Fort Payne sits in the northeastern corner of Alabama and is the gateway to Little River Canyon National Preserve. The Little River flows for most of its length atop Lookout Mountain before dropping into a dramatic canyon system — forested uplands, waterfalls, sandstone cliffs, and boulder-strewn pools that are spectacular in any season. The canyon rim drive offers overlooks of the gorge, and trails lead down to swimming holes and the base of DeSoto Falls.
The town is also the hometown of the country supergroup Alabama, and the Alabama Fan Club and Museum on Glenn Boulevard chronicles the band's rise from local bar act to one of the best-selling acts in country music history. Fort Payne itself is a small, quiet place — it was once the sock-manufacturing capital of the world, a fact locals mention with genuine pride — useful mainly as a base for exploring the canyon and the surrounding Southern Appalachian landscape. Downtown preserves several striking buildings from the town's 1880s boom years, including the ornate Fort Payne Opera House and the Depot Museum.