Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama

Visit North Alabama
  • 5.0 (30)
  • Places & Travel
  • Updated Biweekly

The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast takes you through a variety of activities that await you in North Alabama. Whether it’s hiking, fishing, golfing, history and museums, the arts or delicious restaurants, North Alabama often finds its visitors pleasantly surprised by the unique attractions and adventures surrounding the area. Listen as we talk about North Alabama’s seven state parks, the Jesse Owens Museum, the popular Waterfall Trail and more. Join us twice a month to discover Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama!

  1. 6d ago

    124: Decatur Comes Alive for the River Clay Fine Arts Festival with Kim Mitchell

    Every fourth weekend in October, downtown Decatur comes alive as the lawn at City Hall transforms into the River Clay Fine Arts Festival. It’s a juried art festival that brings more than 70 artists from across the country to Decatur, Alabama. Kim Mitchell, executive director of the Carnegie Visual Arts Center and a member of the River Clay Steering Committee, joins Melea to share the story behind one of North Alabama’s favorite fall traditions. Kim explains how River Clay grew out of Decatur’s old Art Walk. The name honors the Tennessee River and the clay behind the bricks stamped “Decatur, Alabama” that still turn up across the state. She also covers what “juried” means for the art you’ll find, and why artists keep coming back for real Southern hospitality. You’ll hear how the Rendezvous preview party gives you first pick of the art, and how River Clay supports local art teachers and students through education grants, a student art tent and a student recycled art competition. Maybe you’re buying your first handmade piece, or maybe you’re planning a fall weekend in North Alabama. Either way, you’ll hear why fine art at River Clay is approachable and affordable, and why every piece comes with a story. Kim also shares her picks for making a weekend of it: Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, downtown shopping, free galleries at the Carnegie and the Alabama Center for the Arts, the Old State Bank, the railroad museum and Decatur’s historic neighborhoods. Learn more at riverclay.org and carnegiearts.org, and catch Kim’s first visit to the show in episode 107. Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email adam@thebrandrevolt.com. Chapters00:00 Welcome to River Clay01:12 From Art Walk to River Clay02:15 The story behind the name03:06 What festival weekend feels like04:04 What a juried art festival means05:16 Why artists keep coming back08:11 Live artist demonstrations10:03 The Rendezvous preview party13:25 Fine art for every budget17:26 Giving back to arts education20:39 The student recycled art competition23:48 Planning the perfect RiverClay weekend in Decatur27:56 How to apply, volunteer or sponsor29:23 What’s next for RiverClay30:44 Kim’s unexpected adventure

    124: Decatur Comes Alive for the River Clay Fine Arts Festival with Kim Mitchell

  2. Oct 1

    123: John Paul White on Muscle Shoals, Single Lock Records, and Why He Never Moved to Nashville

    Grammy-winning singer-songwriter John Paul White has built his entire career from Florence, Alabama. He has never lived in Nashville. Not once. Host Melea Hames sits down with the Muscle Shoals-raised musician — half of The Civil Wars, co-founder of Single Lock Records — to talk about the talent show that accidentally revealed he could sing, why his recording studio is still somebody's house, and what the Muscle Shoals legacy actually did for the generation that came after it. He shares how David Hood, Spooner Oldham and Jimmy Johnson treated him like an equal when he was nobody, why Single Lock feels more like a co-op than a record label, the Shoals and Huntsville artists he thinks deserve your attention right now — Caleb Elliott, Carver Commodore, Billy Allen + The Pollies, Gary Nichols — and the one place in North Alabama he tells everyone to visit, even though he is the last person who would call anywhere spiritual. Plus: where to eat in Florence, what he tells his songwriting students at the University of North Alabama, and the single most liberating thing he ever figured out about the music business. In this episode:A chicken farm in Loretto, Tennessee · "Stand By Me" into a mic for a level check · Why he never moved to Nashville · Sun Drop Sound and the twenty-yard commute · FAME Studios · The Muscle Shoals legacy, honestly assessed · Why the Drive-By Truckers left for Athens · Starting Single Lock Records with Ben Tanner and Will Trapp · Huntsville's music scene and the Shoals · Who to listen to now · Odette, Bunyan's, Staggs Grocery, Billy Reid · Tom's Wall · "Nobody knew what they were doing" Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email adam@thebrandrevolt.com. Check out these links for more from John Paul White and Single Lock Records! www.johnpaulwhite.com singlelock.com

