Editor’s Note: Today (Tuesday May 21) there’s an Ice Cream Social at the Tourism and Convention Bureau in Tuscumbia. It starts at 1:00pm. Everyone is invited!
( This story ran originally on May 9) TUSCUMBIA-National Tourism Month is being celebrated in Colbert County by government and tourism officials throughout the month of May. The public is invited to join in observing the benefits that Travel and Tourism provide at the local, state, and at the national level.
Colbert County Tourism officials recently attended City Council meetings in Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia and the Colbert County Commission meeting to tout the fact that the travel industry results in well over 50 million dollars annually within Colbert County. Tourism materials were provided for distribution from City and County offices and each governing body proclaimed May as National Tourism Month in the Shoals.
Susann Hamlin
Susann Hamlin, Executive Director of Colbert County Tourism extends an invitation to
the public to visit the Colbert County Tourism Bureau’s Visitors’ Center on Tuesday, May 21, 1-5 pm, to enjoy an ice cream party on the front porch and open house. Symbolic of the South’s hospitality and representing the summer-long peak in travel, the gathering will provide attendees the opportunity to plan visits to local attractions and museums. Discount coupons will be available and drawings will be held throughout the afternoon for door prizes.
“Our local residents are often surprised to discover all that there is to see and do in our area,” Hamlin said. “Often locals fail to visit the attractions located right in their own backyards. We are taking this opportunity to invite our own folks to come by for a visit and to begin to think about ways to be a hometown tourist this summer.”
“Additionally, a social media campaign will be launched from Colbert County 
Tourism. Beginning on Monday, May 13, and running through the end of the month, Shoals residents are invited to post on Colbert County Tourism’s facebook wall, photos of themselves and their families and friends enjoying sites and activities that would appeal to tourists. Those making posts will be entered into a drawing to win a “staycation” package, to include an overnight stay at a local hotel, a gift certificate for dining at a popular local restaurant, armbands for rides in Spring Park, a family pack of locally prepared barbecue for picnicking or dining in, admission coupons to area attractions, including the Helen Keller Birthplace, and a gift basket filled with local products and souvenirs. Total value of the “Staycation” 
will exceed $300.00. The drawing will climax Tourism Month on May 31, when the prize will be awarded. Additional gift certificates will be given for the most original idea and for the person making the most posts. To enter: “Friend” us on Colbert County Tourism, www.facebook.com/colbert.tourism, and post directly onto our wall. Visit www.colbertcountytourism.org for more information.
“We, as a community, can be very proud of the exceptional quality of sites and special events in the Shoals area,” Hamlin said. “We do, indeed, have reason to celebrate our local tourism!”
