Sequoyah Caverns and Ellis Homestead by John Dersham

By now most of you have heard that Sequoyah Caverns will be closing on September 3^rd. If you have not visited Sequoyah Caverns and Ellis Homestead now is the time to do it and if you have been it is a good time to visit again before they close.

This location, the cave, the land and the entire setting is, one of a kind. Nestled in the valley and running up Sand Mountain is this picture perfect location. With 1,000 acres or so you will get an uninterrupted scenic view as you approach Sequoyah Caverns from highway 11 north of Hammondville and South of Sulfur Springs. The owners John and Roy Jones have been long term leaders in promoting tourism in our area. They have been members of North Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association and of Dekalb Tourism. Roy has been President of our DeKalb Tourism Board twice in the six years I have been Executive Director. I credit Roy as the reason I was able to get an interview for this job. When I applied for the position I responded to an ad in the paper. I was to send my resume to one of our email addresses that is generic with no person’s name. Since I did not have a hospitality and tourism background I feared my resume would be ignored. The ad asked for 5 years of experience in the industry of which I did not have but I had a 30 year management background with Eastman Kodak and almost all the remaining criteria in the ad seemed to fit perfectly. I started calling friends around town to find who was on the tourism board so I could call and introduce myself. After a couple of phone calls the name Roy Jones came up. My friend volunteered to give Roy a call and give me an introduction and find out if I could give him a call. I called Roy later that day and I explained how I felt my background at Kodak and my passion for our area fit what they were looking for. I told Roy that after 30 years of Kodak moving us to various locations around the country my wife Kyle and I selected this area on our own because we had been coming here on vacation and loved the area. I mailed Roy my resume with a cover letter and he later arranged for me to interview with himself and the entire tourism board. The board agreed to make me an offer and the rest is history.

In addition to the cave the Jones have Jones Farm which produces some of the best and most naturally grown strawberries you will ever taste. The farm and the production of vegetables will continue.

The history of Sequoyah Caverns and Ellis Homestead is a wonderful story. They have made a valuable contribution to the history of DeKalb County and have left an indelible mark on the history of tourism to our entire region. The cave and property have been in the Jones family since 1841 with the cave having opened to the public in 1964. Prior to that the cave was visited by private groups or individuals on a requested basis. It used to require climbing a ladder to get into the cave until the current entrance was built prior to the public opening in 1964. For more information about Sequoyah Caverns, its hours of operation and history visit www.sequoyahcaverns.com

Lookout Mountain Scenic Parkway by John Dersham

We have one of the most beautiful and fun drives to be found anywhere, right here at home. Lookout Mountain Parkway which runs on top of Lookout Mountain from Noccalula Falls at the south end to Ruby Falls on the north. The parkway is comprised of 93 miles of scenic beauty and visitor attractions… all along the route. Reader’s Digest named the Parkway as one of America’s top Scenic Drives. The Parkway is one of 11 Alabama Scenic Byways and can be viewed on state and national maps as a scenic route. For us it makes a fantastic Daycation and is host to many tourists visiting our area and it is the site of our areas largest annual event, the World’s Longest Yard Sale.  I know many of you use parts of the parkway on a fairly regular basis to go to local attractions like Little River Canyon N.P., DeSoto State Park or Mentone. Maybe some of you live along the route or drive on it to get home. Right now I am not talking about the parkway in those terms but instead as a fun family day trip or weekend trip.

In an era of time starvation and high gas prices a fun trip close to home is just the remedy to fulfill that need we have to get out there and enjoy a mini vacation.

