Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Muscle Shoals, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Muscle Shoals and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Muscle Shoals
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Muscle Shoals:
- 34.743467, -87.633674
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Muscle Shoals
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Colbert County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Colbert County
- Since Muscle Shoals is near Lauderdale County and also Lawrence County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Lauderdale County
- eBird sighting report for Lawrence County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Muscle Shoals ...
We found one communities that share the name Muscle Shoals.
Within Alabama, the name Muscle Shoals is unique.
Beyond Alabama, there is another community also named Muscle Shoals in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- Ventura County
- This Muscle Shoals is located in Ventura County and lies 1,801 miles [2,898.4 km]<1> to the west of the Muscle Shoals that is located in Colbert County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ventura County community of Muscle Shoals.
- California
Curious and Interesting Names Near Muscle Shoals ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Cave Spring
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cave Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
- Cave Spring is located in Colbert County
- Florence
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Florence is located in Lauderdale County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41,166 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florence <3>
- Florence Ferry
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence Ferry
- Florence Ferry is located in Colbert County
- Furnace Hill ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Furnace Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furnace Hill
- Furnace Hill is located in Colbert County
- Hobgood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south) - Houston Corner
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houston Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston Corner
- Houston Corner is located in Colbert County
- James
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south) - Lakeview
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north) - Lakeview Highlands
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Highlands
- Lakeview Highlands is located in Colbert County
- Listerhill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Listerhill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Listerhill
- Listerhill is located in Colbert County
- Manor Haven
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manor Haven have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor Haven
- Manor Haven is located in Colbert County
- Mount Pleasant ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Mount Pleasant is located in Colbert County
- Valley Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Grove
- Valley Grove is located in Colbert County
- Woodlawn Heights
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodlawn Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn Heights
- Woodlawn Heights is located in Colbert County
How Far From Muscle Shoals to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a city such as Muscle Shoals to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Muscle Shoals and extending to:
- Tuscumbia, which is the Seat of Colbert County, lies just to the West Southwest.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 180 miles [289.7 km]<1> to the south southeast (SSE). If you could drive a straight line from Muscle Shoals to Montgomery, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take a little over three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 11 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 651 miles [1,047.7 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 26 days and walking would take 37 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,527 miles [10,504.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,243 miles [11,656.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,118 miles [8,236.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Muscle Shoals: www.cityofmuscleshoals.com/
The official website for Colbert County: www.colbertcounty.org/
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Muscle Shoals) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Muscle Shoals. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.7435, Longitude: -87.6337 In this case, the coordinates for Muscle Shoals have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <5> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Muscle Shoals to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 314.255 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 310.125 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.374 degrees. |