Florence is a city in northwest Alabama near Mississippi and Tennessee.
Get in
By car
US Highway 72 which runs from East-West from Chattanooga to Memphis passes through Florence. Most major attractions, hotels,restaurants, etc are located on or near US 72 or Florence Blvd as its known within the City of Florence. US Highway 43 runs North-South from Nashville, TN to Mobile Alabama. It travels the same path as US 72 through Florence.
Florence lies about 48 miles west of Interstate 65 Exit 351 in Athens, Exits 340A-340B Decatur/Huntsville, Exit 310 at Cullman.
By plane
Near Florence, there are a few options for flying in and out. Boutique Air has service to Northwest Alabama Regional Airport from Atlanta. More flights can be found leaving from Huntsville, AL; Birmingham, AL; Nashville,TN; and Memphis, TN. Huntsville would be the shortest drive at just over one hour. The others are a little more than two hours drive.
- Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (IATA: MSL), 1729 T. Ed Campbell Drive, Suite A in Muscle Shoals, AL, 34.745278°, -87.610278°, +1 256 381-2869, flymsl@aol.com.
- Port of Huntsville (IATA: HSV), 1000 Glenn Hearn Blvd, Huntsville, AL, +1 256 772-9395, info@hsvairport.org.
By bus
Greyhound buses stop at a gas station at 358 Cox Creek Pkwy.
Get around
See
Museums
- Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House Museum, 601 Riverview Dr, 34.793031°, -87.680536°, +1 256 718-5050. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su 1PM-4PM. A house built in 1939 and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The house is open for tours, which last about 45 minutes. $8 adults, $5 seniors and students 2016-11-25
- The Florence Indian Mound & Museum, 1028 S Court St, 34.790314°, -87.669927°, +1 256 760-6427. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM. The Tennessee Valley area's largest domiciliary mound. Features typical workmanship of the Indians who lived in this area before the Cherokees, Chickasaws, and Creeks. 2016-11-24
- The Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, 217 E Tuscaloosa St, 34.804013°, -87.675543°, +1 256 760-6379. M-F 9AM-4PM. Showcases artists from around the Southeast, and offers classes and workshops to people of all ages. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Free 2016-11-24
- Pope's Tavern, 203 Hermitage Dr, 34.805053°, -87.677013°, +1 256 760-6439. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM. This building served as a hospital along the way of many Civil War soldiers from both the North and South. It also served time as a stagecoach stop, a tavern, and an inn. The museum houses Civil War artifacts as well as antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries. This remains one of Florence's oldest standing structures. 2016-11-24
- Children's Museum of the Shoals. Contains exhibits displaying the history, people, and events that make up the Shoals' history. The museum is designed to promote learning in a hands-on environment. The museum offers educational workshops year-round for children of all ages. 2016-11-24
- The Forks of Cypress, 34.845739°, -87.725624°. This was a cotton plantation located in Florence. The remains can still be seen in the form of 24 Greek columns and the Jackson Family cemetery. 2016-11-24
Other Sights
- Wilson Dam, 34.800833°, -87.625833°. This 110x600 feet Dam is part of the TVA system. The maximum lift is 100 feet, it is the highest single lift lock east of the Rockies.
Do
Enjoy fishing at the "Small Mouth Bass Capital of the World" around Wilson Dam, a regular on popular fishing shows. Alternatively, hiking, motor boating, and water skiing can be tried.
Music History Tours
- Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, 3614 N Jackson Hwy, +1 256-978-5151. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM. Visit an important site of musical history in the US where notorieties like Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones recorded albums, as was popularized in the film Muscle Shoals.
- Fame Recording Studios, 603 Avalon Ave, Muscle Shoals, +1 256-381-0801. M-F 9AM-6PM, Sa 10AM-2PM. Another very eventful recording studio for the development of rock and blues American musical styles of the 20th Century, where such likenesses as Aretha Franklin debuted. Take a tour. $10 or varies
Festivals
- W.C. Handy Festival. Enjoy jazz and blues as Florence celebrates its native son.
- Florence Renaissance Faire, Wilson Park (Downtown Florence). fourth Saturday and Sunday in October. Held in Wilson Park this unusual event draws 30,000 – 40,000 people each year to its site in downtown Florence, Alabama. It is always held on the fourth Saturday and Sunday in October, taking advantage of the fall weather and foliage. Wilson Park hosts a variety of vendors, events, and demonstrations with a medevile theme. Free
- The Sam Phillips Music Celebration (started January 2005. It is an annual week long event that takes place the first week in January by celebrated with events that include the Sam Phillips Birthday Party), +1 256-764-8121.
- The George Lindsey/UNA Film Festival (is named in honor of Florence native, George Lindsey Lindsey is an actor who is most famous portrayal of Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show. Lindsey is a UNA - known then as Florence State College - graduate.).
- Arts Alive (began in 1986 and celebrates the art of Southern artist who gather to display their work in Wilson Park).
- The Spirit of Freedom Celebration (showcases music, and fireworks to celebrate Independence Day on the banks of the Tennessee River).
- Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride. Commemorates the final point at which area Cherokee Native Americans were shipped off to Oklahoma and the mid-west by the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
- First Fridays in Florence (arts and music event that occurs every First Friday from April through December in Historic Downtown Florence.).
Books
- Read The Store by T. S. Stribling. This is the 1933 Pulitzer Prize winner that many believe was inspired by Rogers Department Store which closed in 2001.
Buy
- Florence Mall, 301 Cox Creek Parkway. Regional Mall consisting of 4 main Anchors, Sears, JC Penney, Dillards and Belks. Department Stores. Contains most mid price national chains and is the focal point for surrounding shopping centers and big box stores.
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- The Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa (Marriott Hotel in Florence, Alabama), 800 Cox Creek Pkwy South, Florence, AL 35630, +1 256 246-3600. The Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa is set in the Tennessee River Valley, offers high-speed internet access, private balconies with stunning river views, two championship golf courses on The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, and a 6,000-square-foot European style spa.
Connect
Go next
- Huntsville, famous for the U.S. Space and Rocket Center
- Tuscumbia, home to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and a Moon Tree (a loblolly pine whose seed went around the moon)