Attractions

Early Southern Culture
Florence Indian Mound and Museum The mound rises from history-43 feet high, the largest trove of ancient tools, pottery, jewelry, and pipes in Alabama. Spear points that killed mammoths and mastadons as the Ice Age retreated and the Tennessee Valley sprouted green. Fish hooks sharpened out of deer hoofs, spider necklaces elegantly carved from river bottom shells, clay pots hand-shaped from the earth and fired for everyday survival. The mound is history. Climb the steps yourself, wondering if Indian priests and chiefs mounted them too, reaching for the sun. Hear the Yuchi's nearby Singing River, the Tennessee River that carries a young woman's songs in the waters. See the rich collection of rare and sought-after Clovis and Cumberland points 500 generations old, animal effigy pipes, woven textiles, soapstone carvings-all in chronological order, from Paleo, Transitional, Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian and Historic Native American ages. The Tennessee Valley first attracted man who followed roving prehistoric beasts. Later tribes settled in the shoals to feast on fish and mussels, hickory nuts, white tail deer, turkey, berries and bear. The warm climate gave them sunflowers, corn, squash, sumpweed. Generations parleyed with explorers like De Soto, traded with boatsmen, hunters, and, later, Civil War era farmers and soldiers. Now, you'll see real pieces of their lives, thousands of relics and artifacts, in the Florence Indian Mound & Museum-a rare touch with the past. Located: 1028 South Court Street, Florence, AL 35630. Phone 256-760-6427 Admission Charged: $2.00 Hours Tuesday-Saturday, 10 AM-4 PM.
Battles of Courage
Ivy Green-Helen Keller Birthplace Trapped in a dark, soundless world after a childhood illness left her blind and deaf, Keller saw the potential in her own mind and went on to read French, German, Greek, and Latin in Braille. She entered Radcliffe College at 20, wrote 11 books, numerous articles, and lectured in 39 countries on five different continents. She also inspired two Oscar-winning movies and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor an American civilian can receive. See the Keller family's original furnishings, hundreds of personal mementos, gifts, and books from a lifetime of travels. Thousands gather for the week-long Helen Keller Festival each June, and the epic drama The Miracle Worker is performed at the home each June and July. Located: 300 W. North Commons, Tuscumbia, AL 35674 Hours: Monday-Saturday 8:30 AM-4 PM, Sunday 1-4 PM.  Admission charged. Phone: 256-383-4006 or visit www.helenkellerbirthplace.org
Pope's Tavern & Museum Pope's Tavern filled with heavy hearts during the Civil War. Andrew Jackson kicked the mud off his boots there. Homesick soldiers died in hospital beds there. Sweaty horses, stagecoaches, travelers who'd fought underbrush, pock-marked roads, and fear of assault pulled in for a night's rest there. It was a time when all men ages 16 to 60 were ordered to volunteer for battle. The wealthy were wanting for bread, and salt was so rare that people boiled the dirt from smokehouse floors to get it. Union and Confederate hands wrenched the city from each other 40 times. Though Florence was hard-hit, scarred, and bruised by the Civil War, many historic places still stand, preserved for your tour-like Pope's Tavern & Museum filled with antiquities, relics, and stories. One of the area's oldest buildings-once a stagecoach stop, tavern and inn, hospital and command center for both Northern and Southern armies-the museum houses a wealth of local and Civil War history. A rare Kennedy Long Rifle, a Confederate Colonel's uniform, a vertically strung piano-one of only four ever made.  Located: 203 Hermitage Drive, downtown Florence on Jackson's Military Road carved out by Andrew Jackson himself as a shortcut to move supply wagons and artillery from Nashville to New Orleans. Phone: 256-760-6439.  Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM-4 PM.  Admission charged - $2.00 Frontier Days - June 7-8, 2008 Frontier Days Celebration is held annually the first weekend of June on the grounds of Pope's Tavern. The event includes re-enactments and exhibits of the 1800's daily life such as blacksmiting, spinning, weaving, pottery making and period music.  Admission is free.
Edith Newman Culver Memorial Museum The historic home, located in western Lauderdale County, is now the site of a town museum that features Native American artifacts, Civil War relics and the unique heritage of Waterloo. One of Alabama's oldest incorporated towns Waterloo was a stop along the Trail of Tears. During the Civil War the town was burned, had a visit by U. S. General William Sherman, and was the site of the largest cavalry force ever amassed in the Western Hemisphere. Located on Main Street, Waterloo, AL  35677 Call For Hours, 256-767-6081. Admission Charged Visit www.waterlooalabama.com   Waterloo Heritage Days - May 9 - 10, 2008 Heritage celebration sponsored by the Edith Newman Culver Memorial Museum & North Alabama Wagon & featuring: Wagon Trail Ride, Music, Mule Log Demonstrations, Antique Wagons, Cars, Trucksand Tractors on Display and Wagon Parade. Contact: 256-766-3150 or 256-766-0947
Southern Structures  Architectural beauties wait around every corner in Florence. Like the only Frank Lloyd Wright home in Alabama, white-columned Greek Revivals and antebellum mansions that once headquartered Civic War Generals, the massive Wilson Dam and striking Renaissance Tower—history, genius, and postcard-perfect design within a short walk or drive around the block.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House A genuine work of art—from the floors to the furnishings to the faucets—the Rosenbaum House grows naturally from its surroundings, cascading down a 2-acre lot facing the Tennessee River. It is one of the purest examples of Usonian design (named for the USA) with open floor plans and rooms that naturally flow from one to another. Built in 1939, the same year Wright delivered his treatise on organic architecture, this significant structure is cypress, glass, and brick and still has original hardware and furnishings designed by Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright freed Americans from Victorian "boxes" and revolutionized art and architecture. He was born just two years after the Civil War and died two years after the launching of the satellite Sputnik and is considered to be America’s greatest architect. Originally built for $12,000 as an affordable, middle-class home, the house is the only Wright design open to the public in the southeastern United States. Located: 601 Riverview Drive,  Florence, AL 35630 Phone 256-740-8899 or visit www.wrightinalabama.com.  Admission charged.  Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM-4 PM. Sunday 2 PM - 4 PM
The Renaissance Tower This impressive 1991 structure towers 30 stories over Wilson Dam, Pickwick Lake, and the glistening Tennessee River. It’s a monument to modern construction with 3500 cubic feet of concrete, 500 tons of steel, and 175 miles of wiring—that’s enough to stretch across North Alabama twice (320 Miles)! The Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Visitor Center is located at the base of the Tower.  The Marriott's 6,000 sq ft. spa and additional meeting rooms are located on the first and mezzinine levels.  Enjoy the breathtaking view and top-of-the-world fine dining in the revolving 360° Grille atop the tallest attraction in Alabama. The restaurant is open Monday - Saturday from beginning at 4:00 PM with the last seating at 9:30 PM.   Located: One Hightower Place, Florence, AL Open Tuesday – Saturday 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Call 256-246-3600 or visit www.marriottshoals.com

Historic Wilson Dam Colossal Roman and Greek style arches and columns span the Tennessee River at Wilson Reservoir and Dam.  Built originally to harness waters for electricity to power WWI explosives plants, the dam stands today as the only neoclassical structure in the TVA system.   Its 100-foot locking facility was the highest single lock in the world when construction began in 1918 and is still one of the largest lift locks ever built.  In contrast to the bold structure, small creeks trickle through the woods surrounding the dam, providing beautiful settings for hiking and walking paths plus lush ferns, active wildlife, and some of the best smallmouth bass fishing around.

 

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