As manufacturing, eateries and businesses in general continue to bloom in Huntsville and Madison County, activity is also picking up at Ditto Landing Marina on the Tennessee River.

The historic landing – it’s believed that Andrew Jackson and Davy Crockett ferried across the river during the Creek War (a.k.a War of 1812) – near Hobbs Island has long been a harbor featuring slips and dry storage.

But Ditto Landing is no longer only a destination for boating, camping, fishing, hiking/walking, picnicking and cycling. The landing, which is included in Huntsville’s master plan The BIG Picture in terms of expanding its role as a destination place, is already the site of many events and plans are in place to add more.

It was recently announced that Ditto Landing and the Tennessee River would become home base for Kayak Bass Fishing and the inaugural Christmas on the River is set to start Dec. 2.

There’s more already ongoing with even more to come, including the ambitious Singing River Trail that Ditto Landing is already attached to and getting recognition as a Tennessee RiverTown by the Tennessee RiverLine.

Upcoming is the Rods and Wheels car show, which has had as many as 123 entrants, Nov. 5. Parking and admission is free, and food trucks and live music are part of the event.

“We’ve already created events in addition to the runs and the swims and the triathlons and all that taking place at Ditto Landing,’’ Executive Director Brandi Quick said. “But as a staff, we do several events. We do a Slip-and-Slide event and we’re reworking that and going to put it more in the warmer months during the summer. We build slip-and-slides on our grass instead of someone having to do it in their backyard. You can come down and for $5 buy a wristband and you can slide all day long. That’s been well received.’’

Ditto Landing also hosts a barbecue competition that usually has around 30 teams entered. There’s an Independence Day Celebration with fireworks, which is held on the last Saturday in June so as to not interfere with boaters’ July 4 plans.

“We’re just trying to create some activities and some interest from groups that might not normally think of Ditto Landing who aren’t people who camp or that boat, things that are more just for everyone to be able to come down to Ditto Landing,’’ Quick said. “I think you’ll see more of that in the future.’’

Quick points out that Ditto Landing and Redstone Arsenal are the only two places in the city where there’s access to the river.

“We’re also at the midpoint of the Tennessee River,’’ she added. “So, if you could take the Tennessee River and just cut it in half you would be right at Ditto Landing. That’s a pretty cool thing.’’

The Singing River Trail is a planned 220-mile greenway system that will connect the eastern side of North Alabama all the way to Colbert and Lauderdale County.

“It’s an effort to create greenways and in the future blueways that cross county borders throughout North Alabama,’’ Quick said. “It’s a cohesive experience. If you want to start in Guntersville and go to Florence you can do that on greenways.

“That’s what it’s trying to create. A lot of that has to be built, but wouldn’t you want to build it so that each municipality and each county connected to each other and they just didn’t have some greenway that went to nowhere? We’re a big part of that.’’

Singing River Trail Executive Director Dr. John Kvach said the Singing River Trail will benefit Huntsville and its residents in multiple ways.

“I think when most people think of the trails, they think of it mainly as a nice place to get outside and ride a bike or just have a nice walk and that is true,’ he told the Journal in an earlier story. “When we say health and wellness though, it means emotional, spiritual and mental wellness as well as just physical wellness.”

Ditto Landing is in the process of becoming a designated Tennessee RiverTown through the Tennessee RiverLine. According to its website, the RiverLine is “a vision for a continuous, multimodal system of trail experiences along the Tennessee River from its formation in Knoxville, TN, to its confluence with the Ohio River in Paducah, KY.’’

The trail is aimed at paddlers who can check the website and see what events each RiverTown has planned as they prepare to travel the river.

“That has a lot of boxes we need to check,’’ Quick said. “It’s an initiative to make a cohesive experience on the Tennessee River. You could start at any point on the Tennessee River and see what your next stop would be, or what your next activity might be, and plan a Tennessee River experience.’’

Featured image provided by North Alabama.