Alabama State Parks has added new glamping tents at Oak Mountain State Park, part of an expansion officials say is driven by increasing demand for more comfortable outdoor stays.

The addition in Pelham marks the latest expansion of glamping offerings across the state park system, with the experience now available at six locations statewide.

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship said the growing popularity of glamping has prompted the expansion.

“It’s exciting to expand the glamping opportunities at our state parks,” Blankenship said. “Glamping has become increasingly popular in the last few years, and we’ve seen how much our visitors have embraced it. Being able to offer glamping at Oak Mountain allows more people to stay, play and explore everything the park has to offer.”

The tents are designed to offer a more comfortable outdoor experience, with amenities including beds, electricity and climate control, while still providing access to traditional camping activities such as hiking, campfires and outdoor recreation.

The expansion builds on a partnership with Timberline Glamping that began in 2023. In addition to Oak Mountain State Park, glamping sites are available at Wind Creek, Lake Guntersville, Chewacla, Monte Sano and Cheaha state parks.

Sarah Johnson, who operates the Timberline franchise at Oak Mountain State Park with her husband, Jeff, said the sites are designed to balance comfort with the park’s natural setting.

“Opening these six new sites at Oak Mountain State Park allows us to bring a new level of comfort and accessibility to the outdoor experience while preserving the beauty that makes this park so special,” Johnson said. “We’ve thoughtfully designed each glamping tent so families, couples and groups can disconnect from the noise of everyday life and reconnect with nature — and with each other. We’re proud to expand our footprint here and create memorable stays that inspire guests to return again and again.”

State parks officials said the addition is part of a broader effort to expand overnight accommodations and enhance visitor experiences across Alabama’s park system.

“Our goal is for our guests to enjoy a memorable stay and want to come back again,” Alabama State Parks Director Matthew Capps said. “There’s no doubt that the glamping tents accomplish that goal. People truly enjoy the glamping tents, and we’re pleased that we can expand this offering at Oak Mountain.”

Alabama State Parks operates 21 parks encompassing more than 50,000 acres statewide, offering a range of lodging options from primitive campsites to cabins and resort-style accommodations.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].

