Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Marvel, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Marvel and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Marvel
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Marvel:
- 33.146785, -87.003048
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Marvel
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Bibb County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Bibb County
- Since Marvel is near Shelby County and also Tuscaloosa County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Shelby County
- eBird sighting report for Tuscaloosa County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Marvel ...
We found three communities that share the name Marvel.
Within Alabama, the name Marvel is unique.
Beyond Alabama, we know of another three communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Colorado
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Marvel ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Booth Ford
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Booth Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Booth Ford
- Booth Ford is located in Shelby County
- Bucktown ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west) - Flat Top
(5 miles [8 km] to the west) - Glen Carbon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glen Carbon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Carbon
- Glen Carbon is located in Shelby County
- Gray Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest) - Hebron
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west) - Italian Town
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Italian Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Italian Town
- Italian Town is located in Bibb County
- Masena
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest) - Pea Ridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Piper
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest) - Sawmill Town
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawmill Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmill Town
- Sawmill Town is located in Shelby County
- Stacks Hill ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stacks Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stacks Hill
- Stacks Hill is located in Bibb County
- Superior
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
How Far From Marvel to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Marvel to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Marvel and extending to:
- Centreville, which is the Seat of Bibb County, lies 15 miles [24.1 km]<1> to the south southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Marvel to Centreville, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 67 miles [107.8 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take three full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 683 miles [1,099.2 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 27 days and walking would take 39 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,577 miles [10,584.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,285 miles [11,724.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,162 miles [8,307.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Marvel. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Bibb County: www.co.bibb.ga.us/
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Marvel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Marvel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.1468, Longitude: -87.0030 In this case, the coordinates for Marvel have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Marvel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <4> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <5> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Marvel to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.773 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.348 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.455 degrees. |