Alabama tourism continues to support state economy

Sorkin’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” will launch a national touring production in 2020

Alabama promotes tourism at Tennessee’s Pilgrimage Festival

Post Office Pies listed as one of the top 30 pizzerias in the country

Road trip just 2 hours west of Atlanta to this underground wonder

Case Rock Cabin in Alabama: ‘Not your average Airbnb

New Gravel Series in the South East – Southern Brewery & Distillery Gravel Tour

Todd Farms’ uniqueness attracts tourist, locals

New renovations at Cheaha State Park

State tourism website features Fall Color Map

ATD’s 2019 Fall tourism workshop scheduled

“Partner Pointer” for the tourism industry website

Alabama tourism continues to support state economy
From the article by Paul DeMarco on TrussvilleTribune.com:

Alabama’s success in attracting new manufacturing plants is the envy of other states around the Nation.

When you look at all of the auto plants in the state and their suppliers, that alone has driven Alabama’s economy in the positive direction. When you add aviation, the defense industry and technology sector jobs to the equation, Alabama is a hot place to do business right now.

Yet, Alabama continues to make waves in another arena – tourism.

For the sixth time in 13 years, Alabama has won an award from the National Council of State Tourism Directors.

It does not hurt that our state topography includes everything from the base of the Appalachian Mountains to the white sandy beaches on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.

Alabama is recognized as having one of the country’s best tourism programs in the country.

Dollars generated by tourism grew by 8.5% last year and increased to over $15 billion. in 2018. This amounts to almost a billion dollars in state and local taxes that support everything from education to public safety.

The state will maintain its strong position to be a draw for the manufacturing companies.

Thus, Alabama leaders need to continue to support one of the other shining stars for the state  – its tourism industry.

For the complete article please see https://www.trussvilletribune.com/2019/09/21/demarco-alabama-tourism-continues-to-support-state-economy/

Sorkin’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ will launch a national touring production in 2020
From the article by Ryan Gilbert on Broadway.com:

Aaron Sorkin’s acclaimed adaptation of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” currently playing Broadway’s Shubert Theatre, will launch a coast-to-coast national tour in August 2020. The traveling production will kick off at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., as part of the Center’s 2019-2020 season. Additional cities, as well as casting, for the “Mockingbird” tour will be announced in the coming months.

Produced by Scott Rudin and directed by Bartlett Sher, the world premiere production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” continues to break record after record at the box office, including its recent single-week record for the highest grossing American play in Broadway history. Since performances began on Nov. 1, 2018, “Mockingbird” has not played to an empty seat, with 100% capacity (or greater) for every performance.

Set in Alabama in 1934, Harper Lee’s enduring story of racial injustice and childhood innocence centers on one of the most venerated characters in American literature, the small-town lawyer Atticus Finch. The cast of characters includes Atticus’s daughter Scout, her brother Jem, their housekeeper and caretaker, Calpurnia, their visiting friend Dill, a mysterious neighbor, the reclusive Arthur “Boo” Radley, and the other indelible residents of Maycomb, Alabama from the novel.

The cast of Broadway’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” includes Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Scout, Will Pullen as Jem, Gideon Glick as Dill, Danny Wolohan as Arthur “Boo” Radley, Frederick Weller as Bob Ewell, Gbenga Akinnagbe as Tom Robinson, Stark Sands as Horace Gilmer, Dakin Matthews as Judge Taylor, Erin Wilhelmi as Mayella Ewell and LaTanya Richardson Jackson as Calpurnia.

For the complete article please see https://www.broadway.com/buzz/195305/aaron-sorkins-to-kill-a-mockingbird-will-launch-a-national-touring-production-in-august-2020/

Alabama promotes tourism at Tennessee’s Pilgrimage Festival

The Montgomery Gospel Trio, a group that performed regularly during the Montgomery Bus Boycott and recorded one of the first civil rights protest albums, represented the Alabama Tourism Department and the Alabama Civil Rights trail at the Pilgrimage music festival in Franklin, Tennessee.

Jamila Jones, Minnie Harris and Najuma performed for about 200 people in the Americana Music Triangle Experience Pavilion, singing some of the protest songs they helped make famous, while interspersing them with stories of when they originally performed them, sometimes in the face of dangerous, anti-integration forces.

