Transcript:
Melea Hames: [00:00:00] You're listening to the Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast, part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network.
Welcome to this week's episode of Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama. We have another great episode coming your way and I am so excited to get into it. Today, we're going to experience a day in Decatur and to help me out we have an amazing guest, Danielle Gibson. Thank you for being with me today, Danielle.
Danielle Gibson: [00:00:33] Hey, thanks Melea. I'm so excited to be here. So thanks for having me in. We're going to talk all things Decatur.
Melea Hames: [00:00:38] Yep, I've got another expert. So, this episode is going to be so exciting. There are so many fun things to do, delicious places to eat, and incredible festivals to experience in Decatur and we're going to try to cover it all. Right, Danielle?
Danielle Gibson: [00:00:53] Yes. Actually, there are so many things to do. We're going to do it almost like a highlight.
Melea Hames: [00:00:59] Yes. And actually a day in Decatur probably you'll need about a month in Decatur, right?
Danielle Gibson: [00:01:06] That's right. We want you to stay the night with us.
Melea Hames: [00:01:09] So for some things to do, if someone is wanting a place where they can spend the whole day in Decatur, what would be a good place to start?
Danielle Gibson: [00:01:19] Sure. So, we're going to first start with the Point Mallard Water Park, that is the home of the first-ever wave pool. And I know Melea that you always like to go during the summertime too.
Melea Hames: [00:01:32] Yes, I love to take a book and I set out by the wave pool and read and cool off in the water. Yeah, it's so much fun.
Danielle Gibson: [00:01:39] Yeah. And there's, there are lots of different aspects to the water park. So they have a children's area, they have an Olympic pool, they have slides. So there are a lot of fun things to do that are actually in the water park and they are planning some like fun events throughout the season. So I would encourage everybody to make sure to go check out their different festivities.
But what's really fun and unique about Point Mallard Water Park is there are a lot of things to do just in that park. So you can get on the golf course, you can go to the batting cages, and then one of my favorite things is to actually walk the trails because it runs up right next to Wheeler Lake which is beautiful and it's one of our biggest assets. So also there's a campground out there so like you could go to the campground and stay for the weekend and let the kids play outside, then go to the water park and take a break and go back to the campground. So there's just a lot of things to do and you don't even have to leave the park itself.
Melea Hames: [00:02:39] Yeah, it is such a wonderful place that we have here in Decatur and I've been going to it for years and years and years. So there are a lot of memories at Point Mallard. So tell us about Delano Park.
Danielle Gibson: [00:02:54] Well actually I think you should tell us about Delano Park because I know you are a frequent visitor. So if you need to know where Melea is, most likely she's at Delano Park. But it is a beautiful rose garden and there are a couple of ladies that have done a phenomenal job with really upgrading it and keeping it beautiful and just doing a great job. And also there's a splash pad there also. And so there are a lot of people. Again, there's kind of a walking trail around and then it's just a great part which Melea, I know that you also like to walk there too.
Melea Hames: [00:03:36] Yeah, I've worn out those walking trails quite a bit over the years. It's about a quarter-mile from my house. So I walked down there and walk and run around the trails and yeah, the ladies with the Delano Conservancy, I just give them tons of praise for the work that they've done and how beautiful they have made it. And every time I post a picture which is often of the flowers and the roses and I love how they will comment and tell me what kind of plant or what kind of flower or what kind of rose it is. And they'll give me all this history and these facts about it and I absolutely love it. So I'll put pictures up just so I can learn more about it because I know they're going to comment.
Danielle Gibson: [00:04:21] Yeah, they're pretty amazing. So there's there are lots of amenities at that park. The roses, oh my goodness, when they're in full bloom, it's just absolutely stunning.
Melea Hames: [00:04:33] Yes. And it smells, it smells so good when you walk through there, when all the roses are blooming, it's heavenly.
Danielle Gibson: [00:04:41] I agree.
