Fort Payne, Ala. — The scenery is, at turns, pastoral and spectacular. Skilled artisans work in rural isolation, selling their crafts to those who happen by. It may be a stretch to call this chunk of Lookout Mountain the Alabama Alps, but the place does have its charms.

National Park Service (ENLARGE)

The base of Little River Falls, in the 14,000 acre Little River Canyon National Preserve, is a popular swimming hole.

Clint Williams / cwilliams@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

Watching glass blower Cal Breed work his craft at Orbix Hot Glass in Fort Payne is one of the best shows in town.

Clint Williams / cwilliams@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

The Alabama Fan Club and Museum in downtown Fort Payne honors country music group 'Alabama.' A statute of lead singer Randy Owen stands out front.

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And it's cheap.

You can drive from metro Atlanta to this part of northeast Alabama — and back — on one tank of gas. Lodging at DeSoto State Park — perfectly located to explore the area — is less than $100 a night. Hiking, mountain biking and world-class swimming holes are free.

And you can save even more money by doing a little back-to-school shopping in downtown Fort Payne, "The Sock Capital of the World."

It would be easy to spend a day — two days, a week, a lifetime — exploring Little River Canyon National Preserve (256-845-9605; www.nps.gov/liri), a 14,000-acre park flanking the waterway. The rock walls and raging waters draw rock climbers and kayakers. Most folks will be satisfied to take in the views from one of eight overlooks along Canyon Rim Drive.

The scenic route snakes along the west side of the canyon south of Ala. 35. The trail is a string of state highways and county roads where topping 35 mph requires nerves of steel. No matter. The pace will allow everyone to enjoy the countryside.

At one point, the road is split by Mushroom Rock. A glance will explain the name.

Especially hardy hikers may want to park at Eberhart Point where a steep trail drops about 500 feet to the bottom of the canyon.

When the name of the road changes to County 275, start looking for Orbix Hot Glass (256-523-3188; www.orbixhotglass.com). Here, in a workshop a stone's throw from the canyon rim, Cal Breed turns sand into art.

The hot heart of the glassblowing studio is an electric furnace set to 2,000 degrees and a crucible filled with 450 pounds of molten glass. It takes just a bit — bright, burning, glowing, pulsing as a dab of the sun — to create colorful, delicate pitchers, bowls, plates and Christmas ornaments.

It's an entrancing dance.

"You have to work in small windows of time," says Breed, who discovered the area as a rock climber. "I enjoy the choreography of it."

It is the best show in town. And it's free — if you can get out of the adjacent gallery without buying anything.

It's sweaty work watching Breed and his crew, but a wonderful spot to cool off is just down the road.

Canyon Mouth Park, the most southern spot in Little River Canyon National Preserve, offers easy access to the cool, clear water of the river. Take the trail that leads upstream to find less crowded swimming spots. And pack a diving mask and snorkel. The water is clear enough to see the river bottom and see all the finny critters swimming between you and there.

Canyon Mouth Park also has picnic tables and restrooms.

What more do you need to spend a lazy afternoon swimming and sunning?

When the day is done, drive back up the canyon to DeSoto State Park (256-845-5075; www.desotostatepark.com). The park has several overnight options: campsites, cabins and motel-style lodge rooms. The lodge, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, houses a restaurant and the park's only Wi-fi hotspot.

Eight miles of trail wind through the state park. It's easy to walk from your room or cabin down to the West Fork of the Little River for a wake-up hike before breakfast.

Grab a trail map at the front desk. You'll need it for the sometimes confusing array of forks and intersections as you walk through the woods.

The park's other diversions include tennis courts, an Olympic-size pool, playground, volleyball court and ball field. You can check out softball equipment, volleyballs and horseshoes at the General Store.

If it's a rainy day — or you're just tuckered out from outdoor play — take a short drive to Mentone, a one-time health resort now in a need of a coat of paint. Grab lunch at The Wildflower Cafe (256-634-0066), a funky spot with school bus seats at the tables and 3 1/2-star carrot cake. Walk off lunch by wandering through White Elephant Antiques — also known as the Mentone Mall. The White Elephant (256-634-4529) is an old hotel filled with a wonderfully baffling mix of stuff: new straw hats and antique glassware, homemade wild plum jelly and custom-made furniture, used books and hard-carved walking sticks. You can browse for hours.

Just down the mountain off Ala. 117 is Miracle Pottery & Art Gallery (256-635-6863; www.miraclepottery.com), another spot where you can see dirt transformed into art.

Continue into the valley for the big splurge on this trip. Admission to Sequoyah Caverns (256-635-0024; www.sequoyahcaverns.com) is $12.95 for adults and $6.95 for children 4-12. It's money well spent.

The reflective pools throughout the cave create beautiful, mind-blowing optical illusions. It's a cool, calming place.

A serious bit of advice: time your visit. Tours begin at the top of each hour starting at 9 a.m. If you arrive, say, 10 minutes after the top of the hour, there is little for the kids to do but wander around the gift shop and whine about spending your money. The last tour of the day starts at 4 p.m.

Got another day? Make another trip down the mountain to Fort Payne, home of the country music group Alabama.

Fans of the group that dominated the music charts during the 1980s will want to spend some time at the Alabama Fan Club and Museum (256-845-1646; www.thealabamaband.com). A 35-minute film recounts the career of the band, which stopped touring in 2003. Memorabilia such as the first guitar of Jeffrey Alan Cook (bought used for $20) is on display.

And if you're a bigger fan of bargains, stop at one of the sock outlets downtown. At Socks It Is on Godfrey Avenue, you can buy a dozen socks for less than $5.

What a thrifty and practical souvenir.

IF YOU GO

Getting there

Fort Payne is about 115 miles from Atlanta, about a 2 1/4-hour drive. Take I-75 north to Ga. 20 (exit 290) toward Rome, then turn left onto Ga. 20 west and merge onto U.S. 411 south/Ga. 20 west toward Rome; take Ga. 20 west crossing into Alabama, where it becomes Ala. 9, and turn right onto Ala. 35, then left onto Gault Avenue north/U.S. 11.

Information

DeKalb County Tourist Association: 1-888-805-4740; www.tourdekalb.com

Fort Payne information: www.fortpayne.org, www.fortpaynechamber.com.