It’s The Year of Alabama Music, and the Alabama Tourism Department is highlighting music-related events and locales across the state to remind residents of their area’s heritage as well as bring in out-of-staters to get a taste of the Heart of Dixie.

More than 1,500 festivals, events and celebrations are marked in the state’s 2011 Vacation Guide and Calendar of Events, and nearly 400 of the listed events include festivals that feature live music.

“There is something for everyone in this year’s calendar, especially if you enjoy music, history and theater,” said Lee Sentell, tourism director.

The Shoals features prominently in the guide, which can be accessed online at alabama.travel, and dominates the music events for the Northern part of state. Places highlighted include FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, the W.C. Handy Birthplace, Museum and Library in Florence and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia, named Attraction of the Year by the state tourism industry.

“It’s amazing to me how many people in our area haven’t been here,” said Dixie Connell, marketing director for the hall of fame, which contains everything from the music group Alabama’s tour bus to outfits worn by Lionel Richie and The Commodores.

After seeing the local sights, plan day or weekend trips across the state.

The guide is divided by region: For Central Alabama, visit the Five Points South and Lakeview entertainment districts in Birmingham; for South; visit the Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery; or in the Gulf Coast, stop by the Mobile Carnival Museum in Mobile, the birthplace of Mardi Gras.

In fact, Mardi Gras is going on now in Mobile and will continue through Fat Tuesday on March 8.

Sarah Carlson can be reached at 256-740-5722 or sarah.carlson@TimesDaily.com.