Melea Hames: [00:04:42] And it's a good place to take your lunch and sit under the pergola as well. So it's a nice little getaway place.
Danielle Gibson: [00:04:49] Yeah. And you know, they also have pieces of art that are located through Delano Park, which are a lot of fun. And then they also have educational panels all throughout the parks, if you wanted to learn more about what is in the garden, they also have those educational panels that you can check out.
Melea Hames: [00:05:07] Yeah. One of my favorite pieces of art is the bunny rabbit that sits there and then the frog that has manhands.
Danielle Gibson: [00:05:14] I love the frog, love the frog. You know those were done by world-renowned artists. So I mean it's really, really neat and so much fun for kids and their imaginations.
Melea Hames: [00:05:27] Climb all over those and learn more. So yeah, that's cool.
Danielle Gibson: [00:05:31] So we have, I talked briefly about that we have a lake, which not everybody has a lake, but we have Wheeler Lake and it's actually home of the Alabama bass child takes place also on Wheeler lake. So there are a lot of different things that you can do on Wheeler lake, you can fish. So if you're a bass fisherman or you're a cat fisherman, we've had some people catch catfish that were up to, I believe the latest one was like 92 pounds.
Melea Hames: [00:06:01] Whoa.
Danielle Gibson: [00:06:02] What? That thing was like a shark. It was huge. But there are lots of recreational opportunities there. And then also we have Rhodes Ferry Park, which is right next to Wheeler Lake and it's beautiful to watch the sunsets there Rhodes Ferry Park. It's one of my favorite places really in Decatur.
Melea Hames: [00:06:24] Yeah, there are some good sunsets there when you've got the bridge in the background and yeah, it's really pretty.
Danielle Gibson: [00:06:31] We actually have, you can see the two bridges. So we have one that's the railroad bridge and then we have the other one that's just the other bridge, but it's just -- yeah, that's a good description. But it's really phenomenal and there's a lot of history also behind Rhodes Ferry Park and so there's also a lot of educational pieces there and it's also great for taking a picnic out there. There's lots of green space, so a lot of fun things can be done on Wheeler Lake.
And then like I said, we host a lot of fishing tournaments here. So whether you're a recreational fisherman or whether you're coming here to compete, Wheeler Lake is, in my opinion, one of the top places to go.
Melea Hames: [00:07:16] So there's lots of big fish to be caught on Wheeler Lake. Huh.
Danielle Gibson: [00:07:19] Oh yes, yes. We love fishing tournaments. We love recreational fishing. So it's definitely Wheeler Lake is the place to be if you want to be outdoors. And actually speaking of outdoors and fish, we have a mural called the Greatest Catch and it features fishermen and fish. How fun is that?
Melea Hames: [00:07:39] That's very appropriate too.
Danielle Gibson: [00:07:42] Yes. So we have the Greatest Catch, which is one of our murals in the city of Decatur. We also have a whole trail of murals called the MoCo Mural Trail.
Melea Hames: [00:07:53] I love the new murals that are in Decatur. One of my favorites is the beautiful horse. That's just right off 6th Avenue. That one is so amazing.
Danielle Gibson: [00:08:04] Yeah. So the horse is, we call it the Jimmy “Yellowhorse” Webster. And this was actually done by Michael McPheeters and Glenn Mitchell is part of or she created The Chasing Art Project and with The Chasing Art Project, she actually designed the horse and then she commissioned Michael McPheeters to come in and actually do the horse, which was amazing because it was done with like spray paint. And I mean, I'm sure it's a very special spray paint, but really an incredible piece of art. I can't imagine doing something on this grand scale up so close to it. It's amazing. Amazing.
Melea Hames: [00:08:47] Yeah, it's quite striking when you see it.
Danielle Gibson: [00:08:51] Yeah. Yes. So we have quite a few murals that are located in our downtown, which really beautifies our downtown district. And it also created a trail out of this and we can track how many people are coming in to just look at these murals and it's been incredible to watch people from different states to just come in and do our mural trail and really enjoy the different pieces of art because they're so different.
