48 Hours in the Shoals

January 2024

BY RICK HARMON

Come to the Shoals, the area embracing Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia, and tune into Alabama’s music capital.   

Friday

AFTERNOON

Journey through the history of rock music in one afternoon. First, visit Florence’s W.C. Handy Birthplace, Museum and Library, where Handy earned the title “Father of the Blues” by composing some of history’s most famous blues standards and by being the first to transcribe the sound to sheet music and sharing blues with the world. During your visit, see his trumpet, his handwritten music and the piano on which he composed the classic “St. Louis Blues.” Pause your drive to see the historical marker to Sam Phillips in front of Big River Broadcasting radio station. Phillips, the “Father of Rock and Roll,” founded Sun Records, recorded “Rocket 88,” which many music historians consider the first rock record, and discovered Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins. Afterward, tour two of the area’s historic recording studios.

Begin where much of early rock and roll also began at FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals. It was here, under the guidance of producer Rick Hall, that rock and R&B classics, including Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally,” Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved a Man” and Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” were recorded. 

A Backstage Experience was recently added, which includes the normal tour but then goes behind the scenes to FAME’s publishing office, Hall’s personal office, and past exhibits showcasing FAME’s multiple awards and Hall’s personal collection of instruments. Then, do what Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, Cher, Bob Seger, Traffic, Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Leon Russell did—head to the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield. A $1 million contribution from Beats Audio has the studio looking as it did in its late ’60s and early ’70s heyday. Pop into the bathroom where Keith Richards reportedly finished writing “Wild Horses,” which he and The Rolling Stones recorded, along with “Brown Sugar,” at the studio. See the piano where Paul Simon wrote “Kodachrome,” and view the studio where The Staple Singers recorded “I’ll Take You There.

EVENING

It’s been a long, rewarding, afternoon. For dinner, stop by Champy’s World Famous Fried Chicken in Muscle Shoals for some mouthwatering fried chicken made from a Mississippi Delta recipe.

Saturday

MORNING 

Savor brunch at Odette, a restaurant in Florence with a cool vibe, a well-stocked bar and a great menu of farm-to-table favorites. Be sure to fuel up; you’ve got a full day ahead. Walk down the street and check out the store of internationally renowned fashion designer Billy Reid, who has designed clothes worn by Europe’s chic and stylish, including James Bond on the big screen

MID-MORNING 

Step inside some historic houses. Florence’s Rosenbaum House is the only structure in Alabama designed by architectural giant Frank Lloyd Wright and one of the only such houses in the Southeast open to the public. The tour, which explains the lengths Wright went to ensure the house fits its environment and the Usonian style of architecture he was after, is fascinating. 

Next, visit Ivy Green, the Tuscumbia home of Helen Keller, who inspired millions by transforming herself, with the help of her teacher Anne Sullivan, from a deaf-blind girl unable to communicate into one of her generation’s greatest women. See the living quarters she shared with her teacher and the famous well, where they had their communications breakthrough. 

AFTERNOON

Stop by the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, which honors more than 1,200 Alabama musicians, from Hank Williams Sr. and Sun Ra to Emmylou Harris and the Commodores. Check out the country group Alabama’s tour bus and the Sun Studio equipment Sam Phillips used to record Elvis Presley, or record your own favorite song at the Hall of Fame’s recording studio. 

EVENING 

Hungering for a unique dining experience? Tuscumbia’s Rattlesnake Saloon has been featured on the Food Network’s “Craziest Restaurants in America” for its unusual setting. Built under a natural shelter, the cavelike watering hole looks like the set of an old Western. Top off your night at Swampers Bar and Grill, featuring some of the area’s best musicians, at the Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa. 

Sunday

MORNING 

Eat like a caped crusader at Superhero Chefs in Tuscumbia. This breakfast joint takes waffles, omelets, pancakes, and eggs and bacon to a superhero level of fun and tastiness. With your belly full, you’re set to bring your trip to a close at two stunning Native American sites. Start at the Florence Indian Mound Museum, one of 13 sites on the Alabama Indigenous Mound Trail. Inside the museum, learn about the civilization that once flourished throughout the state; outside, climb the stairs to the top of the Florence Indian Mound, where Native Americans came for contemplation and ceremonial events. Next, stop along the Natchez Trace Parkway to see the country’s largest nonmortared rock wall and the largest monument to a Native American woman, Te-lah-nay.