Edited KY AL Brochure

Introducing Nashville Plus...
New Destinations and Attractions
Travelling Time is a family owned business and
we believe that value and service is what sets
us apart from other companies. We know the
American Deep South, its music and its people
and will always suggest the holiday that’s right
for you! Our staff are music lovers who have
travelled all over America and who will use
local knowledge to make sure that you don’t
miss a thing. Because we work closely with
State Tourism we can offer unique and
exclusive visits to places that other companies
don’t even know about. When you travel to
Nashville - we aim to show you what you can
see and do within our chosen ‘double loop’.
The areas known as Western Kentucky and
Northern Alabama are easily reached from
Nashville and offer everything from Bison to
Beaches and of course the wonderful music the
area is famous for. You simply can’t get any
better than that! Whether you are travelling
independently or as part of a group, on a
budget or travelling like a rock star - here at
Travelling Time we will make sure your
itinerary is planned to make the most of your
time in the South! Let’s face it, there’s no point
visiting Nashville on a night with no Opry Show
and can an online booking site tell you when
the best musicians are playing down in Muscle
Shoals? We never forget that this is YOUR
holiday and it’s our job to make perfect for
you, that’s why so many of our guests come
back to us Time after Travelling Time!
Did you know that when
your plane lands at
Nashville International
Airport you are only 35
miles from the state of
Kentucky? Sure, you came
to Music City to go to the
Opry, the honky tonks
and the Hall of Fame but
you’ve just flown across
an ocean. Why not check
another state or two off
your list while you’re
here?
We tell you here about
the various options
available giving you the
opportunity to enhance
your holiday experience.
CONTENTS
Kentucky 5
Start your easy circle tour
Kentucky Downs 6
Take a look at the Kentucky
thoroughbreds and visit the casino
Bill Monroe 6
Rosine, the birthplace of Bill Monroe
The Banks Of The Ohio 7
Music on the Banks of the Ohio
The OZ Tyler Distillery 7
Birds Of America 7
Land Between The Lakes 8
The title speaks for itself
A UNESCO City in Kentucky 8
Flood Wall Murals are a must-see
Celebrate Nashville 13
The music of Nashville
The Grand Ole Opry
General Jackson
Ryman Auditorium
Country Music Hall of Fame
Patsy Cline Museum
Alabama 19
Sweet Home Alabama
Huntsville 19
See the Space Center
Muscle Shoals 22
The recording studios
Robert Trent Golf Trail 23
Architecture 24
The Trail Of Tears 25
Tupelo 25
Elvis’ Birthplace 27
Motorhome Heaven 29
Meet the craftsmen
Coon Dog Cemetery 29
The burial place for Coon Dogs
Rattlesnake Saloon 29
Jack Daniel’s Distillery 30
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Why not add a little
Kentucky to your next Tennessee vacation?
Experience western Kentucky in an easy tour from Nashville via I-65, I-24 and Kentucky parkways.
Enjoy bluegrass and country music, lake shores and riverbanks, bbq, distilleries,
racehorses, folk arts, state parks, elk and bison.
Choose your own one to five day itineraries for self-drive vacations; escorted tours are available.
You can’t get more authentic than western Kentucky - home of musicians, muleskinners
and moonshiners and thanks to two interstate highways that meet in Nashville it is an
easy loop drive to the Ohio River and back again.
Inside that loop you will find four - count ’em, four - Kentucky state resort parks, as well
as the Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area. (Be sure to visit the elk and
bison prairie.)
Owensboro’s International Bluegrass Music
Museum and Paducah’s National Quilt
Museum are famous.
Hopkinsville’s Trail of Tears Park honours the
Cherokee Indian.
The John James Audubon Museum in
Henderson houses one of the world’s largest
collections of the naturalist’s artworks.
You have to sample, more than once, the
culinary delight known as West Kentucky
barbecue. Mutton, pork and chicken - slow
cooked for hours over smokey hickory-wood
fires - is a regional speciality.
On just about any summer weekend towns big
and small will be hosting live music and
festivals.
Whether you want to relax by the lake or
explore the backroads, western Kentucky is a
peaceful complement to the bright lights of
Nashville. What are you waiting for?
