Florence, Muscle Shoals & Huntsville

This area came by its musical heritage honestly. W.C. Handy, the Father of the Blues, was born in Florence, and so were the Fathers of Rock and Roll, Sam Phillips and Buddy Killen. The area is still home to some pretty well-known musicians, including John Paul White of The Civil Wars, David Hood of the Swampers, Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, Gary Nichols, Will McFarlane, Donna Jean Godcheax, and others. There are many venues around the area that feature good live music, and you never know when someone famous is going to sit in on a session. Or, who knows? The musician playing at 116 Mobile might be the next big thing on the music scene – with roots in Muscle Shoals.

Ignite your passion for exploration at the Earth’s largest space museum, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, home to U. S. Space Camp and Aviation Challenge. Here, you can explore over 1,500 artifacts from America’s achievements in space exploration and get a sneak peek into what’s next for human space travel. If you’re in the mood for a different kind of exploring—say, into Huntsville’s past—venture to the city’s oldest museum, Burritt on the Mountain for breathtaking views of the Tennessee Valley. Journey back down to the valley and explore the Weeden House Museum, the former home to 19th-century poet and artist Maria Howard Weeden. Get to know America’s military past and the servicemen and women of the U.S. Armed Forces at the U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum, which displays over 30 historical military vehicles from WWI to the present.

Alabama Constitution Village is another must-see stop on your journey. This award-winning reconstruction of Huntsville as it existed in 1819 was the spot where delegates wrote Alabama’s first state constitution. Right across the street, you’ll find the EarlyWorks Children’s Museum—be sure to have the kids listen to the story from the famous talking tree! Exploring Huntsville is never complete without a stop at the Huntsville Museum of Art, home to the largest collection of art created by American women in the U.S., or a visit to the Huntsville Botanical Garden, home to the nation’s largest open-air butterfly house where something beautiful is always growing on!