For the last few years, a meal at Cheaha after the sun dropped behind Bald Rock meant the Mountain Store's microwave or a picnic grill. The state park's own page says the old Cheaha Hotel, the pool and much of the restaurant building were torn down, and it states plainly that "Cheaha State Park has no restaurant, but several dining options are within 12-24 miles."
The building meant to change that was dedicated on October 16, when Alabama State Parks cut the ribbon on the new Lodge at Cheaha State Park. Lineville is listed among the downtowns about 30 minutes from the park. For anyone in Lineville who hosts family over the holidays, the mountain is on track to become a place to have dinner and spend the night again. The meal is set up differently than it used to be, and in winter the clock matters more than it did before.
What Stands Where the 1973 Hotel Used to Be
The lodge it replaces was built in 1973. The new building has 32 rooms, and each one has a private balcony looking out over the Talladega National Forest. ADCNR calls it a four-story lodge and says it was framed in mass timber made from Alabama-sourced southern yellow pine. It sits next to the Vista Cliffside Events Center and adds a bluff-side observation pavilion.
ADCNR puts the project at $28 million. The money came from the $85 million state parks bond that Alabama voters approved in 2022. Chambless King Architects designed the building, Murray Construction was the general contractor, and HPM handled construction management.
The pool did not come back. The Anniston Star reported that the old pool was removed and the site was turned into outdoor event space. Lake Cheaha, down the mountain, is still the park's swimming spot.
For a sense of scale, compare it with the park's original hotel, Bald Rock Lodge. It has twelve rooms with queen, full and bunk beds and is booked mostly for weddings, retreats and family reunions. The new lodge has nearly three times as many rooms, and those rooms are for regular overnight guests, not just groups that rent the whole building.
How Dinner Is Set Up at the New Lodge
The lodge describes its dining as a different format from the old sit-down room:
"While this is a departure from the traditional sit-down restaurant Cheaha once had, it's designed with visitors in mind: relaxed, flexible spaces to gather, share a meal, and enjoy the lodge and everything around it."
The lodge plans two places to eat:
- The Bistro. You order your food and then take it into Vista Cliffside, the lodge's lobby and event space, or out to the deck.
- The Rooftop Bar. It offers food and drinks on the roof, with the views the lodge was designed around.
The lodge's menus come in three groups: Breakfast, Grab & Go and Southern Inspired. In ADCNR's dedication release, the roof is described as a "rooftop bistro" that is open to lodge guests and park visitors alike, with views of the mountain scenery and the night sky. That means you don't need a room to eat there.
Done well, this arrangement could suit a Lineville host better than a reservation-only dining room would. Grandparents can take a plate inside to Vista Cliffside, the kids can go out on the deck, and everyone can head up to the roof once the stars come out. It also means the evening runs on the lodge's own setup, which is the reason the winter schedule is worth knowing.
The Calendar From Here to New Year's Day
Here is the lodge's timeline so far, alongside the park calendar through January 1:
| Date | What happens at Cheaha |
|---|---|
| October 16, 2026 | Lodge dedicated with a ribbon cutting |
| November 18 | Mountain Store switches to winter hours |
| November 21, 2026, 1:00 p.m. | Animal Signs: Tracks & Scat naturalist program |
| Late November 2026 | Lodge reservations expected to open, per ADCNR |
| November 28, 2026, 2:00 p.m. | Turkey Tales naturalist program |
| December 2026 | Anticipated opening month for overnight guests |
| January 1, 2027 | First Day Hikes, morning and afternoon |
ADCNR's October release said reservations were expected to open in late November. In an October 21 piece, Calhoun County Insight reported that the lodge's website listed December 2026 as the anticipated opening, and that a waitlist for early reservation access was available at thelodgeatcheaha.com. The Anniston Star reported room rates starting at $229 a night plus tax, varying by room, season and date, with state park discounts where they apply. That's the number to have in mind if you're planning to put up holiday visitors on the mountain instead of in a spare room.
Winter Hours Change What a Weeknight Visit Looks Like
The Mountain Store is the park's basic stop. It sells snacks, camp food and quick meals, keeps a microwave on site, handles campground check-in, and takes park admission when the gate is closed. As of November 18 it's on its winter schedule, which runs through March 1:
- Sunday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
From March 2 to November 17, the store stays open until 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. So winter takes two hours off every weeknight, at the same time of year the sun sets earliest. A Tuesday drive up from Lineville after work now hits the store's closing time first. Before the lodge, there was nothing else open on the mountain after that. Once the Bistro and rooftop bar are serving, a weeknight dinner at Cheaha means planning around the lodge's hours, not the store's.
The park recommends the Talladega Scenic Drive, Alabama Highway 281, because it is wide, well maintained and easy for large RVs, and Highway 49 connects to it. Cheaha Road, County Road 42 out of Munford, is the scenic back way through the forest with curves and uneven asphalt, and the park advises against it for big rigs.
Everything near the lodge works well for a short winter afternoon before dinner. ADCNR lists the accessible boardwalk at Bald Rock, the hike to Pulpit Rock, historic Bunker Tower and Lake Cheaha as nearby stops. At 2,407 feet, the park sits at Alabama's highest point, and Alabama's oldest state park, established in 1933.
January 1, With a Room Upstairs
First Day Hikes are an easy way to tie a lodge stay to the holidays. Cheaha has two on the 2027 schedule:
- Bigfoot's New Year Adventure, 10 a.m. to noon. It's about a mile round trip, meets at the Mountain Store, and is led by park naturalist Renee Raney. It costs $5 per person, park admission included.
- An accessible First Day Hike, 1 to 2 p.m., also $5 per person with park admission.
Registration for the Bigfoot hike is online, and the park lists 256-276-2841 for questions. If the lodge is open by the end of December as planned, a family could stay New Year's Eve, eat breakfast from the Bistro and walk to the Mountain Store meeting point before 10 a.m. Without the lodge, the same morning starts with an early 30-minute drive from Lineville.
Before then there are two shorter naturalist programs, Animal Signs: Tracks & Scat on November 21 at 1 p.m. and Turkey Tales on November 28 at 2 p.m. Turkey Tales lands on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when plenty of Clay County households still have visitors in town.
What the State Said It Built This For
In ADCNR's dedication release, State Parks Director Matthew Capps described the evening the lodge was designed to make possible:
"You can spend the day hiking, exploring the park and taking in the views, then relax on your balcony and watch the sun set over the mountains."
ADCNR Commissioner Ben C. Stimpson Jr. gave the credit to the 2022 bond vote. He said the department is "grateful to the voters who made these investments possible." Outdoor Alabama's account of the ceremony also names former Commissioner Chris Blankenship, former Deputy Commissioner Ed Poolos, Sen. Randy Price, Rep. Chad Robertson and Sen. David Sessions among the speakers.
For Lineville, that sunset-and-balcony evening is half an hour up the road. It runs on a counter-service Bistro, a rooftop bar and a winter store that closes at 5 p.m. on weeknights. Once the lodge opens, plan around those three things and Cheaha works again as the place you take visiting family for dinner.
If Cheaha is part of why you're thinking about a lake home or a second home near Lineville, it helps to know how far each shoreline really is from the mountain and from town. Bill Coats lives on Lake Wedowee and can show you how the drive to Cheaha looks from the coves you're considering. Schedule a Free Consultation and we'll plan the tour around it.
