[Ambystoma]

Hi Alabama mamas!<br><br>
I'm interviewing for a PhD program at Alabama, and wanted info about Tuscaloosa from an AP standpoint. I'm going in a couple of weeks and was hoping to have a list of places to check out beforehand ie:<br><br>
parks/kid's places (I have a 2mo, but would live there around 5 years)<br>
neighborhoods (rentals would be great in the 500-1000/mo range 1-2 BR)<br>
recreational activities<br>
organic grocery/restaurants<br>
anything else you think is great about the city<br><br>
TIA!<br>
Kara

 

[MaryMarg]

Hi, or should I say "hey!" I'm just south of **********, but have seen an organic grocery in Tuscaloosa--<a href="http://www.mannagrocery.com" target="_blank">www.mannagrocery.com</a> on McFarland (the main road). DD had her 4th birthday party at the Hands on Children's Museum <a href="http://www.chomonline.org"...Hope you find your time in Alabama enjoyable!

 

[Otterella]

Feel free to PM or e-mail me any time! My DH works at the law school at UA, and we just moved here almost a year ago. When are you going to be here? Let me know and I'll be happy to show you around from a mom's perspective.<br><br>
There are several decent parks in the area, and the public library has kid's story times several times a week. One of the local parks has a fountain for the kids to play in, and mine love it. We live in Northport (about 15 min from UA) in a neighborhood called Harper Creek and our rent is $900/month for a 3 bed/2 bath. There are a few other houses in our neighborhood for rent, but with such a high student population here, there's never any shortage of decently priced rentals closer to campus too. I can give you the name of our realtor who helped us find the rental. As far as organic foods and such, Manna is pretty much it and it's small and over priced. Publix does okay with their organic line, but it's still "grocery store" organic. But driving to the Whole Foods in ********** isn't so bad. It's only an hour away. There is a weekly farmer's market, but I haven't been to it yet since it just opened up.