Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama

Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Matt Mandrella, Huntsville's Music Officer — the first full-time job of its kind in the country — who landed in the Rocket City by way of a decade in Austin and a run at Elvis Presley's Graceland. Matt shares what a city music audit actually is and why Huntsville commissioned one, how the scene grew into a $278 million music economy with more than 2,200 live music events a year, and why a city needs 50-capacity listening rooms just as badly as it needs an 8,000-seat amphitheater. Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email [email protected].

Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Pete Conroy, Director Emeritus of the Little River Canyon Center, and Angela Bates, an educator with the National Park Service at Little River Canyon National Preserve. Angela takes us through a river that runs along the top of Lookout Mountain, three waterfalls including Alabama's tallest at 133 feet, and a boulder the highway was built around — while Pete shares how a $6.8 million building became a Jax State–Park Service partnership that's generated half a billion dollars in economic impact for the region. Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email [email protected].

Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Tere Richardson, Executive Director of Athens Main Street, and Mary Helmer Wirth, President and State Coordinator of Main Street Alabama, to talk downtown revitalization. From Merchants Alley's $30,000 idea that became a $200,000 landmark to 16 new restaurants in 34 months and a boutique hotel on the way, Tere and Mary share what it really takes to build a downtown people want to visit — and why Athens is "an overnight success 20 years in the making." Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email [email protected].

Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Heath Puckett, Superintendent of Lake Guntersville State Park, and Andrew Kelly, to explore one of North Alabama's most scenic and beloved outdoor destinations. Heath shares his journey from golf course management to leading one of Alabama's crown jewel state parks, what makes Lake Guntersville special, and his vision for growing the park as a premier mountain biking and outdoor recreation destination. Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email [email protected].

Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Cooper Smitherman, Community Outreach Representative for Stars and Strikes Family Entertainment Centers in Huntsville and a writer, editor, and UAH Honors College Top Scholar. Cooper shares how a Master's in English led him to community storytelling, what it's like connecting people to one of North Alabama's favorite entertainment destinations, and why Huntsville's growing arts and culture scene keeps calling people back home. Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Brand Revolt. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast Network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in becoming a part of the network, please email [email protected].