Courtesy Visit Florence
Describe some not-to-be-missed local restaurants.
Trowbridges in downtown Florence is a soda fountain that serves malts, milkshakes andhand-dipped ice cream, as well as homemade pimento cheese and other sandwiches. Also downtown, Florence’s ties to Italy are not forgotten at Ricatoni’s Italian Grill, where meals begin with oven-baked bread. Opened by a Broadway entertainer and a Hollywood producer, Sweet Magnolia Cafe is where shrimp-and-grits meets chicken marsala. For pizza, sandwiches and boats, head for the Barge Inn at the marina.
How does the CVB go above and beyond to help meeting planners?
For the Alabama Governor’s Conference, the CVB staff helped arrange a fireworks show sponsored by TNT Fireworks, headquartered in Florence. To promote Florence’s rise in the recording industry during the 1960s and 1970s, the CVB has helped groups plan “Get Your Groove On” parties complete with tie-dye.
Did you know?
Florence is home to the University of North Alabama (UNA), enrollment 7,000. School mascots, lions Leo III and Una, live in a specially designed habitat on the downtown campus. Frederick Law Olmstead, designer of New York’s Central Park, designed the UNA campus.
What’s new?
- The Huffington Post named Florence one of the 11 best small towns in the United States.
- Last spring, Garden and Gun magazine recognized Florence as the Southeast’s best art and design town.