Johnny and June married here
Begin your visit to Kentucky in Franklin, just 40
minutes north of Nashville, straight up Interstate
65. Franklin is where Johnny Cash married June
Carter in March 1968. Today you can go
inside the downtown church where country
music’s First Couple tied the knot. The historic
district around Franklin’s iconic Courthouse has
shops, restaurants and an art gallery that sells
certified Kentucky crafts and the Old Stone Jail
is a must-see.
Free live music concerts by top bands in the
area are staged on the Courthouse Square on
Friday nights in June, July and August.
Dueling Grounds Distillery, a small craft
distillery, offers tours and tastings.
Franklin is home to Kentucky Downs, where
some of the top thoroughbreds in the world
race every September. Retired racehorses can
be seen and petted every day at Old Friends
at Kentucky Downs. The track also offers Vegasstyle
gaming year round with over 600
machines.
Horses pulling buggies and farm
equipment are a common sight in the Old
Order Mennonite community east of
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More information about Franklin can be found at www.franklinky.com or
www.kentuckytourism.com/franklin.
Franklin.
The Amish Market
there welcomes
tourists.
Driving maps are
available at Franklin’s
tourism centre, housed in a
replica log cabin, just off the interstate.
Outdoor murals on a highway retaining wall
celebrate 200 years of local history in 200
feet.
International guests have a choice of
overnight accommodations in Franklin.
Popular chains include
Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Hampton
Inn and Comfort Inn & Suites.
We can recommend a visit to
the Brickyard Cafe in
Franklin's downtown
historic district. In warm
months the Franklin Drive-In
shows movie premieres.
Home to Hall of Fame musicians
Interstate 65 continues north through Bowling
Green and the cities around Mammoth Cave
National Park but those headed to western
Kentucky will want to take the Natcher
Parkway from just south of Bowling Green to
Owensboro. The drive from Franklin to
Owensboro is about 90 minutes non-stop but
why would you want to do that! The Natcher
Parkway runs between the birthplaces of some
legendary musicians.
Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass Music, was
born in tiny Rosine (population 41) in Ohio
County. The Everly Brothers, Phil and Don and
their father Ike hailed from nearby Muhlenberg
County.
The restored Bill Monroe Homeplace in Rosine
is open daily for tours. To this day, Bill Monroe
is the only musician to be inducted into the
Bluegrass, Country and Rock & Roll Halls of
Fame. Bluegrass pickers gather every Friday
night at the Rosine barn for the weekly
jamboree. Admission is free.
The Jerusalem Ridge bluegrass festival is held in
the fall. An amphitheatre in Beaver Dam
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presents country music acts.
To learn more, go to www.visitohiocountyky.org.
Muhlenberg County Museum
If the high lonesome sound of bluegrass music
is not your thing, then how about the tight
harmonies of the Everly Brothers, also in the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. John Lennon and
other English rockers of the 1960s have said
they were inspired by this duo. Hear their
records played on a 1953 jukebox in the
Muhlenberg County Music Museum in Central
City. Muhlenberg County was, of course,
made famous in the John Prine song, Paradise
but the area is also known as the home of a
unique thumb-picking guitar style.
Merle Travis is the most famous guitarist to hail
from the county. Today a performing arts centre
in Powderly bears his name.
A variety of music can be heard in summer
at Saturdays On The Square in the county
seat of Greenville. Budget Travel magazine

picked Greenville as one of the Top 5
Coolest Small Towns in America. Websites
with more information about Muhlenberg
County are www.tourcentralcity.com
and www.tourgreenville.com.
Music on the Banks of the Ohio
Continue up the Natcher Parkway to
Owensboro, set in a sweeping bend of the
mighty Ohio River. The river provides the
backdrop for many festive events.
The ROMP Bluegrass Festival, held annually at
the end of June, attracts 25,000 music lovers
from around the world. ROMP celebrates the
bluegrass genre’s roots (traditional) and
branches (progressive) over four days.
Highlights are artist-led instrument workshops
and spontaneous jams.
Owensboro’s International Bluegrass
Music Museum is a shrine to the
preservation of bluegrass music with
interactive exhibits and displays of
memorabilia from iconic stars.
