Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area

Tennessee Valley Old Timers Fiddlers Convention Concert Series--Michael Reno Harrell & Josh Goforth
2026-07-23 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | McCandless Hall, Athens State University, 302 Bryan St., Athens, AL, 35611, United States
Michael Reno Harrell & Josh Goforth are from the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina where acoustic music and storytelling are part of life. Having been fans of each other’s work for over two decades, their performances are as natural as the harmonies of brothers. Josh is a multi-instrumentalist, storyteller & songwriter who carries on the traditions rooted in Appalachian culture. Michael is an award-winning songwriter, musician & storyteller whose roots reach back into mists of the southern mountains. Together they bring that experience to the listener with the humor and heart that their forebears are so well known for.

Village School Volunteer Workday
2026-07-18 10:00 - 13:00, 2026-06-20 10:00 - 13:00 | Village One School, Sheffield, AL
Join us for our next volunteer event at Village One School. We’ll provide supplies and direction — no experience necessary. Work will include anything from cleaning, painting, scraping, to yard work, to organizing materials and more. Email or get in touch via social media to sign up and/or alert us to specialized skills you might share. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty in, such as jeans and closed-toe shoes. Feel free to bring work gloves, as well. If you’re not able to stay the whole morning, please stop by anyway to say “hi” and see what we’re up to! Volunteer workdays are generally the third Saturday, from March to October.

Stars and Guitars
2026-06-26 19:00 - 22:00 | Wilson Park, 250 E. Tuscaloosa St., Florence, AL, 35630, United States
A free family-friendly outdoor concert in Wilson Park, featuring local performers. Bring blankets, chairs, picnics and bug spray!

Stars and Guitars
2026-06-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Wilson Park, 250 E. Tuscaloosa St., Florence, AL, 35630, United States
This free outdoor family-friendly concert with local performers is held in Wilson Park every Friday in June. Bring chairs, blankets, picnics and bug spray!

Stars and Guitars -- moved to Florence-Lauderdale Coliseum, Veterans Drive, due to weather
2026-06-12 19:00 - 22:00 | Wilson Park, 250 E. Tuscaloosa St., Florence, AL, 35630, United States
Stars and Guitars is a free family-friendly outdoor concert with local performers held every Friday. Bring chairs, blankets, picnics and bug spray!

Muscle Shoals Music Camp Showcase
2026-06-12 18:00 - 19:00 | Mane Room, 310 N. Pine St., Florence, AL, 35630, United States
Students who participated in the week-long Muscle Shoals Music Camp, hosted by the University of North Alabama, perform their original compositions in a free concert.

Women in Wildwood
2026-06-07 14:00 - 16:00 | Wildwood Park, State Route 13, Florence, 35630, United States
Join League of Outdoor Women for a hike in Wildwood Park to explore forest flora, fauna and fungi. This is a moderate hike with some inclines in order to reach some of Wildwood Park’s eco treasures. These include native wetland plants and insects and fungi hotspots.
This is a free event for women.

Landscape Sketch
2026-06-06 10:00 - 12:00 | 1399 N Montgomery Ave, Sheffield, AL 35660-7346, United States, 1399 N. Montgomery Ave., Sheffield, AL, 35660, United States
Join us at the standpipe in Sheffield as we learn the basics of landscape sketching! Initial instruction will begin at 10 a.m. where participants will get an overview on how to sketch a landscape. After the instruction is complete, participants will be able to sketch on their own and receive guidance from the instructor. Bring a pencil and sketch pad!

Stars and Guitars
2026-06-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Wilson Park, 250 E. Tuscaloosa St., Florence, AL, 35630, United States
Join Florence Parks & Recreation for a night of live music with Shoal Nuff Band! Don’t miss “Stars and Guitars” on Friday nights during June with a fun evening of music in the park. This event is made possible through the support of sponsors and grant partners, including Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Florence Parks and Recreation Foundation, Listerhill Credit Union, First Metro Bank and The Shoals. Bring a chair, invite a friend and enjoy a summer night in downtown Florence.

Cane Creek Canyon Spring Kickoff Fundraiser -- NEW DATE
2026-05-23 09:30 - 16:30 | Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve, 251 Loop Road, Tuscumbia, AL, 35674, United States
Join MSNHA along with the Friends of the Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve & the Land Trust of North Alabama at Cane Creek Canyon for a wonderful family-friendly day of exploring, hiking, music & lunch provided by the CCCNP Advisory Board.
The event is free and open to the public; donations are appreciated & encouraged. All donations received are utilized at CCCNP for maintenance purposes.
Don’t forget your camp chair or blanket for seating.
Event Details:
🧘Yoga: 9:30-10 a.m.
Start the morning off with a relaxing yoga session.
🥾Upper Loop Hike: 10-11:30 a.m.
Take a two-mile guided hike to Lacefield Falls, Lacefield Point & Canyon Rim Trail.
🎶Music: 11:30 a.m.
Enjoy the sweet music of the Cliftones.
🌭Lunch: Noon
CCCNP Advisory Board will provide hotdogs, condiments, chips, fruit, drinks.
💦Critters in the Creek: 1 p.m.
Sample and identify the macroinvertebrates that inhabit Waterfall Creek.
🌸Wildflower Hike: -3:30 p.m.
Enjoy a guided exploration of the wildflowers in full bloom.
🏹Archery 101 & Tournament: 3:30 -4:30 p.m.
Join the archery instructor to learn how to properly and safely use archery equipment.
🗑️Event Ends: 4:30 p.m.
The event concludes with everyone making sure that we leave no trace.

