30 Best Things to Do in Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is the biggest city in eastern Alabama, but it still feels like a small town. Auburn is often called “the loveliest village on the plains,” which is a statement we wholeheartedly agree with.
A lot of the fun things to do in Auburn, AL, are outside enjoying the beautiful scenery. You should spend as much time as possible outside while you’re here, since there are so many great parks and open areas. The city is also crazy about football and has a lot of great museums and sports events.
You don’t have to worry about what to do in Auburn, AL. People of all types will enjoy the many sites and attractions found there. Find out about some of the best things to do in this lovely place below.
1.Toomer’s Corner
Toomer’s Corner is the place where College Street and Magnolia Avenue meet in Auburn, Alabama. It has a long past. The area is named for investor and state senator Sheldon “Shel” Toomer. It is between downtown Auburn and the university campus.
Toomer opened Toomer’s Drugs on this spot in 1896. For more than 130 years, the store has been an important part of Auburn’s history.
In 1937, two big oak trees were planted on the corner. As a way to mark any Auburn celebration or good thing that happens in town, people started “decorating” them with toilet paper. These days, the tradition is mostly used to mark football wins. For more travel ideas, check out weekend getaways in Alabama.
2.Chewacla State Park
The Auburn-Opelika area is only a short drive away from the 696-acre Chewacla State Park. The park is a popular place for locals to relax and have fun. The park has a lovely 26-acre lake with a place to swim, a playground for kids, a campground, and picnic spots with shelters, tables, and grills. You can also rent six fully furnished stone cottages.
The park is crossed by a network of trails for walking and riding bikes. A lot of people like to fish in the lake, which has bream, bass, crappie, and catfish in it.
Two creeks also flow into the lake. The lake doesn’t have a boat ramp. People who walk or ride bikes often see turkeys, squirrels, chipmunks, deer, and red foxes.
124 Shell Toomer Parkway, Auburn, Alabama 36830, Phone: 334-887-5621
3.Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve & Nature Center
The Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve & Nature Center is a nature preserve that covers 120 acres and is in Lee County, Alabama. It is between Auburn and Opelika.
There is a park because Dr. Louise Kreher Turner and her husband Frank Allen Turner gave money to start it in 1993. It is now run by Auburn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences as an outreach program.
There is a nature playground, an amphitheater, a meeting place with 150 seats, a fire pit, and a covered educational pavilion in the preserve. Also, there are 30 trails that are more than 5 miles long and have restrooms, drinking fountains, and signs that explain what the paths are for.
Animal encounters, guided walks, day camps, and pre-school programs are all part of the environmental education and outreach activities. Check out our guide to things to do in Alabama for more ideas.
N College St, Auburn, AL 36830, Phone: 334-844-8091, (website link)
4.Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, Auburn, Alabama
Alabama has some great art places. One of the best is the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in Auburn. It has over 2,500 pieces of art in many different kinds and forms. The museum is on Auburn University’s main campus. This building has a theater, a gift shop, a formal area with English influences, a cafĂ©, and a wooded area with art and quiet walking paths. As a college museum, the museum’s job is to understand, improve, and protect the collection’s art. Its goal is to make art a part of people’s everyday lives. Beautiful new building made of travertine stone that is 40,000 square feet is home to the museum. For more ideas, read our list of the best places to visit in Alabama.
901 S College St, Auburn, AL 36830-5812, Phone: 334-844-1484, (website link)
5.Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama
Auburn, Alabama’s Jordan-Hare Stadium turns into one of Alabama’s biggest towns every football Saturday. In the last 18 years, over 75,000 season tickets have been sold. Jordan-Hare Stadium is the home field for Auburn University’s football team, the Auburn Tigers. It is the ninth largest on-campus stadium in the United States. Built in 1939, the 87,451-seat stadium is on campus. It is named for Ralph “Shug” Jordan, who coached the most successful football team at Auburn, and Cliff Hare, who was a member of Auburn’s first football team and was dean of the school’s chemistry department and president of the Southern Conference. The grassy area is called Pat Dye Field after the famous coach Pat Dye.
251 South Donahue Drive, Auburn, AL 36830, Phone: 334-844-4750
6.Things to Do in Auburn, Alabama: Kiesel Park
Kiesel Park is one of Auburn’s biggest and most-visited parks. Many of the town’s events and celebrations take place there, like Auburn CityFest, the Fall Sundown Concert Series, and the Easter egg hunt every year. A garden, a gazebo, and a 4-mile-long trail with beautiful views can be found in the park. The 1850 Nunn-Winston House is also in the park. It is one of Auburn’s best examples of pre-Civil War Greek revival design. The park has a popular place where dogs can run free, and it’s also a popular spot for weddings in the area.
Chadwick Ln, Auburn, AL 36832, Phone: 334-887-4938
7.Southeastern Raptor Center, Auburn, Alabama
Not interested in birds of prey? The Southeastern Raptor Center is still a cool place to visit. Thousands of birds of prey in the area have been helped, treated, and released back into the wild from this teaching and rehabilitation center at Auburn University. They also told people about the dangers birds of prey face today at hundreds of shows across the state and region. The teaching unit of the center puts on a show at the Edgar B. Carter Amphitheater every Friday before an Auburn football game. Football, Fans, and Feathers is a famous show that shows hawks, falcons, and eagles flying free, so viewers can get a close look at these beautiful birds. The center is closed to the public when these events are not going on.
1350 Pratt-Carden Drive, Auburn, AL 36849, Phone: 334-844-6943, (website link)
8.Davis Arboretum
The College of Sciences and Mathematics helps to run the 13.5-acre Donald E. Davis Arboretum, which is both a plant museum and a peaceful green area on the Auburn University campus. People can learn about Alabama’s unique plants and habitats and enjoy being in the outdoors at the arboretum. The arboretum is home to a large and varied live collection of plants that are organized scientifically and come from different places. It’s also a place where students from the university, neighborhood schools, and different community groups can learn outside. In line with Auburn University’s aim to protect living native plant communities in the Southeast, the arboretum’s major goals are conservation, research, and education. On top of that, it keeps the campus’s natural resource places safe.
Auburn, AL 36830, Phone: 334-844-5770, (website link)
9.Plainsman Park, Auburn, AL
Plainsman Park, which is also known as Samford Stadium–Hitchcock Field in the area, is where the Auburn University Tigers play college baseball. The stadium can hold 4,096 people, and Baseball America named it the best college baseball field in the country in 2003. There is a 37-foot-tall fence in left field, 315 feet from home plate. Plainsman Park was first used for baseball in 1950, and it got a lot of work done on it in 1996. Famous baseball parks like Fenway Park, Camden Yards, and Wrigley Field gave the builder Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons ideas for his designs. In 1997, the stadium was renamed Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park to honor Jimmy and Billy Hitchcock, who were brothers. In 2003, Jimmy Samford, a longtime supporter, was honored by the stadium being renamed Samford Stadium–Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park.
351 S Donahue Dr, Auburn, AL 36849-0001, Phone: 334-844-9750, (website link)
10.Hickory Dickory Park, Auburn, AL
The 12,000-square-foot Hickory Dickory Park is on Hickory Lane in Auburn and is a favorite spot for kids. Children from preschool age can play in one area, while bigger children can play in the other. There are swings, a slide, a gear box, a wooden tractor, and a fun mirror in the toddler area. In the true Auburn style, there is even a makeshift Toomer’s Corner where kids can sell ice cream and lemonade. There is also a makeshift College Street sidewalk with tiger paw prints that is a great place to ride a bicycle. Parents can relax and watch their kids while sitting at picnic tables and benches in a covered gazebo. There are three slides, swings, climbing ropes, a lookout tower, monkey bars, and a lot of space to run and play in the play area for bigger kids.
Hickory Ln and North Cedarbrook, Auburn, AL 36830, Phone: 334-501-2930, (website link)
11.Roegner Park
Along the White River, Roegner Park is spread out over 20 acres and has something for everyone who comes to visit. The park has a lot of trails that nature lovers can use to see a lot of wildlife, like ducks and other birds. The trails are great for a lot of different types of people, like runners, bikers, and even horseback riders, because they have both hard and soft surfaces. In the park, there are also dining areas and a great play structure that kids and adults of all ages can enjoy together. People who own dogs also like to go to the park’s leash-free dog area, where their pets can run around and meet new people. There are many great things about Roegner Park that make it a great place to enjoy the outdoors.
601 Oravetz Road Southeast, Auburn, Washington 98092, Phone: 253-931-3000
12.The Depot, Auburn, AL
The station is an upscale and surprisingly elegant Gulf Coast Brasserie in downtown Auburn, Alabama. It is in a beautifully restored 1847 train station and has a casual atmosphere with beautiful original marble floors, leather banquettes, and beautiful chandeliers. Scott Simpson, executive cook and co-owner, takes the food at his Auburn restaurant to a whole new level by using wood barbecue and serving simple, healthy Alabama Southern heritage dishes. After the menu with dishes from around the world, there are Southern-style drinks from before Prohibition, a long list of award-winning wines, and a great selection of craft beers. The Gourmet Gumbo Pot with Cajun-style andouille, okra, poblano rice, crawfish, and Gulf shrimp is one of the best meals you should try. The Carolina Mountain rainbow trout with Brussels sprout petals, butternut squash, and pecan brown butter is another.
124 Mitcham Ave, Auburn, AL 36830-3803, Phone: 334-521-5177, (website link)
13.Acre, Auburn, AL
Located only a couple of blocks from Auburn’s historic Toomer’s Corner, Acre is an upscale restaurant with locally sourced, Southern-inspired fare, in-house made charcuterie, an extensive wine list, and imaginative cocktails. Acre uses fresh ingredients from their own gardens and local farms, preparing traditional Southern dishes with chef/owner David Bancroft’s unique take and a diverse culinary experience. The dining room is rustic but chic with comfortable banquettes and long communal tables and is a favorite in Auburn for family dinners and various celebrations. The big front porch is shaded in the summer and heated on cool nights by the hearth-style fireplace, perfect for al fresco dining. The menu is extensive and original, but you should not miss the Georgia quail with fermented honey hot sauce and barbecue pecan streusel or the Southern-fried catfish with Creole cream cheese grits, Lee County succotash, lemon fennel aioli, and blue crab salad.
210 E Glenn Ave, Auburn, AL 36830, Phone: 334-246-3763
14.Things to Do in Auburn, Alabama: Ariccia Trattoria
Ariccia Trattoria is a high-end, classy Italian restaurant in The Hotel at Auburn University. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner to hotel guests and Auburn employees who want a special meal without making it a big deal. The elegant patio lets you eat outside in a cozy area with lots of plants, a pergola over the top, and a cool pond that make it feel like you’re in a secret garden. The food is mostly Italian, with great pastas, salads, and pizzas, and the wines are mostly Italian as well. People love going to Ariccia for work lunches, but one of Auburn’s favorite traditions is going to the breakfast buffet every year.
241 S College St, Auburn, AL 36830, Phone: 334-844-5140
15.Hamilton’s on Magnolia, Auburn, AL
Hamilton’s is a cozy, romantic restaurant in historic downtown Auburn on Magnolia Avenue, just one block from Toomer’s Corner. The restaurant has exposed brick walls, leather banquettes, original art on the walls, a big circular bar, and patio tables with views of the street. The menu has a variety of modern American dishes, including high-quality meats and vegetables from nearby farms. People often go to the full bar for drinks after work, and the patio tables with their clean white tablecloths are great for watching people while sipping one of Hamilton’s great cocktails. Every Monday there is live music. The menu is long and has some Southern flavors to it. The fried green tomato and shrimp starter is a great way to start your meal. It’s a fun take on a classic Southern dish that is tempura-battered, fried, and served with balsamic sauces.
174 E Magnolia Ave, Auburn, AL 36830, Phone: 334-887-2677
16.Things to Do in Auburn, Alabama: The Hound
A well-known bar and restaurant in Auburn, The Hound has been run by the Hound and now the Poirier families for many generations. The Hound is big, cozy, rustic, and fun all at the same time. They serve tasty home-cooked American classics, the best bourbon, drinks, and 28 craft beers on tap. Their heritage breed pig and other meats come from animals that were raised humanely, mostly on the Hound family farm, where the bacon is made. Everything is seasonal and from the area. The dining room is cozy and inviting. It was made to look like a hunting camp, with animal heads on the walls, lots of reclaimed wood, exposed beams, communal tables, and all the noise and activity of old Alabama.
