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There is always something new happening in Colbert County!
Be sure to check our Lodging/Package page for accommodation specials, and
our Calendar of Events for other regional and local events.
As the days cool off and the trees warm up with autumn color, the Shoals area holds special appeal for outdoor enthusiasts.
Peak Fall Foliage days are expected to last through mid November and the scenic drives and hiking trails in Colbert County offer some of the best viewing. Consider a hike at Cane Creek Canyon or along the trails of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Drive along the Natchez Trace Parkway or along highways through rural areas, such as Hwy. 247. Consider the world’s only Coon Dog Cemetery for a destination following a scenic drive through the Freedom Hills. Here you will find a woodsy clearing and the resting places of more than 200 faithful coonhounds. If you drive along the old Riverton Rose Trail, you may also enjoy views of Bear Creek and Pickwick Lake. From atop LaGrange Mountain, at the LaGrange College Site Park, one may view the colorful trees across the Tennessee Valley for miles. For more information or directions to any of these sites, contact Colbert County Tourism & Convention Bureau at (256) 383-0783 or (800) 344-0783.
Holiday activities and events are coming early this year to the Shoals with open houses, themed Christmas events, parades along city streets and waterways, and many special Christmas events. Watch for early events planned in November. You won’t want to miss any of these events, scheduled throughout the Shoals. For more information, contact the Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau at (256) 383-0783.
Shell’s Christmas Tree Farm, located in southwest Colbert County, will have several events coming up for the Christmas Season including an opportunity to select and tag your Christmas tree as early as November 7. Return to the farm Thanksgiving afternoon until December 17th to cut your fresh tree. Prices vary and tree selections include Virginia Pine, White Pine, Leyland Cypress, Carolina Sapphire. Prices vary according to size. Fresh wreaths and garland are also available. Enjoy free hot apple cider while shopping for a variety of gift items in the shop. For more information, call (256) 383-4207.
Visit LaGrange College Site and Pioneer Park for the annual “Christmas in the Country.” The event will kick off on Fri., Nov.20, with most of the activity set for Sat. and Sun., Nov. 21 and 22, when baked goods and handmade Christmas ornaments will be available for sale and entertainment is scheduled. The log buildings which re-create pioneer life on LaGrange Mountain will be decorated for the holiday season. Hay rides with Santa will be available for the children. Send a holiday greeting on an official LaGrange postcard from the “old time” post office. Free event. For more information call (256) 446-9324 or visit www.recall-lagrange.00me.com.
The Christmas Water Show in Spring Park, Tuscumbia. Special show will begin on Friday evening, November 27, and continue through December. Enjoy this light and water show each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night at 6:30pm through December 31. Free.
Beginning on Friday night, November 27 and continuing through December31, come out and ride The Santa Express Train. Rides begin at 5 pm and run until 8 pm on Friday, Saturday& Sunday nights. You’ll love seeing the hundreds of thousands of Christmas Lights on displays in Spring Park. Enjoy the beauty of the “Lights of Christmas” displays from the train. Many new displays added this year. Admission for the Christmas Train is $4 adults and $3 children.
Note: The Christmas Water Show and Santa Express Train will run every night beginning December 18 through Christmas Eve. (256) 389-1357.
Enjoy An Evening with Dr. Foster - A Holiday Tradition staged at the historic Ritz Theater in downtown Sheffield on Nov. 30 at 7:35 p.m. The concert is billed as a “time of recollection, reminiscences and music, and features the humor and talent of one of the area’s most popular entertainers. For more information call (256) 383-0533 or visit www.tvaa.net.
Holly and Ivy Luncheons, Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, Florence. Monday, December 1 through Friday, December 4. Lunch at noon. Special dinner Saturday evening , December 5 at 7 pm. Reservations only, tickets must be purchased in advance (starting Nov. 16). Lunch only $20, Saturday evening dinner $25. Purchase tickets at Kennedy Douglass Center) (256) 760-6379.
Musical Tour with Santa, Tuscumbia. December 1-18. The Alabama Music Hall of Fame will offer a special tour for student groups (reservations only). The tour starts at 9:30 am daily (Monday through Friday) This event is available for groups and includes: refreshments, story (What Snowmen do at Christmas), tour of museum, singing video with Santa and gift. Call Dixie Connell at AMHF to book (256) 381-4417. Cost is $5 for students and adults. Teachers & bus drivers free.
