Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8B
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2008
Features
Adventure in Southern culture
Florence, Ala., makes a great travel destination
BY ANGELA GARY
Where can you travel and find
festivals celebrating music, his
tory and culture going on most
every month of the year?
Where can you see the moving
story of Helen Keller’s life on the
grounds of the home where she
grew up?
Where can you stay in a luxu
rious hotel nestled in the scenic
countryside of Northwest Ala
bama?
Florence, Alabama, is a desti
nation that offers all of this and
more.
Music festivals, fishing tour
naments, outdoor adventure and
museums depicting the history
and development of the area are
just a few of the things that make
it a popular travel destination.
Just a few hours drive from
North Georgia, the Florence area
is a great choice when making
your travel plans. It truly offers
an adventure in Southern culture.
My recent trip to Florence was
during the annual W.C. Handy
Music Festival, which is held
each year in July. Hundreds of
live music is performed through
out the area during the nine-day
festival honoring the “Father
of Blues.’’ The festival brings
100,000 visitors to the area each
summer. Next year’s festival will
be July 17-26.
Handy was bom in Florence
in 1873. He became famous for
his blues compositions, including
“Memphis Blues’’ and “St. Louis
Blues.’’
Our music stops included a
moving performance at the church
where Handy’s father and grand
father served as pastor and an out
door concert on the grounds of a
park. We also heard some great
music in more intimate settings
at restaurants and smaller music
venues during our stay.
At the Handy Church at Great
er St. Paul AME Church, we
heard some of the most amazing
gospel music. The evening fea
tured Reginald Thomas, Handy’s
Community Choir, Athena Ship-
ley and the Unity Praise Team.
The Riverside Jazz celebration
at McFarland Park in Florence
was a great night out for families.
A special treat was a performance
by the Navy Band, including a
few solos by Tommy Stanley, a
recent Nashville Star finalist.
Another Handy Festival high
light for us was the annual Street
Stmt. Festival attendees show off
their ornate umbrellas and cloth
ing as they parade through town
and then around the fountain in
Wilson Park. It’s a festive event
and everyone joins in on the fun.
We even grabbed an umbrella
and joined in the parade through
town.
After the Street Stmt, a new ad
dition to the festival was featured
in the downtown area. The first
annual Sweet Tea Challenge was
held on the steps of Region Bank.
Sponsored by Y’all Magazine,
it featured 61 entries for the best
sweet tea.
OTHER STOPS
For a look at Handy’s life,
make time to visit the W.C.
Handy Home and Museum. The
log home where he grew up is
attached to the museum. Among
TEA CHALLENGE
After the Street Strut, a new addition to the festival
was featured in the downtown area. The first an
nual Sweet Tea Challenge was held on the steps
of Region Bank. Sponsored by Y’all Magazine, it
featured 61 entries for the best sweet tea.
the memorabilia on display are
Handy’s piano and trumpet.
We also saw some Handy
memorabilia at the Alabama
Music Hall of Fame. Memora
bilia from musicians with roots to
the state are featured in the mu
seum. The hall of fame has ev
erything from a touring bus used
by country artists, Alabama, and
a car owned by country musician,
Webb Pierce.
While in Florence, be sure
to visit the Ivy Green, Helen
Keller’s birthplace and childhood
home. Tours of the home, as well
as the guest cottage next door are
offered. One of the highlights is
seeing the pump where she said
her first word, water.
If you visit during June or July,
also plan to attend a performance
of “The Miracle Worker,’’ the sto
ry of Keller’s fife, on the grounds.
This is a moving tribute to an
amazing woman.
Another stop during our visit
was the Rosenbaum Home,
where you can tour the house de
signed by famed architect, Frank
Lloyd Wright. This Usonian style
home is one of only 26 built in the
United States. The City of Flor
ence bought the home from the
original owner in 1999 and tours
are now offered.
History of the town is pre
sented at the Pope Tavern Mu
seum. It was originally a home
built in 1830 for Leroy Pope, the
founding father of Florence. The
city bought the home in 1965
and it was opened as a museum
in 1968. The home is one of the
oldest structures in Florence and
is known as being a stop for An
drew Jackson when he traveled to
the Battle of New Orleans.
