Editing Decatur, Alabama (section)

===Tourism===
[[Image:AlabamaJubilee90.jpg|thumb|left|Balloons inflating at the 1990 [[Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic|Alabama Jubilee]]]]
Tourism is a major part of Decatur's economy. Hundreds of thousands of people from in and out of town and from many other countries and territories attend some of the premier festivals in the South.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.decaturcvb.org/Pages/Festivals/fest.html |title=Festivals and celebrations |year=2006 |publisher=Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070728135633/http://www.decaturcvb.org/Pages/Festivals/fest.html |archive-date=July 28, 2007}}</ref>

The [[Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic|Alabama Jubilee]], begun in 1978, is the oldest hot air balloon race south of the [[Kentucky Derby]]'s ''[[Great Balloon Race]]'' (from 1973). With visiting populations rising to 100,000, people crowd around more than 60 seven-story-tall balloons as they inflate. Because of the Alabama Jubilee, Decatur has been named "The Ballooning Capital of Alabama" by the Alabama State Legislature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alabamajubilee.net/index.php/blank-page/history |title=The Early Years |publisher=Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic |access-date=March 8, 2019|archive-date=March 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302132654/http://www.alabamajubilee.net/index.php/blank-page/history |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Spirit of America Festival]] is one of the largest free [[Fourth of July]] festivals in the South. More than 65,000 people arrive in Decatur to watch annual celebrations and the Miss Spirit of America beauty pageant. The contest was known as "Miss Point Mallard" from 1976 through 2013. It moved to the [[Princess Theatre (Decatur, Alabama)|Princess Theatre]] in 2014.<ref name="decad140622">{{cite news|first=Catherine |last=Godbey |newspaper=[[The Decatur Daily]] |location=Decatur, Alabama |title=Beauty & Grace: Contestants to vie for Miss Spirit of America title |url=http://www.decaturdaily.com/life/article_3a097fd0-f8b6-11e3-a09f-10604b9ffe60.html |date=June 22, 2014 |access-date=July 17, 2014}}</ref>

Another large event in Decatur and North Alabama, the [[Racking Horse World Celebration]] attracts horses from around the world to compete in the largest Racking Horse competition. Held in the [[Celebration Arena]] near Priceville, the celebration draws up to 75,000 fans and competitors each year.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

The [https://www.facebook.com/riverfestbbq/ Riverfest] barbeque cook-off at Ingalls Harbor is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and attracts competitors from across the country. Beginning in 1995, the festival has previously been selected as a top ten tourist event in the State of Alabama, festival goers can expect live, nationally known musical acts, children's activities, and award-winning barbeque. Proceeds benefit the local community including several charitable organizations.

2018 saw the opening of the [https://www.cookmuseum.org/ Cook Museum of Natural Science] located at 133 Fourth Avenue NE Decatur, Alabama 35601 and showcases a wide variety of native animal and plant species within a state of the art facility. Cook Museum of Natural Science has been nominated by USA Today in their 2020 10 Best Readers' Choice travel awards as one of the best new museums to open in the past two years. Cook Museum of Natural Science is the newspaper's only Alabama-based nominee.