Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Swift Ford, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Swift Ford and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Swift Ford
- 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 Swift Ford:
- 34.557868, -86.468044
- 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 Swift Ford
- 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 Madison County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Madison County
- Since Swift Ford is near Morgan County and also Marshall County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Morgan County
- eBird sighting report for Marshall 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
Curious and Interesting Names Near Swift Ford ...
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.
- Big Cove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north) - Bravo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest) - Burrows
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Camelot
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest) - Cedar Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Point
- Cedar Point is located in Madison County
- Cherrytree
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherrytree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherrytree
- Cherrytree is located in Madison County
- Chimney Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chimney Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chimney Springs
- Chimney Springs is located in Madison County
- Creek Ford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Creek Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creek Ford
- Creek Ford is located in Marshall County
- Cushion
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast) - Double Tree
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Double Tree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Tree
- Double Tree is located in Madison County
- English Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for English Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Village
- English Village is located in Madison County
- Forest Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Park
- Forest Park is located in Madison County
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Fox Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest) - Green Cove Meadows
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Cove Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Cove Meadows
- Green Cove Meadows is located in Madison County
- Hebron
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast) - Hobbs Island
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hobbs Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobbs Island
- Hobbs Island is located in Madison County
- Lacey's Spring
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lacey's Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey's Spring
- Lacey's Spring is located in Morgan County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacey's Spring <2>
- Meadow Trace
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Trace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Trace
- Meadow Trace is located in Madison County
- Oak Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast) - Poplar Ridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poplar Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Ridge
- Poplar Ridge is located in Marshall County
- Redstone Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redstone Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone Park
- Redstone Park is located in Madison County
- Regent Forest
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Regent Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regent Forest
- Regent Forest is located in Madison County
- Stapler Ford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stapler Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stapler Ford
- Stapler Ford is located in Marshall County
- Sugar Tree
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Tree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Tree
- Sugar Tree is located in Madison County
- Sunset Cove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunset Cove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Cove
- Sunset Cove is located in Madison County
- Willow Bend
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Bend
- Willow Bend is located in Madison County
- Willowbrook
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willowbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
- Willowbrook is located in Madison County
- Fox Run
How Far From Swift Ford to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Swift Ford to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Swift Ford and extending to:
- Huntsville, which is the Seat of Madison County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<3> to the north northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Swift Ford to Huntsville, 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 150 miles [241.4 km] to the south (S). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 9 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 601 miles [967.2 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 24 days and walking would take 35 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,488 miles [10,441.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,200 miles [11,587.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,076 miles [8,169 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Swift Ford. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Madison County: www.co.madison.al.us/
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Swift Ford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Swift Ford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.5579, Longitude: -86.4680 In this case, the coordinates for Swift Ford have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Swift Ford 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 313.533 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.266 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.932 degrees. |