- Alabama Tourism Department “Alabama Road Trip Giveaway”
- Alabama Tourism searches for the state’s best BBQ Sauce
- World Premiere of Space Warriors
- Montgomery slates plantings of Coretta Scott King roses
- New multi-use trail system at Forever Wild Jacinto Port Tract in Mobile County offers expanded access to Mobile-Tensaw Delta
- Handworkers honored at AREA luncheon
- Alabama Tourism Department Workshop
- “We’ve Got Education, Innovation and Information for You” AGCT 2013
- Alabama Tourism Department at work
- Alabama booth a hit at Southern Women’s Show in Nashville
- Alabama Tourism upcoming events
- North Alabama celebrates National Tourism Week with free ice cream
- Tourism Day Celebrations at Welcome Centers, and Motorcycle Motorist Day
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Alabama Tourism Department “Alabama Road Trip Giveaway”
The Alabama Tourism Department is conducting an “Alabama Road Trip Giveaway” as a Facebook sweepstakes through August 18. 8 road trips will be given away as prizes.
The prizes and dates are:
First Grand Prize Entry Period Prize: April 22-May 12
“The Ultimate Relaxation Vacation” at Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Birmingham, Alabama, prize includes:
Tower Suite for four people for two nights ($1,992.72 value)
Dinner at Brocks (up to $150)
Breakfast at Brocks (up to $80)
Spa at Ross Bridge (up to $400 in services)
Lunch by pool or spa (up to $100)
Dinner at Gian Marco’s restaurant (off property; up to $175)
Breakfast in Bed (up to $100)
$200 to spend on specialty pottery at Earthborn Studios, Inc. (must be spent at Earthborn Studios)
$1,000 VISA Gift Card to cover transportation expenses to and from Birmingham, Alabama
Total Value = $4197.72
Second Grand Prize Entry Period Prize: May 13-May 26
“Center Stage for Southern History” at Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center in Montgomery, Alabama, prize includes:
-Executive Suite for four people with a connecting guest room & valet parking for two nights ($904 value)
-The House Restaurant breakfast buffet, for two days (up to $128)
-Spa merchandise & spa treatments (up to $1,000)
-Montgomery Performing Arts Centre tickets ($300 value)
-Lunch and dinner at The House Restaurant or The Exchange Lounge (up to $300)
-Four tickets to each of the following local attractions: Complimentary Segway Historical City Tours ($280 value); Hank Williams Museum ($40 value); Rosa Parks Museum & Children’s wing ($56 value); Freedom Rides Museum ($20 value); Montgomery Zoo & Mann Museum ($64 value); Old Alabama Town ($40 value); Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts; Civil War Museum; and Civil Rights Museum
-$1,000 VISA Gift Card to cover transportation expenses to and from Montgomery, Alabama
Total Value = $4,132.00
Third Grand Prize Entry Period Prize: May 27-June 9
“Perfect Girlfriends Getaway” at Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa, Point Clear, Alabama, prize includes:
-Junior Suite for four people with a connecting guest room for two nights ($1,700 value)
-Golf package for 4 people consisting of: one round of golf, rental of two golf carts and a $50 credit for the beverage cart or Lakewood Clubhouse, and a $50 credit at the Golf Shop at Lakewood ($679 value)
-Spa merchandise & spa treatments (up to $800)
-Breakfast Buffet for two days ($225 value)
-$100 to spend in Resort Shop
-$1,000 VISA Gift Card to cover transportation expenses to and from Point Clear, Alabama
Total Value = $4,504.00
Fourth Grand Prize Entry Period Prize: June 10-June 23
“Where History & the Hits Were Made” at Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa, Florence, Alabama
-Governors Suite for four for two nights ($1,800 value)
-Spa Treatments (up to $450)
-Dinner at Swampers Bar and Grille (up to $100)
-Breakfast at Swampers Bar and Grille (up to $65)
-Four rounds of Golf at RTJ ($336 value)
-Dinner at 360 Grille (up to $250)
-Breakfast in Bed (up to $80)
-Tour of Rosenbaum House for four, a Frank Lloyd Wright Home ($32 value)
– Tour Ivy Green for four, Helen Keller’s birthplace ($16 value)
-$1,000 VISA Gift Card to cover transportation expenses to and from Florence, Alabama
Total Value = $4,129.00
Fifth Grand Prize Entry Period Prize: June 24-July 7
“Golfer’s Dream Getaway” at Montgomery Marriott Prattville Hotel & Conference Center at Prattville, Alabama; prize includes:
-Governors Suite with a connecting guest room for four people for two nights ($716 value)
-Oak Tavern Restaurant breakfast buffet for two days (up to $96)
-Golf package for four including: One round of golf, rental of two golf carts, $50.00 spending money for the beverage cart or Club House, and $150.00 spending money to The Golf Shop ($500 value)