Athens Fiddlers Concert Series -- Wood Box Heroes
2026-05-21 19:00 - 21:00 | McCandless Hall, Athens State University, 302 Bryan St., Athens, AL, 35611, United States
Wood Box Heroes, the American acoustic super-group, is hardly anything like the bluegrass music you used to find in the cassette player of your grandad’s old chevy pickup truck. Deeply rooted in tradition while melding together an eclectic-array of sounds from the country, bluegrass, blues, jazz, rock & classical varieties, paired with crafty & authentic songwriting, the band delivers a piercing listening experience that plunges deep into the caverns of the soul.Bringing together some of the world’s most highly lauded musicians in Matt Menefee (banjo-Mumford & Sons, Cadillac Sky, Warren Haynes) and Barry Bales (bass-Alison Krauss & Union Station) backing up the vocal magic of Jenee Fleenor (fiddle-Blake Shelton, Larry Cordle) and Josh Martin (singer/songwriter/guitarist), this unit has over a century of musical seasoning between them.Doors to McCandless Hall open at 6 p.m.

Village School Workday
2026-05-16 10:00 - 13:00, 2026-04-18 10:00 - 13:00 | Village One School, Sheffield, AL

Shoals Storytelling Festival
2026-05-14 19:00 - 2026-05-16 17:00 | Shoals Theatre, 123 N. Seminary St., Florence, AL
The Shoals Storytelling Festival, listed as a Top Twenty Events in the Southeast, began in 2011 as the Front Porch Storytelling Festival. It was originally hosted on the campus of the University of North Alabama, in Florence. In 2017 the festival moved to the historic Shoals Theatre in downtown Florence and was renamed The Shoals Storytelling Festival to acknowledge its home in The Shoals — an area rich in history, stories and music

Oakville Indian Mounds Festival
2026-05-09 10:00 - 16:00 | Oakville Indian Mounds Education Center, 1219 County Road 187, Danville, AL, 35619, United States
This annual educational festival features music, dancing, crafts, history and other family-friendly activities. Free admission. Friday, May 8, is for school groups.

Belle Mont Mansion
2026-05-09 09:00 - 18:00 | Belle Mont, 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, AL, 35674, United States
Join us at Belle Mont Mansion for the 5th annual Belle Mont Celtic Fest! We will have returning favorites such as the Sean Heely Band, Chambless and Muse and the Piper Jones Band.
There will also be Celtic themed vendors, food trucks, a Kids Tent, highland cows, historical discussions, demonstrations and more
More information about the Festival can be found at bellemontcelticfest.com.

Sheffield PorchFest
2026-05-09 | Sheffield, North Montgomery Avenue, Sheffield, AL, 35660, United States
Presented by Visit the Shoals, Fernhill Realty, WLAY, Noble Steed Music, and Russell Barbecue, Sheffield PorchFest is a free, family-friendly music festival held on the historic porches, sidewalks and front yards of Sheffield. For one afternoon each year, neighbors become hosts, porches become stages and the city’s streets fill with the sound of local musicians.
Rooted in the rich musical legacy of the Shoals and focused on the artists shaping it today, PorchFest is a celebration of the music, creativity and community that define the Center of the Shoals.

Belle Mont Celtic Fest
2026-05-08 10:00 - 16:00 | Belle Mont, 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, AL, 35674, United States

Keep the Natchez Trace Beautiful!
2026-05-03 10:00 - 12:00 | Natchez Trace Parkway
Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area is partnering with Southern Native and Wildwood Tavern, both in Florence, to host a clean-up event on the Natchez Trace Parkway. We’ll have teams at three different locations — one in Mississippi, one in Alabama & one in Tennessee. (A choose-your-own-journey situation). Sign up for which location you’d like to attend. We’ll provide trash bags, and you bring whatever else you think is necessary. Afterwards we’ll meet up at Wildwood Tavern for lunch around 1:30 p.m.!

“Echoes of the Forks of Cypress”
2026-04-24 17:00 | Shoals Theatre, 123 N. Seminary St., Florence, AL
Frederick Murphy is the founder of History Before Us, a project that aims to capture, preserve & advocate for influential history. His film “Echoes of the Forks of Cypress” follows his own research to trace his ancestry back to the Forks of Cypress, in Florence, and the journey of both Black and white descendants as they reckon with their shared past to consider a healing path forward.⁠⁠As part of the 2026 Symposium that MSNHA helps sponsor, Project Threadways will partner with Florence Arts and Museums to stage a screening of “Echoes of the Forks of Cypress.” After the film, Florence Arts & Museums Director Brian Murphy will lead a panel conversation with Frederick Murphy and three other descendants of the Forks of Cypress: Curtis Flowers, Tamisha Sales and Karen Curry. ⁠⁠⁠This event is free and open to the public.

