If you’ve been driving or strolling around the towns and hamlets of Alabama, you may be suddenly and delightfully surprised by murals just about everywhere you look.

All the artwork, from Huntsville, Decatur, to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, is part of a project collectively known as the Alabama Mural Trail. The Alabama Mural Trail was conceived by two individuals, Candace Johnson and Erin Hackenmueller, with funding provided by the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development. 

The goal of the Alabama Mural Trail is, in the words of their website, “to provide the state of Alabama a sense of community, to drive economic impact, and to bring people together.” This mural trail, which is a statewide artistic endeavor, inspires locals and visitors to discover what Alabama has to offer.

Some of the murals are painted on the outside walls of businesses, while others appear on the outer wall of a parking deck. And while some of them have been painted by well-known artists, others are the result of the efforts of multiple and variously skilled artisans. Some of the works are whimsical; some are a bit comedic, and others are historic.

For example, next time you go to Manci’s Antique Club on Main Street in Olde Town Daphne, make sure to look on the Belrose Avenue side, where you’ll see a historic, artistic rendition of Mrs. “Tootsie” Manci leaning on an ancient automobile from around the 1930s. Co-owner Harry Johnson said, “Buster Manci started Manci’s Antique Club in 1936, and the murals have been there for decades. They’re a part of Daphne’s history.” Another black-and-white mural is on the Main Street side of Manci’s, with an old Model T in front of the building.

Also in Daphne, there is a mural of a pail with an octopus and crab (this is located on the north side of Something Sweet Bake Shop on 1712 Main Street); there’s an interesting painting of the original Italian founding families on the south side of the same building. Another is a scene of Mobile Bay with egrets in the foreground on the north side of The Frame Corner on 1411 Main Street. In Foley, on the side of the Foley Coffee Shop on Highway 59 near the pedestrian walkover, is a lovely mural of the coffee shop itself.

Gulf Shores and Fairhope have their share of murals, as does the town of Silverhill. For example, Fairhope’s Ox Kitchen on Greeno Road has a “Greetings from Fairhope” mural, which many visitors use for a “selfie.” Downtown, looking west from the Fairhope Museum of History on Section Street, there are two murals, one on the north side of Master Joe’s Sushi and another, equally striking, on the east side of the parking deck.

To see more murals without leaving home, you can check out the websites www.alabamamuraltrail.org or www.publicartarchive.org.

Editor’s note: Special thanks to Kara Wilbourn, Marketing Coordinator of the City of Daphne, for specific information on the murals in “The Jubilee City.”