I will be arriving Thursday and leaving Sunday for an interview and to scout out the area for a move.  Any must see sites in the area or any cool events going on?  I hear it's pretty scenic there and could use a recommendation for maybe a couple hour hike too.  Would like to send the wife some good pics to help convince her to move there.

Thanks all.

edit - I'm also looking for some real good BBQ

edit2: accepted an offer.  Any decent short term housing in the area?

Check out Sally's Smokin Butt BBQ while your down, its one of the best.

Sally’s is good bbq.

One of the top 100 dishes to eat is at another bbq restaurant called the BBQ Place. It’s Jo Jo potatoes, battered and deep fried potato slices.

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BBQ Place is pretty good when they’re good, and kinda not when they’re not.

For hiking, go to Desoto State Park, there are marked trails.

Probably nothing cool going on.

Hiking is different here OP. Spent six years in WY in the Wind Rivers.... closest thing that you are probably used to is the AT in NW GA to ME. There are some good spots... it is just different. I agree with DeSoto for a short hike though.

Stop at Desoto Falls and then take the scenic route through Little River Canyon.

Thanks all, I'll be referencing back to this thread when I'm in the area next weekend

You can go to the unclaimed baggage store and buy the knives that TSA took from people.

Scottsboro. It’s about 30 minutes from FP.

Maybe go to a trade day on Saturday morning. There’s one in Scottsboro and one down in Collinsville. No telling what you’ll find.

Or the one up in Valley Head.

Lol.  I was actually considering heading up to Winchester on Saturday to check out the High on the Hog Festival they got going on.

Didn't get to explore as much as I wanted to since I got put up in Chattanooga, but managed to visit Sally's, Bar-B-Que Place, and DeSoto Falls.  There's a good chance I'll get to do a lot more exploring starting in July though depending on how my counter offer goes








And a couple of pics of my own Q just because

How was the bbq and nature walk?

The little hike to DeSoto falls was perfect for sweating out the booze i had the night prior

I was a little disappointed in the BBQ as I definitely needed the sauce to offest dryness w both plates.  Was also not enamored by the fried potatoes.  Keep in mind that I'm a bit of a bbq snob and put a lot if time into my own Q. However, I had a bite of bread w pork and slaw on it at Sally's and it was just the perfect bite.  The creaminess of the slaw just somehow made that combo amazing.  So, now I probably have to find a way to replicate that slaw for my own pulled pork sammiches.

Those two were the best in the area. Hometown favorites, sometimes others don’t get the appeal.

That’s how it is in my new AO, somebody raved about a Chinese restaurant and it was like mall Chinese.

Did you try the Jo Jo/chicken finger sauce with the Jo Jo’s?

Yup, had the sauce with it.  Certainly a good side, but nothing extraordinary.

Update in OP

How short would your short term be? I’m not really sure if any of the apartment complexes would let you only rent for a month.

You’ll probably like the slow paced feel of the town, there used to not a lot in the town. It’s changed a lot since I was there, there’s more restaurants and things to do now.

Hope you enjoy it, are you looking to live in the valley or on Lookout Mtn?

Short term meaning a maximum of six months, though it looks like the company may be helping me to find a place to live as well (kinda glossed over that part in the offer letter).

No idea where I will be looking to live long term yet.  Will depend on how the house hunting goes!  Ideally I'd like to be north and somewhat close to the 59 since my wife will most likely be finding work in Chattanooga.

Congratulations on the new job, hope everything turns out well for you.

For a short time, I worked for a company in Chattanooga that had operations in Fort Payne. I did a lot of driving back and forth on I59 during that time, it's really not too bad.

I've been sporadic about checking into the hometown forums.  My apologies for missing this previously.  I'm a local to the area.  Shoot me a message if you have any specific questions.  

Most hikes in the area are going to be considered short hikes.  There are a few longer ones that can be an option though if you have the weekend to do it.  DeSoto Scout Trail is one option (10-16 mile range.)  Many around Little River Canyon are within the hour to 4ish hour length.  And if you're willing to drive a bit further, there are lots of other options for day trips within not far.

Housing has been rather stupid in the area lately and property values have gone nuts so I don't have much of a suggestion for you on that one.

Roadside Que is another BBQ place locally.  Folks either really like it or hate it.  Doesn't seem to be much middle ground with them.  I like their food but I barely consider it BBQ by normal standards.  BBQ Place has always been a little dry however I grew up on it so I'm used to it.  Little James' in Rainsville is pretty decent.  Barry's in Boaz is good.  They've grown but it started as your classic hole in the wall type place.

3rd Saturday is a local event in town that you and your wife will probably enjoy.  Starting at 5 pm during the spring/summer/early fall months, US Hwy 11 (Gault Ave) is closed through downtown and reverts to just foot traffic for a car show and local vendors.  It's generally a pretty decent social time and everybody is on good behavior.

OP, if you like hiking, next time down, cross over the Big T river and go to Scottsboro. Take the wife into Unclaimed Baggage. Usually a lot of outdoor related items there. I've gotten a few great deals there on used GPS handhelds (i also hike). Leave there and drive north to the AL/TN state line to the Walls of Jericho.

It is rather beautiful hike if you've got the legs and lungs for it. Not long, but it's a steepish yo-yo trail, down about 1,100 ft to the valley floor (a cove, as known here). Find the trail to the Walls and Grotto. Truly worth the effort if you like Appalachian wilderness. On a cool Fall day, it's even gooder. Bring water or a filter to replace the sweat lost  on the way back up to your car.

Thanks all for the additional replies.  Finding a rental for a few months isn't turning out to be as easy as I'd hope it would be in the area,  but I think I'll manage.  Found a couple of potential places online and will have a few days to scope them out in person before my job starts.

Anyway, I think I'll hit up the Rib Shak in Valley Head once I get back in the area again in a couple weeks.  I drove past them on my way to and from DeSoto Falls, but wasn't hungry on the way there and was too sweaty and tired on the way back.  If I'm still not impressed, I might have to put up and finally just go out and buy the trailer smoker I've been dreaming about.

Update: found a dinky little privately owned apartment in the country that does month to month and have been at work for 2 weeks without getting fired, so things are looking up

I've yet to try Rib Shak, but I had Roadside Que and I actually really liked the brisket sandwich that I was served there.  The meat was really tender and had a nice smoke flavor to it (turns out I like a hickory punch to the face).  Will be back to try some of their meats later.

I nearly purchased a Lang 48 trailer smoker, but decided it's best to wait until a) I buy a home and have a garage and b) to wait to get what I really want (Shirley Fab trailer).  I'll keep my eyes open for a used Weber Smokey Mountain 18" in the meantime just to satisfy my urges.  Would have brought my 22" with me, but the truck was too full for that.

Just making a guess based on your profile picture, but I bet I know where you work.  Glad you're settling into the area.

Welp, as much as I love it here, I now gotta go back to CO.  Unfortunately, there are no jobs in this area that come close to equivalent to my wife's current job back home.  On top of that, a recruiter from a company 20 minutes from my CO home reached out to me last month and they're now bringing me on in 3 weeks.  It was honestly an emotional struggle for me to give up on making this move work because I had been dreaming about getting out of CO for the last few years and I like my job, but it's just not the right time and there is no way I can tell the wife to bail on her career when I have another opportunity calling me back.

Oh well.  I'll be back to the South one day.  I will be bringing a Lang 36 smoker back to CO too