Recently in Tourism Category
The Birmingham Civil Rights Trail documents the events of the Civil Rights movement in Alabama in the 1960's. Signs and displays at various sites of historic significance around the city, share the story of how Birmingham helped change a segregated nation. The trail tells the stories of the past, but has a focus on showing how Americans came together around an idea that completely changed American history. The $1 million project is still in the building stages, with a few of the routes opening in the spring. Travel South USA and Tourism Cares will raise funds as part of the Travel South Gives Back campaign by selling "Tourism Cares" wristbands on site at the 2010 Travel South Showcase in Birmingham or at www.tourismcares.org. Both Travel South USA and Tourism Cares will each match all donations up to $5,000. Other companies are invited to do the same. For more information, visit the Tourism Cares website.
Travel South USA is America's oldest and largest regional travel promotion organization, formed in 1965 by resolution presented at the Southern Governor's Conference. As the Official Destination Regional Marketing Organization for the South, its mission is to promote, foster and encourage travel to and within the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. For more information please see www.tourismcares.org.
Commemoration of the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March. Highlights include a parade, pageant, symposiums, music, Voting Rights Hall of Fame induction and much more.
George Lindsey/UNA Film Festival - Mar 4-7
Nominated by Southeast Tourism Society as one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast for the month of March, the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival is an exciting event consisting of film screenings, panels, discussions and celebrations throughout the Shoals area.
Cottontail's Village Arts, Crafts, & Gifts Festival - Mar 5-7
Mar 5-7, Birmingham Cottontail's Village Arts, Crafts, & Gifts Festival 205-836-7178. www.christmasvillagefestival.com. Admission charged. Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex--With more than 450 booths of arts, crafts, gifts and food items, this is a great place and time to purchase Mother's Day gifts, graduation gifts, and spring decorations. Fri., 10 a.m.- 8 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.- 7 p.m.; Sun. noon- 5 p.m.
Southeastern Livestock Exposition Rodeo, 53rd Anniversary - Mar 11-13
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of "The Greatest Show on Dirt." Competitions include bull riding and calf roping. Thurs. is Military Night and Fri. is "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" night.
9th Annual BBQ Championship Hog Wild Festival - Mar 12-13
Each year, thousands of residents and visitors flock to the Fairgrounds for this "hog wild" benefit for the United Cerebral Palsy. Live music, children's activities, barrel racing, cooking demonstrations and barbecue.
58th Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival - Mar 19-21
More than 200 exhibitors from throughout the nation will bring their best works to show and sell at this prestigious juried show. Live entertainment is set throughout the three-day event and unique cuisine will be served in the food court. Voted as one of the 100 Best Predominantly Classic & Contemporary Craft Shows in the nation by Sunshine Artist Magazine in 2008.
Opp Rattlesnake Rodeo, 50th Annual - Mar 26-27
Weekend filled with food, children's activities, musical entertainment, snake races, buck dancing, karaoke contests, beauty queens, arts, crafts, and a headliner concert.
196th Anniversary of Battle of Horseshoe Bend - Mar 27-28
Celebrate the park's 51st anniversary and enjoy this festival of culture and history on the grounds of Alabama's first national park. Enjoy Creek hunting camps, military camps, dance, cannon fire demonstrations, exhibits, and more.
City of Talladega's 175th Anniversary Celebration - Mar 27
Celebrating its incorporation 175 years ago with a grand parade, historical play, a DVD of Talladega's history shown at our historical Ritz Theatre, bands, karaoke, and fireworks!
Siege of Bridgeport Re-enactment - Mar 27-28
Bridgeport brings history alive when almost 1,800 re-enactors thrill thousands of curious visitors and history buffs with their authentic re-creation of this fateful battle of the Civil War. Also included are period music, authentic encampment and vendors of historical objects and clothing.
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, the state's chief job-creation officer, got a lunch pail full of ideas last night about how to create more jobs in Virginia....Decrying the lack of Virginia tourism promotion money, Bolling said: "If I hear about the Robert Trent Jones golf trail one more time, I'm going to barf." The state of Alabama has been advertising the golf trail on Virginia television stations. McDonnell has proposed increasing state funding for tourism promotion.
