I was recently introduced to an amazing part of the country called Tuscumbia, Alabama.
How could such a little dot on the map have so much going on?
It does.
THE CEDARS BNB
We took a pleasant drive through rolling Alabama hills of green grass and scenic peaceful landscapes. It wasn’t long before we arrived at The Cedars BNB.
Greeting us at the gated entrance were the 40 beautiful cedar trees that surround the property. Adjoining horse pastures were fenced with split rail fences, and well-kept horses grazed all around us. New hay in big round bales was neatly positioned in the middle of the front pastures.
Our host; Jacque, had everything sparkling clean and ready for a cozy stay in her beautiful home. She keeps the company of a two acre estate in Tuscumbia that seems to be out in the country and secluded; but it is actually very close and convenient to many of the favorite tourist attractions which Tuscumbia and the Shoals area have to offer.
Our daughter and her fiancé borded in the lovely rooms of the main house where the residents maintain their own private suite.
Jacque showed us the owner’s luxury suite on the main floor of the house. It was one of the most uniquely decorated spaces I’ve encountered in a long time. Their fireplace was amazing! I had never seen a floating glass mantle before and there is a story around that mantle. Just go and ask for yourself. For me to say “unique” when it comes to decor is rare because I work for architects in my “day job” and I see lots of lovely properties every day. Well I can’t show you pics of EVERYTHING – you simply need to go there and hear the stories and see the lovely place for yourself.
Every single inch of this house has its own story. The stories were fascinating to hear and Jaque is a great storyteller; so you know we hit it off immediately.
The warm and friendly couple living here have traveled extensively, and you will see that fact reflected in their beautiful home. Each cozy area of the house was blessed with lovely art pieces they had collected; and the world view of the owner’s personalities was expressed in many little unexpected nooks of these unique accommodations. Be sure to get Jaque to tell you the story behind the stained glass window in their main-suite bath.
The owner’s live on the main level in a private suite with a living room that contains a lovely floor to ceiling fireplace. You can mix and mingle with them; or your can keep totally to yourself; depending on your mood and purpose for your visit.
The main-house guest suites are on the second level at the top of a beautiful old-world styled stairway. At the top of the stairs there was a very large and luxurious suite for rent with room for sitting and watching television and a private bath. A desk and lots of closet spaces are built in. This suite lives on one-half of the upstairs space, and three other rentable bedrooms, (some of which share a hallway bath) are on the other side of the upstairs spaces.
Each room had its own coffee area and some private seating of its own. There is one room reserved especially for the business traveler. It has a private bath. The décor was bright and cheerful and there was lots of light coming in from all of the lovely windows.
Downstairs spaces which guests were welcomed to use included a lovely and spacious living and dining area with a very beautiful and unique kitchen area that leads to the outdoor deck and patio.
Jaque’s husband made the custom-counter-tops for the kitchen. They were impressive. Each counter-top was made of copper pennies on the surfaces, then clear-coated to a smooth finish. The arrangement was to perfection with silver coins from their travels placed here and there which give an interesting design within the otherwise copper patterns. Bright colors gave a southwestern flare to the kitchen.
Right outside the kitchen is a lovely Brazilian wood deck that overlooks a lovely pool area inside a huge backyard play area. Guests are encouraged to bring their bathing suits and enjoy the pool.
When you are tired of swimming you can rock on the front porch rockers and watch their humming birds play. There are lots of beautiful outdoor areas to relax in and a grilling area is provided. We enjoyed dinner by the pool that evening.
My husband and I got to stay in the Carriage House that is located above the garage/carport area of the home. It was very comfortable, cheerful and spacious.
This lovely private suite had a king sized bed and a full bath. We had a sweet little kitchen and sitting area too. The entrance foyer contained a pretty little table with a guest register and it was fun reading the comments of all those who had passed this way before us.
I highly recommend The Cedars!
However; there was a lot more to do; and we didn’t spend all of our time hanging out at the BNB though it would make a perfect retreat to simply do nothing but rest!
