The best things to do in Dothan, Alabama, are walking downtown’s history murals, the Wiregrass Museum of Art and the George Washington Carver Interpretive Museum, a morning at Landmark Park or the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens, and a plate of Gulf oysters or a meat-and-three lunch. Add a half-day trip to Enterprise for the Boll Weevil Monument, and time your visit for the National Peanut Festival in November if you can.
This guide covers Dothan and the Wiregrass region of southeast Alabama: what the area is known for, what to see, where to eat, drink and shop, how to get around, and when to come. Every business linked below is locally owned and listed in our directory, where you can check hours before you go.
Dothan and the Wiregrass at a glance
- Where: Southeast Alabama, about 20 miles west of the Georgia line and 16 miles north of Florida. Dothan sits mostly in Houston County and spills into Dale and Henry counties.
- Nickname: The Peanut Capital of the World.
- Size: About 71,000 people at the 2020 census, Alabama’s eighth-largest city and the biggest in the Wiregrass.
- Airport: Dothan Regional (DHN), about 15 minutes from downtown.
- Getting in: US 231, US 84 and US 431, linked by the Ross Clark Circle loop. Interstate 10 is about 32 miles south.
- Nearby: Enterprise is about half an hour west, and the Florida Panhandle beaches are about 1.5 hours south.
- Don’t miss: The Murals of the Wiregrass, the Wiregrass Museum of Art, Landmark Park, the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens and the National Peanut Festival (November 6 to 15, 2026).
What is the Wiregrass region of Alabama?
The Wiregrass is the corner of southeast Alabama, along with neighboring parts of Georgia and Florida, named for the wiry native grass that once covered its longleaf pine forests. The land is flat, the soil is sandy, and farming still drives the economy. Dothan is the region’s largest city and its shopping, medical and entertainment hub, and smaller towns like Enterprise, Ozark, Headland and Abbeville surround it.
Peanuts are the crop that defines the Wiregrass today. When the boll weevil destroyed cotton in the early 1900s, farmers here switched to peanuts, and the region has been one of the country’s most productive peanut-growing areas ever since. You will see the crop everywhere: in fields along US 231, in boiled peanut stands, in painted peanut statues on Dothan street corners, and in a ten-day festival every November. Our Dothan area guide lists every place in the city.
Why is Dothan called the Peanut Capital of the World?
Dothan is called the Peanut Capital of the World because a large share of the nation’s peanut crop is grown within a short drive of the city, and much of it is shelled and processed here. Agriculture is still the area’s largest industry. The city celebrates the crop with the National Peanut Festival each fall and with Peanuts Around Town, a public art project of five-foot peanut sculptures decorated by local artists and placed around the city. Spotting them is an easy game for kids.
To understand the science behind the crop, visit the George Washington Carver Interpretive Museum on North Foster Street downtown. Founded in 2000 by Dr. Francina Williams in the city’s former bus station, it covers Carver’s research on peanuts, sweet potatoes and soil conservation alongside the history of African American life in the Wiregrass.
What are the best things to do in Dothan?
The best things to do in Dothan are downtown’s murals and museums, Landmark Park, the botanical gardens and the city’s family attractions. Most of them are cheap or free, and you can see the highlights in a full day.
Walk the Murals of the Wiregrass
Start downtown, where more than two dozen large murals painted on the sides of buildings tell the story of the region, from peanut farming to local heroes. They make an easy self-guided walking tour: park once downtown and explore on foot. Grab a coffee first at Mural City Coffee Company, which restored a 1920s building on South Foster Street and opened in 2018, or at Bird and Bean Coffee House on North Foster Street. Our Downtown Dothan guide maps the shops and cafes between murals.
Wiregrass Museum of Art
The Wiregrass Museum of Art occupies Dothan’s restored early 1900s power and water plant on Museum Avenue, a building on the National Register of Historic Places, with brick walls and steel trusses. Its exhibitions change through the year, from traveling shows to juried exhibitions of Alabama artists, and admission is free. It is a good indoor stop on a hot or rainy afternoon.
Landmark Park
Landmark Park, at 430 Landmark Drive, is a 135-acre heritage park and Alabama’s official agricultural museum. It preserves rural Wiregrass life with a working turn-of-the-century farmstead with farm animals, a historic church and general store, a boardwalk and nature trail, and a planetarium. Plan two to three hours, and check the park’s calendar for seasonal living-history days.
Dothan Area Botanical Gardens
The Dothan Area Botanical Gardens on Headland Avenue spread across about 50 acres of woodland and formal gardens, with azaleas, camellias, roses and a paved nature trail. They are open daily, generally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is $5 for anyone 16 and older and free for children under 16. From April through October, the Wings of Wonder butterfly house adds a small extra fee. Go in March and April for azaleas, or early on a summer morning before the heat.