For the complete article see http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/SQUA241_20100223-231802/326465/
For a complete list of film festival events and ticket information please see www.lindseyfilmfest.com
The Quality Inn Athens recently received the Choice Gold Hospitality Award. The Choice Gold Hospitality Award is awarded to the top ten percent of hotels within the Choice brand. The awards are based on a ranking system that measures guest satisfaction, product quality, room condition and cleanliness, and staff service. The Quality Inn Athens is located near Athens State University, host of the annual Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention. http://www.qualityinn.com/hotel-athens-alabama-AL325?promo=gglocal
Please follow this link to enter your attendance figures: http://www.alabama.travel/media-room/attendance.cfm
Conservation leaders in Alabama urged the Legislature on Monday to continue the Forever Wild program that in 18 years has preserved about 200,000 acres of wilderness in the state. Forever Wild uses money from oil and gas revenues to purchase private land. It will expire during the 2012-2013 fiscal year unless the Legislature votes to continue it. Conservation Commissioner Barnett Lawley joined tourism, hunting and fishing group officials and other outdoor enthusiasts at a Statehouse news conference to push for renewal of Forever Wild for another 20 years. Lawley said areas preserved by Forever Wild include the rugged wilderness area along the Alabama-Tennessee line known as the "Walls of Jericho" and the swampy Tensaw Delta north of Mobile.
Rep. John Robinson, D-Scottsboro, said he's "100 percent" for continuing the Forever Wild program. His district is adjacent to the "Walls of Jericho," an unusual rock formation that is a popular destination for wilderness hikers. "I've hiked it several times and it's a great place. We have people come from everywhere to see it," Robinson said. Alabama Tourism Department director Lee Sentell said preserving land through Forever Wild has given people a chance to explore "unpolluted, untrashed" areas of Alabama. "I have people say to me that they had no idea that Alabama was such a beautiful state," Sentell said.
For the complete article please see http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=9535436
The calendar also serves to kick-off the tourism agency's campaign of the "The Year of Small Towns & Downtowns." More than 200 communities across the state are participating in "Small Towns & Downtowns" by holding local homecomings. These events, known collectively as the Great Alabama Homecoming, are highlighted in the calendar.
The cover features Bellingrath Gardens and Trowbridge's, a 1917 ice cream parlor in Florence. Travelers can pick up copies of the publication at each of the eight Alabama Welcome Centers, by calling 1.800.ALABAMA or by going online at www.alabama.travel.
Hear the call of the wild. Enjoy fireside chats, guided interpretive programs at various Bald Eagle nesting sites, and guest speakers. Each program followed by meals in park's dining room. All activities take place at Guntersville State Park the weekends of Jan 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 29-30.
The Presenters Exhibition - Jan 2-31
In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Clay Conference at Troy University, this exhibit will showcase the artwork of four of the top pottery artists in the world.
USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park's 45th Anniversary - Jan 9
In honor of the park's 45th anniversary, Alabamians will be admitted on this day at 1/2 price (a valid AL driver's license must be shown). Since opening to the public, more than 13 million have visited Battleship Memorial Park.
Reflect and Rejoice: A Community Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Jan 17
A musical gala presented by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and the Alys Stephens Center in honor of Dr. King.
Pike Piddlers Storytelling Festival - Jan 29
Storytelling featuring nationally acclaimed storytellers Donald Davis, Barbara McBride-Smith, Kevin Kling and Elizabeth Ellis. Tickets go on sale Dec. 29, 2009. For tickets, call 334-735-3125. Open reserved seating only.
2010 Senior Bowl - Jan 30
The nation's unique football game and football's premier pre-draft event features the country's best senior collegiate football stars and top National Football League draft prospects. Teams represent the North and South and are coached by the entire coaching staffs from two NFL teams.
381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story - Jan 30-11
This exhibition offers a gripping account of the men and women whose nonviolent approach to political and social change matured into a weapon of equality for all.