A big event is the International Bar-B-Q Festival
on the second Saturday in May but Owensboro
is a magnet all year long for lovers of smokey
pork, chicken and a distinctive regional
favourite, mutton (older, wiser lamb). Also
popular is burgoo, a meaty stew that
originated in pioneer days. Visitors flock to two
big restaurants, the Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn and
the Old Hickory Restaurant, as well as
numerous smaller barbecue joints.
Owensboro is also home to a symphony
orchestra, a fine arts museum and a botanical
garden. The city has lots of hotel choices - The
Hampton Inn Waterfront and the Holiday Inn
Riverfront offer sweeping views of the Ohio
River.
Crafting fine bourbon whiskey is part of
Owensboro’s heritage too. The OZ Tyler
Distillery operates in historic buildings on a
site where bourbon was first made in
1885. The bar in the Miller House
restaurant, downtown, stocks more than
400 bourbon brands.
Much more about Owensboro can be found at
www.visitowensboro.com.
Henderson
Twenty-five miles downriver from
Owensboro and just half an hour
away on the Audubon Parkway
lies Henderson, a prosperous river
town with an illustrious 220 year
history. One early local merchant who gave up
commerce for art was naturalist John James
Audubon. His study of migratory birds while he
lived in Henderson later led to the creation of
Birds of America, a folio of paintings that made
him world famous. Today a historic building in
Audubon State Park houses a rare first edition
printing of his work.
WC Handy
A few decades later
Henderson was home for
a while to WC Handy, the
man known as the Father
of the Blues. Memphis may
have made him famous but
Henderson gave him inspiration. In his honour
Henderson puts on the WC Handy Blues &
Barbecue Festival for a week in mid-June.
Nationally known blues bands perform nonstop
on the riverfront stage. Admission is free.
Zydeco Night offers blues with a Cajun flavour.
Later each summer a songwriters’ festival, held
in August, showcases Nashville songwriters in
intimate settings.
Check out the website www.hendersonky,org.
A forest lodge or a lake cottage?
From Henderson stops to consider on Interstate
69 on the way to Pennyrile Forest State Resort
Park include the historic hamlet of Hanson, the
county seat town of Madisonville and the Trail
Town of Dawson Springs.
Pennyrile Forest State Park is surrounded by
perhaps the most beautiful woods in western
Kentucky. The park is a perfect back-to-nature
hideaway in the midst of a secluded lush forest.
The rustic wood and stone lodge sits serenely
on a high cliff overlooking Pennyrile Lake.
Kentucky’s Western Waterland
After a relaxing night or two at Pennyrile
Forest State Park you could turn southeast
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to Hopkinsville but if you do that you will
miss out on the vacation playground that is
Kentucky’s Western Waterland. We
recommend instead that from Dawson
Springs you continue west on I-69 for
another 45 minutes.
Land Between The Lakes
You are now at the headwaters of two
enormous lakes, Kentucky Lake and Lake
Barkley. In between lies the 170,000 acre
nature preserve known as Land Between The
Lakes. Be sure to drive through the Elk and
Bison Prairie and to stop at the Golden Pond
Planetarium.
Kentucky Dam Village, Kenlake and Lake
Barkley state parks all offer lodge rooms,
cottages, boating, fishing, golf and more.
from the jetty is breathtaking.
Visit www.grandrivers.org.
A UNESCO City in Kentucky
Thirty minutes west of Grand Rivers and on the
banks of the Ohio River is Paducah, the world’s
7th City of Crafts & Folk Arts in the UNESCO
Creative Cities Network.
Anchored by the National Quilt Museum and a
thriving fibre arts community, Paducah is a
haven for creative thinkers and doers. The
Lowertown Arts District and the floodwall murals
are must-see attractions. Also popular is the
River Discovery Center, which celebrates
Paducah’s maritime legacy. To find out more
about Paducah go to www.paducah.travel.
State park details are in the trove of
information at www.kentuckytourism.com.
You can find city by city information on this
website for lodging, dining, attractions and
events. Entertainment options include the
Kentucky Opry show and a sprawling tribute to
bygone roadside attractions at Apple Valley
Hillbilly Garden and Toyland.