 To make a daycation out of it I suggest starting at the beginning and going the whole route to the end. My suggestion is to drive I-59 to the Noccalula Falls exit and go up the mountain to Noccalula Falls. Start your daycation with a visit to Noccalula Falls Park. Here you will find the beautiful 90 ft Noccalula waterfall. Sit back and enjoy a train ride through a native animal habitat and botanical gardens. You will find hiking trails, a campground and miniature golf. When you are done at Noccalula Falls take a right onto Tabor Road to begin your drive on the Lookout Mountain Parkway. This scenic drive will take you through some beautiful mountain top farmland with fantastic vista’s and quaint towns and villages along the way like Dogtown, home of legendary Akins Furniture Store. In Dogtown I recommend you take a right on H-176 and take the alternate Parkway route which takes you along the Canyon Rim drive at Little River Canyon N.P. You can visit the Canyon Center and Little River Falls on that leg of the trip.  You will take H-35 toward Fort Payne to rejoin the regular route of the parkway. At the flashing yellow light just before heading down the mountain take a right onto the parkway and from then on follow the signs that keep you on the Lookout Mountain Parkway as it meanders through the wilderness through DeSoto State Park and Waterfalls to the quaint artisan village of Mentone . Here you will find restaurants and lots of artsy gift shops, B&B Lodges and Rental Cabins. Once finished in Mentone follow H-117 to Cloudland, GA where you will take a left onto H-157 and travel up the east side of Lookout Mountain for awhile before crossing back to the west. You will follow the Lookout Mountain Parkway wayfinder signs as you travel north toward Chattanooga. Along the way you can visit Lookout Mountain Flight Park and look out over some scenic valley vistas from the mountain. You can drop off the parkway and visit nearby Cloudland Canyon State Park before heading toward Rock City Gardens, the town of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee where you find famous Point Park from the Civil War. You can eat and shop there or ride the famous incline railroad down Lookout Mountain at Chattanooga. Don’t miss beautiful Ruby Falls at the end of your Lookout Mountain Parkway drive. From here you can drive down the mountain and head home to our area on H-11 or I-59.

Have a fun journey.

If you need more information and a map of the parkway visit us at our information center on H-35 across the street from Hardees, or call us for other options at 256-845-3957.

             

Regional magazine with a focus on tourism and economic development by John Dersham

Last Friday night Randy and Olivia Grider hosted a wonderful introduction party at Cook Castle of their new regional magazine called Lookout Alabama Magazine. It is a lifestyles magazine that will feature the beauty and culture of our area. The magazine will highlight the region’s people, history and natural beauty as well as the many cultural, educational, outdoor-adventure, dining, shopping and child-friendly attractions that make this beautiful corner of Alabama an ideal vacation and retirement destination as well as business location.

It will feature Lookout Mountain and surrounding communities and towns throughout Northeast Alabama, Northwest Georgia and the Lookout Mountain area of Tennessee. The quarterly magazine will offer a full size 9.25x11format with excellent print quality. The publication will target business and industry with above average income readers. It will be directed toward potential visitors that are most likely to come to our area for a vacation or long weekend. Distribution of the magazine is in a 250 mile radius. The magazine’s business template and demographics should attract economic development interest in our area and provide increased tax revenue through tourism. This publication should play another important role in our growth and development. The first issue comes out in June.

Last Friday evening’s event introduced the new publication in a big way. Bestselling author Homer Hickam (Rocket Boys and 13 other books) was a featured speaker at the introduction ceremony. Senator Clay Scofield, co chair of the Alabama Tourism Committee spoke about tourism in our state and the very important role it plays in the growth of our economy. He awarded Natalie Cone a first place award in the Literary Tourism writing competition hosted by the new magazine. Congratulations Natalie! Lookout Alabama Magazine promises to feature fiction tourism writing on a regular basis.  There was a host of other speakers beginning with a dinner prayer from Fort Payne Mayor, Larry Chesser. After dinner Senator Scofield spoke, then Homer Hickam, then I spoke about tourism in DeKalb County with an update on our numbers. Director of Tourism in Greater Gadsden-Etowah Tourism, Hugh Stump spoke about his area and Anne Shumaker did the same for Cherokee County. Carol Beddingfield, our Fort Payne Chamber Director spoke about the chamber and the close working relationship between the Chamber, Economic Development and Tourism here in DeKalb County. Lastly, Nisa Miranda of the University of Alabama University Center for Economic Development gave a wonderful presentation about working together as a region to develop a long term partnership that would help develop an appealing regional identity for our area that would generate a larger audience for tourism and economic development all throughout our area.