Neil Berg's 100 Broadway Years of "Singing with Broadway Stars" - Jan 30
It's your chance to be a star. How would you like to have the opportunity to win a chance to sing a song with five Broadway stars in front of family and friends? To enter the online auditions, take a 90- to 120-second video of yourself singing a Broadway show tune and upload it to YouTube, MySpace, or Facebook.
"This many towns hosting an annual festival will give tourists a reason to visit our area at various times throughout the year," according to Linda Vice, Director of Southwest Alabama Office of Tourism and Film . "Tourism is ongoing economic development. Each town, in the process of defining what makes them special and what festival the community will support, has found something interesting that tourists will want to see."
Each town that is part of this 2010 Year of Small Towns and Downtowns will receive a historic marker that gives some highlights of the town's history. It will serve as a permanent recognition of the town's initiative in being part of this program. Many segments of the community and a variety of organizations came together to make this happen. This is an example of grassroots efforts that have come together for the betterment of their communities. According to Vice "Tourists are interested in authentic experiences that give them a taste of what an area is really like. The festivals held as part of this effort will give tourists just that. Tourists just might like the area so much we can keep them coming back".
"Southwest Alabama Office of Tourism and Film wants to give a special thanks to their Tourism Partners in the 11 counties of Rural Southwest Alabama for encouraging their communities to participate in the Year of Small Towns and Downtown and for providing an ongoing calendar of events in each county. Tourists visit our website alabamasfrontporches.com and plan their visits to the area. Not only does the casual traveler check the website, but business travelers coming to the area, people coming to visit relatives along with the families of the hunters, fishermen and campers who spend many weekends here", says Vice. "Rural Southwest Alabama as Kathryn Tucker Windham says in our promotional video is 'a place where magic still happens and legends never die'".
No matter what the season, the Bellingrath Gardens and Home, on the byway's western end near Bayou La Batre, is always in bloom. During the winter season, see poinsettias, tulips, and camellias, as well as other flowering plants, or come back for azaleas in the spring, roses in the summer, and chrysanthemums in the fall. You'll also love the Magic Christmas in Lights event held each December. Get into the Christmas spirit by exploring illuminated displays throughout the 65-acre estate or attending nightly choral concerts. Read the full article on Alabama's newest Nationally Designated Scenic Byway on the www.byways.org website.
For the complete article please see http://uanews.ua.edu/2009/11/ua-joins-rural-partners-to-expand-tourism-along-lower-cahaba-with-unveiling-of-nature-historic-site-signs/
You can access the site associated with the project by visiting http://www.lowercahaba.com
Catch spectacular holiday displays at these 10 Alabama Tourism recommended Holiday Light Festivals:
Arab -- Christmas in the Park
November 27-January 1
For the 14th consecutive year, the City of Arab will offer a dazzling display of nearly two million holiday lights that transform the park into a winter wonderland. Visitors will enjoy holiday music and special decorations in the Historic Complex, which features an old church, a school and an operational gristmill. 256.586.8128, www.arabcity.org.
Mobile -- Bellingrath Gardens -- Magic Christmas in Lights
November 27-December 31
Stroll through a wonderland of more than three million twinkling lights and 600 custom-designed holiday displays during Magic Christmas in Lights at Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile. Tour the historic Bellingrath Home decorated in its holiday finery, enjoy nightly entertainment and visit with Santa. 251.973.2217, www.bellingrath.org.
Birmingham -- Zoolight Safari at the Birmingham Zoo
December 4-30
Ride the Zoolight Express train while enjoying a half-million twinkling lights. The spirit is festive and the tradition comes complete with hot cocoa, a light show synchronized to favorite holiday tunes and appearances by Santa. 205.879.0409, www.birminghamzoo.com.
Decatur -- Christmas Tour of Homes
December 12
Decatur's historic districts are decorated with luminaries, greenery and thousands of lights. Several homes are open for tours. Refreshments are served and carriage rides are available. Tour from 4-8 p.m. 256.350.2028, www.decaturcvb.org.
Eufaula -- Christmas Tour of Homes
December 5
Visitors can stroll through downtown to see the antebellum homes aglow in holiday splendor. 334.687.6664, www.eufaula-barbourchamber.com.
