Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

• Weather ...
  • Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
  • The National Weather Service forecast for Vista Granda

• 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 Vista Granda:
  • 33.336783, -87.563896
  • 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.
  • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Vista Granda

• 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 Tuscaloosa County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Tuscaloosa County
  • Since Vista Granda is near Fayette County and also Jefferson County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Fayette County
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Jefferson 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:
  • Open the Waymark.com report for Vista Granda

Curious and Interesting Names Near Vista Granda ...

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.

• Bridgeview
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Bridgeview is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeview
• Burnt Pine
  (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Burnt Pine is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Pine
• Cherokee Shores
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Cherokee Shores is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Shores
• Cove Park
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Cove Park is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Park
• Edwardian Place
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Edwardian Place is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardian Place
• Four Winds
  (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Four Winds is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Winds
• High Cliff
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • High Cliff is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Cliff
• Lake Cove
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Lake Cove is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Cove
• Smoke Rise
  (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Smoke Rise is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smoke Rise
• Willow Point
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Willow Point is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Point

How Far From Vista Granda 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 Vista Granda to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<1> beginning in Vista Granda and extending to:

• Tuscaloosa, which is the Seat of Tuscaloosa County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<1> to the south. If you could walk a straight line from Vista Granda to Tuscaloosa, with an average speed<2> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
• Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 98 miles [157.7 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 three full days and walking would take 6 days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 700 miles [1,126.5 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 28 days and walking would take 40 days.
• The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,592 miles [10,608.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<4>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,302 miles [11,751.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,178 miles [8,333.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>'