-Four private one hour lessons from the Golf Pro ($400 value)
-Lunch and dinner at the Oak Tavern Restaurant or Lounge (up to $300)
-$400 Gift Certificate to Bass Pro Shops
-Tickets for four to the following local attractions: Complimentary Segway Historical City Tours ($280 value); Hank Williams Museum ($40 value); Rosa Parks Museum & Children’s wing ($56 value); Freedom Rides Museum ($20 value); Montgomery Zoo & Mann Museum ($64 value); Old Alabama Town ($40 value); Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts; Civil War Museum; Civil Rights Museum; and Jasmine Hill Gardens ($28 value)
-$1,000 VISA Gift Card to cover transportation expenses to and from Prattville, Alabama
Total Value = $3,940.00
Sixth Grand Prize Entry Period Prize: July 8-July 21
“Explore the Coast” at Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile, Alabama, prize includes:
-Executive Suite for four people with a connecting guest room & valet parking for two nights ($2,318 value)
-A round of Golf for four people at Magnolia Grove ($400 value)
-City Passes for four for the following local attractions: 5 Rivers Delta Center; Five Rivers Delta Safari – scheduled tour ($80 value); Bellingrath Gardens and Home ($80 value); Alabama Cruises at Bellingrath ($80 value); Bragg-Mitchell Mansion ($20 value); Conde-Charlotte Museum House ($20 value); Estuarium at Dauphin Island Sea Lab ($40 value); Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center and IMAX ($64 value); Hank Aaron Childhood Home and Museum ($20 value); History Museum of Mobile and Phoenix Fire Museum ($28 value); Mobile Botanical Gardens ($20 value); Mobile Carnival Museum ($20 value); Mobile Museum of Art ($40 value); Oakleigh Historic Complex ($40 value); Richards-DAR House Museum ($20 value); and USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park ($60 value)
-Meals in the Harbor Room or Fathoms Lounge (up to $250 value)
-$1,000 VISA Gift Card to cover transportation expenses to and from Mobile, Alabama
Total Value = $4,600.00
Seventh Grand Prize Entry Period Prize: July 22-August 4
“Athletics & Adventure Getaway” at Auburn Marriott Opelika Hotel & Conference Center at Opelika, Alabama; prize includes:
-Executive Suite for four people with a connecting guest room, two nights ($676 value)
-Breakfast Buffet for 2 days in the House Restaurant (up to $96)
-Golf package for four people including: One round of golf; Rental of two golf carts; $50.00 spending money for Beverage Cart or Clubhouse; $150.00 spending money for The Golf Shop ($500 value)
– Meals in the Lakeview Restaurant, Splash or Fairways Lounge (up to $300)
-$300 Gift Certificate for Tiger Town Shopping Center or historic shops of Auburn
-Tickets for four to an Auburn Athletics event ($400 value, includes concessions)
-Four private one-hour lessons from the tennis pro ($400 value)
-Four private one-hour lessons from the golf pro ($400 value)
-$1,000 VISA Gift Card to cover transportation expenses to and from Opelika, Alabama
Total Value = $4,072.00
Eighth Grand Prize Entry Period Prize: August 5-August 18
“Ultimate Mardi Gras in Mobile” at The Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa in Mobile, AL; prize includes:
-Executive Suite for four people with a connecting guest room & valet parking for two nights ($2,468 value)
-Spa merchandise and spa treatments (up to $400)
-City Passes for four for the following local attractions: 5 Rivers Delta Center; Five Rivers Delta Safari – scheduled tour ($80 value); Bellingrath Gardens and Home ($80 value); Alabama Cruises at Bellingrath ($80 value); Bragg-Mitchell Mansion ($20 value); Conde-Charlotte Museum House ($20 value); Estuarium at Dauphin Island Sea Lab ($40 value); Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center and IMAX ($64 value); Hank Aaron Childhood Home and Museum ($20 value); History Museum of Mobile and Phoenix Fire Museum ($28 value); Mobile Botanical Gardens ($20 value); Mobile Carnival Museum ($20 value); Mobile Museum of Art ($40 value); Oakleigh Historic Complex ($40 value); Richards-DAR House Museum ($20 value); and USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park ($60 value)
-Meals at Joe Cain Cafe (up to $100)
-$1,000 VISA Gift Card to cover transportation expenses to and from Mobile, AL
Total Value = $4,600.00
One (1) entry per person per day regardless of method of entry is allowed. Prize Limit: One (1) prize per person or household during the entire Promotion Period. Non-winning entries from each grand prize entry period will not be carried over to subsequent grand prize drawings.
