Alabama

Avenue of the Oaks in Mobile's Spring Hill College is a popular spot for runners and walkers. This time of year the azaleas are in full bloom right now.

Monroeville, Alabama, bills itself as the literary capital of Alabama, boasting that both Harper Lee and Truman Capote have called the town their home. The old Monroe County Courthouse includes a recent memorial to fictional character Atticus Finch, the lawyer hero of Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

Cypress trees rise from the edge of Lake Jackson in Florala, Alabama.

Straddling the Florida-Alabama state line is Lake Jackson in the town of Florala.

The Floral Parade rolls through downtown Mobile, Alabama, as part of the city's Mardi Gras celebration.

The floral parade made its way through downtown Mobile in celebration of Mardi Gras.

Runners make their way down Government Street five miles into the First Light Marathon in Mobile, Alabama, Sunday morning, Jan. 13, 2008.

The Azalea Trail Maids make an appearance near the start of the First Light Marathon in Mobile, Alabama, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008.

The Mobile Public Library's main branch was recently renovated.