Location: Sheffield
Top Things to do in Sheffield
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What to do and see in Sheffield, Alabama (AL): The Best Things to do
Sheffield is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Shoals metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 9,039. Sheffield is the birthplace of "country-soul pioneer" and songwriter Arthur Alexander, French horn player Willie Ruff, notable attorney, actor, former senator and presidential contender Fred Thompson, Watergate committee U.S. Senator Howell Heflin and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, whose father was working in nearby Athens when he was born. It sometimes is referred to as "the City of Senators" due to the births of Heflin, McConnell and Thompson within its borders. Col. Harland Sanders worked in the Sheffield depot for Southern Railway in the 1900s. It is also home to the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio where many popular 20th century musicians recorded their work, including Alexander and Ruff. It is the site of historic Helen Keller Hospital, formerly known as Colbert County Hospital and originally constructed in 1921. It was changed to Helen Keller Hospital in 1979, and Keller's birthplace Ivy Green is located less than one mile southwest of the hospital in adjacent Tuscumbia.
Restaurants in Sheffield
1. Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 222 reviews
Our iconic recording studio opened in 1969 when studio musicians now known as The Swampers - David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, Barry Beckett and Roger Hawkins - left FAME Studio and started their own operation. Fully restored to it's 1969 look thanks to a grant from Beats Electronics, the studio is open for tours and is once again a fully functioning recording studio at night. A wide array of merchandise is also available in store and online with new designs and the classic duds worn by Mick Jagger, Bog Seger, Willie Nelson, Linda Rondstadt, Rod Stewart etc. Tour guides start in the basement where the publishing offices were, proceed to the main studio and end in the gift shop of course! There are numerous Swamper sightings! Group tour rates are available and the studio is open to requests for special events and occasions like weddings and birthday bashes. We are not your typical hands-off museum. We encourage people to play the piano where Old Time Rock and Roll was recorded!
Reviewed By Robsski - Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
This studio has been turned into a much more tourist-friendly studio than FAME which is still very much as it was when Rick Hall set it up in the 60s. This is where the four session musicians known as The Swampers broke away from FAME & set up their own operation in 1969, creating a track for Cher and then many for record company chief Jerry Wexler. Over the years, true greats have recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio such as The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Simon, Bob Seger & Rod Stewart. The tour is well done with excerpts from the Muscle Shoals movie and plenty of pictures of the stones cutting Brown Sugar & Wild Horses. Truly memorable. Now go listen to all that music before you visit!
2. Cypress Moon Studios
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
3. Muscle Shoals VIP Music Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
Tours of recording studios and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame by veterans of the studios including FAME. Muscle Shoals Sound, Cypress Moon, Wishbone, Ivy Manor, Nutthouse
4. Earl Peanutt Montgomery Music Museum
5. Old Railroad Bridge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 38 reviews
Reviewed By M0mB0mb
After reading some other reviews, I was afraid we'd have trouble finding the bridge. However, we'd picked up a Shoals Area map that listed the address as 2100 Ashe Blvd and our GPS took us right to it. We had a great time with my mom and all her grandkids walking on the bridge and some of the trail down the river bank. I mean, what better way to amuse kids than give them rocks and a big body of water to throw them in! We will definitely recommend this to anyone visiting the area.
6. Oakwood Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1 reviews
