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Carley’s Adventures: Helen Keller’s Birthplace

By Melea Hames on Jul. 02, 2017

The third episode of Carley's Adventures is at Ivy Green - Helen Keller's Birthplace in Tuscumbia. Helen Keller is known as America's First Lady of Courage and at Ivy Green you'll learn why.

The tour guides at Ivy Green start with a history of Helen's family and tell the story of how she became deaf and blind and how she came to know her teacher Anne Sullivan. After the tour guide's explanation, visitors are free to walk around and look at the rooms in the house as well as the grounds. The water pump where Helen and Anne's famous breakthrough took place is behind the house as well as the cottage where Anne and Helen did most of their work. The home and grounds are beautiful, and you learn so much about such an inspirational woman who had a huge impact on the world.

If you visit Helen Keller's Birthplace during June and July, don't miss "The Miracle Worker" play that is performed on the weekends on the grounds. For more information, go to www.helenkellerbirthplace.org.

Helen Keller's Birthplace is a must-see in North Alabama! Make sure you watch the third episode of Carley's Adventures on YouTube: Carley's Adventures: Helen Keller's Birthplace.

Carley’s Adventures: Helen Keller’s Birthplace

Carley’s Adventures: Helen Keller’s Birthplace

Carley’s Adventures: Helen Keller’s Birthplace

Carley’s Adventures: Helen Keller’s Birthplace

Carley’s Adventures: Helen Keller’s Birthplace

Muse Award

Author

Melea Hames

A 1995 Auburn University graduate, Melea has been a social media manager in the tourism industry for more than a decade at Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. At AMLA, Melea is responsible for creating content on Visit North Alabama’s social media platforms, writing blog posts on the website, coordinating the North Alabama Ambassador Program, and speaking at various events and meetings about social media. Melea is also the host of Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama, AMLA’s new podcast, produced by Relic Agency. The podcast won a 2022 Muse Award - Silver in the Audio/Podcast category. Melea was honored in October 2023 with the Tourism Promoter of the Year Award from the Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Association for her work on the podcast.

Prior to working for AMLA, Melea received her Masters at UNA in Secondary Education and taught middle school English and coached middle school cheerleaders for three years. She also taught English at Calhoun Community College for 8 1/2 half years. Before that she worked in public relations for an advertising agency in Atlanta, a minor league baseball team in Columbus, Georgia, and for Auburn University in the development office. Just last year, Melea created her very own social media marketing agency with a friend called M and M Social. She loves to write, travel, walk in the park (she walked over 600 miles in 2020), go to Auburn games, and read books about WWII.