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Ivy Green, Tuscumbia, AL

Photo: Calstanhope, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingHistory BuffFamily Favorite

Ivy Green

300 North Commons St W · Tuscumbia, AL

Why you should go…

Ivy Green is the white clapboard house built in 1820 by Helen Keller's grandfather, where she was born in 1880 and spent her childhood. Tours show the main house with original furnishings and memorabilia, the small birthplace cottage, and the well pump where Keller had her breakthrough with teacher Anne Sullivan. The grounds include old English boxwoods and a garden. Each summer the play "The Miracle Worker" is staged outdoors on the property.

  • #helen keller birthplace
  • #historic home
  • #house museum
  • #national historic landmark

Good to know

General sightseeing guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • The forecast is part of the ticket

    Haze, low cloud, and rain flatten a view. Clear-day visits are worth rearranging your plans for.

  • Golden hour sells out first

    Sunset slots at observation decks and cruises are the first to go, so book those further ahead.

  • Dress a layer warmer

    It is always breezier up high and out on the water than it feels at street level.

  • Timed entry is common

    Plenty of landmarks release tickets in windows rather than at the door, so check before you walk over.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Ivy Green, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Tours
    History Buff

    FAME Recording Studios

    Under $25

    Take a guided tour of Studios A and B, where Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and Etta James recorded.

    2.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Tours
    Iconic

    Muscle Shoals Sound Studio

    $25–$50

    Take a guided tour of the 1969 studio where the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan recorded.

    2.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Shiloh National Military Park

    Free

    Drive the 12.7-mile tour road through the 1862 Shiloh battlefield, past the Hornets' Nest, the Peach Orchard and the national cemetery.

    45 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Iconic

    U.S. Space & Rocket Center

    $25–$50

    See a Saturn V moon rocket, the Pathfinder shuttle stack and hands-on space exhibits at the home of Space Camp in Huntsville.

    60 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums