EUFAULA, Ala. - Eufaula sits about 47 miles south of downtown Columbus, almost all of it a straight run down U.S. 431, and the drive takes about an hour. The small Barbour County city has one of the largest historic districts in Alabama, two house museums open six days a week and a lake promoted as the Bass Capital of the World. It makes an easy day trip for Columbus residents, with most stops within a few minutes of each other.

The town and Columbus share a river. Eufaula grew as a major shipping and trading point on the Chattahoochee, according to the Alabama Historical Commission, and the river now widens into Lake Eufaula on the city's eastern edge. Even one of Eufaula's best-known interiors has a Columbus connection, since a Columbus painter decorated the walls of Fendall Hall.

A 600-Acre Historic District

The Seth Lore and Irwinton Historic District covers about 600 acres, including the original 1836 town plan of Irwinton, which was renamed Eufaula in 1843, according to its National Register of Historic Places nomination. The district holds 942 properties, and 738 of them were counted as historically or architecturally significant. A smaller Seth Lore Historic District was first listed in 1973 with 72 of those buildings, and the expanded district was added in 1986.

Most of the buildings date from the five decades between 1870 and 1920, the nomination says. It describes the state's most extensive collection of domestic Italianate architecture, along with Greek Revival cottages, Queen Anne houses and a downtown business district. The First Presbyterian Church building, from 1869, is listed as the state's oldest High Gothic church building.

The Eufaula Chamber of Commerce calls it the largest historic district in east Alabama and the second largest in the state. Visitors can see much of it from the car or on foot along North Eufaula Avenue and through the downtown business district just east of it. Many of the homes are private residences, so the interiors are not open.

Shorter Mansion

The Shorter Mansion on North Eufaula Avenue is the city's best-known landmark. Eli Sims Shorter II and his wife, Wileyna Lamar Shorter, built it over five years, from 1901 to 1906, according to the Eufaula Heritage Association. The National Park Service nomination describes it as a Neoclassical Revival house with 17 free-standing Corinthian columns.

The mansion has more than 9,000 square feet inside, plus a large outdoor pavilion, and it was listed on the National Register in 1972. Tours run Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to its website. Admission is $10 for adults, and children 12 and under and veterans get in free.

Fendall Hall

Fendall Hall, at 917 W. Barbour St., is owned by the Alabama Historical Commission. Builder Edward Young, a New York native and banker, chose five acres in the College Hill section in 1856, and the house was completed in 1860, according to the commission. It calls the house one of the first great Italianate homes built in Alabama.

The interior has black-and-white Italian marble at the entry, eight carved marble fireplace surrounds and Baccarat crystal chandeliers. The Dents, Young's daughter Anna and her husband, hired D.F. Liefrank of Columbus to paint the murals of flowers, cherubs, birds and fruit in the entrance hall, drawing room and dining room. Young family members lived there until 1973, when the state bought it to run as a house museum.

Fendall Hall is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it is closed on state holidays and during private events. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for military members and free for children 12 and under. Groups of 10 or more can get group rates if they book ahead.

Lake Eufaula and Lakepoint State Park

Walter F. George Lake, also called Lake Eufaula, stretches 85 miles along the Chattahoochee and has 640 miles of shoreline, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps runs 13 day-use parks and four campgrounds around the lake. Alabama State Parks puts the lake at 45,000 acres and calls it "The Bass Capital of the World."

Lakepoint State Park sits on the lake about seven miles north of downtown Eufaula, according to the chamber. The park has a lodge with 101 hotel rooms, 29 cabins, 10 lakeside cottages and 192 improved campsites, according to Alabama State Parks. Its picnic areas are open from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and the marina is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge

The Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge covers 11,184 acres along both banks of the Chattahoochee in Alabama and Georgia. It was established in 1964 in cooperation with the Corps of Engineers, and it supports almost 300 species of birds and 40 species of mammals, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The office is about 10 miles north of Eufaula off U.S. 431 and Alabama 165.

An eight-mile wildlife drive, reached from Alabama 285, winds through upland and wetland habitat and passes a viewing platform and an observation tower. A one-third-mile walking trail starts near the main entrance. The refuge is unstaffed and its office and restrooms are closed, so visitors should plan to use restrooms at the nearby state parks.

Planning the Trip

A full day can cover both house museums in the morning and the lake or refuge in the afternoon. Both museums close at 4 p.m. and are closed Sundays, so a Saturday trip leaves the most time. The Shorter Mansion can close for private events, so it is worth calling (334) 687-3793 before driving down, and Fendall Hall can be reached at 334-687-8469.