Jones was introduced by her sister, well-known Montgomery civil rights icon Doris Crenshaw. Before becoming key figures in the Civil Rights Movement, both women were instructed on how to handle themselves when faced with racial injustice by Rosa Parks. The Montgomery Gospel Trio, whose performance at Carnegie Hall was recorded and became one of the first civil rights protest albums, is probably best known for helping to select many of the traditional songs that would become civil rights standards and for adding a verse that became a mainstay to “We Shall Overcome.”

The crowd gave the group a standing ovation. The trio can be reached for bookings by emailing jamjones44@gmail.com

Alabama was well-represented at the festival, which featured The Killers, The Foo Fighters, Keith Urban, War & Treaty, Leon Bridges, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Bishop Gunn and many others.

Rick Harmon represented the Alabama Tourism Department. Promoting Muscle Shoals Sound Studios was executive director Debbie Wilson and assistant director Anna Hyde. Rob Carnegie, president and CEO of the Florence/Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau was joined by employees Allison Stanfield and Randa Hovater.

“People expected The Montgomery Gospel Trio would be good, but I don’t think anyone expected them to be as amazing as they were,” Harmon said. “I can’t even remember how many people came up to me afterwards to thank us for our part in bringing them and to tell me how inspiring the group’s performance was.”

The Pilgrimage Festival, which is in its fifth year, doesn’t just provide some of the top entertainment in the Southeast but also promotes the American Music Triangle, the Southern locations that helped shape American music.

“It’s one of the best festivals in the country, and the fact it uses these great acts to help promote some of Alabama’s great music sites, just makes it all the better,” Harmon said.

Post Office Pies listed as one of the top 30 pizzerias in the country
From the article by Shauna Stuart on AL.com:

Birmingham’s renowned Post Office Pies has made another “best of” list. USA Today has listed the Avondale restaurant as one of the top 30 pizzerias in the country.

Earlier this month, 24/7 Wall Street examined the “best” lists on a number of websites including Food & Wine, Eater, and Thrillist, as well as regional websites. The site found a number of restaurants listed repeatedly, and from that number, 24/7 Wall Street used rankings, reviews, and “editorial discretion” to narrow the list down to the 40 best pizza restaurants in the country.

This morning, USA Today published a shorter version of that list, naming 30 restaurants.

Helmed by Birmingham native chef John Hall, Post Office Pies opened in 2014 and is owned by the same management team that runs Saw’s Soul Kitchen. In 2015, a second location of Post Office Pies opened in Tuscaloosa.

Hall left Birmingham in 1999 and cooked in kitchens around the South, including later working for chef Frank Stitt. Over the years, Hall built an impressive culinary resume, cooking with Michelin-starred chefs and restaurants, such as Chef Léa Linster in Luxembourg and New York’s Per Se, Gramercy Tavern, and Momofuku Ssam.

After living in New York, Hall returned to Birmingham in 2013. Post Office Pies was inspired by his late-night stints making and delivering pizza out of his New York apartment. Made from fermented dough that takes 12 hours to rise (the same recipe that Hall used in New York), the wood-fired pizzas at Post Office Pies are crafted with local ingredients, handmade mozzarella, and cooked in brick ovens.

Since returning to his native Birmingham, Hall has been an ambassador for the city. An evangelist for using local ingredients and teaching the city’s youth about food, he gave celebrity chef Carla Hall a tour of Jones Valley Teaching Farm. Carla Hall described the tour in her 2018 cookbook, “Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration,” writing that their conversation reminded her that it’s possible to get the next generation to love vegetables, and inspired her recipe for chunky tomato soup with okra.

Late last year, Carla Hall invited a group of chefs, including John Hall, to the James Beard house in New York to cook their interpretations of dishes inspired by her cookbook.

Hall has long spoken about his plans to open a second restaurant. In February, after some prodding from an audience member at the Southern Foodways Symposium, Hall shed some more light on his future culinary hopes, announcing that he has been working on securing a building for his “new venture.”

For the complete article please see https://www.al.com/life/2019/09/post-office-pies-listed-as-one-of-the-top-30-pizzerias-in-the-country.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=aldotcom_sf&fbclid=IwAR28QEoVpQ2-zZ4k2_lES3PuaQxb7V9HFFRWvDdQsCZSSXaLrgCWu66_Gmo

Road trip just 2 hours west of Atlanta to this underground wonder
From the article by Megan Manning on NarCity.com:

When trying to find a weekend adventure or even a day trip adventure, you should start thinking about road tripping outside of Georgia. We have so many cool destinations in Georgia, but sometimes you need to get away from it all and hop over to another state. Alabama is home to one of the greatest road trip destinations near Atlanta that has turned into a beautiful sight to see.