Project Threadways Symposium
2026-04-23 - 2026-04-24 | The Factory, 462 Lane Drive, Florence, AL, 35630, United States
Since 2019, Project Threadways has hosted annual symposia exploring the intersections of design, art, making, power, labor, and community. Each gathering has expanded on a central inquiry: how can making—especially through design and textiles—help us better understand the social, economic, and environmental systems we live within?
The 2026 Project Threadways Symposium continues this exploration through the theme of Regeneration. Presentations, workshops & exhibitions center cotton, from soil to shelf to symbol—who grows it, how it is nurtured, who benefits in the global marketplace & its generational legacy. Speakers explore power & representation in the supply chain, connect craft & culture and showcase pioneers who are restoring health & humanity to the world’s most ubiquitous fiber.
Regeneration reflects the core values of Project Threadways: slowness as care, sustainability as origin and education as liberation. It reckons with the harms of industrialized and extractive systems, offering repair through circularity, agency & authorship.
Registration is still open, and seating is limited. A waiting list will be available once capacity is reached.

Village One School Volunteer Workday
2026-04-20 08:00 - 17:00 | AL

Community Cleanup at TVA Nature Trails
2026-04-17 08:00 - 15:00 | AL
Join us along with the University of North Alabama’s College of Business and Technology & Keep the Shoals Beautiful for a community cleanup at the TVA Nature Trails, on TVA’s Muscle Shoals Reservation. Meet in the parking lot. Materials & equipment provided. See you there!

Sustainable Trails Work Day
2026-04-04 08:00 - 12:00 | TVA Reservation, Florence, AL
Join us at the Muscle Shoals TVA Trails Complex to help maintain historic Civilian Conservation Core trails for our first RiverTown event of 2026! An initial demonstration will begin at 8 a.m. in the picnic pavilion with hands-on training before beginning the trail work project. This event is for ages 18+ and requires the ability to stand and do physical labor. Don’t forget to pack a water bottle and snacks! Co-hosted by TVA and Tennessee RiverLine.

Shoals Music Archive exhibition opens
2026-03-20 17:00 | UNA Downtown Gallery, 126 Tombigbee St., Florence, AL, 35630, United States
Join us for the opening reception of “Visualizing Shoals Music,” an exhibition celebrating the launch of the Shoals Music Archive at UNA. The exhibit features photography by Abraham Rowe and Dick Cooper plus immersive multimedia from the Roots of American Music Trail project. Following the gallery reception, the exhibit will be open to the public 2-5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.

MSNHA Grants Workshop
2026-02-27 10:00 - 12:00 | AL
We’ve simplified the application process — learn how to navigate the new platform at our free grants workshop — lunch included!
This in-person workshop takes you through MSNHA’s new streamlined application process. Learn how to navigate the updates to ensure an easy & seamless experience. MSNHA Director Terah Klein will walk you through the steps, then we’ll break for lunch and she’ll answer all your questions. Perfect for anyone thinking about applying for an MSNHA grant.

Archaeology at Pope’s Tavern: Spinning
2025-10-05 12:00 - 17:00 | Pope’s Tavern Museum, 203 Hermitage Drive, Florence, AL, 35630, United States
Textile artisan & fiber arts instructor Emily Wallace will offer a closer look at the craft of yarn spinning in Alabama, exploring the skills, materials & preparation required to turn raw fiber into thread. Participants will gain insight into how this hands-on practice shaped daily life and connected people to their materials.

Wallace is a textile artisan & fiber-arts instructor from north Alabama, where she explores both historic & modern approaches to producing fiber goods by hand. She teaches textile workshops at the Burritt Folk School in Huntsville & tends a small flock of conservation breed sheep at her home.

After the workshop, Archaeology at Pope’s Tavern will continue its excavation of Test
Unit 7.

Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention
2025-10-01 - 2025-10-04 | Athens State University, 300 N Beaty St, Athens, AL, Athens, AL, 35611, United States
Bring the family and enjoy a uniquely American experience whose roots are buried deep in the Appalachian Mountains and beyond. It’s a musical and cultural experience that will thrust you into a simpler time where families were bound by the music they created and the stories they told.

Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention Concert Series
2025-09-04 19:00 - 21:00 | McCandless Hall, Athens State University, 302 Bryan St., Athens, AL, 35611, United States
The Seldom Scene was established in 1971 in a basement in Bethesda, Maryland. The original line-up–our Founding Scene Fathers–included John Starling on guitar, Mike Auldridge on Dobro, Ben Eldridge on banjo, Tom Gray on double bass & John Duffey on mandolin.
Charlie Waller, a member of the Country Gentlemen, is credited for the band’s name. Expressing doubt that the new band could succeed, Waller reportedly asked Duffey, “What are you going to call yourselves, the seldom seen?”
The band performed weekly at the Red Fox Inn before securing a residency at the Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, Virginia. The rest is history.
With their inventive take on bluegrass, The Seldom Scene has showcased both original material and interpretations of songs from limitless genres.
