By EMILY D. COOK / Community Columnist

Did you know that there are two beaches in Pelham? There are! They are at Oak Mountain State Park!

What better way to cool off than to take a dip in the water at the beach in Oak Mountain State Park.

The main beach is located behind the park office on Terrace Drive.

Many people enjoy this area because it is easily accessible and on many days, you can find a snow cone vendor and HydroSpot, the beach concessionaire who offers floats, sunscreen and a few snacks available for purchase.

You can spend the entire day in the beach area. You can find picnic tables and grills nearby, the playground is within walking distance and a fishing pier is located at the northeast end of terrace, just past the concrete portion of the beach.

Remember that the beach fills up pretty quickly on weekends, so come early or try coming out during the week to avoid the crowd.

From the main gate, you will travel about 2 miles on John Findley Drive to Terrace Drive.

Turn right onto Terrace Drive. You can park in the second or third parking lot on the right.

If you park in the second lot, you will need to walk behind the park office and go down the stairs.

By parking in the third parking lot, you can take advantage of being able to walk directly onto the beach.

A second beach is located in the campground for our campground guests, so this is a great place to avoid the crowds of the regular beach.

You will need to make a reservation to stay in the campground in order to take advantage of this beach.

Please remember that you keep Alabama State Parks open by visiting them.

For more information on the beach at Oak Mountain, visit Alapark.com/oak-mountain-state-park-beaches or call 205-620-2520.