The Trees of Christmas exhibition at the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art will run from Dec. 4 to 24. Several towering fir trees will be elaborately decorated in themes. The popular seasonal exhibit attracts individuals and groups from throughout the region. For appointments or for more information call the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art at (256) 383-0533 or visit www.tvaa.net
Florence Open House & Festival of Lights, Florence. Friday, December 5, 5 pm-9 pm. Area merchants decorate their stores for the Holidays. Enjoy the official Lighting of Wilson Park. (256) 760-9648
Pope’s Tavern Christmas Open House, Florence. December 11 at 6 pm. Free. The Tavern is decorated for the period with live greenery. A special lighting ceremony “Every Light a Prayer for Peace” and caroling. (256) 760-6439
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” will be performed for the public at the Ritz Theater in downtown Sheffield on Dec. 13 at a 2:00 matinee. The antics of a large family of children will tickle your funny bone! For more information call (256) 383-0533 or visit www.tvaa.net.
To delight young and old, alike, take a Holiday Train Ride in Spring Park. The miniature steam engine pulls the open-air passenger cars through lighted holiday vignettes and twinkling Christmas lights. Fri. – Sun. evenings beginning Dec. 4, with extended days during the week before and immediately following Christmas Day. No train rides on Christmas Day. For more information call the Tuscumbia Railway Company at (256) 389-1357 or visit www.tuscumbiarailway.com.
“A Plantation Christmas” at Belle Mont Mansion has become a family tradition in the Shoals area. On Sun. afternoon, Dec. 6, the antebellum plantation home will be decorated in traditional holiday greenery. Music and dancing “of the period” will be performed and costumed docents will share the history of the home, which is owned by the Alabama Historical Commission. Refreshments served. For more information call (256) 383-0783 or (800) 344-0783.
On Dec. 12, Holiday Trolley Tours in Tuscumbia will take guests into several private homes decorated for Christmas. One historic church will also be open for tour participants. Meet the trolley and your knowledgeable tour guide at Cold Water Books in downtown Tuscumbia for the 2:00 and 4:00 departures. For more information call (256) 383-0783 or (800) 344-0783.
NCAA Division 2 National Championship Game will be played in Florence at Braly Stadium on Dec.12 with kick-off at 11:00 a.m. For a full schedule of activities call 740-4661.
Helen Keller Home Christmas Open House, Tuscumbia. Sunday, December 20, 1-4pm. The Muscle Shoals Council of Garden Clubs decorates the Helen Keller Home each year with live, traditional holiday décor. Enjoy a free tour of the home on this day. (256)383-4066
Christmas Parades
Tuesday, December 1, 6pm, Tuscumbia. Parade begins in front of Calvary Baptist Church on Main Street, continuing south on Main, then east on 6th, and back up North Dickson Street. Santa and Mrs. Claus make an early appearance in this parade. (256) 386-7200
Friday, December 4, 7pm, Muscle Shoals. This parade begins at the corner of Gusmus and Avalon and continues east to Sheffield Avenue and turns right by the Muscle Shoals Post Office. Sponsored by the City of Muscle Shoals and Muscle Shoals Businesses. (256) 386-9200
Saturday, December 5, 6:30pm, Sheffield. Begins near the Stand Pipe on North Montgomery and travels down to 1st Avenue where parade turns right and comes back up Raleigh. Community joins together for the official lighting of the tree followed by carolers and community singing. (256) 383-0250
Saturday, December 5, 10am, Leighton. Parade will form at Colbert County High School located on New High School Street. (256) 446-8409
Friday, December 11, 7pm, Florence. Downtown Florence Christmas Parade, Court Street, Florence. (256) 760-9648.
Boat Parades
Wheeler Lake Parade of Lights (Joe Wheeler State Park). Saturday, December 12, (dusk). Approximately 15 boats (some very large) line up at Joe Wheeler State Park and parade along the area’s waterfront. You’ll have a perfect spectator’s view from the park’s restaurant that will be serving a buffet meal. (256) 247-5461
Check our complete listing of Holiday Events on our calendar to discover more events.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a Very Merry Christmas!
All events subject to change without notice.
Events list compiled from information provided to the Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau (256) 383-0783
Updated 11/4/09
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