Learn more at
www.kentuckylake.org.
Patti’s in Grand Rivers
Not to be missed is
Patti’s 1880’s
Settlement in Grand
Rivers. This recreated
historical village has
beautiful gardens and
shops but the real draw
is the restaurant with its
mile high meringue
pies and thick pork
chops. Grand Rivers
also has a theatre with
a Branson-style musical
revue. The scenic view
From Paducah back to Nashville on I-24 is
less than three hours driving time but you
are going to want to stop in Hopkinsville.
The city’s Trail of Tears Commemorative
Park is situated on a portion of the
campground used by the Cherokee
Indians on their forced wintertime
resettlement march in the 1830s.
Downtown Hopkinsville has unique
architecture and more attractions.
Ten miles east of town is a 351-foot tall obelisk
honouring native son Jefferson Davis, who was
President of the Confederacy during the
American Civil War in the 1860s.
More about Hopkinsville can be discovered
at www.visithopkinsville.com.
Your last stop in Kentucky will be Oak
Grove, popularly known as The Hometown
of Fort Campbell and its 101st Airborne
Division.
Also nearby is the MB Roland craft distillery
which is open for tours and tastings. Once
you cross the state line from Kentucky into
Tennessee you will be back in Nashville in
less than an hour. Your Western Kentucky
adventure is complete.
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Celebrate Nashville’s
music history
Nashville, capital of Tennessee, lies almost in the
centre of the state on the Cumberland River. With its
many universities and colleges, along with its superb
reproduction of the Parthenon, it's often called the
‘Athens of the South’. Founded in 1779, Nashville,
although an important financial centre, is perhaps
best known as the capital of country music, as
evidenced by such attractions as the Country Music
Hall of Fame & Museum and the city's famous Music
Row district.
The city serves as an excellent jumping off point to
explore the rest of Tennessee and Nashville's
surroundings offer many historical and recreational
attractions, including old plantations and American
Civil War sites.
The area surrounding famous Music Square in
downtown Nashville, Music Row is the heart and soul
of the nation's music industry. In addition to
numerous souvenir and memorabilia shops and
museums devoted to music and musicians, there are
many memorials and plaques dedicated to some of
the sites associated with music.
As well as country music, here, in the hub of Nashville
are names connected to other musical genres, such as
gospel and Christian music, including recording
studios, record labels and radio and tv stations. It's a
great area to get your music fix, whether you're
sightseeing, shopping or dining.
13

Parthenon
In Centennial Park,
a short walk west of
the city centre, is the
famous reproduction
of Athens'
Parthenon.
Originally built of
wood in 1897 to
commemorate the
state's centenary
and later
rebuilt in
cement
on the
same site, it's an
impressively accurate full
scale replica of the original Greek temple.
Inside is a permanent art collection of 63
works by 19th- and 20th-century American
painters, along with a 42-foot high replica of
the statue of the goddess Athena Parthenos
covered with gold leaf. Also worth seeing are
the replicas of the famed 5th
century BC Parthenon
Marbles.
Athena
Parthenos
General Jackson and
Grand Ole Opry
A number of attractions are
associated with the Opryland
name which is associated with
Inside the
Opryland Hotel
which attracts
sightseers from
around the
world
the Grand Ole Opry, the paddle wheel
showboat, the General Jackson, the Gaylord
Opryland Resort & Convention Center and the
huge Opry Mills shopping mall.
backstage tours.
The General Jackson is another great way to
get your country music fix. This modern fourdeck
paddle wheel showboat was built to
resemble a steamship from the 1800s and
offers a variety of cruises on the Cumberland
River, including dining and show packages.
Other music themed attractions to visit are the
Willie Nelson & Friends Museum & General
Store, the Texas Troubadour Theatre with its
eclectic mix of musical productions and - for
fans of classical music - the Nashville Opera.