Separate random drawings will be conducted from among all eligible entries received for each Grand Prize Period, on or about the business day following the end date of each Grand Prize Entry Period. The Winners will be notified by phone, mail or email no later than five (5) days after each drawing.
Alabama Tourism searches for the state’s best BBQ Sauce
Community leaders in four Alabama cities will sample local barbecue sauces and send regional winners to the “BBQ Sauce-Off” championship on May 18 in Birmingham.
The regional competitions will begin May 4 in downtown Montgomery at the Southern Makers Festival and in Mobile at the Market on the Square. The following Saturday competitions will be held in Decatur at the Decatur/Morgan County Farmers Market and in Tuscaloosa at the Tuscaloosa River Market.
Alabama Tourism Department’s Brian Jones said the Sauce-Off is a follow up to the popular BBQ Bracket contest on Facebook that state tourism did last month. “We had more than 81,000 votes cast on our Alabama Food Facebook page with Jim ‘N Nick’s as our state winner. The BBQ Bracket was like a hit movie and the Sauce-Off is our sequel,” Jones said.
Thirty-four sauces were gathered from restaurants and grocery stores across the state to be sampled by the judges in blind taste tests, he said. Sauces in the contest include: Bailey’s, Baumhower’s, Berdeaux’s, BBQ Shack, Big Bob Gibson, Bishop’s, Bob Sykes, Bryant, Carlile’s, Costas, Crusty Butts & Bones, Dale’s BBQ, Demetri’s, Dreamland, Fat Boy’s, Full Moon, Golden Rule, Jim ‘N Nick’s, Johnny’s BBQ, LawLers, Mike & Ed’s, Mike Elliott’s, Moon Hollow, Noodie’s, Ollie’s, Perfect Bite BBQ, Phil’s, Rob’s, Saban Sauce, Saw’s, Saucy Q, Slaphappy BBQ, Thomas Rib Shack and Viper.
You can learn more about Alabama food products, chefs, culinary destinations and events at Facebook.com/AlabamaFood and at www.yearofalabamafood.com.
World Premiere of Space Warriors
Nearly 800 people turned out for the World Premiere of the movie Space Warriors, shot entirely on location at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. The movie starred Danny Glover, Josh Lucas, Mira Sorvino and a number of well-known youth actors, including Thomas Horn. Horn is best-known for his role in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close with Tom Hanks. Most of the youth actors were able to attend the event, along with the executive producers from Hollywood. More than 100 local folks worked on the film as either cast or crew. Many of the extras were part of the Thursday night events held at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Space Warriors is currently being shown exclusively in Huntsville at the Space & Rocket Center and is in theaters. The movie will soon make its way in front of a national television audience on the Hallmark Channel on May 31st at 7:00 PM Central.
Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell made a special presentation to Spencer Proffer, one of the executive directors of the movie. Governor Robert Bentley made Mr. Proffer Alabama’s newest honorary citizen for his role in getting the movie Space Warriors filmed in Alabama. Mr. Proffer graciously thanked the state of Alabama for help in making the filming possible.
Kathy Faulk, Manager of the Alabama Film Office and Greg Canfield, Director of Alabama’s Department of Commerce also attended the event inside the 3-D Theater at the Space Center.
