Gravity Hill Road - Sylacauga, Alabama
N 33° 12.231 W 086° 18.498
16S E 564467 N 3674099
Located west of Alabama's US 280 is a spot where generations of teenagers have witnessed their cars roll "uphill" when left in neutral.
Waymark Code: WM5W9M
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 02/19/2009
Views: 33
From "Alabama Curiosities" (pg 67):
"Like all the hundreds of other Gravity Hills in the United States, Sylacauga's is a simple optical illusion. The roadbed and the surrounding terrain intersect at such an angle that downhill looks like uphill and vice versa.
This Gravity Hill, like the others, has a body of folklore purporting to explain the phenomenon. The guilt-ridden claim Gravity Hill is the site of a Native American burial ground; cars roll the wrong way because ghosts are trying to push intruders off their land. Others claim Gravity Hill is the site of a buries meteorite with a powerful magnetic force. They may be thinking of the Sylacauga Meteorite, which isn't magnetic and which is now on display, above ground, in Tuscaloosa.
Urban sprawl has destroyed many Gravity Hills as grading and paving smooth out the natural terrain, but Sylacauga's is still hanging on, for now."
Description of Effect (Natural Illusion, Man-made, Unknown): Natural Illusion
Description of Location: (Tourist, Rural, etc.): Rural
Admission (For tourist attractions): None
Available hours (For tourist attractions):
Website Reference (if available): http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/3300
Additional information that will help visitors at the site:: Not listed
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