Grand Ole Opry radio shows
have been broadcast from here
since 1925 and visitors can
enjoy regular shows starring
famous country stars in the Ole
Opry House itself, along with fun
14
The
General
Jackson
paddle
steamer
The Ryman Auditorium
The Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole
Opry from 1943 to 1974, is again being
used to host performances of the famous radio
show. Originally opened in 1892 as the Union
Gospel Tabernacle, the Ryman - often referred
to as the ‘Carnegie Hall of the South’ - has
been restored and now also features regular
classical concert series, bluegrass shows,
musical theatre and television tapings. The
building also serves as a museum with a variety
of exhibits relating to its rich past. Guided and
self-guided tours are available and be sure to

try your hand at cutting a record of your own in
the Ryman's recording studio.
Museum has on exhibit the very instruments that
these musicians used to record many of these
classic hits.
Patsy Cline Museum
From the founders of the
Johnny Cash Museum, country
music legend Patsy Cline is
honoured with this brand new
The
Ryman
Auditorium
museum. See the largest collection in the world
of artifacts, both professional and personal in
nature, tied to the Nashville sound singer who
died far too young.
Included among the exhibits are handwritten
lyrics to her hit song, I Fall To Pieces, Don
Helms' Ol Red steel guitar which he played on
Walkin' After Midnight and Patsy and her
second husband, Charlie Dick's private
wedding album.
Musicians Hall of Fame
The Musicians Hall of Fame is a premiere
Nashville attraction and the one and only
museum in the world that honours the talented
musicians who actually played on the greatest
recordings of all time. Some, like Jimi Hendrix,
are well known, while others like L A session
drummer Hal Blaine are not but have played
on hundreds of hit records from Elvis, Frank and
Nancy Sinatra, The Byrds, The Mamas & The
Papas and The Beach Boys, just to name a
very few. The Musicians Hall of Fame &
Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum is
set in a stunning building in the heart of
downtown Nashville, its tall windows
resembling the keys of a piano. The museum
features a multi-media display of historical
performances, costumes, instruments, gold
records and memorabilia. Other highlights
include a cadillac that once
belonged to Elvis, a
massive 40 foot guitar,
a tour bus and a
recording booth.
Guided tours of the
historic RCA Studio B
are also available.
The
Country Music
Hall of Fame &
Museum with its
piano key
windows
15

Nashville's music history reaches back hundreds of years. In 2017 some major
anniversaries take place in Music City while some have already been celebrated in
2016. Take a look and come and join the celebrations.
WALK OF FAME
The Music City Walk of Fame celebrated their 10th Anniversary in 2016.
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM
The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2017.
NSAI & TIN PAN SOUTH
The Nashville Songwriters Association International celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2017
and Tin Pan South also celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2017.
THE BLUEBIRD CAFE
The Bluebird Cafe celebrates its 35th Anniversary in 2017.
RYMAN AUDITORIUM
The Ryman Auditorium celebrates its 125th Anniversary in 2017.
RCA STUDIO B
Historic RCA Studio B celebrates its 60th Anniversary in 2017.
CMA AWARDS
The CMA Awards celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2016.
Who will be this year’s winners? Visit Nashville this November to find out!
18

Or you could add a little Sweet Home
Alabama to your next Tennessee vacation?
Music, culture, great food and down home southern hospitality.
Northern Alabama, Southern Tennessee and a little Mississippi ...
We all know that Nashville is the heart of Country Music in the USA but Alabama boasts more
songwriters, musicians and hit records than anywhere in the United States. Just over two hours
south of Nashville and an easy drive - a couple of overnights will let you sample Northern
Alabama and complement your Southern experience!
Easy two to five day self-driving excursions from Nashville, escorted group tours are available.
Discover Muscle Shoals, the heart of soul music, country and rhythm & blues, the
Hunstville Space Museum & Space Camp, Olympian Jesse Owens, the hometown
of Tammy Wynette and the birth places of Elvis Presley, WC Handy, Sam Phillips
and Helen Keller.
Huntsville, Alabama
Our suggested tour brings you south from
Nashville on Interstate 65 to Huntsville,
Alabama and it’s Space Center where
Dr Wernher von Braun and his team of rocket
scientists transformed Huntsville into a
technology centre that today is home to the
second largest research park in the United
States and to the US Space & Rocket Center
with its world class educational programme,
Space Camp.
It is here in Huntsville that the rockets that put
the first US satellite into orbit and sent men to
the moon were developed.