Florence -- Open House & Festival of Lights
December 4
Florence businesses and Wilson Park will be decorated in lights for Christmas. Visitors can shop while listening to music on the street corners and in the park. The jingle of bells on horses giving carriage rides adds to the festive atmosphere. 256.740.4141, www.flo-tour.org.
Huntsville -- Galaxy of Lights Holiday Light Show
November 20 - January 2
Celebrate the holiday season with a drive or a stroll through the Huntsville Botanical Garden.
The walk-through takes place November 20-24 while the drive-through is November 26-January 2, 2010. This magnificent holiday light extravaganza features thousands of lights and more than 600 lighted displays arranged in 125 varied holiday scenes and themes, including a Patriotic Celebration, Winter Wonderland, Santa's Workshop, Christmas Celebrations, Nursery Rhymes, Birds, Bees and Butterflies. 256.830.4447, www.hsvbg.org.
Montgomery -- Governor's Mansion Candlelight Open House
December 7, 14, 21
Governor and Mrs. Bob Riley will open the Governor's Mansion for candlelight tours from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on each Monday night in December leading up to Christmas. The 1907 Colonial Revival mansion located at 1142 South Perry Street in Montgomery will be aglow with lights and filled with the spirit of the season. 1.800.ALABAMA, www.alabama.travel.
Montgomery Zoo -- Christmas Light Festival
November 25 and November 27-December 31
Thousands of lights illuminate the pathways on a leisurely stroll through the Montgomery Zoo during the city's Holiday Lights Festival. Visitors can ride the train through the forested wonderland and see animals come alive in lighted displays. 334.240.4900, www.montgomeryzoo.com.
Opelika --Victorian Christmas
December 9-13
Step back in time with a visit to an Ole World Christmas wonderland in Opelika. On the Victorian Front Porch Christmas Tour, visitors will see more than 60 turn-of-the-century homes in all their lighted glory featuring life-sized Santa's, angels, toy displays and carousel horses. Also enjoy live holiday entertainment. 334.887.8747, www.aotourism.com.For more information please see www.budgettravel.com/coolestsmalltowns
From the article "A Small Town's Christmas in the South" by Tanner C. Latham in Southern Living magazine:
The tiny town of Mooresville, Alabama, knows how to celebrate the season: Get everyone involved, serve great food, and keep it fun. The town's annual Progressive Dinner does all three- and shows why this community captures the holiday spirit like nowhere else. You really begin to grasp the smallness of Mooresville, Alabama, when the whole town is stuffed into the foyer of Margaret-Anne and Kevin Crumlish's house on High Street. The entire population, 53, is here: The Prices, the McCrarys, the honorable Mayor Susan Golby, the Peebles, and on and on. Everyone here played a role in putting on this small-town holiday event, and it shows. On this night, at Mooresville's Christmas Progressive Dinner, the allure of small-town culture in the South is on display. Each of the stops shows off a different side of this place. Spend the night chatting and eating with the proud locals, and you get a glimpse of the community spirit that makes us glad we call the South home.
Why We Love Mooresville:
Because it will always be a small town: Mooresville is and always will be confined to three square blocks because it is hemmed in by Limestone Creek and Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge to the south and west, I-565 to the north and east, and self-imposed building codes.
Because it's full of beautiful historic homes: Visitors from all over frequent Mooresville to view the historic homes and buildings in this town, incorporated in 1818, one year and one month before Alabama's statehood. That interest creates some unusual moments, such as the time when Kathryn Price heard a commotion outside her home one Sunday morning. She cinched her bathrobe, opened her front door, and surprised a group of tourist posing for pictures on her front porch. "I think they thought our house was some kind of civic building," she says.
Because it's not stuck in time: "Mooresville holds on to the things that were great about its past, but it continues to grow and thrive," says local restaurateur Dee Green. "It's not a place captured in time." The mayor and five council members help manage the town's historic treasures, meeting at the pre-1825 original Stagecoach Inn and Tavern each month. Usually the main business is the preservation of Mooresville's three historic public buildings: the Tavern, the 1839 old Brick Church, and the 1840 Post Office. But they also handle more modern problems such as providing recycling services and addressing utilities issues.