    123: John Paul White on Muscle Shoals, Single Lock Records, and Why He Never Moved to Nashville

  3. Sep 17

    122: Unexpected Adventures During Huntsville Music Month with Matt Mandrella

    Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Matt Mandrella, Huntsville's Music Officer — the first full-time job of its kind in the country — who landed in the Rocket City by way of a decade in Austin and a run at Elvis Presley's Graceland. Matt shares what a city music audit actually is and why Huntsville commissioned one, how the scene grew into a $278 million music economy with more than 2,200 live music events a year, and why a city needs 50-capacity listening rooms just as badly as it needs an 8,000-seat amphitheater. Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email adam@thebrandrevolt.com.

    122: Unexpected Adventures During Huntsville Music Month with Matt Mandrella

  4. Sep 3

    121: Unexpected Adventures in Little River Canyon — Waterfalls, Hiking, and Hidden Gems

    Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Pete Conroy, Director Emeritus of the Little River Canyon Center, and Angela Bates, an educator with the National Park Service at Little River Canyon National Preserve. Angela takes us through a river that runs along the top of Lookout Mountain, three waterfalls including Alabama's tallest at 133 feet, and a boulder the highway was built around — while Pete shares how a $6.8 million building became a Jax State–Park Service partnership that's generated half a billion dollars in economic impact for the region. Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email adam@thebrandrevolt.com.

    121: Unexpected Adventures in Little River Canyon — Waterfalls, Hiking, and Hidden Gems

  5. Aug 20

    120: Unexpected Adventures on Main Street

    Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Tere Richardson, Executive Director of Athens Main Street, and Mary Helmer Wirth, President and State Coordinator of Main Street Alabama, to talk downtown revitalization. From Merchants Alley's $30,000 idea that became a $200,000 landmark to 16 new restaurants in 34 months and a boutique hotel on the way, Tere and Mary share what it really takes to build a downtown people want to visit — and why Athens is "an overnight success 20 years in the making." Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email adam@thebrandrevolt.com.

    120: Unexpected Adventures on Main Street

  6. Aug 6

    119: Unexpected Adventures at Lake Guntersville State Park

    Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Heath Puckett, Superintendent of Lake Guntersville State Park, and Andrew Kelly, to explore one of North Alabama's most scenic and beloved outdoor destinations. Heath shares his journey from golf course management to leading one of Alabama's crown jewel state parks, what makes Lake Guntersville special, and his vision for growing the park as a premier mountain biking and outdoor recreation destination. Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email adam@thebrandrevolt.com.

    119: Unexpected Adventures at Lake Guntersville State Park

  7. Jul 16

    118: Unexpected Adventures at Stars and Strikes Family Entertainment Centers

    Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Cooper Smitherman, Community Outreach Representative for Stars and Strikes Family Entertainment Centers in Huntsville and a writer, editor, and UAH Honors College Top Scholar. Cooper shares how a Master's in English led him to community storytelling, what it's like connecting people to one of North Alabama's favorite entertainment destinations, and why Huntsville's growing arts and culture scene keeps calling people back home. Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email adam@thebrandrevolt.com.

    118: Unexpected Adventures at Stars and Strikes Family Entertainment Centers

  8. Jul 2

    117: Unexpected Adventures on the Tennessee RiverLine

    Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Brad Collett, Executive Director of the Tennessee RiverLine — the bold initiative transforming all 652 miles of the Tennessee River into North America's next great regional trail system. From new kayak fleets launching across North Alabama to a $750,000 partnership with the University of North Alabama, Brad shares how landscape architecture, community partnerships, and a love of paddling are reshaping the way we experience the Tennessee River — and why North Alabama is leading the way. Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email adam@thebrandrevolt.com.

    117: Unexpected Adventures on the Tennessee RiverLine
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About

The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast takes you through a variety of activities that await you in North Alabama. Whether it’s hiking, fishing, golfing, history and museums, the arts or delicious restaurants, North Alabama often finds its visitors pleasantly surprised by the unique attractions and adventures surrounding the area. Listen as we talk about North Alabama’s seven state parks, the Jesse Owens Museum, the popular Waterfall Trail and more. Join us twice a month to discover Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama!

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