We also have a set of wings that were done by Kelsey Montague and she did the ones in Nashville and they are the only ones in the state of Alabama. So that's pretty neat. And then the one I believe that you had the artist on your podcast, Adam Stephenson and he did a mural in downtown and we actually call that one the “Homecoming”. So if you want to know more about that one, you can actually go back and check Melea’s podcast a few episodes earlier.
Melea Hames: [00:09:49] Yeah, I had him on and he talked about his inspiration behind that mural and how he did it, which was very interesting to talk about his process. And I loved what he said about how murals just can change the whole atmosphere, the whole environment of a downtown area and he's so right because it really does add a lot of beauty. All of these add so much beauty to our downtown.
Danielle Gibson: [00:10:14] It's been really fun. We actually were able to sponsor one of the murals and it's called “Decatur Naturally.” And again, this is one of Glenn Mitchell's projects with The Chasing Art Project and she actually reached out to one of the high schools and so students came out and painted the mural and it's been really fun to watch people taking senior pictures in front of all of these different murals and it really just kind of creates, everybody loves art and so it creates a sense of unity within your community and he's absolutely right, it does change the landscape of our downtown area. So it's been so much fun to watch and we have lots more in the works.
Melea Hames: [00:10:55] Yay! I can’t wait to see them. And I love how that there's history like you talked about the Jimmy Webster horse, there's a history behind that and the “Decatur Naturally”, it kind of plays on like the river here in town and it just kind of, it's a nod to the city's heritage. And speaking of heritage and history, we've got some really cool places to experience that. So, can you tell us about the Old State Bank here in town?
Danielle Gibson: [00:11:28] Sure. So the Old State Bank was actually built in 1833 to the Tennessee Valley Branch of the State Bank. The bank was chartered as a branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama at Decatur and it's commonly known as the Old State Bank, that's pretty much what everybody calls it now. And also lots of photo ops. I mean everywhere like if there is a prom, you know there is a prom because they're going to the Old State Bank.
But the building is so important not only for its rich history but it's also associated with its diverse use. But its contribution to the architectural history and the landscape of Alabama. So it is the oldest bank in the state of Alabama. So there's just so much history behind it and we have a wonderful historian, David Breland who also does tours in the Old State bank. So you can walk in downtown, not the downtown, but the bottom floor and then also go to the second floor. And he will give you a guided tour and it's just really phenomenal. He's really a fantastic guy.
Melea Hames: [00:12:39] Yes. David Breland is the best. And he also manages the Historic Decatur Train Depot.
Danielle Gibson: [00:12:46] Yes. And I also meant to mention that both of these are free there. You don't have to pay anything to go to these museums. So the Historic Decatur Train Depot, Judge Breland really was actually very instrumental behind the renovation of the Historic Train Depot. So he can literally tell you anything and everything about the Historic Train Depot. But The Historic Decatur Union Passenger Depot was built by the Southern Railway at 1905. It's also a symbol of the city's rich railroad heritage which extends back to the 1830s when the first railroad west of Tuscumbia Courtland in Decatur was built.
And then also a union depot was the result of the joint use of the depot by two railroads. The Southern and the Louisville and Nashville Railroads. And then also I will say that you can still watch trains go by all the time so you can sit outside or actually they have a nice space inside where you can sit and watch the trains go by, which I know is a fan favorite of really the older generation and also young people and children. So like you could take your grandkids and go to this free museum and really have a good day.
Melea Hames: [00:14:04] Yeah, it's really a neat place to visit. And again, David Breland is a fantastic historian of this town and he gives the best tour. So it is definitely worth checking out. So I know that some people are into museums and exhibits and we have our share of those in Decatur. So you want to talk about a couple of those?