Neversink Pit is located in Jackson County, Alabama near Fackler, Alabama, which is only two and a half hours from Atlanta. This cool spot is close enough to just spend the day, or even just the night.

This is a natural wonder in Alabama that you actually have to travel underground to see. This sinkhole is 40-feet wide and is 162-feet deep. Neversink Pit is so beautiful and out of this world that it is one of the most photographed sinkholes in the entire world.

The best way to view the hole is by climbing down into the cave, but you can only do that if you are an experienced climber and have a permit because it is so dangerous.

If you are not an experienced climber, don’t fret. You can still take the 30-minute hike from the parking lot to the sinkhole. Even if you can’t actually climb down it, you can view it from the top and it is just as amazing. Make sure you take precautions to not get close to the edge, and again, only experienced climbers with a permit can climb.

There are hidden waterfalls all throughout the hole, and sometimes you can see them from the top. Ivy and ferns cover the walls of the pit, and it makes it even more magical to look at.

If you are trying to find an adventure off the beaten path and trying to get out of Georgia for the weekend, this is a great spot to head to. Traveling north of Atlanta, you can check out this new zip line-rollercoaster hybrid in Tennesee.

For the complete article please see https://www.narcity.com/travel/us/ga/atlanta/road-trip-destination-near-atlanta-is-a-majestic-wonder-with-secret-waterfalls

Case Rock Cabin in Alabama: ‘Not your average Airbnb
From the article by Mary Colurso on AL.com:

If your idea of an ideal vacation is lounging around a nondescript hotel room, with the air conditioner cranked up and the TV blasting, read no further.

Or rather, read further and find your perceptions challenged by the eco-retreat known as Case Rock Cabin.

It’s a tiny, off-grid house on the banks of the Locust Fork River, created by Glenn and Rachel Evans of Kimberly. He’s an electrical engineer, builder and inventor; she’s an artist, homeschool mom and chef.

The couple has been welcoming visitors to Case Rock Cabin since May, renting the space as an Airbnb. But as Glenn will be the first to tell you, “It’s not your average Airbnb. It’s more of an adventure.”

The 400-square-foot cabin was built by hand (by Glenn) and decorated with care (by Rachel), on an 85-acre property in Jefferson County. The cabin has a modern yet rustic vibe and can house up to six people.

“The design is my own,” Glenn says. “I can’t deny that I’ve looked on the Internet, but if I’m going to build it, I’m going to build it differently. … When I build things myself, I’m a dreamer and everything’s in my head.”

Primary materials for the cabin included metal and reclaimed wood. Glenn says he started construction in July 2018 and finished in February 2019.

Most folks would be daunted by the prospect of building a cabin on the Case Rock property, which is thickly forested and distinguished by rugged terrain. Glenn was not.

“I specialize in the difficult,” he says. “The impossible just takes a little bit longer.”

All materials for the cabin had to be transported to the construction site on off-road vehicles, and initially, Rachel wondered how her husband would accomplish that.

“To get a 14-foot piece of sheet metal on top of a Polaris Ranger, or a sturdy glass door, and then get it down there on a road that’s muddy, curvy and very steep … well, that’s an engineering marvel in itself,” Rachel says. “But he always has come through. He has a lot of ideas that seem crazy, at first. He’s the only person I know with the ability and the determination. He has a skill set and a vision.”

“When he said he wanted to build a ‘fish camp,’ you might think of a little shack,” Rachel says. “But everything he does has to be perfect. It turned out a lot nicer than anybody thought.”

“It became apparent to me pretty quickly that people were going to want to stay there,” Glenn says. “It’s unique and really cool.”

Case Rock Cabin can be found about 30 minutes north of Birmingham, and currently rents for $99-$109 per night. Thus far, most guests have stayed for one or two nights, basically trying out the concept, Rachel and Glenn say.

Case Rock Cabin has solar panels, an on-site generator and a composting toilet. There’s no electricity and no refrigerator. (It’s off-grid, remember?)

Guests will find non-potable water from water tanks, drinking water, a propane instant hot-water heater, a wood heater with firewood, a kerosene heater and attic fans. Kitchen supplies are provided.

There’s an outdoor shower, a hammock and a fire pit. There are miles of hiking trails and of course, the nearby river for fishing, wading or swimming.

Getting to the cabin isn’t easy; visitors stop at the Evans home and are driven to the site, about 1.25 miles away, in an all-terrain utility vehicle. When they’re ready to leave, they need to be driven out, as well.