MUSIC STUDIOS
Northwest Alabama, known
as “The Shoals,’’ has long been
called the “Hit Recording Capitol
of the World.’’ You can visit some
of the historic working music stu
dios in the area, including Fame
Studio and Muscle Shoals Sound
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Studio.
Visits to Fame Studio and
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio are
like stepping back in time. The
furnishings and decor have a very
retro feel and likely look much
like they did during the years
when the studios were used by
artists such as Aretha Franklin,
Cher, The Osmond Family and
Alabama.
Both studios are still used. Dur
ing our visit, Angela Hacker, last
year’s winner of Nashville Star,
was recording at Fame Studio.
WHERE TO EAT
This area of Northeast Ala
bama has a wonderful variety of
restaurants, with catfish, barbe
cue and fine dining among the
offerings. Among the stops dur
ing our visit were:
•Bronzeback Cafe at the Mar
riott Shoals Hotel & Spa, where
I had a wonderful pan seared ahi
tuna. The premium sushi grade
tuna is seasoned with black pep
per and cooked to order. We also
enjoyed breakfast at the hotel
several times. They have a great
breakfast buffet.
•Robert Trent Jones Golf
Course, where we had lunch
outdoors overlooking the beauti
ful golf course. The reuben was
a delight. Corned beef is topped
with sauerkraut, swiss cheese
and Thousand Island dressing
served on grilled rye bread.
•360 Grille, high atop the
Renaissance Tower. You’re 30
stories high as you overlook the
Tennessee River and historic
Wilson Dam. The view alone
makes it well worth a visit.
•Dale’s Steakhouse, where
I had an amazing filet mignon
grilled and seasoned with Dale’s
famous sauce. It was a tender,
great steak.
•Country Boys, where break
fast options include chocolate
gravy and biscuits. Yummy.
Chocolate is a great way to start
the day.
•On the Rocks, a new restau
rant that opened June 2 in down
town Florence. Buffalo shrimp
salad is a spicy treat. It has Buf
falo shrimp, tomatoes, lettuce,
onion, shredded cheese and fresh
blue cheese crumbles. They spe
cialize in “food you can eat with
your fingers.’’ Live music is also
featured. We enjoyed listening to
Jeff Henson and Jordan Denton
during our lunch.
•Bunyan’s BBQ, where I tried
something I had never heard of
before, but that I loved. The hot
slaw cabbage was a great addi
tion to the pork sandwich. Add
mustard, hot sauce and red and
* ■
it
WHERE TO STAY
Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa has a great view of the Ten
nessee River. The hotel also has a 6,000 square foot spa
and salon and is the only full-service spa in Florence.
green pepper and you have a your visit to Northwest Alabama.
great sandwich.
•Rosie’s Cantina, where I had
a veggie burrito. The sauteed
mild peppers, mushrooms, on
ions, zuchinni, carrots, mixed
cheese and ranch sauce made for
a wonderful lunch.
•Trowbridge’s, an old fash
ioned soda fountain built in
1918, is a great place to go to get
a scoop of ice cream at a great
price.
•Stanfield’s Steakhouse, of
fers family dining at affordable
prices. It’s known for steak, but
I chose fried catfish, which was
simply wonderful. Homemade
dessert selections include Her-
shey pie, red velvet cake and
peach cobbler. Also try fried
pickles. They’re perfect — a
crunchy, salty treat.
WHERE TO STAY
Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa
is the perfect headquarters during
It’s worth a trip to Florence just
to stay in this luxurious hotel.
Among the special features are
soft comfortable bedding, a large
balcony, a large flat screen TV, a
huge pool pool with a waterslide
and a great view of the Tennessee
River. Even locals come here for
a vacation.
Several restaurant options are
located at the hotel and live music
is offered nightly at Swampers.
The hotel also has a 6,000 square
foot spa and salon and is the only
full-service spa in Florence. It’s
a great spot for relaxation and
some pampering.
Located at 800 Cox Creek
Parkway South, the Marriott is lo
cated near all of the major attrac
tions in Florence. For more infor
mation, call 1-800-593-6450.
For more information on visit
ing Florence, go to www.Visit-
FlorenceAl.com.
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