2028. IT’S BEEN A BEAUTIFUL DAY ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. HOPE EVERYBODY’S HAD A CHANCE TO GET OUT AND SOAK UP THE SUN BEFORE THE RAIN GETS HERE, BUT IT’S 83 RIGHT NOW IN BIRMINGHAM. WE’VE STILL GOT SOME TIME BEFORE THAT RAIN MOVES INTO THE MAGIC CITY AND INTO THE METRO AREA. WE’RE IN THE 80S IN MOST SPOTS ACROSS THE STATE. MANY SPOTS IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA DROPPING TO THE 60S AND 70S AS WE SPEAK. THAT COOL AIR IS COMING IN THANKS TO THAT RAIN, TO COOL AIR DUE TO THE RAIN THAT’S FALLING NOW. SOME JUST SHOWERS AT THIS POINT OVER NORTHWEST ALABAMA AND LAUDERDALE. COLBERT, FRANKLIN AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES, EVEN LIMESTONE COUNTIES AT THIS POINT, GETTING READY TO CROSS I-65 AND HEAD TOWARDS HUNTSVILLE CLOSER TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. NOT TOO MUCH MARION COUNTY SEEING A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS. THEY SAW SOME THUNDERSTORMS EARLIER, BUT A LOT OF THIS RAIN COOLED AIR IS GOING TO LOWER THE INSTABILITY NOW, WHICH MEANS WHEN THE RAIN BACK BEHIND ALL OF THIS GETS HERE, IT WON’T HAVE THAT SEVERE PUNCH WITH IT. AND THAT’S JUST THE PRE-FRONTAL RAIN THAT WE’VE SEEN SO FAR. WE STILL HAVE SOME THUNDERSTORMS BACK TO THE WEST, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE STARTING TO SEE SOME RAIN GETTING READY TO MOVE INTO TUSCALOOSA COUNTY TOO. SAMANTHA TUSCALOOSA DOWN TOWARDS MARION AND CENTREVILLE AS WELL, SO WE’LL KEEP AN EYE OUT ON THOSE. STORM OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST ALABAMA, TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, GREEN HILL, SUMTER UP TO ETOWAH AND SAINT CLAIR BIRMINGHAM JEFFERSON COUNTIES AND NORTHWARD. BUT OVERALL, I THINK THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS ALREADY STARTING TO DIMINISH. IT’S NOT TOO MUCH OF A CONCERN, AT LEAST THAT I’M WORRIED ABOUT A VERY LOW CHANCE OF SEEING THOSE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS UP TO 60MPH. AND THAT’S REALLY THE MAIN THREAT. THAT THREAT IS LOW. THERE’S ALSO THAT SMALL POTENTIAL FOR SOME ISOLATED FLOODING IN SPOTS THAT TYPICALLY SEES IT. AND THEN I THINK EVERYBODY WILL HAVE THAT POTENTIAL OF SEEING SOME RAIN AT SOME POINT, MAYBE EVEN SOME THUNDERSTORMS WITH SOME LIGHTNING TOO. SO IMPACT WEATHER THROUGH THE REST OF THIS EVENING THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING. HERE’S THE FIRST WARNING FUTURE TRACK. YOU CAN SEE THOSE THUNDERSTORMS COMING IN FROM THE SOUTH LIKE WE SAW IN THE SATELLITE. AND THE RADAR THAT’S MOVING NORTH AND EAST. WE’RE ALSO TRACKING THAT LINE THAT’S MOVING ACROSS NORTHWEST ALABAMA. THE REST OF THIS EVENING. WE’LL START TO SEE MORE WIDESPREAD, SCATTERED RAIN THROUGH 9 P.M. JASPER TUSCALOOSA. IN COLEMAN. GADSDEN. ANNISTON. YOU GUYS ALL HAVE THAT POTENTIAL FROM THAT SYSTEM COMING IN FROM THE WEST AND THE THUNDERSTORMS COMING IN FROM THE SOUTH TOO. THIS IS NOW 11 P.M. AT THIS POINT, THE INSTABILITY REALLY DROPPING A LOT OF THIS AT THIS POINT IS JUST A LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WITH NO ACTUAL THUNDERSTORMS OUT THERE. THAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 1 A.M. SUNDAY. CROSSING THE METRO AREA. AND THIS IS 5 A.M. AT THIS POINT. BIRMINGHAM COLEMAN TUSCALOOSA. JASPER.HAMILTON. DUTTON. ANNISTON, ALEX CITY AND CLANTON. YOU GUYS STILL GETTING YOUR FAIR SHARE OF RAIN AND IT’S ON OUT OF HERE AS EARLY AS 9 A.M. AS LATE AS ABOUT NOON. SO THEN YOU CAN GET OUTSIDE AND HAVE YOUR EASTER EGG HUNT. JUST MAKE SURE YOU GRAB SOME RAIN BOOTS ON YOUR WAY OUT. EVEN IF THE RAIN IS GONE, THE GROUND WILL BE WET. WE GOT RAINFALL TOTALS ANYWHERE BETWEEN A HALF INCH AND UPWARDS TO EVEN TWO INCHES. IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA, UP IN DEKALB AND ETOWAH COUNTIES AND CHEROKEE COUNTIES TOO. AND ONCE THAT FRONT THAT’S BRINGING ALL THIS RAIN MOVES OUT OF HERE, TEMPERATURES FALL, THE WINDS COMING OUT OF THE NORTH IS GOING TO AFFECT THAT COOLER AIR INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. BACK IN THE MID 40S, ON YOUR WAY OUT THE DOOR MONDAY MORNING. AND WE’RE ACTUALLY GOING TO STICK AROUND IN THE 40S, THE FIRST HALF OF THE WEEK, EVERY MORNING, TUESDAY MORNING IN THE 40S, WEDNESDAY MORNINGS IN THE 40S. NOW, AS THIS HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM BEHIND THE FRONT PUSHES EASTWARD, IT’S GOING TO BRING IN SOME SUNNIER SKIES. MAJORITY OF THE WORKWEEK. EVENTUALLY, HIGHS GET BACK TO LOW 80S NEXT SATURDAY.

Alabama’s footprint in NASA’s return to deep space was on display this week as the Artemis II mission launched, marking the first human journey toward the moon in more than 50 years.

From work at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville to leadership across the Artemis program, the state has played a central role in developing the systems powering the mission.

Among those contributions is Kimberly Robinson, a Birmingham native who helped develop the Artemis program and contributed to the formulation of the Space Launch System rocket used for the mission.

Robinson also served as payload mission manager for Artemis I, the uncrewed test flight that laid the groundwork for Artemis II.

Her connection to the current mission extends to its crew. Years ago, Robinson briefed astronaut candidate Victor Glover on the Artemis rocket during a visit to Marshall Space Flight Center. Glover now serves as pilot of Artemis II.

Robinson, a graduate of Shades Valley High School, told Birmingham television station WBRC the moment carries both personal and professional significance.

“It’s very historic and has a lot of meaning for me personally as I was a part of setting up the program and organizing it,” Robinson said.

She reflected on how her path to NASA began with an early interest in space exploration.

“It’s really incomprehensible. I can’t believe it. I remember doing my 5th grade term paper on Wernher von Braun and his rocket team. Never in my wildest imagination would I think that I would ever do something in a center he created,” she said in her interview with the outlet.

Robinson spent more than 30 years at NASA and later led the U.S. Space and Rocket Center before retiring in 2025.

The Artemis II mission is expected to push astronauts farther into space than ever before, building on decades of work led in part by Alabama-based teams.

“Not only are we returning them to the area, picking up where we left off but we are going further than humans have ever ventured into space before. They will have a perspective that we have not ever had before and I want to hear about their experiences so I’m very excited for that,” Robinson said, according to the station.

She added that continued space exploration could lead to advances beyond spaceflight itself.

“It’s very important that we keep pushing forward and meeting challenges because that’s where we’re going to find new materials, new drugs to cure diseases that have been around a long time,” she said.

Artemis II’s mission is anticipated to last ten days, with the astronauts returning to earth in mid-April.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].