Crane Hill, Alabama, located 50 miles northwest of Birmingham on Lewis Smith Lake.
Smith Lake Bed and Breakfast and Grady's Bed and Breakfast are both a private getaway on the water. The community of Crane Hill is a small rural community surrounded by the lake. It is the home of Artist Donna Peters, a well known Southern artist. Smith Lake offers opportunities for boating, skiing and fishing (two world records for spotted bass) with numerous marinas providing services. A year round rainbow trout fishery is in the Sipsey River below the Smith Lake dam. Bankhead National Forrest and the Sipsey Wilderness are located Northwest of the lake. A loop of The North Alabama Birding Trail is nearby in Cullman County. Clarkson Covered Bridge, the longest covered truss bridge in Alabama, is just off highway 278 north of Smith Lake. Southern Accents Architectural Antiques and other antique stores are located nearby in Cullman and Hartselle, Alabama.