124 Tichenor Ave, Auburn, AL 36830, Phone: 334-246-3300, (website link)
17.AMF Auburn Lanes
There are 24 of the newest bowling lanes at AMF Auburn Lanes. Each one has special lighting, soft seats, and a huge wall of big screens that show everything from music videos to live sports games and even family movies. The on-site Pro Shop and shoe rental has everything you need for your game. There is also a great bar where people who don’t bowl can play their favorite new and old video games. The building has an easy-to-use lane-side menu with snacks, meals, cocktails, and craft beers that can be brought right to your lane. You can have a great party at AMF Auburn Lanes because they have everything you need.
719 Opelika Rd, Auburn, AL 36830, 334 887 6573
18.Auburn Escape Zones, Auburn, AL
When you go to the Auburn Escape Zones, you can get away from the boring things you do every day and try something new and fun. First, get a group of friends or family together and book one of 5 professionally created escape rooms. These rooms will test your ability to solve puzzles. The settings are very true to life, and you’ll feel like you’re really in the situation. If you and your team want to get out of the room in the 60 minutes allowed, you need to work together and share your ideas. The Vault, Imprisoned, The Cabin, and two other rooms with superhero and criminal themes are all themed.
1234 Commerce Drive, Auburn, AL 36830, 334 329 7088
19.Game Farm Park
There are lots of things to do at Game Farm Park, which is one of Auburn’s biggest neighborhood parks. With soccer fields, softball fields, tennis courts, and basketball courts, the almost 140-acre park is known for having a wide range of organized sports and fun activities. People who want to take it easy can walk through the park’s trails and enjoy the views of the gardens, ponds, and hills. There are also play areas and exercise equipment outside that can be used for fun. You can also rent other sites, such as picnic shelters, grills, and an amphitheater. It’s easy to see why Game Farm Park is one of the most popular parks in the city. There’s a lot to do there.
3030 R Street Southeast, Auburn, Washington 98002, Phone: 253-931-3043
20.Game Farm Wilderness Park
Nature lovers should go to Game Farm Wilderness Park, which is all about getting in touch with nature. The 10-acre park along the river is known for its well-kept natural woodland, which provides a peaceful escape from the busy city life. There is a disc golf course with 18 holes, eating areas, and camping grounds. There are both day camp areas and RV camping areas at the park, each with water and power hookups. There are also many hikes and wildlife-viewing trails, such as the White River Trail, which goes from the north end of the park to the east end.
2401 Stuck River Drive, Auburn, Washington 98092, Phone: 253-931-3043
21. Get Outdoors at Tuskegee National Forest
This public park in the US is not far from Auburn. For people who want to get outside and see some natural beauty that hasn’t been changed, the forest is a perfect place to go.
Even though the Tuskegee National Forest is the smallest of its kind in the US, there are a lot of things to do here!
The four hiking tracks that go through the beautiful forest would be the main draws. There are also horseback riding trails, a popular shooting range, fish ponds, mountain biking trails, and a place to watch wildlife. If you want to spend more time at Tuskegee, you can camp out and spend the night.
People love to visit this Forest when they come to Auburn because it has so many fun things to do.
22. Watch a Thrilling Auburn Tigers Match
Auburn is very proud of its football team. In the event that you happen to be in Auburn on a football game day, you must see the Tigers play!
All of this fun takes place at the Jordan-Hare Stadium. During a game, more than 80,000 people fill the field. This is one of the most popular things to do in Auburn! Don’t forget to buy your tickets early, because they disappear very quickly.
Seeing a football game here is a great way to get into the spirit of this great city.
23. Witness Birds of Prey at the Southeastern Raptor Center
People who like birds and other animals should go to the Southeastern Raptor Center. This program helps thousands of birds of prey get better and then sends them back into the wild. When you go to the center, you can watch many beautiful birds in action.
A trip here is not only very educational, but it also lets you connect with the place. There are rare birds, like owls, that you can hold and help feed. You don’t have to love birds to enjoy a trip to the Southeastern Raptor Center!