Celebrating 60 Years of Soaring to New Heights!

Sixty years ago, the foundation was laid for a regional concept tasked with stimulating economic and cultural development through tourism and travel. 

In 1960, Dick Ordway, director of the Decatur (Ala.) Chamber of Commerce, began to organize groups in Decatur, Huntsville, Florence, Sheffield, Athens, Scottsboro and Cullman, Ala. to work together in promoting tourism and travel in the north Alabama area. Chamber of commerce leaders, attraction directors and representatives from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources met throughout the region and held public meetings to gather information and to discuss the varied destinations that lined the Tennessee River. Through these discussions, a regional concept for an organization quickly gained traction. And, on June 10, 1964, the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA) was formally established as a non-profit organization. The initial seven participating chambers in 1960 had expanded to 16 by 1970. 

Sixty years later, AMLA’s membership has grown to over 500 members across a 16 county region. These members include attractions, festivals, restaurants, shops, hotels, state parks, campgrounds, RV parks, bed and breakfasts, cabins, municipalities, convention and visitor’s bureaus, along with chambers of commerce in the following counties: Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan and Winston. Click here for more information on membership. 

For more of what’s new and the latest happenings in North Alabama, subscribe to AMLA’s newsletter here or follow us on social media @visitnorthal.