19

During the final months that von Braun and his
team of scientists were refining the giant
Saturn V rocket which sent Apollo astronauts to
the moon, he also launched a permanent
exhibit to showcase the hardware of the space
programme.
Dozens of interactive exhibits encourage guest
participation, prompting one official to note:
‘Here, everyone can be an astronaut for the
day!’
The museum showcases the past, present and
future of human space flight.
Oakville, Alabama
Leaving Huntsville and driving west,
plan a stop at nearby Oakville, Alabama
and the Jesse Owens Memorial Park &
Museum which is named after the 1936
Olympic Games in Berlin when he
captured the attention of the world,
winning four gold medals - an Olympic
first. Sixty years later, thousands gathered
to honour him with the dedication of
the park named in his honour on June
29th 1996 with the arrival of the Olympic
torch on its journey to the Atlanta games.
Leighton, Alabama
From Oakville a short drive west will take you
to Leighton and LaGrange College Site Park.
In 1830 LaGrange College opened with an
enrolment of 70 students, becoming the first
state chartered college in Alabama.
When LaGrange College moved to Florence,
Alabama in January 1855 a group of
LaGrange citizens reorganised the college in
the vacant buildings. To increase the patronage
a military feature was introduced in 1857. The
college re-opened in February 1858 as
LaGrange College & Military Academy. The
Academy flourished and became known as the
21

here.
During your visit to the museum step in to the
Recording Booth and record your own ‘hit’
song and take your cd recording home as the
newest hit star out of Muscle Shoals!
Working Recording Studios
The popular musical legacy of the region
begins with Florence born WC Handy, a
world renowned composer and publisher
known as the Father of the Blues. He was
born in 1873.
Another Florence native, Sam Phillips, was
a disc jockey at local radio station, WLAY
in the late 1940s.
Sam left for Memphis and set up his own
recording studio and the legendary Sun
Records, signing amongst others the
‘Million Dollar Quartet’ - Elvis Presley,
Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee
Lewis to his pioneering record label.
‘West Point of the South’. A visit to LaGrange
Living Historical Association, the site of
Alabama’s first chartered college will give you
a complete history of this landmark tourist
attraction.
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
A short drive through cotton country brings
you to the Muscle Shoals region. Muscle
Shoals is one of four small cities which
make up the region collectively known as
‘The Shoals’.
‘The Hit Recording Capital of The World’ is
made up of Tuscumbia, Sheffield, Florence
and Muscle Shoals.
The Shoals region remains home to over a
dozen successful ‘working’ recording studios
including FAME, Muscle Shoals Sound,
Wishbone, The NuttHouse, Single Lock,
Noiseblock, Big Star and more.
A visit to Muscle Shoals isn’t complete without
taking a studio tour where you can stand in the
same spot as The Rolling Stones, Cher, The
Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jimmy Buffet,
Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Tom Jones, Aretha
Franklin, The Osmonds, Roy Orbison, Lionel
Richie, Hank Williams Jr, Willie Nelson, Vince
Music in Muscle Shoals and Alabama
The Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia
showcases Alabama’s rich musical history. The
rich mix of cultures which settled in the south
offered up diverse musical styles and
influences, producing a wealth of talent.
Native Alabama artists such as Nat King Cole,
Lionel Richie, Emmylou Harris, Alabama, Hank
Williams, Percy Sledge and countless
songwriters and performers are celebrated
22

Gill, Billy Ray Cyrus and dozens more who
stood to record hundreds of hit songs over the
years in these studios!
Golf
Be sure to reserve your tee time at The
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals
during your time in Muscle Shoals.
The Golf Trail was established in 1992 and
features over two dozen world class golf
courses linked together in a trail format in
locations from the top of Alabama to the
bottom, two of which are located side by
side in Muscle Shoals.
Tuscumbia
Historic Tuscumbia is one of Alabama's oldest
towns and is the birthplace of Helen Keller who
was born on June 27th, 1880. At the age of
19 months an illness left her deaf and blind
and her father was advised to contact the
Perkins Institute for the Blind in South Boston,
Massachusetts and with the help of Miss Anne
Sullivan, Helen overcame many of her
handicaps to become America’s first Lady of
Courage.