Danielle Gibson: [00:14:27] Sure, I would be glad to. So the Carnegie Visual Arts Center is they have exhibits really kind of all throughout the year. So they do a great job of getting different types of artists. I remember one year we had the Festival of the Cranes and they actually found an artist that it was very specific on cranes. So like he made these beautiful jean jackets with all of these cranes all over him.
Melea Hames: [00:14:52] Oh wow.
Danielle Gibson: [00:14:53] So yeah, it was really cool. So the Carnegie does a wonderful job with its programming and doing different exhibits throughout the year. And then also this is a free stop, of course, they're funded by donations and things like that so it is free. But also we also tell people it would be great for you to make a donation if you feel so inclined. Then the Carnegie Visual Arts Center also puts on the Carnegie Carnival every year, which is, I mean has become a huge event. Right, Melea? Like, I mean…
Melea Hames: [00:15:27] Yes, so much fun.
Danielle Gibson: [00:15:29] I mean I would put them up against the city. We love our people in Mobile, but I'm just saying that we would put it up against their parade because they do just a phenomenal job so that is so much fun. But that activity goes back to help the Carnegie Visual Arts Center with their camps and different things. But the general public can also go really any time they want if they're open. So the Carnegie is a great place to look at art.
Melea Hames: [00:15:59] Yep. And one of my favorite places to visit, which is only just a couple of years old is the Cook Museum. And of course, there is a 15,000-gallon aquarium, to me, that's the highlight of the whole museum. I love standing there and watching those fish.
Danielle Gibson: [00:16:18] Yeah. And then they also have like this little these seats in there and I could just like sit in there all day long and watch they have the huge aquarium, but then they also have like these jellyfish on the other side and it's just it's so much fun. But you can see all kinds of different fish in the aquarium. But yeah, that one, the Cook Museum opened really almost like right when the pandemic was starting. And so they became very creative in all of their guest experiences. So like they offer all kinds of different programs all throughout the year. So if you're a home school group or you want to bring a group from your school, there are just so many different activities that they have.
But they have live animals. One of my favorite spots too, is they have a cave that you can walk through and you can find the bats like that -- I never find them all.
Melea Hames: [00:17:13] I don't know, you’ve got to go back.
Danielle Gibson: [00:17:16] I should go back. I should, it's so dark in there. But it's just so much fun. And then the treehouse is also the forest exhibit, you can actually climb through the treehouse and Melea, to be honest, I think the most entertaining part is that these kids want to climb through the tree. They don't want to go by themselves so they get their grandma and their parents to climb up this treehouse and it's very entertaining but it creates the best memories.
Melea Hames: [00:17:46] Yeah. Yeah. It is a lot of fun to climb up in that and, yeah, one of my other favorite things two or the baby alligators and the turtles and the snakes as long as they're behind the glass, I can deal with. Yeah, yeah.
Danielle Gibson: [00:18:04] Each area offers something different because we are such a biodiverse community. And so it really tells the story of what Decatur is. And then at the very end, the Cook Museum actually came out of the Cook's Pest Control and trained their employees on different types of bugs. So at the end, you get to actually experience the lovely termites and all of the different critters, which is gross, but at the same time is also very educational. And then they also have like a kid's area. So like if you have small children you could just let them go and play in the little bugs life. So there's just a lot to experience if you're a younger kid or your older kid or you're an adult or, I mean there's just a lot to do there.
And then Melea, is there not a restaurant in there that you like to frequent also at the Cook Museum?
Melea Hames: [00:19:06] Yes. Yes. I love to eat there and also take pictures of my food too.
Danielle Gibson: [00:19:12] Which we so appreciate. It's called Nature's Table. Yeah, and they have the best mango smoothies.
Melea Hames: [00:19:22] Oh yes. My favorite smoothie is the Purple Rain. It's got blueberry and pomegranate and I think strawberry in there and so delicious.
Danielle Gibson: [00:19:35] It's all fresh. So for all of the foodies that like to eat healthy, that's a great place to grab lunch.
