The Shoals sights you don't want to miss

If you’re visiting the Shoals and you only have a couple of days to sightsee, here are a few suggestions where to go.

The following attractions are located in various parts of the Shoals, some in metropolitan areas while others lie off the beaten path.

Alabama Music Hall of Fame

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame is the realization of a dream of the Muscle Shoals Music Association.

On July 26, 1990, its dream came true as the 12,500-square-foot museum opened on U.S. 72 in Tuscumbia.

Each year, thousands of visitors tour the museum, through the star-studded floor of the lobby and past exhibits chronicling the achievements of Alabama’s musical talent.

The museum is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.

Ivy Green

Ivy Green is the name of the birthplace and childhood home of Helen Keller.

Located in downtown Tuscumbia, the home and grounds are one of Colbert County’s biggest tourist attractions.

The grounds are also the home to the play “The Miracle Worker,” which is presented on weekends in June and July, in conjunction with the annual Helen Keller Festival.

Keller was stricken with an illness at 19 months that left her blind and deaf.

She later dedicated her life to improving the lives of deaf and blind people throughout the world.

Ivy Green is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.




Rosenbaum Home

The Rosenbaum Home was built in 1939 from plans designed by the famed architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Usonian style home is the only structure designed by Wright in the state and the only one of its type open to the public in the southeast.

The Usonian home was Wright’s vision for an affordable home for average Americans.

The home was purchased from the Rosenbaum family by the city of Florence in 1999, and renovated to its original state.

It is now a museum and showplace that is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

W.C. Handy Home, Museum and Library

The Father of the Blues, William Christopher Handy was born in a small log cabin located in the city of Florence.

The original cabin was rebuilt at a new location and is part of an attraction that includes a small museum and a library.

The museum contains the most complete collection of Handy’s personal papers and other memorabilia, as well as paintings of Handy, his trumpet and the piano he used to compose “St. Louis Blues.”

The library contains not only books on Handy and music, but an extensive collection of books on black history and culture.

Wilson Dam

Built in the neoclassical style, Wilson Dam not only provides hydroelectric power for the Tennessee Valley, but helped develop navigation and flood control along the river.

Construction on the massive project began in 1918 as the country was preparing for World War I.

Electricity produced by the dam was originally used to supply electricity to two nitrate plants that produced explosives for the war effort.

Wilson Lock remains the tallest single lift lock east of the Rockies.

The lock is 600-feet long and 110-feet wide, with a maximum lift of 100-feet.

The visitors’ center and lock area are no longer open to the public.




Pope’s Tavern

One of the oldest structures in the city of Florence, Pope’s Tavern has been an inn, stagecoach stop and a tavern.

It also served as a hospital for Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War.

It is now a museum containing memorabilia and artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Gen. Andrew Jackson supposedly stayed at the inn on his way to the Battle of New Orleans.

Pope’s Tavern is located on what is known as Jackson’s Military Road, officially designated Hermitage Drive.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

University of North Alabama campus

The University of North Alabama has been a part of the Shoals for the past 175 years.

In recent years, the university has removed several roads and replaced them with spacious walking paths that now wind through the wooded campus.

An Italian marble fountain is now the centerpiece for what is now a “walking campus.”

The fountain is near the habitat for the university’s well-known lion mascots, Una and Leo III.

The university if located just north of downtown Florence.

Coon Dog Cemetery

Only certified coon dogs may be laid to rest in the only cemetery of its kind, the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard.

The cemetery is located in the Freedom Hills area of western Colbert County.

It was the location Key Underwood chose to bury his beloved coon dog, Troop, in 1937. The area happened to be their favorite place to hunt.

More than 185 certified coon dogs from all over the country are now buried at Coon Dog Cemetery.

The cemetery is located off Alabama 247, about 12 miles south west of Tuscumbia.




Renaissance Tower

Florence’s Renaissance Tower has gone through an interesting history.

The 300-foot tall concrete tower opened in 1991 near Wilson Dam as a tourist attraction.

Its interior housed a gift shop, a small auditorium and a nature museum.

Financial problems forced the tower to close in October 2001.

Today, the top of the Renaissance Tower is home to The 360 Grille, a fine dining restaurant associated with the Marriott Shoals Resort & Spa.

The top portion of the tower rotates. The tower still provides a spectacular panoramic view of the Tennessee River Valley.

Spring Park

Tuscumbia’s Spring Park has always been a favorite gathering place for Shoals families.

The spring-fed lake that becomes Spring Creek now features water/light shows that are synchronized to music.

Due to the generosity of local businessman Harvey Robbins, the park features a train that circles the park, a carousel and a roller coaster.

The park also features picnic tables and shelters and a playground for the children.