A special thanks to our host Randy and Olivia Grider who introduced our speakers and gave us a wonderful night of insight to the new magazine. Music was provided by B Sharp. They were great and the food from Nessa’s was wonderful.

Tourism Partners By John Dersham

There are a number of different organizations that help DeKalb Tourism promote tourism in our area. The state of Alabama Department of Travel and Tourism promotes us along with all 67 Alabama Counties, Southeast Tourism Society promotes us along with each of the other 11 states in its 12 state coverage area and then there is North Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association whom promotes tourism for all 16 north Alabama counties. DeKalb Tourism only promotes DeKalb County.  This allows us to get into greater detail about each attraction, lodging facility, museum, gift shop, antique store, festival, fair, retail and restaurant. We include all items of interest to a potential tourist in our travel guide, our website, mobile website, at trade shows, in public speaking engagements and in press releases and general advertising. As the size of the organization increases the fewer things about us are promoted since they have to include everyone else’s areas too. While our information center is the source for all things to do and see in DeKalb County the other organizations include highlights about us usually consisting of a calendar of events that includes our festivals, and major events at our public lands or major area attractions like our State Parks and our National Preserve. All of these organizations play a major role in getting the word out about us. This is because their advertising circle includes a larger geographic area. For example our ads target areas like Huntsville, Nashville, Birmingham, Atlanta and some coastal areas. The larger organizations like Southeast Tourism Society are delivering our messages across 12 states. Each one of these organizations reaches a new set of potential visitors to our area. In theory you would think it was duplication but that is not the case at all. Each of these organizations plays an instrumental role in delivering our message to a different group of potential customers. We are very fortunate here in DeKalb to have this network of promotion going on day in and day out 365 days a year all helping to tell the visitor who we are and where we are located and what we have to offer that would make us a fun and rewarding vacation.

 Tourism partners work closely together to improve the big picture. The big picture is helping all tourism organizations grow.  My many thanks to all of these outstanding organizations.

Lots to do right here at home!

The weather has gotten nice, flowers are blooming and grass is growing, uh oh!

 It is time for a Daycation at home. We are blessed to live in the prettiest county in the state and one with lots of great parks and events to enjoy. There is so much to enjoy and participate in here I suggest you come on out and enjoy some great things we have going over the next couple of weeks.

Here are some of those things for this weekend and next:

April 25 – 28 FPHS Seniors Present “Aladdin” The 2013 Class of FPHS will be performing their Senior Class play “Aladdin”.  Performances will be at 7 p.m. Thurs – Sat and a show at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $5 at the FPHS office.  256-845-0535

April 26 Afternoon Rock Climb Come experience first-hand what rock climbing is all about with guides who are fun, safe and energetic. This trip includes all the gear plus basic instruction. No prior climbing experience is needed. Meet at True Adventure Sports. $34 pp. 2 - 6 p.m. 256-997-9577

April 26 Night Zip Line All our zip lines are set up just before the adventure to ford a gorge or cross from one high point to another. Enjoy the thrill of the zip line at night. Pre-registration required at True Adventure Sports by 6 pm the day before the adventure. $50 pp. 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. 256-997-9577

April 27 Master Gardeners Annual Plant Sale This is an event sponsored by the DeKalb County Master Gardeners Club. There will be plants on sale, such as roses, perennials, and more. The sale will be at the VFW Building in Fort Payne. 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

April 27 Blow Your Own Ornament This had become very popular here at Orbix Hot Glass. Come design and blow your own ornament with the help of one of our glass artists. No reservations are needed, it is on a first come, first serve basis. For this we welcome people of all ages (at least 5 years old). 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Cost is $35 per ornament blown 256-523-3188

April 27 Rappelling Adventure Come experience the thrill of rappelling down the sheer sandstone gems of NE Alabama. No previous experience necessary. Each trip includes all the gear plus basic instruction. $37 per person 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 256-997-9577

April 27 Book Signing with Angie Carden Have your cookbook signed by Author Angie Carden. Come and enjoy an afternoon filled with free food from cookbook, a cookbook giveaway, door prizes and fun!  Kamama Gallery in Mentone. 3 p.m. 256-634-3001

