While staying in Saraland, Alabama (just outside of Mobile) on our 5 year, 50 state road trip, Shae, Truffles and I jumped in the car and headed southeast.
We’d originally planned to visit Fairhope but changed our mind and continued driving all the way to Elberta. That’s because Elberta’s home to a collection of weird and wonderful sculptures and structures, one of which is known as Bamahenge.
What Is Bamahenge?
Bamahenge is a partial replica of Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument found in Wiltshire, England. It was erected by artist Mark Cline who also created Foamhenge in Virginia. He paid close attention to the dimensions of Stonehenge, so the Bamahenge “stones” are the same height and diameter as the originals and are also aligned with the summer solstice in the same way.
Funding for the structures came from George Barber, a former racing driver and local businessman who built Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. He’s believed to be a billionaire, although he doesn’t appear on Forbes’ list.
What Is Bamahenge Made Of?
Bamahenge was made using fiberglass. If you knock on one of the “stones” when you visit, you’ll be able to tell that it’s hollow inside.
Where Is Bamahenge?
It’s found in Elberta, Alabama, about 35 miles southeast of Fairhope, 20 miles northeast of Gulf Shores and almost 30 miles to the west of Pensacola, Florida.
How To Get To Bamahenge
Bamahenge is seemingly in the middle of nowhere and is located on a road that only leads to Barber Marina.
To get there, head south on County Road 95, turning right on Fish Trap Road. About half a mile later, take a left turn on to Barber Parkway and drive about a mile.
You’ll see a small parking lot on the right hand side with space for about four vehicles, so pull in there or off to the side if it’s full. From the parking lot, there’s a path straight ahead leading to the monument.
If you have GPS, enter the coordinates 30.331, -87.567 to take you directly to the parking lot. Here’s a direct link to its location on Google Maps so that you can easily get directions on your phone.
So long as you can find your way on to Barber Parkway, Bamahenge is pretty hard to miss.
How Much Does It Cost?
Nothing – it’s free 🙂
Is It Worth Visiting?
Absolutely! Shae and I love finding weird and quirky things to do, so Bamahenge fit the bill perfectly. After all, the very first thing we did on this 50 state road trip was visit the World’s Largest Fire Hydrant in Columbia, South Carolina.
Bamahenge certainly isn’t somewhere you’ll spend all day (or much more than 10-15 minutes) but it’s worth visiting nonetheless. That’s because there’s all kinds of other weird things to see in Elberta – see below for more.
Other Weird Things To See In Elberta, Alabama
Check out our list of other unusual things to visit while in Elberta:
This is very cool! I will visit these places next time I am headed to Gulf Shores! Thank you for sharing!! You may be interested in a couple of other odd places in AL. One is near Demopolis on route 43. There is a Giant Tin Man and other characters in a field off the side of the road. One is Big Bird. I cannot remember the others, but it seems like there are many more in that field in Forkland, AL. Where I live, in Jackson County, AL, we have a Rock Zoo with some large rocks and boulders on farmland creatively turned into animals. It is on co rd 32 in Jackson County. Nearby, check out the NeverSink glorified by National Geographic and the old rumored haunted Plantation-Moody Brick (all within a mile of the Rock Zoo). You can purchase Moody Brick. Our county is home to a thousand caverns and the beautiful Lake Guntersville, TN River. Check it out!
Thanks for all those suggestions – I’ve added them to our list for when we return to Alabama 🙂