Family fun
Dothan has more for kids than most cities its size. AdventureLand Theme Park on West Main Street has go-karts, mini golf, bumper boats, batting cages and an arcade, with a $20 daily package per person. Axtion Air Jump and Sports at Northside Mall has trampolines, a ninja course, electric go-karts and axe throwing, and Escape Dothan on Ross Clark Circle bills itself as Alabama’s first one-hour puzzle room, at $30 per player. In summer, the Water World water park adds a wave pool and slides. See our story on things to do in Dothan with kids for the full rundown.
A haunted history walk
On select Saturday evenings, Adela Haunted Tours leads a two-hour Dothan historical walking tour from South Foster Street that mixes local history with ghost stories, at $25 per person. It is a good way to learn downtown’s layout on foot.
Dothan attractions compared
| Attraction | What it is | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murals of the Wiregrass | Outdoor history murals downtown | Free | A first walk around town |
| Wiregrass Museum of Art | Art museum in a historic power plant | Free | Rainy or hot afternoons |
| George Washington Carver Interpretive Museum | Carver and Wiregrass Black history | Check the listing | History and peanut science |
| Landmark Park | 135-acre farm heritage park | Check the park | Families, history buffs |
| Dothan Area Botanical Gardens | About 50 acres of gardens and trails | $5 ages 16 and up; free under 16 | Spring blooms, easy walks |
| AdventureLand Theme Park | Go-karts, mini golf, bumper boats | $20 daily package | Kids and teens |
| Escape Dothan | One-hour escape rooms | $30 per player | Groups and date nights |
Where should you eat in Dothan?
Eat Southern and eat local: Gulf oysters and fried catfish, meat-and-three plates, steaks and a classic diner breakfast. Dothan’s food is down-home rather than trendy, and its best restaurants have been open for decades.
- Hunt’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar, Campbellton Highway: A Dothan landmark that grew from a service station into a three-stool oyster counter and then a full seafood house. Order raw oysters or the whole fried catfish, and visit the salad bar.
- Zack’s Family Restaurant, Headland Avenue: A family-run meat-and-three cafeteria since 1995, with food “like your Mom used to cook.”
- Ray’s Restaurant, South Oates Street: A family-owned diner open since 1969, with biscuits a dozen ways and a chili dog recipe the restaurant says goes back fifty years.
- The Old Mill, Murphy Mill Road: An independent steak and Gulf seafood house open since December 1985.
- Bella’s Fine Dining, West Troy Street: A three-level restaurant in a 1930s downtown department store building, home to The Rib Room steakhouse. Reserve for special occasions.
- Basketcase Cafe and Catering, South Oates Street: Sandwiches, salads and pasta for lunch, serving Dothan since 1989.
- Captain Hook’s Fish and Chicken, North Oates Street: A no-frills counter frying seafood and chicken to order.
- Taqueria y Mariscos El Torito, Westgate Parkway: Mexican food and seafood on one menu, including fried octopus in red sauce.
Our full guide to where to eat in Dothan covers more, including Thai, Mexican and dessert shops, and the Dothan restaurants page lists them all.
Where can you get a drink in Dothan?
Dothan’s drinking scene is small but varied, from a farm brewery to a speakeasy. Folklore Brewing and Meadery on Mary Lou Lane, the city’s first packaging brewery since Prohibition, pours its own beers and meads in a family-friendly, dog-friendly taproom with live music. Downtown, Maison de Rousse is a speakeasy behind an unmarked door in the same historic building as Bella’s, and Vino On Main on West Main Street is a relaxed wine bar. For a classic neighborhood dive with pool tables, locals point to J’s Landing on North Oates Street. Folklore is also on our Alabama brewery trail.
Where should you shop in Dothan?
Shop downtown and along West Main Street for independent stores, and save time for the antique shops. Highlights:
- Downtown Books, North Foster Street: Dothan’s independent bookstore, opened in 2021, with book discussions and author events.
- Northcutt’s On Main, West Main Street: A family-owned store open since 1935, one of the oldest retailers in the Wiregrass.
- Antique Attic Imports, Fortner Street: A 16,000-square-foot family antique showroom open since 1969.
- Dothan Mercantile, South Oates Street: Vintage furniture, estate finds and a small country-store pantry with local honey and jams.
- Oaks on Park, Apple Avenue: Heirloom-style children’s clothing, gifts and home accents.
- High Wired Coffee Roasters, Kent Drive: Small-batch air-roasted coffee from a family-, veteran- and woman-owned roaster, a good take-home gift.
When is the National Peanut Festival?
The 2026 National Peanut Festival runs Friday, November 6, through Sunday, November 15, at the National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds on US 231 South. Founded in 1938, it is the largest peanut festival in the country and draws up to 200,000 visitors, with a midway, livestock and agricultural exhibits, peanut recipe contests and concerts.
- Gate admission: $11 on most days ($9 on Sunday, November 8), with ride armbands from $30 to $55 depending on the day.
- Parade: Saturday, November 14, at 9:30 a.m. on Main Street downtown.
