Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association proudly announces the return of free, guided walking tours beginning each Saturday in the month of April. Residents and visitors are invited to take part in a casual stroll through historic Athens and/or Mooresville and learn about their history and heritage.
The one-hour walking tours are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on April 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th at the Athens’ Visitor Center meeting room. In Mooresville, the walks will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will meet at the Post Office each Saturday.
Knowledgeable guides escort participants through historic neighborhoods and landmarks where they will share the history of the city and amusing accounts of the city’s storied past. They will share the history of the local businesses, architectural styles of the homes, and acrimonious accounts of the Sacking of Athens by Col. Turchin during the Civil War. The Athens tours features four different routes each week, each with a different theme.
Mooresville is the oldest town in the State of Alabama with the oldest continuous working post office. You can tour the six streets of homes and the famous 1818 Farm during your tour. The entire town of Mooresville is on the historical registry.
The four areas of tours in Athens are:
• Historic Beaty District
• Historic Houston District
• Old Athens Cemetery
• Historic Downtown Square
Reservations are not required and tours are held rain or shine.
Athens and Mooresville’s guided walking tours are part of the April Walking Tours coordinated by the Alabama Tourism Department. Athens and Mooresville are two of 26 towns across the state participating in the annual event.
April also starts our summer concert series. However this year, the Athens-Limestone County Singing on the Square has found a new temporary venue while the County Courthouse in under renovation. The new venue will be Big Springs Memorial Park.
Singing on the Square has been a popular event for the past several years for the Limestone County Tourism Association. With the lack of electricity at the Courthouse, we did not want to eliminate the event. The concert series is a way for new talent to perform and get their name before the public and allows the established talent to stay in touch with their fans. The park is a great venue for the concerts this year; it is very family friendly and there is great parking.
Starting at 6 p.m. on April 17th, we will kick off our concert series with a community favorite “Southern Splendor,” a barbershop quartet from 6-7 p.m. and Miss Lillian Glanton, a newcomer to the concert series but not new to singing. Lillian performs regularly at the Red Caboose in Elkmont and has been singing in Nashville at the famous Bluebird Café. The concerts series will continue through August, and as always you are encouraged to bring your lawn chair and enjoy the beautiful evenings listening to our entertainers with the sparkling water fountains as a relaxing backdrop. You will enjoy this year’s entertainers; we have some new faces and several familiar hometown favorites.
This year’s sponsor is Champion Chevrolet and Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association. On April 25th, make plans to attend the KALB and Athens-Limestone County Tourism Earth Day and Outdoor EXPO starting at 10 a.m. This combination event is even bigger this year! See more info on our websites and Facebook pages.
The Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization promoting tourism and quality of life in Limestone County. For information on special events and attractions in Limestone County, contacts the Visitor Center located at 100 N. Beaty Street, at 256-232-5411 or visit our website at www.VisitAthensAL.com.
By: Teresa Todd, President, Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association
