Scottsboro, AL Daytrip
Have you ever lost your luggage on a commercial flight? I have! The first time I ever got on an airplane, I went to Italy and my luggage went to Germany. Luckily it caught up with me a few days later (I had an interesting evening at an Italian flea market trying to find a couple of days’ worth of clothing, but that’s a story for another day). Interestingly, around .5% of those bags that are lost never get reunited with their owners. If you’ve ever wondered what happens to that lost luggage or all the electronics left under the seats, wonder no more! Chances are if you’ve lost something on a commercial flight never to be seen again, it ended up at Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama. Scottsboro is a small town located in the Northeast corner of Alabama and is about an hour from the Tennessee and Georgia state lines.
Ok, full disclosure…I admit that we didn’t actually fly to this destination. It was a really nice day, and we decided to go for…wait for it...a drive! Zach is a pilot through and through and he has a limit of about an hour and a half in the car, maybe two if he’s in a good mood, before he starts getting antsy. Scottsboro is only about a 45 minute drive from our home base of Winchester, TN, and it’s a cute little town that we like to go to every now and then to get out of the house on the weekend. We knew there was a nice airport there, and since we enjoy the town so much, we thought we would add it to our off the beaten path destinations list! We stopped in to check out the airport, and met a very friendly gentleman that works there on the weekends. They do have two courtesy vehicles that are available for use on a first come first served basis.
Once you get to the Scottsboro Municipal Airport (4A6), it is a short drive from the airport to the Unclaimed Baggage store. The store itself is a bit of a shock the first time you see it, at least it was for me. I find myself wondering how, in 2018, do people still manage to lose this much luggage?! The place is huge! They have several different sections with everything from jewelry to formal wear and anything you can think of in between, but we typically make a beeline for the electronics section. We have bought two iPads at Unclaimed Baggage over the years and have been very pleased with each purchase. Today’s mission was to check out their GoPro camera selection to see about adding one to use for our flying adventures. They did have several GoPro type cameras. Unfortunately, they did not have what we were looking for, so this trip was a bust. Nevertheless, it’s always fun to see all the things people lose on planes for sale. We even saw a couple of aviation headsets for a good price! Seriously, the have just about anything you could want.
If you’re looking for a new tablet and need an excuse to fly somewhere for the day, this is a great destination! As I said, we have purchased two iPads, and have been very pleased on both occasions. Often times the prices are hard to beat. As a matter of fact, we were at an Apple store in Huntsville, AL (which is the closest major city to Scottsboro), and the associate working there said he got his last iPad from Unclaimed Baggage too! He said he recommends it to people on the down low. Ha!
If you’re in town for the day then you have to have somewhere to have lunch, right?! What’s a general aviation day trip if it doesn’t include a $100 hamburger, or in this case a hot dog! Even if you aren’t hungry for lunch we recommend you stop in and check out Payne’s Soda Fountain & Sandwich Shop right on the town square. It’s between the airport and Unclaimed Baggage. This cute little soda shop is like stepping into a time machine. Bonus, if you go on a Saturday it’s 50 cent day…yes 50 CENTS! Ice cream scoops and hot dogs are both on special for $0.50 every Saturday. So maybe you’ll get by with just a $99 hot dog (I’ve got jokes)! I enjoyed a scoop of salted caramel cheesecake, and Zach had a butter pecan milkshake. We both enjoyed them very much, and next time we will be sure to have room for a hot dog!
Scottsboro is an easy day-trip for anyone around Tennessee, Georgia, or Alabama. Not that you ever need it, but it’s a great excuse to get out and fly. Be sure to give yourself a couple of hours to check out the Unclaimed Baggage store, and definitely stop by Payne’s soda shop!