If you wish to stay at The Cedars just give Jaque Monver a call at 610-568-4800. They are an airbnb. She is flexible and very accommodating to whatever you need to arrange. It would be a lovely place to have a wedding ceremony. Their prices are very reasonable for what they offer.
FAME STUDIOS TOUR
The Shoals area is known for producing high-quality musical talent. This can be traced all the way back to the 1950’s. We decided to take in one of the several music studio museums in the area. Our choice for this first trip was Fame Recording Studios. We will be back on another date to tour the other studios in the area. The information was great in this little old building. The musical history was almost overwhelming.
You would be amazed at the artists that have frequented this small studio that we visited. I knew we had come to the right place when I saw an album cover of my high-school heart-throb, Mac Davis, on the wall as we entered the studio.
He wasn’t the only one that I recognized though……there were MANY familiar faces; (or should I say sounds.)
Fame was the place where the Muscle Shoals Sound was born.
Just what is that sound?
The Muscle Shoals Sound originally had a little to do with four men in the “house band” called The Swampers. During recording sessions for Leon Russell the producer, Denny Cordell, noted their “funky soulful Southern sounds that were dubbed “swamp sounds.” Of course, the sound has evolved from decade to decade and there is a soulful mix that can be noted in most all of these musicians.
These guys initially worked for Rick Hall who was the founder of FAME. The four are the session band noted for having crafted “The Muscle Shoals sound” while working with FAME.
These days that sound can be defined better by naming names.
Lately the sound has been Gregg Allman, Third Day, Michael McDonald, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Aloe Blacc, Chord Overstreet, Keb Mo, John Paul White, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Jason Isbell, 400 Unit, Matisyahu, Bank of Horses, Drive By Truckers, Bettye Lavette, Cyril Neville, The Civil Wars, Anderson East and Jamey Johnson. That is only a few of the names that have come from recordings in this area.
From times in the past FAME has worked in the studio with Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Otis Redding, the Osmonds, Jerry Reed, Alabama, Mac Davis, The Gatlin Brothers and Bobbie Gentry.
These walls have stories to tell. Our guide was a walking-talking history book. He was telling us at least 50 facts a minute and I was afraid he was going to break the fact-speed limit!
The studio has sold over 350 million copies of records in the last fifty years. Some of these songs have been cut by Tina Turner, Gary Allan, The Beatles, Jet, Elton John, Sara Evans, Ronnie Milsap, BB King, Tim McGraw, Janis Joplin, The Dixie Chicks, All 4 One, Earl Thomas Conley, Leann Rimes, Huey Lewis, Martina McBride, Travis Tritt, Zac Brown Band and more.
Maybe you are getting a clear picture now. We had the privilege of standing where these legends stood and we got to be inside the same walls where they first recorded the songs that made them most famous.
Our guide knew the nitty-gritty details of all of their stories. He made the world of music in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s come alive for us.
We gazed upon the instruments and peeked into the control room. It was pretty amazing.
The tour lasted about an hour; and it was worth every penny of the very reasonable admission.
We left completely satisfied and amazed with a head full of musical memories; and an ever-increasing appetite.
THE RATTLESNAKE SALOON
We had worked up a good appetite as we toured all of that goood musical history, so as soon as we finished the tour we headed off to The Rattlesnake Saloon.
It was definitely dining like you’ve never dined before!
There is a nice sculpture with some flags as you enter. Be prepared for a short wait at the gate; because they will need to summon a wagon to take you to the cave where you will be dining. We had dressed for the warm weather we were experiencing at the time; but don’t worry about outdoor dining being too hot; the cave has its own natural air conditioning system. It was nice and cool once we arrived at our table.
How do you describe this type of establishment in words?
It is better to use photos instead:
You will ride in the back of a wagon down a steep mountain slope to get where you are going. Don’t worry! They know how to drive; and the scenery is interesting. Mountain views, horses, chickens, even a monkey here and there (I’m not sure why the monkeys were there!)
You will soon arrive at the cave and someone will direct you to your table and take your order.