“In the beginning, we had several people who came and said, ‘You mean I can’t drive my car down there?'” Rachel says. “I would say, ‘No, no, you don’t understand.’ … I’ve had some people who are still skeptical on the ride down. ‘Where are you taking us?’ Once they get down there and they see it — the level of detail and how much has been put into it — they’re happy. It does take them a little while to get into it.”

“We’ve had some folks that were absolutely terrified, but the next day, they loved it,” Glenn says.

Mother Nature makes her presence known on the Evans property, often requiring Glenn or Rachel to crank up a chainsaw when trees fall across the road to the cabin.

The area surrounding the cabin is quiet and peaceful otherwise, and an abundance of stars can be seen in the night sky.

“We get a lot of people who want an experience,” Glenn says. “People use it as an excuse not to use their phones. Cell service is sketchy down there, but the cabin has a radio to base camp.”

Rachel’s design sensibility can be seen in the cabin’s interior, and her artworks adorn the walls. “I wanted it to be light, very airy and very open,” she says. “I insisted that the walls be whitewashed. As far as the color scheme, I liked the monochromatic look. My favorite color is orange, so I used that for pops of color.”

Guests at Case Rock Cabin need an introduction to the kitchen gear, generator, compost toilet, outdoor shower and more. Camping experience helps, but Glenn and Rachel say newbies can manage it with a short training session. (There’s also a booklet in the cabin that offers step-by-step instructions.)

“Once we check people in, the first thing we have to do is teach them how the cabin works,” Glenn says. “It’s something you have to show people, but everyone’s been very nice about it.”

A sliding barn door separates the main room from the downstairs bedroom. The wood-burning stove, a vintage piece that’s fully functional, hasn’t been used during the hot summer months. Rachel and Glenn expect it to come in handy, though, when cold weather arrives.

“The furniture in the cabin, especially the living room, has to be fluid, so it can be rearranged,” Rachel says. “There’s a small table that doubles as storage.”

The Evans family stayed at Case Rock Cabin before it became an Airbnb. Glenn and Rachel have two daughters, Shelby, 12 and Nora Kate, 9, who offered their opinions on the cabin and the idea of opening it to the public.

“We’re very unorthodox, so something like this is normal to them,” Rachel says. “I think they’re used to their dad’s crazy schemes.”

Friends also stayed at the cabin, giving the place a few trial runs. “We wanted feedback on what we might have overlooked,” Rachel says.

The kitchen at Case Rock Cabin is compact and efficient, as befits the tiny house aesthetic. A sign there encourages guests to “Unplug. Rest. Reboot.”

Got supplies? “We provide not only artisanal popcorn, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and trail mix for snacking, ground coffee with chicory, half and half, dark roasted beans and a grinder, but oatmeal and all the fixings plus eggs from our chickens,” Rachel writes on Instagram. “All the better to enjoy mornings on the deck listening to sounds of the river.”

There’s a sleeping loft at Case Rock Cabin, and you have to climb to get there. Kids usually are the first ones up the ladder, Rachel says.

For the complete article please see https://www.al.com/life-and-culture/g66l-2019/09/4ec8e825c9392/case-rock-cabin-in-alabama-not-your-average-airbnb-more-of-an-adventure.html

New Gravel Series in the South East – Southern Brewery & Distillery Gravel Tour
Jo Dirt Racing, LLC lead by race director Joanne Cogle of TriColumbusGA and sponsored in part by Brickyard Bike Co. and Trek Bicycles, is proud to present the Jo Dirt Southern Brewery and Distillery Tour. This series consists of three events all beginning and ending at breweries and distilleries in the Southeast region.

The first event kicks off on Oct. 5 at Omaha Brewing Company. This race offers ride options of 3 (solo) and 6 hours (solo/relay) on a 25-mile course of a wide variety of surfaces. Paired with Omaha Brewing Co. popular Oktoberfest, this race is family and dog-friendly!

The second event takes place Nov. 23 at Red Clay Brewing Company in Opelika, Alabama. This race consists of 30 and 60-mile options featuring live music and post-race brews.

Our final event rolls out at dusk in Buena Vista, Georgia from the Swamp Fox Distillery on Dec. 14. Bring your lights and sense of adventure. This race consists of 30-and 60-mile options with post-race festivities, cocktails, games, and entertainment.

All racers receive sponsor swag, finisher growlers/glasses, T-shirts, event-branded drinks, post-race food, post-race drink (21 and over), photo opportunities at the Southern Treasure Chest and many other perks!