Montgomery slates plantings of Coretta Scott King roses
On May 4, the new “Coretta Scott King Rose: An American Symbol of Peace and Love” will be planted at several locations in Montgomery, the city where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King lived when he began his leadership of the American Civil Rights Movement. Locations in Montgomery will include the Dexter Avenue Memorial Baptist Church parsonage, where Dr. and Mrs. King lived during his pastorate of the church, and which was bombed during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The rose will also be planted on that date at the Alabama state capitol in Montgomery and in three locations in Marion, the town where Mrs. King was born: the Courthouse, the Lincoln School, which she attended, and Mt. Tabor A.M.E. Zion Church, where she worshipped as a youth. On May 4, the Coretta Scott King Rose will be planted at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, AL.
King Center C.E.O. Bernice A. King said that “This beautiful rose is truly ‘a symbol of peace and love,” as was Coretta Scott King, and we mark her birthday with a joyful sense of gratitude for her tireless devotion to advancing my father’s legacy of nonviolence. It is gratifying that the rose will soon be blooming in Montgomery, where they began their historic journey that made America a more just and democratic nation.
According to the official horticultural description of the Coretta Scott King Grandiflora Rose, “This graceful beauty is a delectable treat for the eyes. Reminiscent of a creamsicle treat, long, pointed buds spiral open to reveal creamy white blooms blushed with tropical tones of coral-orange. The upright, bushy plants hold the long-lasting clusters of double blooms high, for all to see, in a continuous display of color and flower power. Her ‘wrapper’ of deep green is endowed with good disease resistance ensuring it stays clean and attractive all season long. Cool temperatures bring out the best color. Named to honor author, activist and human rights leader, the late Mrs. Coretta Scott King who valiantly carried on the work of her husband Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Flower Size: 4″; Fragrance: Moderate tea and spice; Hybridizer: Bedard, 2014.”
Ms. King shared that the Coretta Scott King Rose was also planted in ceremonies at several historic loations. In addition to the planting at The King Center, the rose was planted at: the Georgia State Capitol; the Morehouse College campus; the Spelman College campus; the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site of the National Park Service; and Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
For more information on the event, please contact Doris Crenshaw at 334-868-0277.
New multi-use trail system at Forever Wild Jacinto Port Tract in Mobile County offers expanded access to Mobile-Tensaw Delta
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) State Lands Division has opened a multi-use trail system at the Forever Wild Jacinto Port Tract near Saraland, Ala., in Mobile County. The Jacinto Port Tract is part of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, the second largest delta in the United States and home to some of the most biologically diverse habitat in Alabama. For example, the Delta is home to hundreds of plants and animal species several of which can be found along the Jacinto Port trails.
The Jacinto Port trail system comprises six trails with a combined length of approximately 7.5 miles. The individual trails are: the Longleaf Trail, 2.9 miles; Brickport Trail, 1.15 miles; Northridge Trail, 1 mile; Turkey Cutoff Trail, 1 mile; Furnace Hill Trail, .4 mile; and the Bayou Sara Loop Trail, 1 mile.
Beginning in 2013, the trails will open seasonally from May 1 through September 15 to hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders. Jacinto Port is part of the Alabama Division Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries’ Wildlife Management Area (WMA) system, and users of the trail must have a WMA license and WMA area permit in order to take advantage of the trails. WMA Licenses ($16.70, annually) and WMA area permits (free) are available online at www.outdooralabama.com.
The trail system crosses sandhill longleaf pine, slash pine, and hardwood habitat as well as a few unnamed tributaries. Three overlooks provide trail users with views of Bayou Sara and the surrounding Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Wildlife is abundant along the trails and the birding is excellent so don’t forget to bring a camera. Two species of kite, swallow-tailed and Mississippi, can be seen throughout the trail system. Other birds common to the area include: prothonotary warbler, Northern parula, great egret, little blue heron, yellow-crowned night heron, Eastern kingbird, indigo bunting, blue grosbeak, summer tanager, common yellowthroat, Northern bobwhite and yellow-breasted chat.
The trails also pass through historically significant areas where bricks made from locally sourced clay were transported throughout the region via Bayou Sara (possibly Civil War-era and earlier). Remnants of the brickmaking facilities and the bricks can still be found along the trail. A campsite is also available at one of the overlooks along the Bayou Sara Loop. The campsite is first-come,-first-served. Campers are encouraged to Leave No Trace and let someone know where and when they will be staying overnight on the trail.
