Tuscaloosa, Ala. — Seven fall weekends a year, tens of thousands of crimson-cloaked fans flood this west Alabama town, filling its parking lots with their RVs and its green spaces with their tailgating tents.

The University of Alabama's 93,000-seat stadium hovers above the town like some gigantic spacecraft, casting a shadow larger than all but the figurative one thrown by Tuscaloosa's most famous resident, the legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. When the Crimson Tide takes the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, life outside its oval ceases to exist.

Porfirio Solorzano / Special (ENLARGE)

Football aside, visitors can soak up a little culture at the Bama Theater.

University of Alabama (ENLARGE)

Visitors enjoy strolling the grounds of the Arboretum at the University of Alabama

Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel/Jeff Greenberg (ENLARGE)

Visitors to the Mercedes-Benz Visitors Center & Museum can view antique and concept Mercedes automobiles.

RELATED LINKS: • More photos of Tuscaloosa • Tour civil rights sites • Guide to Southeast water/theme parks • More places to go in the Southeast

Before and after games, 'Bama devotees make a pilgrimage to the Bear's on-campus museum to soak up the atmosphere of his re-created office and gawk at the Waterford crystal reproduction of his signature houndstooth fedora.

But there is more to see and do in Tuscaloosa than football. The presence of the university lends it a layer of culture — inexpensive music, theater and dance performances abound. And the Black Warrior River that serves as the dividing line between Tuscaloosa and next-door Northport makes for numerous outdoor activities.

This April, renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman will perform and triathletes will compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials. This October, more than 250 artists will return to Northport for the Kentuck Festival, one of the top folk-art events in the nation.

Here are six Tuscaloosa spots worth a visit, not one of which has a thing to do with football:

1. Westervelt Warner Museum of American Art

More than 500 works of art from the likes of Wins-low Homer, Edward Hopper, Mary Cassatt, Andrew Wyeth, John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler populate this relatively new museum that sits in the middle of a golf community about 12 miles from the university.

Every piece belongs to Jack Warner, former CEO of Gulf States Paper Corp. The impressive assemblage also includes a roomful of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson portraits, several pieces of Duncan Phyfe furniture and a teapot made by Paul Revere.

The collection reflects the nation's earlier years — you'll find no abstract or modern art here. Warner, in the museum's introductory film, calls it a "window to history." High Museum board chairman Terry Stent calls it one of the top two collections of American art in the world.

Warner, 90, possesses such enthusiasm for his art that he frequently pops in to greet visitors and give tours. He's also been known to expand the tour to include the 8-acre gardens at his nearby home.

Noon-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays; 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Daily tours at 1:30 p.m. $7, adults; $5, students. 2700 Yacht Club Way. 205-343-4540, www.warnermuseum.org.

2. Lake Lurleen State Park

Named for Alabama's only female governor (and wife of Gov. George Wallace), this pretty, 1,625-acre park is only 15 minutes from town but feels hundreds of miles removed.

The shoreline is dotted with grills and picnic tables, from which you can look out over the lake's glittering water as you feast in the shade. For swimmers, there's a little beach with a bathhouse; for fishermen, there are rowboats and canoes to rent; for hikers or mountain bikers, there are 15 miles of wooded trails.

Come for the day or stay overnight in one of the park's 91 campsites.

9 a.m.-9 p.m. in season. $3, adults; $1, children and senior citizens. Fishing licenses and boat and campsite rentals vary. 13226 Lake Lurleen Road, Coker, Ala. 205-339-1558, www.alapark.com, click on Lake Lurleen.

3. University of Alabama Arboretum

Down a long, rutted dirt road past a shuttered golf course, the university's 60-acre arboretum boasts two greenhouses, a picnic pavilion and a piney forest as well as wildflower, bog and children's gardens. One of the centerpieces of this lovely hideaway is a 40-foot platform in the middle of the woods that provides great views of the greenery below.

