| Art Center/Museums | Florence/Lauderdale
Tourism
Shoals Chamber of Commerce | University of North Alabama Colbert County Tourism
Art
Center/Museums Department Email: Barbara Broach, Director The Florence Museums System consists of five separate properties. A wide scope of diversity exists naturally in the Florence museums. The City of Florence operates, funds and governs the five museums. Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts is open Monday - Friday, 9 am - 4 pm. The other museums are open Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm. Included are:
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This
restored log cabin was the boyhood home of the famous composer
known as the "Father of the Blues." The museum houses a lifetime
of memorabilia including his trumpet and the piano on which
many of his songs were written, such as "St. Louis Blues"
and "Memphis Blues." The museum provides scheduled care for
the artifacts associated with the Handy family and William
Christopher Handy; and it provides exhibits, educational programs,
and research activities about Mr. Handy's life.
The
domiciliary mound is the largest on the Tennessee River and
was built by mysterious early Indians who discovered Alabama
before Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek nations inhabited
this region. The museum houses many fascinating Native American
artifacts dating back 10,000 years. The museum is operated for
the purpose of showing, teaching, and interpreting the cultural
and natural history of the native Americans who inhabited this
area within a 200-mile radius of Florence. 
Once
a stagecoach stop, tavern, and inn where Andrew Jackson stopped
overnight en route to the Battle of New Orleans. Pope's Tavern
is one of Florence's oldest structures. It served as a hospital
for both Confederate and Union forces during the War Between
the States. Later home to the Lambeth family, it remained a
private residence until purchased by Florence in 1965 to preserve
and showcase the city's history. The museum is operated for
the purpose of displaying, teaching, and interpreting the cultural
history of Florence and the Shoals area. 
The
art center functions as a center for cultural activities and
is housed in a complex of buildings that are all listed on
the National Register of Historic Places. The center serves
as an administrative office for all the museums. It is a home
base and meeting place for cultural groups, and a showcase
and classroom for all arts disciplines.
This
house is one of the best examples of the Usonian style developed
by Mr. Wright and is one of only 26 built in the United States.
It is designated as a National Historic Property. It continues
as it was designed and built in 1939-1940. It is the only
structure in Alabama designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.