Red Bay, Alabama Home of Tiffin Motorhomes

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Dutton AL – Red Bay, AL

Red Bay Acres

Days 25 - 27





Leaving Dutton was bitter sweet, we had a great time with Nick & Ginger and Tom & Celeste but it was time to move on. One way I can tell it is time to move is when I can find my way around without the GPS.



During our many excursions we scouted out a better route out of Dutton. Our RV GPS app does not account for steep hills. The GPS had us going down a 13% grade hill. Mark & Karen had come up that hill, and the best speed they could get was 20MPH. We were both concerned about going down it. Our new route was a little longer but much less steep. We also got treated to a herd of cattle, running and playing on their way to feed time. It was cool watching the cattle butting heads, several of them actually stopped and watched us pass by.



The town of Red Bay is where Tiffin Motorhomes are made. (Both ours and Mark & Karen’s motorhomes are Tiffin’s) They have been in business for 51 years. The two main employers in Red Bay are Tiffin Motorhomes and Sunshine Mills Pet Food. There are also countless businesses in Red Bay that work on motorhomes. Many of these are “after hours” businesses, Tiffin employees that have a side gig doing repairs. The official Tiffin Repair Center will only work on motorhomes that are less than five years old.



We went to Red Bay to get the front seats in our motorhome reupholstered. They were peeling when we bought the motorhome, and it was getting worse quickly. While traveling, we also had two plumbing leaks that needed fixing. While I would normally fix the leaks myself, access to one of the leaks was very difficult, and Dillon only charged $125 for labor and parts. Well worth it to me.



Getting the seats reupholstered was scheduled before we left New Jersey and we were told it would take three and possible four days to get them done. We were scheduled to have the seats removed Tuesday morning, and reinstalled late Thursday, or early Friday at the latest. Burrough’s Custom Upholstery did the work. They were way off on their time frame, They came and removed the seats shortly after we arrived Monday, and reinstalled them early Tuesday afternoon. Talk about quick! The other bonus was having heated seats installed. I can’t wait to try them out.



One of the highlights of the trip was doing the factory tour. Currently Tiffin makes six motorhomes a day in their Red Bay plant. What that means is they start to build six and finish six motorhomes a day. From start to finish it takes about six weeks to completely build each unit. It was amazing to see the logistics and coordination that goes into the production line. We watched as they built cabinets that would be installed in a motorhome three days later. We went by each station and saw everything they did as they built them. Everything is built by hand, from each custom cabinet, to the wire harness containing over a mile of cabling. They are even hand painted and polished. The only disappointing part of the tour, was we were not allowed to take any photos. The tour guides say each tour is different, because even they do not what they will find as we walk through the plant. One guide would go slightly ahead of us, and then come back to the guide that was talking, and let them know what was happening at the next station. If you ever find yourself in Red Bay Al, (Not sure why you would but…) take the time to stop by and take the tour. The give the tour at 9:30am, Monday through Friday and it is free.



There is not much else to do in Red Bay, but we did do a little shopping, One of the tour guides told us about a discount tool warehouse, where Mark and I were able to spend a little money!



We had planned to head to Muscle Shoals AL, to tour the FAME recording studio. Fame is one of the oldest operating recording studios in the world, where some of the greatest names in the music industry got their start. The list is long with artist like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and The Osmond’s to name a few. When we found out we had to be there before 9am, and it was over an hour drive, we decided to pass.



Two other must see’s in the Red Bay area are the Coon Dog Cemetery in Cherokee, AL and Rattlesnake Saloon. We went to the Cemetery, and sort of went to Rattlesnake Saloon.



Coon Dog Cemetery is a dog cemetery, but only for coon dogs. There are over 300 coon dogs interned there, and people bring their coon dogs from all over the country to bury them there. The grave markers range from old chimney stones, engraved by hand to professional granite headstones and everything in between. In 2011 a funeral for one dog had over 400 people and a dozen coon dogs. Some of the mourners wore black while many of them wore camouflage hunting clothes. This is a one of a kind graveyard well worth visiting. A Coon Dog is a hunting dog specially trained to hunt raccoons. Coon hunting is an American sport dating back to the Colonial Days.



We attempted to go to Rattlesnake Saloon and after finding it, we found it was closed. I had checked their website and it only said they were open Thursday- Sunday. They never mention that the close in the off season. The Saloon is part of a hunting, camping, and trail riding camp. The property has been in the family since 1916 and was bought for farming and timber. The Saloon is in a pit that was used to keep hogs. In 2006 the family decided a saloon would be a good addition to hunting and camping. Since its opening, it has been featured in magazines, music videos, and tv shows and has become one of the top attractions in the area.



When the GPS said we arrived we were on a small country road in the middle of the woods, and that we need to “walk” several hundred yards into the woods to the saloon. About ¼ mile down the road, was the entrance to a campground. In the campground parking lot was a sign for parking for the saloon, and a “taxi stand” for the saloon. The only problem was, there was no one around. We could only assume they were closed for the season. It was still a beautiful ride and worth looking around.



In the 45 minute ride back to Red Bay, we only found one restaurant open. Swamp John’s Restaurant and Catering. It was in an old gas station, and looked very much like it! We did stop, and it was very interesting and very good. It seemed to be a very popular place for the local’s as there was a steady stream of customers while we were there. They only had about eight tables, and most of their business was take out. They even had a drive through window, with several cars waiting to pick up their order.



Dinner is served cafeteria style, with a small serving table. Your choices for dinner were; Fried Catfish, Chicken Fingers, or Fried Shrimp. You could also get a combination of any of the three. You also got french fries or baked potatoes, beans and hush puppies. Dinner was a set price of $12 per platter and it included a fountain soda. The food was delicious and the people were friendly and fun to talk to. One more great local experience.



Our next stop is Memphis Tennessee where we will be meeting up with Dan & Cherri from Cherri Baby II.

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