Melea Hames: [00:19:43] I've never had anything bad there. And their gift shop, the Museum Store is also amazing.
Danielle Gibson: [00:19:49] I would agree. Yeah, you can find gifts for all ages there. And also you don't have to go in the museum in order to go to the gift shop and to go to lunch. So I mean you could go grab lunch and shop and then I know a lot of people do that on their lunch breaks.
Melea Hames: [00:20:10] It's a good lunch break spot. So well we have covered a lot of ground on the things that you could do in Decatur. Any last things that you can think about?
Danielle Gibson: [00:20:21] Well I don't know how we could forget shopping.
Melea Hames: [00:20:24] No, can't forget shopping.
Danielle Gibson: [00:20:26] Can't forget shopping. So on Second Avenue and Bank Street, there is so much shopping. I mean like if you want antiques or you want Tennessee Valley Pecans or we also have a yarn boutique which is a very specialized thing but there are lots of people that absolutely love it. There are lots of boutiques and then also on the other end there are home goods and also there's a lot of boutiques down there and we're about to have an ice cream shop down there which were very, we were so excited about.
So, I mean really for any style, we have a new place that has like Nashville theme close. Like there are just so many unique places downtown to shop. So if you're looking for anything really you can find all different styles in our downtown area. We love to shop there.
Melea Hames: [00:21:23] Yes, yep. I've got several faves on Bank Street and Second Avenue to shop.
Danielle Gibson: [00:21:29] Me too. But we're not going to mention any faves because we love them all.
Melea Hames: [00:21:33] That's right, you have to go check them out yourself.
Danielle Gibson: [00:21:36] Yes, you do. Yes, you do. And really, I think what's fun about them too is the historic area. All of them have very like fun, bright, and funky. Like the buildings are just so unique and cool. So it really is like a very special shopping experience in my opinion.
Melea Hames: [00:21:56] Yep. And speaking of fun things to do on Second Avenue, how about the Princess Theater?
Danielle Gibson: [00:22:02] Oh my goodness, the Princess Theater actually received a facelift in 1941 and it emerged with the art deco style that actually still remains in place today and it features a brilliantly lit neon marquee that is really iconic to Decatur. And so when the lights are on that means that there is a show happening and then when the lights are off then that means there's nothing happening. But I will just tell you since that Mary McDonald came in as an executive director that light is on all the time.
Melea Hames: [00:22:39] Yes, it is so pretty too. I love seeing that flashing at night and I love how they offer older movies too. I think that's really cool that they've brought back movies that you can go see. I saw the Breakfast Club there and you can see old Christmas movies at Christmas time. That's really neat.
Danielle Gibson: [00:22:59] Yeah and I think it's fun sometimes like people will dress up like if they're maybe it's their birthday and they have a movie going on. I think with the Breakfast Club like I saw a whole group with like they dressed up like that era which is kind of -- the ‘80s.
Melea Hames: [00:23:14] The ‘80s That's cool.
Danielle Gibson: [00:23:14] Yeah. Really cool. So the Princess Theatre is very iconic to the city of Decatur but it just offers a huge wide variety of opportunities to experience music and art.
Melea Hames: [00:23:28] Yeah, I love going there and seeing plays and things like that. Well, another must-see, must-do thing in Decatur is the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge and it is so cool to go and see all the cranes and all kinds of birds out there.
Danielle Gibson: [00:23:45]Yeah so Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge is really a treasure that's in our community and during the January time frame we have the cranes that migrate here and so we could have up to like 11,000 cranes, sandhill cranes and then a few whooping cranes here in January. So we actually have a festival that is geared around the Crane Festival. It's really, I mean these aren't really small birds like there, they're pretty big. I mean usually, at the Visitor Center they have a crane there that you can stand next to. It was a live crane but something happened to it and so they have it set up there but you can stand next to it and I mean it's almost as tall as me and I call 5’3.5. So I mean it's a pretty big bird.