April 27 Treasure Hunt Adventure Do you enjoy trying to solve riddles and clues?  Ever wanted to find buried treasure?  Up for new & exciting challenges?  Then our Cave Treasure Hunt is for you.  This 5-hour adventure will take you deep into the heart of Manitou Cave.  You will have to solve and follow each clue in order to find the next one, and ultimately the Treasure!  Are you up for the challenge?  Meet at True Adventure Sports $65 per person 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. 256-997-9577

April 27 – 28 The 5th Annual Mentone Area Art Council Home Tour and Silent Auction The Mentone Area Arts Council (MAAC) will present a two-day fall tour of nine homes and one historic camp in the Cloudland and Mentone area of Lookout Mountain. Guest registration will take place at the Fire Hall in Mentone and tickets good for both days can be purchased for $5 each. Maps listing the locations of the tour stops as well as information on each house will be available with each ticket purchased. The Silent Auction items will be displayed in the Fire Hall and bidding sheets will be available during tour hours. Bidding ends at 4pm Sunday when purchases can be claimed. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. 706-398-0858

April 28 Rappelling with DeSoto State Park  Learn the basics of rappelling with trained PCIA instructors and descend an 80 foot sandstone wall. Learn about basic gear, knot tying, rappelling hardware and its uses in a beautiful location. Meet at DeSoto State Park Lodge at 1pm. Ages 10 and up. $30 pp. 256-845-5075

May 3 Zip Line Adventure All our zip lines are set up just before the adventure to ford a gorge or cross from one high point to another. Pre-registration required at True Adventure Sports by 6 pm the day before the adventure. $50 pp. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 256-997-9577

May 3 Trion Steel Drum Concert at the Canyon Center This unique ensemble has grown in size and popularity from its humble beginnings. The ensemble is comprised of 31 musicians and performs a wide variety of musical styles, from socas and calypsos to reggae and pop. Little River Canyon Center, 6:30 p.m. $5 adults; 256-845-8548

May 3 Extreme Night Hike This end-of-day adventure does not slow down just because it's dark. Intended for a large group team-building exercise, this hike has a bit of bouldering, some scrambling, some spelunking, and a whole lot of required working together. Headlamp and enthusiastic guide included. Meet at True Adventure Sports. $18pp. 7:30 - 10 p.m. 256-997-9577

May 4- 21^st Annual Wildflower Hike Join DeSoto State Park staff & volunteers for a wonderful day of learning about the many species of blooming plants found on Lookout Mountain. DeSoto's trails can vary from fairly flat terrain to slightly steep inclines & rocky ground. Each hike is marked for its difficulty level. Be sure to wear appropriate footwear & bring along water & snacks along on the hikes. Through out the course of the day you will be able to choose from 3 separate hikes during the day, each hike with different leaders.

9:00 a.m.-First Hikes of the day

11:30 a.m. Lunch (on your own)

1:00 p.m. ~ Second Hikes of the day

3:00 p.m. ~Third Hikes of the Day

7:15 p.m.-Plant Presentation-DeSoto’s Nature Center (Next to the Country Store)

Trail Maps, Wildflower Checklists, & trail descriptions can be found at the Lodge, Country Store and Nature Center. All hikes are free to the Public and no registration required! For any inquires contact Brittney Hughes at 256-997-5025.

May 4 Zip Line & Sky Swing Adventure  All our zip lines are set up just before the adventure to ford a gorge or cross from one high point to another. Enjoy the thrill of the swing and zip line. Pre-registration required at True Adventure Sports by 6 pm the day before adventure. $50 pp 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 256-997-9577

May 5 5th Annual Art at the Barn Join us for a spring art sale, featuring works by regional artist and artisans. The festival is located on beautiful Sweet Seasons Farm in Valley Head, one of Alabama's oldest and largest sheep farms. There will be pottery, antiques, jewelry, food and so much more. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 256-635-6791 or 256-996-3400

For more information about DeKalb Calendar of Events and other questions call DeKalb Tourism at 256-845-3957 or visit us at www.tourdekalb.com