Rock N Roll Timeline

Ideas for last-minute summer fun in North Alabama and beyond

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama--Summer has gone by in a flash. School starts in about a week, and many are scrambling to get in some last-minute summer fun.

Time may be short, but there’s still a chance to have one last blast before summer runs out.

Whether you want to shop till you drop, make a splash, spend time with the family, or visit rock ’n’ roll royalty, there are plenty of options within a few hours’ drive to help you end summer on a high note.

If you’re looking for some hot fun in the summertime or ways to beat the heat and keep your cool, here are some suggestions for summer’s last gasp.

Go to the park

Centennial Park in Nashville is an easy drive that offers a wealth of entertainment.

The 132-acre park features walking trails, historical monuments, dog parks, a stunning sunken garden, Lake Watauga, sand volleyball and a full-size replica of the Parthenon. Nashville’s Parthenon was built for Tennessee’s 1897 Centennial Exposition and is the world’s only full-size replica. Inside, the Parthenon features a 42-foot-tall statue of Athena as well as an art museum.

The permanent collection features work by 19th- and 20th-century American artists. Pack a picnic lunch and play in the park, then pop into the Parthenon to cool off during the hottest part of the day. The Parthenon is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The park is free, but admission to the Parthenon is $4 for children ages 4 and up and $6 for adults.

Get wild

If you want to walk on the wild side, go on safari to Birmingham and enjoy The Birmingham Zoo. The zoo is home to about 800 animals from more than 200 species. From the African Savannah to the wilds of Alabama, visitors will enjoy up-close views of some pretty spectacular creatures. Sea lions, zebras, giraffes, ostriches, gorillas, lions, bobcats and more are all part of the zoo family.

Daily activities include a sea lion show, otter training, alligator feeding, camel rides and wildlife shows. Summer hours at the zoo are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $14 for adults and $9 for children ages 2 and up and senior citizens.

  Rocks to railways

Exploring some of nature’s geological wonders is easy with Chattanooga being just a hop, skip and a jump away. See Rock City, wonder at Ruby Falls, and ride the Lookout Mountain Railway. This fun-filled day is full of natural beauty and adventure.

HippieFest brings back fond memories of the '60s and 70s ...

Timesleader.com – If you were to create a playlist of classic rock’s most enduring songs, the five artists making up this year’s HippieFest tour would be well-represented.

From Dave Mason’s “Feelin’ Alright” and Mark Farner’s “We’re an American Band” to Felix Cavaliere’s “Good Lovin’ ” and Gary Wright’s “Dream Weaver,” these essential hits from the ’60s and ’70s are as timeless today as they were then.

As is Rick Derringer’s eternal “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.” On the surface, it’s all guitar-slinging flash, with an almost inane, Gene Vincent “Be-Bop-a-Lula”-like chorus.

But dig deeper, and “Hoochie Koo” reveals itself to be a rock-’n’-roll time machine, transporting listeners back to their first thrill of experiencing live music, on “a warm spring night at the old town hall.”

“I was just talking about real things that happened to me, hanging out wherever I went to see bands play and talking about my girlfriends. The lyrics evoke a real kind of innocent period in our lives that we all miss. I guess that’s helped add to the song’s timeless nature,” says Derringer, who with Mason, Farner, Cavaliere and Wright, will help re-create that innocent period on Saturday night when HippieFest makes a stop at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre. It’ll be an evening of music and memories geared to rock fans of all ages, whether they lived through the ’60s or were born well after.

At 64, Derringer is a true rock-’n’-roll lifer, especially considering he had his first No. 1 at the young age of 17. The year was 1965, his group was the McCoys, and the song was the bubblegum gem “Hang on Sloopy.”

Derringer says the tune, and to an extent the McCoys themselves, were an answer to the Beatles. In fact, he notes, “Hang on Sloopy” was originally recorded by a black R&B group called the Vibrations.

“We were conscious of the fact that white labels would get people like Pat Boone, for instance, to cover a Little Richard song and make it a success for a wider, whiter audience. And we were at the end of that era. ‘Hang on Sloopy’ was originally called ‘My Girl Sloopy,’ a No. 1 hit on the R&B black charts by the Vibrations. The record company said, ‘Look, the Beatles have just become huge. If we can find four white kids that vaguely resemble the Beatles and are of the proper age and do ‘My Girl Sloopy,’ it’ll be a huge hit,” Derringer recalls of the label’s attempt to piggyback on the Fab Four. “We were the band that fit that description.

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