But there are so many things to experience out at the refuge. You know there are tons of birds out there. Sometimes they do birding tours. They also have all kinds of walking trails that you can go on. One of my favorite places is where you can have a bridge that goes across the water. And what's neat about it is like some of its swampy land and then some of it's the river and so there's like a really cool interaction between – you can find all kinds of different landscapes on the refuge and then the waterways, there's also the Flint Creek Canoe Trail. And so there are a lot of kayak spots that you can put in that are on the refuge too which is a lot of fun.
If you have a like kayak, you got to have a like kayak. We recently went and me and my son were in like, we were in a kayak, but it was like a super heavy one and that was a lot of work. But it was really beautiful scenery. So there's a whole trail that goes through the refuge and they've done a really good job. On their website, there are lots of maps so like there's a scavenger hunt so you can find all kinds of different animals. And then they also have an observation building which is a lot of it's, it's made of mostly glass there and just really kind of enjoy the wildlife. So that's also a lot of fun.
Melea Hames: [00:26:10] Okay, well, shifting gears here, we've got to let people know the real question and that is where is the best place to get something to eat in Decatur? And I know one of my favorites that's been around for, what is it, four generations of family is Big Bob Gibson's Barbecue.
Danielle Gibson: [00:26:31] Oh my goodness, yes, Big Bob Gibson's Barbecue is one of the oldest and most prestigious barbecue restaurants really in the world. And it was founded in 1925. So they actually have two locations. There's one that is actually down the road for me, that's very dangerous. But it is their original store. And then they also do a lot of barbecue competitions. So like when you walk in, you can see all of the different awards that they've won throughout the year. But I mean it wins awards all the time. I think they just recently won one. And they also have, if we're going back to the treats, they also have some of the best pie.
Melea Hames: [00:27:12] Oh yes, their chocolate pie is my favorite and one of my great aunts used to make pies at Big Bob Gibson's long, long, long time ago. So I feel a little connection there with the pies.
Danielle Gibson: [00:27:25] Wow. One of my favorite things to eat now, like you have to, like save up your calories for this but my favorite is the stuffed barbecue potato, because I mean it's huge. Like it's almost as big as your head. They stuff it with cheese and butter and barbecue or turkey, whichever one that you want. But oh my goodness. They do it right. They do at the very southern way. It's just, out of this world.
Melea Hames: [00:27:51] I love their ribs. And then you wouldn't think this, but they have the best-smoked wings that I've ever had. I mean, even places that specialize in wings, no, they're even better than those places. Best wings ever.
Danielle Gibson: [00:28:07] You know Melea, I don't know if I've ever had the wings.
Melea Hames: [00:28:09] You've got to go get them. So good.
Danielle Gibson: [00:28:12] I'm learning stuff myself today. I just always stick with my barbecue potato because that is the best.
Melea Hames: [00:28:19] You got to get the wings.
Danielle Gibson: [00:28:21] That's right.
Melea Hames: [00:28:22] Well, branching out from there, you mentioned the Sweet Trail and Morgan Price Candy, which is just right down the street from Big Bob Gibson's has the best toffee ever.
Danielle Gibson: [00:28:35] Yes. Oh my goodness. Really, any other candy is phenomenal, but you can also watch them make it, which is really kind of fun too. But the toffee, oh, I had some of the other day they put like little nuts on the top and then the chocolate. So there's like all of this just delicious. It's kind of crunchy and oh my goodness.
Melea Hames: [00:28:57] Yeah, there's several layers of goodness going on.
Danielle Gibson: [00:29:01] Yeah, it's kind of like, like toffee on top of toffee, but they're like in like super thin layers. Like it's just, oh my goodness. But they make all types of different candy there. They make these caramel chocolates and they put sea salt caramel on there.
Melea Hames: [00:29:21] So good.
Danielle Gibson: [00:29:22] So good.
Melea Hames: [00:29:24] So peanut brittle. Okay, we've got to move on from that because now I'm going to have to go get some.
