he’s tried across the country. “I’ve lived all over the united states this is still my favorite barbecue of all places I’ve ever eaten,” Heller said.
For Heller, it’s also a familiar landmark that’s easy to return to. “I’ve been coming here for years it’s not hard for me to find this spot not this place,” he said.
Through every generation, these barbecue joints have kept the same rhythm: showing up early, tending the fire and serving the communities around them. In a state known for football, music and history, some of Alabama’s most lasting stories are still being told right around the dinner table.
We reserve the right to moderate or remove comments that are hateful, contain inappropriate language, or violate YouTube community guidelines. Keep it civil, folks.
The SEC opponents for Alabama women’s basketball during the 2026-27 campaign has been officially revealed.
The Tide will face some of the top teams in all of women’s college basketball throughout SEC play this upcoming season. Alabama will face Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Texas A&M at home, with Ole Miss being the Tide’s only SEC opponent that they will face twice this year, both home and away. Alabama will be on the road for matchups against Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas as well.
The dates, start times, and television network for each will be revealed at a later date.
Alabama held a 7-9 record throughout SEC play last season. The Tide were widely regarded as one of the top teams in the nation despite struggling at times during conference play, and Alabama was able to make a run during the SEC Tournament with a shocking upset to the Tennessee Lady Vols in Nashville.
Alabama went 24-11 last season as a whole, but the Tide will undoubtedly need to play better during SEC play this year nonetheless.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Enjoy two nights of free dance at Stars on the Riverfront
Alabama Dance Theatre will present Stars on the Riverfront on June 20 and 21, at 7:30 p.m. each night at Riverwalk Amphitheater in Montgomery.
In Alabama’s coastal landscape, two Alabama bridges quietly stand among the longest in the United States.
A new World Atlas ranking of the 11 longest bridges in the United States is a reminder that not all crossings are so forgettable. These are the spans that stretch the idea of a “quick drive” into something else entirely.
As World Atlas notes, the country’s roughly 617,000 bridges are mostly routine. The ones on this list “swallow the horizon,” turning open water into a roadway that can take ten or fifteen minutes to cross.
Louisiana dominates the ranking, but Alabama also makes its presence known with two entries: the Jubilee Parkway and the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge.
Jubilee Parkway: Alabama’s 7.5-mile bridge ranks No. 7 among longest in US
Ranked at No. 7 on World Atlas’ list, the Jubilee Parkway carries Interstate 10 across Mobile Bay as a pair of parallel viaduct bridges stretching 7.5 miles between Mobile and Spanish Fort/Daphne. Opened in 1978, the four-lane crossing is often called the “Bayway.”
The World Atlas says the bridge takes its name from Mobile Bay’s “jubilee” phenomenon, when marine life is pushed into shallow water, making it unusually easy to catch.
General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge: 6.08-mile span ranks No. 10 in U.S.
The General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge ranks No. 10 on the World Atlas list, stretching 6.08 miles across the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta northeast of Mobile as part of Interstate 65.
World Atlas says the bridge is better known locally as the “Dolly Parton Bridge,” a nickname inspired by the paired arch design that, locals say, resembles a distinctive silhouette when viewed from certain angles.
Completed in 1980, it features twin parallel weathering-steel arches and concrete viaducts carrying four lanes over the wide, marshy delta.
Longest bridges in the U.S. Full World Atlas ranking
World Atlas ranks these as the longest bridges in the U.S.:
- Lake Pontchartrain Causeway: 23.83 miles
- Manchac Swamp Bridge: 22.8 miles
- Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge: 18.2 miles
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel: 17.6 miles
- Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge: 11 miles
- Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge: 8.26 miles
- Jubilee Parkway: 7.5 miles
- San Mateo-Hayward Bridge: 7 miles
- Seven Mile Bridge: 6.79 miles
- General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge: 6.08 miles
- Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge: 5.8 miles
Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter in Alabama for USA TODAY’s Deep South Connect Team. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at jlindahl@usatodayco.com.
-
Fitness4 minutes agoAt 31, I’m the Strongest I’ve Ever Been—This Female-Focused Training Plan Is to Thank
-
Movie Reviews14 minutes ago‘Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu’ Tribeca 2026 Review: A Travelogue of Old Friends, Older Knees, and Same Absurd Timing
-
World26 minutes ago
In Taylor Swift’s beach town, every clue becomes a wedding rumor
-
Lifestyle1 hour ago‘Wait Wait’ for June 20, 2026: With Not My Job guest Caro Claire Burke
-
Technology1 hour agoSony’s Xperia 1 VIII is still a phone for the fans
-
World1 hour agoTrump-backed ‘El Tigre’ looks to crush cartels, end Colombia’s socialist era in pivotal election
-
Politics1 hour agoObama Center visitors say project symbolic of ‘Black excellence,’ claim scandal-free legacy while Trump ripped
-
Health2 hours agoPoison centers link growing Benadryl abuse among teens to dangerous social media trends