- Concerts: Corey Kent (November 8), Lauren Alaina (November 10) and Tyler Hubbard (November 12), all at 7 p.m.
- Final day: Sunday, November 15, with gate admission and a ride armband for $33.
Book hotels early for that week. Our National Peanut Festival 2026 guide has the day-by-day schedule, parking tips and where to eat nearby, and the official festival calendar posts any changes.
Is Enterprise worth a day trip from Dothan?
Yes. Enterprise, about half an hour west of Dothan in Coffee County, is home to the Boll Weevil Monument, a walkable downtown and good food, and it is small enough to see in an afternoon.
In 1919, after the boll weevil wiped out the cotton crop and farmers prospered by switching to peanuts, the town dedicated a classical statue of a woman holding a weevil over her head. It still stands in the middle of Main Street and is often described as the only monument in the world honoring an agricultural pest. Nearby, Weevil Nut Company sells peanuts and pecans a few doors from the monument, and Boll Weevil Soap Company has made natural soaps since 1997.
For lunch or dinner, try Corks and Cattle, a butcher shop, wine market and restaurant on West Lee Street, or Pastela Italian Restaurant in the historic Rawls building on South Main Street. Folklore Brewing and Meadery’s Enterprise taproom opened in 2023 on Boll Weevil Circle. Golfers can play The Bridges at Tartan Pines, an 18-hole course built around protected wetlands.
Enterprise also sits next to Fort Rucker, the home of Army aviation, and the U.S. Army Aviation Museum, with well over a hundred aircraft, is about 20 to 30 minutes from town. Read our Enterprise day trip guide and the Enterprise area page for more.
Where can you get outdoors near Dothan?
Close to town, the paved and unpaved trails at Westgate Park (about 3.5 miles) and Eastgate Park (about 1.4 miles around the lake) are easy walks, and the Forever Wild Trail runs roughly 10 miles through woods and along waterways for hikers and cyclists. Within an hour or so, Blue Springs State Park, Florida Caverns State Park and Kolomoki Mounds all make good day trips, and Providence Canyon in Georgia is about 1.5 hours away. Our Dothan outdoors guide covers the gardens, trails and day trips in detail.
How do you get to and around Dothan?
Most visitors drive. Dothan has no interstate, so you arrive on US 231 from Montgomery and Panama City, US 84 from the east and west, or US 431 from the north. Dothan Regional Airport (DHN) has commercial service to Atlanta and is about 15 minutes from downtown. Once in town, the Ross Clark Circle loops around the city and connects most shopping and restaurants, while downtown is compact enough to walk between the murals, museums, cafes and shops. Parking is easy in most of the city, but expect heavier traffic on US 231 South near the fairgrounds during National Peanut Festival week.
When is the best time to visit Dothan?
Visit in spring (March through May) or fall (October and November). Spring brings azaleas to the botanical gardens and comfortable weather for walking downtown. Fall brings the peanut harvest, cooler temperatures and the National Peanut Festival in early to mid November. Summers are long, hot and humid, so plan outdoor time for mornings and evenings and save museums for the afternoons. Winters are mild.
A two-day Dothan and Wiregrass itinerary
- Day 1 morning: Coffee at Mural City Coffee Company, then a walk through the Murals of the Wiregrass and the Wiregrass Museum of Art.
- Day 1 afternoon: A meat-and-three lunch at Zack’s, then the George Washington Carver Interpretive Museum and Landmark Park.
- Day 1 evening: Oysters at Hunt’s, then a nightcap at Maison de Rousse or a pint at Folklore.
- Day 2 morning: Breakfast at Ray’s, then the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens.
- Day 2 afternoon: Drive to Enterprise for the Boll Weevil Monument, Main Street shops and lunch at Corks and Cattle or Pastela.
- Day 2 evening: Back in Dothan for steaks at The Old Mill or The Rib Room at Bella’s.
FAQ
What is Dothan, Alabama, known for?
Dothan is known for peanuts. It calls itself the Peanut Capital of the World, hosts the National Peanut Festival every November, and has painted peanut statues and history murals all over town.
Is Dothan worth visiting?
Yes, especially for a weekend or as a stop on the way to the Florida Panhandle. Its free art museum, murals, Landmark Park and gardens are easy to see in a day, and its restaurants and festival give it a strong local character.
What is there to do in Dothan this weekend?
Downtown’s murals, the Wiregrass Museum of Art and the botanical gardens are open most weekends, and AdventureLand and Escape Dothan have long Friday and Saturday hours. Check our this weekend page for events.
How far is Dothan from the beach?
Dothan is about 1.5 hours north of Panama City Beach, Florida, by US 231. Alabama’s own beaches in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are farther, roughly three hours away.
What is the Wiregrass?
The Wiregrass is the farming region of southeast Alabama and nearby Georgia and Florida, named for the wiry grass that grew under its longleaf pines. Dothan is its largest city, and peanuts are its signature crop.