For more information https://gravelcyclist.com/training-rides/new-gravel-series-in-the-south-east-southern-brewery-distillery-tour/

Todd Farms’ uniqueness attracts tourist, locals
From the article by Michele Forehand on DothanEagle.com:

Joe Todd knows first-hand how tourism in Alabama can not only benefit a business, but an entire area.

Todd, owner of Todd Farms, relocated his business from Cottonwood to this Henry County community in 2012. Since the farms’ relocation, the number of guests visiting one of the area’s main attractions has skyrocketed.

When visitors stop at the business located on U.S. 431, they enter a general store-style building with shelves showcasing the Todd family’s syrups, jellies, pickles, relish, barbeque sauces, salsas and other products while enjoying the aromas coming from the popular Todd Farms Café, but, as tourists and locals soon learn, there’s so much more.

“We have a great location here in Headland,” Todd said. “We have a lot to offer our guests who stop by. Not only can you watch syrup making, eat a great meal, shop the general store, guests can also travel back in time while they visit our syrup making museum.

“We also have an RV camping spot at the farm and a pavilion area for those who wish to host or attend special functions, such as our annual Syrup Making and Field Day event.”

This year’s Southeastern Syrup Making and Sugar Cane Field Day event is scheduled for Oct. 14. The event will include guest speakers and station displays from Industrial Metal Works and Golden’s Foundry.

“We have people travel from all over the Southeast to attend this event,” Todd said. “This event continues to grow every year and we look forward to see return guests and new guests. Actually, we have guests stop in from all over the United States throughout the year. Some guests have made Todd Farms their annual destination during their vacation; and that’s a blessing to us.”

Todd Farms guests can enjoy a meal at Todd Farms Café. The cafe is operated by Todd’s son and daughter-in-law, Dewey and Annette Todd. Guests who wish to learn more about the history of syrup making can see syrup being made and visit the museum to take a trip back in time to see how life on the farm actually was is in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

Todd Farms also has an RV Park set up to hold 27 RVs.

“Since we opened our RV Park, it usually stays booked up, but I encourage everyone to call and check to see if we have availability,” Todd said. “Not only are our guests close to Headland’s and Abbeville’s attractions, we are very close to Dothan and not far at all from Eufaula, for those who wish to enjoy a little fishing.”

Todd Farms recently expanded its services to include selling cane mills that Todd designed based on his many years of operating and repairing the mills.

Todd’s new mills are manufactured by Industrial Metal Works in Dothan.

“We are working with Industrial Metal Works in Dothan with our cane mills and the mills are really taking off,” Todd said. “This is the first time a cane mill has been manufactured in Dothan. We have two models currently being manufactured – Todd Mill Model One and Todd Mill Model Two.”

The Model One series has been distributed to South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida Arkansas, and Kansas. The Model Two series has been distributed to Haiti, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and one regionally in Brundidge.

Todd said he isn’t surprised the new mills are growing in popularity because a lot of people are do-it-yourself types, similar to the way things are done at Todd Farms.

Todd’s Syrup Making History:
In 1861, the South changed forever with the start of the Civil War. It was in the fall of 1864 that Thomas Todd’s son, Eli, walked home following the Battle of Atlanta. Thomas and grandson Billy were stripping cane when they looked up and saw Eli walking home. That fall, those three made syrup together.

The tradition continued when Billy moved to south Alabama in the late 1860s with his mother. He set up farming, including syrup making, near Brundidge where Lockard Dewey Todd was born in 1898. L.D. Todd continued the syrup-making tradition and trained his three sons, Max, Gene and Joe.

Todd and his family have been bottling and selling syrup since 1997. Todd retired from law enforcement after 36 years, and the couple returned to the Wiregrass to live on a farm in Cottonwood. The first thing Todd planted was sugar cane.

In 2012, Todd made the decision to relocate the syrup farm near where his great-grandfather, Eli, settled in Henry County, and bought the current 76 acres on U.S. Highway 431 South in Headland. Now, his son and daughter-in-law Dewey and Annette and grandchildren Will and Haley have joined the family business.

Sugar cane grows through the late summer and early fall months and depending on the variety can be harvested as early as October and as late as December. When the sugar cane reaches maturity, the cane is stripped and the green, leafy tops are cut off.

Then, Todd cuts the cane. The cut cane is gathered and taken to the syrup barn where Todd feeds it into the mill to squeeze the juice from the cane. The cane remnants are composted. The juice is filtered and put in the kettle. And the routine of making syrup starts all over.

