LIFE’S A PEACH
Chilton County celebrates peak peach season each June with the Peach Jam Jubilee in Clanton City Park. The free outdoor festival is organized by the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce and includes live music, arts and craft vendors, food trucks, inflatables and hot-air balloon rides.
Peach Park, located just off Exit 205, is a popular stop for travelers along I-65. In addition to serving up its signature homemade ice cream, fried pies and cobbler, Peach Park features a barbecue restaurant, a locally grown produce market, a bakery, boutique and gift shop. Another local draw for peach enthusiasts is Durbin Farms Market.
A BERRY GOOD TIME
The Chilton County Strawberry Festival returned for its fifth year this April. The free event has become one of the county’s most popular and draws thousands of visitors to Thorsby to celebrate local farmers and producers while they enjoy strawberry-inspired treats, arts and crafts booths, children’s activities, live entertainment and more.
Visitors can pick their own strawberries at Penton Farms in Verbena or visit the pumpkin patch in the fall for a variety of family-friendly activities.
FEELING NUTTY INSTEAD?
Heaton Pecan Farm
This Chilton County attraction offers a variety of nuts and candies for purchase in-store and online. Visitors to “The Barn,” located at Exit 208 on I-65, also can enjoy homemade ice cream and a breakfast and lunch menu. Nearly all of the treats are handmade daily.
CELEBRATIONS
Thorsby Swedish Festival
Each October, Thorsby celebrates its Scandinavian roots with a family-oriented festival that includes a parade, beauty pageant, auto show, a 5K Viking Run, arts and crafts booths, food vendors and live entertainment.
Maplesville Old Fashioned Christmas
This annual holiday event in downtown Maplesville features vendors, live music, horse-drawn carriage rides and free food and beverages provided by local businesses and organizations.
ARTS & CRAFTS
The multipurpose Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center, located next to the Jefferson State Community College Chilton-Clanton Campus, houses a 608-seat performance hall, a 13,000-square-foot exhibit hall and three classroom-style training rooms.
The venue also hosts the annual Arts Fest in July and the Peach Orchard Christmas Market in November. Both events are presented by the Chilton County Arts Council and feature vendors selling handmade jewelry and a variety of decorative arts.
PARKS & REC
Ten miles east of Clanton is picturesque Lake Mitchell, a component of the Coosa River. The 5,850-acre lake offers 147 miles of shoreline and is chock-full of sport fish, making it a popular destination for anglers. Higgins Ferry Park, located on Lake Mitchell, features a pavilion, public boat launch, a swimming area and playground as well as a full-service electrical hookup for RV camping.
Miles of trails for ATVs and off-road motorcycles wind through 420 wooded acres at Minooka Park. The park also features a scenic one-mile walking trail that wraps around a seven-acre fishing lake, pavilions and an RV campground. Last fall, the park opened a new general store that provides essential items, snacks and gear for campers and visitors. The park also opened an archery range in April.
Part of the Piedmont Plateau Birding Trail, Maplesville City Park includes a paved one-third-mile walking trail and several unpaved pathways through 40 acres of hardwood and pine woodland that are home to a variety of birds.
There are plenty of city parks to enjoy in Chilton County as well. Features of Clanton City Park include a baseball/softball field, football field, pickleball courts, tennis court, walking track, playground and picnic areas. Also in Clanton, keep an eye out for “kindness rocks” in Goose Pond Park and enjoy a peaceful stroll along its nature trail. Jemison City Park has tennis courts, a walking trail, baseball and softball fields and a pavilion. In Thorsby, Richard Wood Park features a walking track, playground, exercise equipment, a pavilion and a picnic area with grills. Maplesville is home to Double Fields Park, which features a walking trail that is part of the Piedmont Plateau Birding Trail, and Single Ball Field, which has a baseball field, playground and pavilion.
This article appears in the August 2026 issue of Business Alabama.
