The camp store at Kymulga Grist Mill Park in Childersburg, Ala.: Glynn Wilson

Tales From the MoJo Road –
By Glynn Wilson –

Retired game warden Ron Smith demonstrates how the corn is ground into flower and grits by the mill stones in the Kymulga Grist Mill: Glynn Wilson

CHILDERSBURG, Ala. – If you find yourself traveling in Alabama looking for a hidden place to camp that is not too crowded, maybe on a fast moving stream where you can float in a canoe or kayak with lots of wildlife to see, you might want to check out Kymulga Grist Mill Park.

In addition to the boating, hiking and camping without a crowd, this place still has a working grist mill that was first built before the Civil War even started in 1861. Here you can even find fresh grits made from white and yellow corn sweetened with homemade honey made by the bees still living in the wall of the mill. Bring bacon, eggs, butter and cheese and you can even make biscuits from scratch with the fresh flower from the mill.

A Classic Southern Meal – Crispy bacon, scrambled eggs with cheese and cheese grits fresh from the grist mill, with butter and honey on the biscuits made from the local flower: Glynn Wilson

Retired game warden Ron Smith and his sidekick “Pyscho” Dave Cartwright will set you right up with free ice too, so at $15 a night for a primitive campsite or $30 for a site with a power hookup, this is a real deal in the camping world you won’t find on any federal or state park campground map.

It’s a city park in Talladega County about 4 miles northeast of Childersburg. There’s a historic covered bridge too, and a swimming hole by the weir near the mill, along with an 18-hole frisbee golf course. The annual Grits Festival is coming up May 17, and there will be live bands and food trucks as well as demonstrations on how to make flour and grits the old fashioned way, before Quaker made grits instant and Walmart came along.

A view of the weir and the back of the grist mill on Talladega Creek: Glynn Wilson

Both structures, the grist mill and covered bridge, date to the American Civil War. Both were restored in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The Childersburg Heritage Committee purchased the place in 1988, and with help from the Alabama Historical Commission and the Talladega County Commission, established the park you can visit today. It was acquired by the City of Childersburg in June 2011 and is managed by the Childersburg Historic Preservation Commission.

A view of the covered bridge over Talladega Creek at Kymulga Grist Mill Park: Glynn Wilson

There is a day use admission fee to visit the park, in addition to the campsite fees, and proceeds go for upkeep of all the structures and nature trails. Watch out for poison ivey, though. It’s all over the place, but you can still see loblolly pine trees and sit on a bench in the shade and enjoy the breeze by Talladega Creek.

A friend and I camped for three days and nights in April, and found the place very relaxing and enjoyable, with a local dog Gracie to keep you company, along with the geese and ducks and birds that visit the place. You can fish too, but don’t forget your Alabama Fishing License.

A local fisherman shows off a pound and a half catfish he caught on a trotline by our campsite: Glynn Wilson

We heard barred owls hunting mice every night, and on the last night, Easter Sunday night, we heard whip-poor-wills calling off in the distance in addition to the catfish splashing about in the creek. They say deer and bobcats sometimes sneak around the property, but we didn’t catch a glimpse, only a few tracks in the mud along the creek. It can be slick in places, so watch your step. I managed to bust my ass once by the creek behind the mill, a most humbling, ego flattening lesson from Mother Nature.

There’s a nice bathhouse with hot showers too, although they could invest in a bench or a hook or two to hang your towel and clothes and things. Otherwise it is highly recommended as a stop on any travel schedule in spring or fall.

More PHotos

The information sign with trail map and tree species indicator: Glynn Wilson

An American beech tree by a bridge traversing a fast moving stretch of the diversion stream off the creek: Glynn Wilson

A view of the fast moving diversionary street from the trail crossing bridge: Glynn Wilson

A loblolly pine tree along the walking nature trails: Glynn Wilson

A bunny rabbit on Easter Sunday, saying “Oh, dear. Oh, dear. Where is my friend Alice?”: Glynn Wilson

A mother goose squawking at visitors: Glynn Wilson

Tab Gilbert observing an old witness tree behind the grist mill: Glynn Wilson

A view of the weir that makes the grist mill stone turn underneath: Glynn Wilson

A view of the back of the grist mill on the creek: Glynn Wilson

Coming up on sunset at our campsite on Talladega Creek: Glynn Wilson