8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Free. 4501 Arboretum Way. 205-553-3278, www.arboretum.ua.edu.

4. Alabama Museum of Natural History

The menacing stuffed bear that stands guard just inside the entrance serves notice: This museum is a little boy's dream. Filled with fossils and fish in jars, this stop may bring out the little boy in grown men as well.

The collection includes the skeleton of a mosasaur — a fierce swimming lizard from the time of the dinosaurs — sparkling minerals, geological tools, Native American pottery and the remains of a meteorite that in 1954 crashed through the roof of an Alabama house and struck a woman in the leg, rendering her momentarily famous.

10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. $2, adults: $1, children and senior citizens. Smith Hall, at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Capstone Drive on the UA campus. 205-348-7550, www.amnh.ua.edu.

5. Bama Theatre

This historic movie palace will celebrate its 80th birthday this year. Like Atlanta's Fox Theatre, the Bama rents itself out for music, theater and dance performances. During slower periods, it also shows foreign and independent films and, on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of the month, movie classics.

Made to resemble a Spanish courtyard, the Bama's interior features balconies and ironwork on the walls and clouds and twinkling stars on the ceiling. Check the Arts Council's Web site to see if anything's showing while you're in town.

600 Greensboro Ave. 205-758-5195, www.tuscarts.org and click on Bama Theatre.

6. Mercedes-Benz Visitor Center & Museum

East of Tuscaloosa, just off I-20/59, stands the first Mercedes-Benz plant ever built outside Germany. All glass and gleaming steel curves, the factory produces Mercedes' M-, R- and GL-Class sport utility vehicles. Factory tours are available (by reservation) on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to those ages 12 and up.

The museum, which houses a collection of antique and concept cars and traces the history of the luxury-car company from its founding in 1886, is open throughout the week.

Museum hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Museum is free; tours are $5. Mercedes Drive, off Exit 89 on I-20/59. 1-888-286-8762, www.mbusi.com.

IF YOU GO

Tuscaloosa is roughly 200 miles west of downtown Atlanta on I-20, about a three-hour drive.

Where to eat

• Dreamland BBQ: The original Dreamland BBQ, a hard-to-find, ramshackle spot decorated with license plates, sports photos and newspaper clippings, serves three items: ribs, bread and banana pudding. But what ribs they are! A newer, spiffier Dreamland in Northport offers trimmings to round out your meal. Original: 5535 15th Ave. E., Tuscaloosa. Northport: 101 Bridge Ave. 205-758-8135, www.dreamlandbbq.com .

• Steamers: Next door to the Northport Dreamland, Steamers sits right on the Black Warrior River and keeps its garage-style doors open in nice weather. The Gulf Coast shrimp are sweet and fat, the biscuits warm and fluffy, the cheese grits to die for.

1 Bridge Ave. 205-247-7772, www.steamersnorthport.com .

• Ruan Thai: Tuscaloosa's only Thai restaurant sits in a cozy bungalow on the strip near the university. Here you'll find the usual array of curry and noodle dishes, spiced to your taste, at affordable prices. 1407 University Blvd. 205-391-9973.

Where to stay

• Four Points Tuscaloosa Capstone: This Sheraton hotel is in the heart of the campus, almost across the street from the Coliseum and just a couple of blocks from the football stadium. $110-$140. 320 Paul Bryant Blvd. 205-752-3200, www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=695 .

• LaQuinta Inn: Nothing fancy, but safe and clean and right off I-20/59. Ask for a room on the pool side to minimize traffic noise. From $59. 4122 McFarland Blvd. E. 205-349-3270, www.lq.com

• The Warner Lodge on Lake Tuscaloosa: Technically, this lodge is near the lake, not on it. A quiet, wooded spot about 12 miles from town in the middle of the North River Yacht Club neighborhood, it's steps from the Warner art museum. From $145. 2700 Yacht Club Way. 205-343-4215, www.warnerlodge.com .