Celebrate the season in Mooresville- join the Mooresville Yuletide Walking Tour, Dec. 6, 1-4 p.m.; www.mooresvillealabama.com, 256-355-2683, or 256-353-3628.
For the complete article please see the December issue of Southern Living magazine on newsstands now.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Monroeville, Alabama, Old Courthouse Museum
Truman Capote's holiday classic "A Christmas Memory" is set just blocks from our Courthouse Square. But since those gentle days of Buddy and Sook, our once grand fruitcake has become the butt of holiday jokes. Please join the noble citizens of Monroeville as we return the fruitcake to its rightful place as Queen of the Christmas Dessert Table. "It's fruitcake weather!" is our battle cry!
Monroeville, Ala., will hold its second annual Fruitcake Festival, Friday, Nov. 13, at the Old Courthouse Museum on the town square. The allday event is a celebration of Truman Capote and the holiday dessert immortalized in his enduring holiday classic, "A Christmas Memory." The festival includes fruitcake sales and auctions, recipe exchanges, Capote-related Christmas gifts and homemade kites similar to the ones Sook and Truman make in the story. The event is sponsored by the Monroe County Heritage Museum's Endowment Fund.
Master storyteller Dolores Hydock ends the festive day by bringing Capote's nostalgic Christmas classic to life in the courtroom at 7 p.m. Tickets for the reading are $25 and include a holiday reception with fruitcake, of course!
Capote's tender tale of family, friendship and fruitcakes is set in Monroeville -- just a few blocks from the Courthouse where Capote spent his childhood with his eldery cousins, the Faulks. The short story is one of Capote's most popular works and is built around an annual ritual he shared with Sook Faulk of gathering ingredients and making 30 fruitcakes as Christmas presents for people who struck their fancy ranging from the bus driver who waved on his way to Mobile each day to President Franklin Roosevelt.
The story begins on a chilly autumn morning with Sook standing at the window to utter the famous line, "It's fruitcake weather!" In the 1930s, when "A Christmas Memory" is set, fruitcakes were a cherished holiday tradition. Today, however, the often maligned fruitcake is more likely the punch line of holiday jokes.
Oak Mountain State Park is the first site listed on the Alabama Tourism Department's Fall Color Trail. The Fall Color Trail promotion is being coordinated by tourism department staff member Brian Jones. An interactive map on the Alabama Tourism Department's website allows visitors to see the predicted fall color change for each weekend this fall. The map, list of recommended viewing sites and a Circle of Color driving route are all available on the state tourism website. http://www.alabama.travel/activities/tours-and-trails/fall-color-trail/.
Please give the name of the vacation package, what it includes, the location of the accommodations and features, when the package rates starts and ends, cost and how to buy the package. There also needs to be a two to three sentence description selling the features of the package. You may also attach one digital photo for our use on the website. All qualified packages will be listed on the state tourism website. The best vacation package, as chosen by committee, will be featured for 30 days on the state tourism home page. To qualify for the home page feature, packages must be submitted by Oct. 31 and be active for at least a 30 day period between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31. Vacation packages longer than 30 days are encouraged. Submit information to grey.brennan@tourism.alabama.gov.
With cooler days and lower humidity, autumn is a wonderful time to enjoy Alabama's many fall festivals and events. Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism Department, recommends several events designed around being outdoors and enjoying the beautiful fall weather.
Outdoor events scheduled for this fall include:
· Alabama Renaissance Faire in Florence on Oct. 24-25
· National Peanut Festival in Dothan on Oct. 30-Nov. 7
· Original German Sausage Festival in Elberta on Oct. 31
· Harvest Celebration in Hoover on Oct. 31
· Alabama Frontier Days in Wetumpka on Nov. 4-8
· Pike Road Arts and Crafts Festival in Pike Road on Nov.7
· Cayne Syrup Makin' Day in Beatirce on Nov. 7
· National Veterans Day Parade in Birmingham on Nov. 11
For a complete list of fall events see the Calendar of Events at www.alabama.travel. For more information on Fall Colors in Alabama and to see the interactive map go to http://www.alabama.travel/activities/tours-and-trails/fall-color-trail/.