Noccalula Falls Park, Botanical garden and waterfall park in Gadsden, United States.
Noccalula Falls Park is a botanical garden and waterfall park in Gadsden, Alabama. The roughly 250-acre site centers on a 90-foot waterfall that drops into Black Creek Gorge and is surrounded by extensive walking trails and plantings.
R.A. Mitchell acquired roughly 169 acres in 1909 and made it available for public use. The city bought the property in 1946 following a community vote and expanded it over the years into a larger park.
A bronze statue standing nine feet tall, created by Suzanne Silvercruys, shows Princess Noccalula and recalls the Cherokee story of her fatal leap. The park's name preserves this local tale tied to the indigenous past of the region.
The park offers a petting zoo, a mini-golf course, picnic areas, and extensive walking paths, along with the Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge dating from 1899. Most trails are easy to follow and wind through gardens as well as along the gorge with several viewpoints overlooking the waterfall.
The gardens display roughly 25,000 azaleas that bloom in spring. Caves behind the waterfall once served as a tavern and dance hall during the 19th century.
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