For the complete article please see https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/local/todd-farms-uniqueness-attracts-tourist-locals/article_69eac9fe-dd7e-11e9-a748-33ec2edd1be4.html

New renovations at Cheaha State Park
Check out all of the new renovations at Cheaha State Park. Along with a new kids playground that opened this week, the chalets and cabins received new upgrades. The cabins all have new roofs, flat screens TV’s and gas fireplaces. The chalets received new paint inside and out, new kitchen appliances including built in stainless steel microwaves and ovens. The chalets also have new mattresses and box springs and new living room and dining room furniture for an updated look. There are new 43-inch flat-screen TV’s as well. All of the chalet renovations were supervised by an interior designer. Here are some of the improvements:

•The chalets now have new living room and bedroom furniture and 43” flat screen TV’s.
•All of the chalets have fresh paint inside and out.
•All of the cabins now have new flat screen TV’s with DirecTV service.
•All of the cabins are getting new roofs of architectural shingles and copper flashing.
•The new playground opened this week with all new equipment and soft surface made of recycled tires.
•All of the chalets have new appliances including new built-in microwave and oven and refrigerators.
•All of the cabins have new gas fireplaces.
•The chalets have new mattresses and box springs on every bed.
•New LED path lighting for all of the chalets.

For the complete article please see https://www.al.com/life-and-culture/g66l-2019/09/21515229f34320/see-all-of-the-new-renovations-at-cheaha-state-park.html

State tourism website features Fall Color Map
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, a list of recommended viewing sites and a fall color driving route are all available on the state tourism website at www.alabama.travel.

Large concentrations of hardwoods make Alabama State Parks some of the best places to enjoy the fall color change. Joe Wheeler has an excellent viewing spot next to the dam and near the cabin area on the Lawrence County side. Autumn scenery can be found at DeSoto State Park at Little River Canyon and DeSoto Falls. Monte Sano has views of the Tennessee Valley along the Warpath Ridge Trail and its overlook. Cheaha’s Bald Rock and Pulpit Rock trails both have excellent views. Cheaha is the highest point in the state at 2,407 feet above sea level.

With cooler days and lower humidity, autumn hosts a variety of outdoor festivals. Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism Department, recommends several events designed around being outdoors and enjoying the fall weather.

Outdoor events scheduled for this fall include the Cullman Oktoberfest on Oct. 2-5, which celebrates German culture with authentic food, costumes, and music. The Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention on Oct. 3-5 will have 18 different categories of live music competitions and more than 150 area craftsmen displaying their arts on the campus of Athens State University. The Barber Vintage Festival at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham on Oct. 4-6 features hundreds of vintage motorcycles. The National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores on Oct. 12-13 features fresh gulf seafood, live music and arts and crafts. The Kentuck Festival of the Arts on Oct. 12-13 in Northport features more than 270 artists and craftspeople. The city of Mentone celebrates its annual Colorfest on Oct. 19-20 with a weekend of arts & crafts, family activities and live entertainment.

The Oyster Cook-Off and Craft Beer Weekend on Nov. 1-2 at The Hangout in Gulf Shores features all-star chefs and live entertainment. The National Peanut Festival in Dothan on Nov. 1-10 is the nation’s largest peanut festival. Alabama Frontier Days in Wetumpka on Nov. 6-9 will have re-enactments from French Colonial times to the Early American period.

ATD’s 2019 Fall tourism workshop scheduled
The Alabama Tourism Department will host its semi-annual Tourism Workshop, Wednesday, Oct 16. The workshop will held be in Montgomery at the Alabama Center for Commerce Building, 401 Adams Ave., from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. in room 342. The workshop is designed for new tourism industry members, event organizers and anyone else interested in enhancing tourism in their area. Many of ATD’s staff members will attend this workshop and you will have an opportunity for one-on-one time with each of them. There is no registration fee.

For additional information, please contact Rosemary Judkins at 334-242-4493 or via email at rosemary.judkins@Tourism.Alabama.Gov 

“Partner Pointer” for the tourism industry website
Have you heard about Alabama Tourism’s new promotion: Photo Challenge? Encourage visitors to post photos of their experience using #SweetHomeAlabama and their sensory hashtag of choice to enter to win a return trip to Alabama. It will not only raise awareness of the state but also motivate others to visit your establishment.

To read more about the promotion, visit https://alabama.travel/photo-challenge.