23

William Gibson’s play, The Miracle Worker is
performed here on an outdoor stage on
weekends in June to mid July and Tuscumbia
commemorates the lifetime of the town’s world
renowned native with a four day Helen Keller
Festival each June.
The Helen Keller Home is open Monday to
Saturday from 8.30am to 4pm.
The city of Tuscumbia lies in an area of
Alabama originally explored by French traders.
Between 1815 and 1817 non-Indian settlers
arrived to join the native Chickasaw tribal
people. They found rich farmland and
abundant game and wildlife and an accessible
location and fertile soil allowing the area to
become north Alabama's agricultural and
commercial centre.
19th Century Architecture
Tuscumbia also boasts one of the state’s best
collections of 19th century architecture from the
antebellum period. The town is centered
around the Colbert County Courthouse and the
quaint downtown area.
A six block area along Main St holds some of
Alabama’s earliest commercial buildings. The
city has many historic buildings dating from the
late 19th century and they remain as a
testament to the post-Civil War recovery and
growth.
Preservation and restoration of historic homes
and commercial buildings has made Tuscumbia
a popular destination for visitors interested in
history and antiquities.
Belle Mont Mansion, a short drive from
downtown Tuscumbia, is a fine example of
early 1800s antebellum architecture and is
open Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm
for tours.
Be sure and take some time to look around
historic Tuscumbia’s downtown area. The
Colbert County Courthouse, built in 1881, is
worth a visit, as are many of the historical
downtown churches. Antique stores, boutiques,
cafes and, for musicians, the Shoals Guitar
Boutique on West 5th Street make downtown
Tuscumbia a delightful shopping area.
Just off Main Street, the historic Tuscumbia
Railway Depot Museum is open to visitors to
tour Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 3pm. The
Tuscumbia Railway Company was formed in
1830 following the establishment of a
steamboat landing on the river a short distance
24

away and this line was the first railroad west of
the Appalachian Mountains. In 1888 the
depot was built by the Memphis and
Charleston Railroad due to the success of the
rail line. Today, the museum has an original
carriage which belonged to Helen Keller’s
family and a vast collection of rail memorabilia.
Trail Of Tears
The railway line would also play an
integral part in one of America’s
monumental events: The Trail of Tears.
The Trail of Tears was a series of forced
removals of Native American nations from
their ancestral homelands in the
Southeastern United States to new Native
Territory west of the Mississippi River.
Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek
and Seminole people were removed from
their lands and relocated to the west.
For many the journey along the Tennessee
River from Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia
and Alabama would bring them to the
Shoals area and then by train to
Tuscumbia Landing where they would be
transported by barges on the river to begin
the long trek to Oklahoma.
In scenic Spring Park in downtown
Tuscumbia be sure to find the Sacred Tears
bronze statue that memorialises the Trail
of Tears and the friendship that the
residents of Tuscumbia displayed to the
Native Americans during the time.
Natchez Trace - Tupelo, Mississippi
From the Muscle Shoals region you can pick up
the Natchez Trace Parkway on Highway 72 at
Cherokee, 20 miles west of Tuscumbia and
follow it to the Parkway visitor’s centre and the
birthplace of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi -
an easy 65 mile drive.
The Natchez Trace Parkway, one of America’s
Top 10 National Parks, is headquartered in
Tupelo where the power of possibility helped
turn a primitive trail into a national scenic
treasure.
Native Americans travelled the 444 miles
between Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville,
Tennessee over 8,000 years ago.
At the visitor centre you can discover the
parkway’s history and inhabitants.
STEAKS, SEAFOOD & MORE
Location
105 N Court St,
Florence,
AL 35630, USA
Phone
256-275-3666
Hours
Sun-Thus 11-10
Fri &Sat 11-11
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Elvis’ Birthplace
The most significant landmark of Tupelo’s
modern history is a modest two room
house where the King of Rock & Roll was
born on January 8th, 1935. From this
humble beginning Elvis Presley began his
swift rise to become the world’s most
popular entertainer. The house, built by his
father, draws over 50,000 visitors each
year from across the world and is part of
the 15-acre Elvis Presley Park.
