The Shoals, Alabama

April 26, 2026

The Shoals is a region in Northwest Alabama named for the formerly treacherous 37-mile stretch of the Tennessee river. There is a big dam and lock there now which greatly improved navigation, but nowadays the region is mostly associated with the town of Muscle Shoals and its adjoining sister cities: Florence, Tuscumbia, and Sheffield.

Tuscumbia is famous for being the birthplace of Helen Keller, and Muscle Shoals is famous for Fame Recording Studio, where artists such as WC Handy, Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, and the Osmonds got their start. However, our immediate interest upon arrival to the area was Singing River Dentistry. Several days prior, when we were still in Florida, Rick broke a crown on one of his teeth. He did this on a Friday when all the local dentists' offices were closed until Monday, the day we were leaving. We ultimately decided to make an appointment at a random dentist in Tuscumbia, Alabama for when we were going to be in town. Rick was a bit apprehensive about going to a strange dentist in a strange town, but it all worked out. They did a same-day crown and he was out in no time.

The RV park we stayed in would probably make our "All Time 10 Least Favorite Camping Spots" list in terms of ambiance. Most of the occupants appeared to be permanent residents, and there seemed to be an unusual amount of random mattresses lying about. The neighbor burning plastic in the fire ring one evening was the icing on the cake. On the plus side, we got a site that backed up to woods, and laundry was $1 each for washers and dryers, which seemed to function normally. Plus, it was within a 5-minute drive to the dentist!

Random mattresses and garbage burning generally do not contribute to a 5-star campground experience

At least we could mostly ignore the RV park when out on our deck

Not the best picture, but we were visited by a rather large snake during our visit. Most likely it was a harmless Plain Bellied Water Snake.

Cute little Green Anole

Overall, our week was pretty low key. We ventured into the towns of Tuscumbia, Muscle Shoals, and Florence a few times and discovered a laid-back setting with quintessential southern hospitality where everyone is addressed politely as "sir", "ma'am", "Mr", and "Miss".

First up, Spring Park in Tuscumbia:

Spring Park in Tuscumbia

Cold Water Falls --Purported to be the largest known man-made waterfall in the world

Surprisingly un-mangy ducks

Petrified tree stump

No, Rick wasn't the one who kicked the fence in

The train depot for the mini train that runs through the park (It was currently shut down for the season)

We didn't play this disc golf course, but this hole looks like quite the challenge to get over the river.

If you loose your frisbee in this river, good luck getting it out!

Walking along the Tennessee River in Sheffield:

An old stone bridge

Another day, we checked out some parks in Florence:

Wildwood Park

The River Heritage Trail

And finally, a better-than-expected bike ride through Muscle Shoals:

This bridge once transported trains across the river. Now it goes part way across and then ends.

End of the line!

The weather was perfect for a bike ride!

This dam and Muscle Shoals were the object of quite the political intrigue among Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and the federal government back in the 1920s.

Lots of birds! The tall tower in the background is the Florence Renaissance Tower, complete with a revolving restaurant on the top.

Wilson Lake, just upstream from Wilson Dam

Crossing the long bridge over the river

This just seems so wrong!

One night, we hit up a cute diner-esque restaurant in downtown Tuscumbia. Superhero Chefs is known for its excellent breakfast, but we happened to be there for dinner. The pulled pork quesadilla was good, and Rick couldn't resist getting an omelet. This was the first time ever that Rick had an omelet with beer. He said he probably won't do that again, but the omelet itself was deemed "best restaurant omelet since starting our adventure".

Downtown Tuscumbia

On the morning of our departure, Rick noticed that there were cracks in the spokes of our trailer wheels. We had no idea how long they had been there, but it did not seem like a great idea to travel in this condition. Wouldn't you know, there was a Dexter parts store a couple of miles away where we bought a couple of (ugly) new wheels, and then we drove another mile or so down the road to a truck place for them to be installed. After about an hour total, we were on our way!

"Before" See if you can spot the cracks--one on the left and two on the right

Usually the "After" is the more attractive shot

While Julie was sitting around waiting for the trailer wheel makeover, she decided to check the weather for where we were heading. We had been blissfully unaware of any severe weather for the last few weeks while other parts of the country were experiencing tornadoes and such. Upon checking out the weather for the next few days, it became apparent that our good fortune was about to run out, and a change of plans was in order. Tune in next time for our escapades in avoiding scary winds and monster hail!

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