So, yes; when our great-grandchildren ask us what we did to survive COVID19 we can smile and say “we studied our state’s musical history one day, then afterward we went to eat lunch in a Rattlesnake Saloon.” I’m sure none of the other grandparents can top that one!
Don’t expect gourmet in a place like this because it is more about the experience; but they had a nice selection of options and it was very good food and plenty of it.
Table Number 43 thoroughly enjoyed their feast! We didn’t have room for those HUGE Ice Cream dishes at the end; but people all around us were devouring them and smiling.
After the wagon carried us back to the car; full and happy we decided to head back to the Cedars for a nice evening swim and a little dinner around the pool.
It was important to get some rest that night because the next day would find us hiking through the Dismal Canyons.
DISMAL CANYONS
Why drive all the way to Colorado when you can get your own mini-version of the experience right here in the South?
This place was a mountain-climber’s pardise.
My daughter had said this hike would be an EASY hike; but being an old lady, I found it a bit more strenuous than my usual treaks through nature. There are lots of rocky terrains, hills, creeks to wade through; etc. All the same it was good for me and I totally enjoyed the breathtaking natural beauty of the canyons. The views were priceless! Just put on your boots and go; you will not regret it!
There is a charmingly quaint and spacious pavilion at the entrance to the caverns, (much was roped off because of COVID though) and a gift shop and cozy fountain area that serves sandwiches on the other side of the gift shop. You purchase your tickets from the gift shop and enter the canyon through their back door.
You can grab a T-shirt in the gift shop and/or do a little Christmas shopping. They have everything you can imagine a gift shop would have; and then there is the fountain where you can grab a bite to eat. We were planning on that but the tornado that came through the area at the end of our hike took away our appetite! If you are going to share a tornado as part of your next travel adventure; I highly recommend you do it in a canyon like this. Those rocks are not going anywhere!
As fascinating as the shopping and snacking were; nothing could prepare us for the natural beauty that lay ahead of us on this journey. The canyons were amazing!
The trail loops down some steps (many of them) and circles for a few miles through the canyon area, then brings you back to the steps where you started at the end of your hike.
We were amazed at the vastness of these breathtakingly beautiful canyons that were hiding just about an hour down the road from our own hometown.
The canyons were designated as a national natural landmark by the National Park Service in 1975. Scientist tell us that the canyon was occupied over 10,000 years ago by Paleoamericans. Their spearheads have been found scattered through the area. These people were some of the very first people to inhabit America.
Years later the canyons became home to the Cherokee and Chickasaw
There is a huge variety of every kind of wildlife and plant growth here in this 85 acre park.
Our hike was during the daytime; but after twilight the canyon lights up with creatures they call dismalites. There are guided night tours avaialable.
We saw the areas called Rainbow Falls, Grotto, Pulpit Rock, the Temple, The Kitchen area, Champion Tree, Weeping Bluff.
Looking up at the bluff, you can see the face of an Indian Maiden. The water flowing under the bluff is said to be tears the Canyon sheds for the loss of the Chickasaw Indians.
The water that creates what is called “Secret Falls” flows from an underground mountain stream that opens ono the earth’s surface about 3/4 of a mile upstream forming a natural arboretum where 27 species of native trees grow in one area.
Past the Secret Falls are areas called Dance Hall, Fat Man’s misery and Witches’ Cavern.
Each little spot of the caverns and canyons have stories to tell; stories we may never know but are privileged to stumble upon in our own journeys.
There are two rustic cabins on the property that can be rented and they look nice and cozy. You can find these canyons and all of their fun at 901 Hwy 8, Phil Campbell, AL 35581; (205) 993-4559; just down the road from Tuscumbia.
Remember the rules of the canyon; “Take nothing; leave nothing” except for the memories.
WE WILL BE COMING BACK!
One weekend wasn’t enough time to take in all the interesting places that are in and surround Tuscumbia. There is so much more and we will be going back to discover those things too.
Leaving The Cedars and heading for home was not easy.
Thank you for the brief visit Tuscumbia; we will be seeing you again soon!