Red Bay, Coon Dogs and Rattlesnake
Saloon
On the way back to ‘The Shoals’ drive the
scenic route from Tupelo along Highway 22
East then 76 North, allowing time to explore
the nearby historic Appalachian village of
Red Bay and the Tiffin Motor Homes Factory.
The Red Bay Museum features a number of
exhibits related to the history of the city,
including a recreation of the Red Bay Hotel
lobby, original fixtures from the city's first
bank, a soda fountain including the counter
from an early drug store and other
memorabilia.
Tammy Wynette
The museum also features a large exhibit on
country music star Tammy Wynette, who was
born just across the state line in Mississippi but
called Red Bay her home town since she spent
considerable time here. Tammy Wynette, one
of country music's best known artists and
biggest selling female singers, was called the
First Lady of Country Music. Her best known
song, Stand By Your Man, is one of the best
selling hit singles by a woman in the history of
country music.
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Motorhome Heaven
Red Bay is also the home of The Tiffin Motor
Home Company and anyone interested in the
RV lifestyle is invited to tour the Tiffin factory,
meet the craftsmen and see the complexity of
motorhome construction.
Walking tours depart from the Visitor Centre
and last approximately an hour.
Coon Dog Cemetery
From Red Bay and a short drive north, visit the
World’s Only Coon Dog Cemetery.
Over 300 coon dogs have been laid to rest in
the scenic Freedom Hills at the unique National
Coondog Cemetery. Headstones and epitaphs
pay tribute to man’s best friend.
Key Underwood’s raccoon hunting dog, Troop,
was the first dog buried here on Labor Day in
1937.
Open daylight hours, daily, year round.
Rattlesnake Saloon
Then a Rustler Burger at the Rattlesnake Saloon
is an absolute must! The Rattlesnake Saloon is
built under a massive rock bluff, making it one
of the most unique dining establishments in
Alabama.
Since opening in 2009 it has been featured in
magazines, music videos and tv shows and
has become one of the top attractions in the
area with visitors from all 50 states and over
30 countries.
The Rattlesnake has an old fashioned saloon
feel, complete with swinging doors in the front,
live music on the weekends and it even has a
hitching post, where wranglers do indeed hitch
up before heading in for a cold beverage.
The Rattlesnake Saloon is open Thursday,
Friday and Saturday 110am until 10pm
(February-November) and Sunday 11am until
3pm (April-September).
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Florence, Alabama and Southern Tennessee
Right across the Tennessee River from Muscle
Shoals lies the city of Florence. Named for the
city of Florence, Italy and home of the
University of Northern Alabama, the city has
been undergoing its very own renaissance.
Fashion design and manufacturing giants Billy
Reid and Natalie Chanin have their design
centres in Florence. Stop by the factory to enjoy
lunch or take the complimentary factory tour to
see how the garments are hand dyed and
sewn for Natalie Chanin’s line of sought after
one of a kind clothing.
The WC Handy Home & Museum, the Frank
Lloyd Wright designed Rosenbaum Home and
a delightful downtown shopping area make
Florence a must-see and the newly redesigned
Indian Mound Museum, minutes from
downtown and Tom Hendrix’ Wall just outside
of town are compelling.
Davy Crockett
Leaving the Muscle Shoals region to return
to Nashville, head north on Route 43 and
plan a stop in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee,
once home to Davy Crockett, who served
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as a justice of the peace, a colonel of the
militia and state representative. A bronze
statue of the colourful hero stands in the
public square. Get a sense of the pioneer
at the David Crockett Cherokee Museum
and visit a replica of his office.
Lawrenceburg Amish Community
Lawrenceburg is also the birthplace of southern
gospel music and home of the well known
James D Vaughan School of Music & Museum.
A large Amish community just north of the town
offers traditional Amish food and handicrafts.
Jack Daniel’s Distillery
An alternative trip would be to visit Lynchburg,
Tennessee, home of the world famous Jack
Daniel’s Distillery. The Distillery offers several
different tours and is open daily. While in the
picturesque town square why not have a
traditional Southern lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s.
Enjoy your time in Nashville but remember
to leave enough time to include a trip
south to North Alabama - that’ll really be
something to write home about!