The Tennessee River, winding and splashing its way through the northwest corner of Alabama, almost seems to have reached out and gathered cities around it. Many of the cities in this part of the state are set cheek-by-jowl, their borders defined by the twists and turns of the river.

his part of Alabama sings -- from the museum home of W.C. Handy in Florence to the studios of Muscle Shoals where music legends are born. Those music legends are honored here, too, in Tuscumbia’s Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Rich tales of the state’s incredible musical heritage are told in tunes, pictures and memorabilia from such stars as Tammy Wynette, Lionel Richey and Hank Williams Sr. and Jr.

The story of another of the state’s outstanding citizens is told not in the sounds of guitars and blues piano, but in the quiet of a simple well pump. Ivy Green, the home of Helen Keller in Tuscumbia, tells the magnificent journey of Miss Keller from spoiled child to international ambassador and of the teacher who made that journey with her.

One of the highest natural bridges east of the Rockies spans forests and wilderness here. Natural Bridge, created of sandstone, is 60 feet high and 148 feet long.

Also in this portion of the state is the Free State of Winston, a county that seceded from the state rather than leaving the Union during the Civil War.

The city of Decatur has a little something for everyone -- from a bug museum to Civil War history to a wave pool to a wildlife refuge. Cook’s Natural Science Museum explores insects and other wildlife in Alabama and throughout the world. The Old State Bank was one of only four buildings left standing in the city at the end of the Civil War. Today it is a museum recounting the city’s history.

Point Mallard Park has a wave pool, an Olympic diving pool and, in the winter, an ice rink. The Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge spreads along 20 miles of the Tennessee and welcomes migrating birds -- and the humans who like to watch them -- to a wintering ground.