Danielle Gibson: [00:29:29] Okay. Well, and you know they do all kinds of different things. Like you can buy a little small package or like if you're looking for a gift item, you can buy a big box with all these different assortments of them. So I mean if you want to be not that bad, they offer the options of the tiny packages.
Melea Hames: [00:29:46] Yeah, true.
Danielle Gibson: [00:29:47] I say just buy the big one.
Melea Hames: [00:29:49] Yeah. Just, I mean if you're going to do it, just do it big. Right?
Danielle Gibson: [00:29:53] Because you've got to sample them.
Melea Hames: [00:29:54] That’s right. Well, another place on your MoCo Sweet Trail is the Tennessee Valley Pecan company and they've got a lot of varieties of pecan flavors that are so good. What's your favorite one?
Danielle Gibson: [00:30:10] Oh, I absolutely love the key lime pies and it's my favorite. But a lot of people don't like key lime pie so they might like, I mean there are just so many different options available to you. So I actually had a photographer that was in town for us and I said, hey, you probably should go check out Tennessee Valley Pecan and he came back later and he was like, “My waistline is going to be like so big because I bought like five different kinds of the big bags.” But you know, that's okay. We have lots of trails for you to walk on.
Melea Hames: [00:30:43] There you go.
Danielle Gibson: [00:30:44] Yes, but Tennessee Valley Pecan, they also ship so like, you don't have to just be here, you can actually order them online too. So there are a lot of options to get them if you're not local.
Melea Hames: [00:30:57]Yeah. And we can't leave out our beer lovers and Decatur has its first brewery that recently opened a couple of years ago. So tell us about the Cros-Eyed Owl Brewery.
Danielle Gibson: [00:31:08] We love the Cross-Eyed Owl Brewery. So they have events that go on throughout the year too and a lot of the time they'll have a great outdoor space, like an outdoor patio, so they'll bring in food trucks so you can grab a beer after work or grab something at the food truck, but they have different brews that they come up with the funniest names. So, but we love our brewery and it is our first brewery, so we really enjoy it. It's a great location, it's very walkable to the downtown area if you wanted to walk around and it's just a great place to stop, grab a beer.
Melea Hames: [00:31:45] Yeah. And speaking of beer and downtown, it's a good walking distance when there are festivals downtown, like 3rdFriday Downtown Decatur.
Danielle Gibson: [00:31:55] Oh my goodness, yes. So we kicked off the First, 3rdFriday in April and it will go all the way to October and oh my goodness, the last one that we had, there were people everywhere, just everywhere. So, but the organizer has done Didi who's actually a local business owner has done enough phenomenal job of creating new experiences for the 3rd Friday, so this time they had bull riding.
Melea Hames: [00:32:26] Cool.
Danielle Gibson: [00:32:27] Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I feel like the people are very entertained by that. They also brought in food trucks this -- well, I think they always have food trucks, but they brought in more food trucks this time. So you could grab the restaurants or you could grab something off of the food truck and then they always have entertainment and then a big hit is they always have somebody that's doing line dancing.
Melea Hames: [00:32:51] Yep. And you can jump in with them too, they'll let you.
Danielle Gibson: [00:32:55] You can, you can or you can be one of those people that watches everybody. I mean there's two options here. Usually, at the end of the night, there are a few more people dancing than there was the night. But we are in the arts and entertainment district so you can grab a drink and then walk around and do different things. So it's just a really good time and there were thousands of people this last time. So it's just a really fun activity for families. They usually have like a kid's area. I think we're talking about Cornhole and it's just a good time.
Melea Hames: [00:33:29] Yeah, it's fun for everybody. It really is a good time. And then there's the Alabama Jubilee that's always Memorial Day weekend. That's the big hot air balloon festival that's so much fun.
