Arab’s unique downtown provides shops and interesting places to eat. L’Rancho Cafe, known for years as the Poke Salat Headquarters, is a place where you can get your fill of poke salat during the town’s spring festival featuring the common wild “greens.‚ÄùDaily menu includes meat and three, with home cooked flavors. Still boasting many of the items once used in the original business, the Farmer’s Exchange building, is now known as the Flower Exchange, which has a wide array of flowers and decorative garden items as well as a wide variety of gift items. The original building was built around 1939 and provided farmers a one-stop shop where they could buy anything they needed including corn, seeds, chickens, eggs, butter and hides to swap for groceries. It is definitely worth visiting. Across from the old Farmer’s Exchange, is Tuttle Thompson Park, complete with a statue dedicated to Stephen Tuttle Thompson, founder of Arab, Alabama. Business began on the corner of First Avenue NW and Main Street where the old Bank of Arab still stands. It is under renovation to bring back its original lure. This bank helped Arab to grow even though other larger communities around it have long ago waned. In 1934, the infamous duo of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow visited Peoples Drugstore, which was located across the street from the Bank of Arab, shortly before lawmen stopped their crime spree. Clyde asked if the Bank of Arab had any money. Being suspicious, the clerk told him it had been busted for years. The criminals left empty handed. Many of the original buildings still remain in Downtown Arab and are now occupied by antique and specialty shops as well as restaurants and eateries.
Also located in the downtown area, is the historic 1883 Northern Methodist Cemetery. There are a half dozen or so Confederate Veterans buried there and one Union Captain. One woman buried there was born during the War of 1812 and lived under 21 presidents. It is interesting to discover unusual facts about others buried there. This is the only cemetery in Marshall County to be included in the Alabama Historic Register of Cemeteries.
North Main Street
Store and restaurant hours vary.
Admisstion: Free
http://www.arabcity.org | 1157 N Main St Arab AL 35016, Arab, ALbhawkins@arabcity.org, 256-586-8128