In addition to the trails, Jacinto Port provides access to the waterways in the upper reaches of the Delta via the Bartram Canoe Trail. Day and overnight trips with access to floating-camping platforms are available. Jacinto Port is also open to hunting when in season. All hunting season(s) rules and regulations apply.
Directions to the Jacinto Port parking lot: From Mobile, travel US Highway 43 North for approximately 4 miles. Turn right onto Station Avenue. The parking lot is on the left.
Parking Lot Coordinates: N 30.810888 W -88.062085
For more information about the Forever Wild Jacinto Port Tract and its outdoor opportunities, visit: www.outdooralabama.com.
Handworkers honored at AREA luncheon
Handworkers from around the state whose quilt squares were chosen for the 2013 Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives (AREA) Quilt attended the assocation’s 66th Annual Meeting luncheon April 11 in Montgomery. AREA’s Quilt program is now entering its seventh year of competition. This year, more than 80 quilt squares from all over the state were submitted for consideration. The theme was “Alabama’s State Symbols.”
The quilt will tour each of the 23 cooperative offices. Its final home will be at the One Place Family Justice Center in Montgomery, which brings together several different agencies under one roof to assist victims of domestic violence.
Handworkers whose work was chosen for inclusion in the 2013 AREA/Cooperative Quilt are: Denise Allain, Pea River EC; Brucell Crawley, Pea River EC; Jane Derrick, Cherokee EC; Sonji Breeding Dunn, Joe Wheeler EMC; Maxine Ellison, Joe Wheeler EMC, (with hand-painted artwork by Destiny Wynn, age 12); Wanda Faulkner, Central Alabama EC; Janice Gardner, Covington EC; Carol Glayre, Pea River EC; FaustinaGosa, Tombigbee EC; Janis Helton, Baldwin EMC; Ruby Johnson, Pioneer EC; Patricia Padgett, Arab EC; Barbara Peterson, Joe Wheeler EMC; Vicky Pitts, Joe Wheeler EMC; Nancy Poorbaugh, Dixie EC; Myra Preston, Tallapoosa River EC; Leslie Thorne-Thompson, Sand Mountain EC; Belinda Toft, Pea River EC; Myra Utter, Central Alabama EC; Debbie Wheat, Tombigbee EC; andLaquita Wray, Arab EC.
In addition, five squares were chosen to be placed in a display at Alabama’s Welcome Centers. The handworkers whose squares were chosen for this honor are: Denise Allain, Pea River EC; Sharon Henry, Baldwin EMC; Debora Talley, Cullman EC; Kay Thomas, North Alabama EC; and Beulah Wassman, Baldwin EMC.
Alabama Tourism Department Workshop
The Alabama Tourism Department Workshop date is on May 8. Please mark your calendar and make plans to attend the Alabama Tourism Workshop on Wed., May 8, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in Birmingham.
The free workshop, which is for tourism industry members, event organizers and anyone interested in enhancing tourism in their area, will be at the Westin Hotel, 2221 Richard Arrington Blvd. N., in Birmingham.
Come and learn about the many programs and services the Alabama Tourism Department offers. Be sure to get your registration in soon.
For information and registration, contact: Rosemary Judkins, Sales Manager, 334-242-4493 Rosemary.Judkins@tourism.alabama.gov
“We’ve Got Education, Innovation and Information for You” AGCT 2013
Mark your calendars for the Alabama Governor’s Conference on Tourism, Aug. 17-20, at the Westin Hotel in Huntsville.
For information and registration, go to: www.algovernorsconference.com
Alabama Tourism Department at work
Della Tully, Alabama Tourism’s UK office, attended the London Sundance Festival showing of Muscle Shoals on Apr 25th and met with both the film’s director and Rodney Hall of Muscle Shoals. She invited some media to see the film and one of the results was a great story in one of the UK’s largest daily newspapers The Telegraph. The Telegraph called the film “joyous, uplifting – and as funky as the music at its heart..” The U.K.’s leading documentary film distributor has now picked up the film and word is they will release in Fall of 2013. The UK office hope to plan a special event surrounding the theatre release. To see the article in the London Telegraph, go to: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10018048/Sundance-London-Film-Festival-2013-Muscle-Shoals-review.html.