Danielle Gibson: [00:33:41] Yes. And then there's always over 50 balloons that come from all over the United States. So it's a jam-packed weekend. The details of that are actually on their websites. So like if you wanted to come to watch the balloons in the morning, you can or we also have a balloon glow which is a lot of fun because it's at nighttime and they light up the balloons and they have music going and it's just so much fun. So it's a full weekend of activities at the Alabama Jubilee and that is Memorial Day weekend.
Melea Hames: [00:34:17] It's so much fun. I love seeing all the big balloons and you've got to get your picture made with all the balloons in the background or it didn't happen. Right?
Danielle Gibson: [00:34:26] Yeah, yeah. That's right. So we actually have a balloon that we own the Decatur Marine County Tourism and so we have a pilot so he'll always take out our balloon too. And so they worked really hard all year long to bring that festival to life and they always do a top-notch job with it and it's just always so much fun.
Melea Hames: [00:34:49] Yeah. And it's at Point Mallard Park and another festival at Point Mallard Park is the Spirit of America Festival, which is my birthday July the 4th.
Danielle Gibson: [00:34:58] Melea, I didn’t know it is your birthday.
Melea Hames: [00:35:01] I'm a firecracker.
Danielle Gibson: [00:35:03] I love it. Hey, you know what, we have fireworks just for her birthday. We do, we do, yeah. So the Spirit of America Festival is a lot of fun. They always have lots of great vendors and fireworks and so it's really a fun weekend to go out to Point Mallard and enjoy the water park and just spend you know the whole weekend with us because there's so many activities going on.
Melea Hames: [00:35:27] It's a lot of fun, a lot of fun. Okay well, each week on Facebook I asked our followers what question they want to be answered, and this is the winning question. The follower said, “For those who haven't visited Decatur, tell me a place that you consider a hidden gem, a place that you must visit but unless you know a local that lives there you would never know about it because it isn't advertised as one of the main attractions or places to visit or see.”
Danielle Gibson: [00:35:57] Okay, so a local favorite that a lot of people don't know about but it's very popular is El Palomino. Can we just talk about the tacos?
Melea Hames: [00:36:09] Yeah I have to agree. Two chicken tacos, chips and cheese dip every Sunday night for me, yep.
Danielle Gibson: [00:36:18] So do you feel as if it's the chicken or is it the salsa? Like what is it that makes it so special?
Melea Hames: [00:36:25] I think it's just all the fresh ingredients like it just feels like everything is so fresh. The lettuce, the cilantro, the onions, the tomatoes and the guacamole dip, I promise you they have to make it as soon as you order it. It is that fresh. It is that delicious. So, and it's a hole-in-the-wall place that I really feel like people drive by it and would never give it a second glance unless someone said you need to eat here, which I do frequently.
Danielle Gibson: [00:36:55] Yeah. So I would definitely say that is a local favorite that a lot of people don't know about. Yeah. Okay. The people that have eaten there, it's a favorite. But now you all know because you all listen to this podcast.
Melea Hames: [00:37:12] Yes. Yes. Well, this was such a fun episode and I feel like we could go on and on if time allowed. There's so much to do. It's more than just a day in Decatur. It's a week, a month in Decatur, right?
Danielle Gibson: [00:37:26] That's right.
Melea Hames: [00:37:28] So thank you so much for being here with me and for our listeners tell us where we can find Decatur Morgan Tourism on social media.
Danielle Gibson: [00:37:38] They can find us on social media @VisitDecaturAL. And that's on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. And then also our website is decaturcvb.org. But also we have a podcast and it is Find your Flow in MoCo and it is also produced by the wonderful Relic. So also Melea was one of our guests and it was about the Sweet Treat Trail. So make sure to go to our podcast. Find Your Flow in MoCo and check out our time with Melea.
Melea Hames: [00:38:08] Yes, that was a fun one to do. Okay, well, North Alabama's social platforms are linked in the description. Thanks for joining us and we'll be back next time with more about North Alabama's unexpected adventures. This has been another episode of the Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast, part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network, hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Relic.
[End of transcript]
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