FLORENCE-Florence/Lauderdale Tourism announces their annual Historic Walking Tours in Florence.
Free guided tours are offered each Saturday in April at 10:00 a.m. Self guided tour brochures are available from the Florence/Lauderdale Visitor Center. For more information, call 256-740-4141.
Check out the dates and locations below:
April 2, 2022– Florence City Cemetery: Tour begins at 705 E. College Street, Florence, AL 35630 or entrances on Tennessee Street at 10:00 a.m. Tour guide is Harry Wallace.
The tour of the Florence City Cemetery, established in 1818, features many unique headstones and famous grave sites among the rolling hills and towering trees. Florence City Cemetery contains graves belonging to early settlers, two former governors in the O’Neal family, along with other prominent community leaders and families. Tour begins at 10:00 a.m.
April 9, 2022– Walnut Street: Tour begins at corner of Hermitage Drive and Walnut Street at 10:00 a.m. Tour guide is Billy Warren.
The Walnut Street Historic District boasts tree lined sidewalks, diverse architecture and elegant homes. The Tour will begin in the UNA Tennis Courts parking lot on Hermitage Drive. Walk by 29 beautifully restored houses that originally comprised the Walnut Street Historic District and were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Parking available at tennis courts on Hermitage Drive.
April 16, 2022– Forks of Cypress: Directions to the site are as follows: take Cox Creek Pkwy. to Jackson Road and turn right ( no traffic signal at intersection) and turn right at the dead end. Tour begins at 10:00 a.m. Tour guide is Harry Wallace.
The Forks of Cypress Plantation was one of the oldest antebellum mansions in Alabama. It was built in 1822 by James Jackson, one of the first settlers in Lauderdale County and a friend of Andrew Jackson. Bring your lawn chairs for the beginning portion of the tour. Park along the road or enter the gate to park in the field leading to the columns.
April 22, 2022 – North Court & Seminary Streets: Tour begins at Rogers Hall, 1 Harrison Plaza, Florence, AL at 10:00 a.m. Tour guide is Billy Warren.
The North Court Street and Seminary street Tour will feature Rogers Hall, Coby Hall, the Governor O’Neal Home, Connor Place, Wakefield, the Robert Dean Martin Home, the Medical Arts Building Pope’s Tavern, two Sears & Roebuck houses and many other homes.
April 30, 2022– UNA Campus: The tour will begin in front of the Harrison Plaza Fountain and led by Billy Warren, City Historian at 10:00 a.m.
The Historic University of North Alabama campus tour will feature iconic buildings such as Wesleyan Hall which pre-dates the Civil War and the Memorial Amphitheater which is a memorial to UNA students who served in the military during war. A tour of UNA’s campus would not be complete without stopping by to see the impressive habitat of the university’s lion mascots.
Media Release/Florence/Lauderdale Tourism
