April Historic Saturday Walks

Limestone County is happy to announce their continued partnership with the State of Alabama Department of Tourism's April Saturday Walk program.  Four communities will be participating in 2020 --Athens, Elkmont and Mooresville.  These free hour-long tours occur annually, each Saturday during the month of April and are led by volunteer guides from each community.


April 2020 Saturday Walks Schedule

  • Saturday, April 4
  • Saturday, April 11
  • Saturday, April 18
  • Saturday, April 25
Athens tour options are unique - offering a choice from multiple tours each Saturday PLUS tours of local attraction partners too.
​
2020 Offerings:

TOUR OPTIONS:
  • Beaty Historic District
  • Downtown Athens Historic District
  • Athens City Cemetery
  • Athens State University
​
ATTRACTION  PARTNERS OFFERING FREE TOURS:
  • The Robert Donnell House & Museum , Athens   (Alabama 200 PastPort Location)
  • The Governor George S. Houston Library & Museum, Athens

Details at check-in.
​Donations welcome.
Guided Walking Tours of Athens Historic Districts ​

The Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association announces the return of free, guided walking tours each Saturday in the month of April. Residents and visitors are invited to take part in a casual stroll through the 'Beaty' and 'Houston' Historic District and learn about the architecture and history of these charming neighborhoods.

The one-hour free walking tour begins at 10 a.m. at the meeting room of the Athens-Limestone Visitor Center 100 North Beaty Street next to Big Springs Memorial Park. Knowledgeable guides will escort participants through tours featuring routes through historical districts and areas.

Participants are asked to check-in at the Athens-Limestone Visitors Center at 9:45AM and choose a tour at that time.  Comfortable walking shoes and light jacket are suggested for the walk which encounters a variety of terrain.

Participants can experience the culture and history of Athens by taking one of these walks each Saturday.

​TOUR OPTIONS:
Beaty Historic District
Downtown Athens Historic District
Athens City Cemetery
Athens State University
 
The Athens’ guided walking tours are part of the “April Walking Tours” coordinated by the Alabama Tourism Department.  Alabama is the only state in the nation to hold statewide, simultaneous walking tours. These walking tours are a great way to get out and enjoy the spring weather and find out the history of our state and communities.
Enjoy Mooresville, Alabama
​Mooresville will be on display during Saturday mornings in April as part of the Alabama Tourism Department's April Walking Tours initiative. 
These walking tours are free. (Please note: this is a walking tour only - no vendors, exhibitors, events, home tours.)
​The entire town of Mooresville, Alabama is on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of Alabama's most important and intact villages. Historic homes and buildings, gracious gardens and tree-shaded streets make a visit to Mooresville seem like a step back in time.
Town of Elkmont
Returning in 2020 for its third year, the historic Town of Elkmont joins the April Saturday Walks.  Join local guides at the Elkmont Depot at 10:00AM for a walk through the community's history past historic buildings, reclaimed cotton mill, and former L&N railway that is now the Richard Martin Rails-to-Trails.
April 2020 Saturday Walks Schedule -- Each Saturday in April
Athens City Cemetery Stroll
Bicentennial Event
October 4, 2020
​2:00pm-5:00pm
Athens City Cemetery Stroll
The historic Athens City Cemetery will “come alive” with more than 35 period attired personalities to represent notables from the past 200+ years during the Annual Athens City Cemetery Stroll. The history of Athens City Cemetery is also the history of the southeast during America’s southern and westward expansion. This event is free to the public and donations are welcomed to assist in the efforts of preserving these historical landmarks.
 
A few of the residents below may be stirring around for you to encounter.

Miss Jane Hamilton Childs who became the president of Athens College. During the War for Southern Independence, Madame Childs saved the Women’s College from destruction.

​The feisty wife of James Donnell, Maria, was alone with a sick child during the union occupation. James had been exiled across the Tennessee River because of a warrant for his arrest by the occupying army.
 
Sallie Beaty, and her husband, Robert Beaty, became one of the founders of Athens. They built the beautiful home now known as the “Beaty-Mason Home.”
Mr. Leland Bacon Estes served 4 years in the Confederate Army and had been imprisoned in the infamous Fort Douglas. He returned to farming after the war; his son became a businessman in Athens.

W. P. Tanner was the son of the first mayor of Athens, Samuel Tanner. W.P. became a merchant then was elected mayor in 1861 during the “Sack of Athens.”

The passionate Mr. John Wade Keyes, declined payment of land for his service in the Revolutionary war by saying, “I did not fight for payment, I fought for patriotism.”

The stroll is supported by the City of Athens and Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association. Refreshments provided and served by ladies of Order of the Confederate Rose.  Contact us for more details and schedule or call us at 256-232-5411