To read Dogwoof’s Muscle Shoals announcement, go to: http://dogwoof.com/blog/post/new_acquisition_muscle_shoals/13693.
Alabama booth a hit at Southern Women’s Show in Nashville
A large crowd of mostly women attended the Southern Women’s Show in Nashville last week and empted the Alabama Tourism Department’s booth of brochures.
“Thousand of brochures were given out to women and families hungry for information,” said Grey Brennan of the Alabama Tourism Department. “We started with so many boxes of material it filled the booth. Before the end of the day Saturday they were all empty.”
Brennan attended the show for the Alabama Tourism Department and credited the success to the fantastic help from Gulf Shores and Huntsville CVBs, both of which helped man the booth.
By 3pm on the third day of the show all of the Alabama State Maps, RTJ Golf Trail Guides, Alabama Golf brochures, Alabama Vacation Guide and Calendar of Events, 100 dishes to eat in Alabama before you die brochures, 100 places to hear live music in Alabama pamphlets, Alabama State Parks brochures, Huntsville CVB guides and Gulf Shores/Orange Beach guides were gone.
Alabama Tourism borrowed information from other Alabama tourism booths and answered a steady flow of tourism questions for the remainder of the show. Also attending the show in their own booths were the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association and several tourism destinations from north Alabama.
Alabama Tourism upcoming events
May 4-12 – National Travel & Tourism Week – Nationwide
May 8 – Alabama Tourism Department Workshop
Jul 29 – Aug 1 – Alabama Motorcoach/Georgia Motorcoach – AMA/GMOA Joint Meeting – Stone Mountain, GA
Aug 17-21 – Alabama Governor’s Conference on Tourism – Huntsville, AL (Westin)
Sept 19-Alabama Mountain Lakes Annual Meeting
North Alabama celebrates National Tourism Week with free ice cream
In conjunction with National Tourism and Travel Week, visitors to the three north Alabama Welcome and Rest Centers will be greeted with free ice cream. Tourism is a $10.5 billion industry in the State of Alabama and members of the North Alabama tourism community celebrate one of the state’s top industries by giving away free cups of ice cream.
“The ice cream promotion is a way for us to meet with travelers and to show our appreciation to them for getting out and visiting the State of Alabama,” said Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association President and CEO Tami Reist. Tourism and travel play a significant role in communities across North Alabama by generating tax revenue when travelers make purchases at local restaurants, retailers, and convenience stores and by overnighting in hotels and motels, campgrounds, and bed and breakfast establishments.”
Members of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association will be greeting and serving Blue Bell ice cream to visitors at the three North Alabama Welcome/Rest Centers.
The I-59 DeKalb Welcome Center in Valley Head Fri., May 3, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The I-65 Welcome Center in Ardmore Fri., May 10, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Cullman Rest Area on I-65 Fri., May 10, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
According to Reist, up to 2,400 cups of vanilla ice cream will be distributed at the three centers.
The first full week of May is annually recognized as National Travel and Tourism week, a tradition first celebrated in 1984, according to the U.S. Travel Association. It was established as National Tourism week when the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution in 1932 designating the week to be celebrated in May. Localized events, such as free ice cream, are presented in cities, states, and travel businesses nationwide to champion the power of travel.
For more information on the ice cream promotion or the tourism and travel industry, call Reist at 256-350-3500.
Tourism Day Celebrations at Welcome Centers, and Motorcycle Motorist Day
Celebration time at all Welcome Centers is: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
May 2 – Sumter Welcome Center
May 3 – Dekalb Welcome Center – Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourism Association
May 9 – Cleburne Welcome Center
TBA – Lanett Welcome Center
May 10 – Ardmore Welcome Center – Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourism Association
May 10 – Cullman Rest Area – Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourism Association
May 17 – Baldwin Welcome Center
May 18 – Houston Welcome Center
May 18 – Motorcycle Motorist Awareness Day at all Welcome Centers
May 24 – Grand Bay Welcome Center
May 30 – Dekalb Welcome Center
May 31 – Ardmore Welcome Center
The Alabama Tourism Department News is a free electronic newsletter produced by the Alabama Tourism Department. It contains news about the state tourism department and the Alabama tourism industry. The newsletter can also be accessed online by going to: www.tourism.alabama.gov
Alabama Tourism Department