RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Alabama >> Mobile County >> Semmes >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Semmes, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Semmes and the surrounding area.

  • 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 Semmes:
    • 30.778658, -88.258883
    • 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 Semmes
  • 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

Curious and Interesting Names Near Semmes ...

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.

  • Deerwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deerwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerwood
    • Deerwood is located in Mobile County
  • Eight Mile
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eight Mile have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eight Mile
    • Eight Mile is located in Mobile County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eight Mile <2>
  • Georgetown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgetown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
    • Georgetown is located in Mobile County
  • Indian Hills
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hills
    • Indian Hills is located in Mobile County
  • Indian Springs
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Springs
    • Indian Springs is located in Mobile County
  • Oak Grove
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Oak Grove is located in Mobile County
  • Orchard
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard
    • Orchard is located in Mobile County
  • Park Forest
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Forest
    • Park Forest is located in Mobile County
  • Pine Run
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Run
    • Pine Run is located in Mobile County
  • Ponderosa
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ponderosa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponderosa
    • Ponderosa is located in Mobile County
  • Scenic Hills
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scenic Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scenic Hills
    • Scenic Hills is located in Mobile County
  • Seven Hills
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seven Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Hills
    • Seven Hills is located in Mobile County
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Spanish Trace
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spanish Trace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Trace
      • Spanish Trace is located in Mobile County
    • Sugar Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Creek
      • Sugar Creek is located in Mobile County
    • Tanner Williams
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tanner Williams have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanner Williams
      • Tanner Williams is located in Mobile County
    • Timbers
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timbers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timbers
      • Timbers is located in Mobile County

How Far From Semmes to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a city such as Semmes to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Semmes and extending to:

  • Mobile, which is the Seat of Mobile County, lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<3> to the east southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Semmes to Mobile, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take 6 hours 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 159 miles [255.9 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 9 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 846 miles [1,361.5 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 33 days and walking would take 48 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,744 miles [10,853.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,446 miles [11,983.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,325 miles [8,569.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Semmes) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Semmes. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.7787, Longitude: -88.2589    
<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 Semmes 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 314.329 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.669 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 311.393 degrees.