“We have Wallace Community College here, Concordia College, Selma University. We have the historic St. James Hotel, we have the historic churches,” Smedley said. “We just want people to come visit our community and see what we have to offer; our door is open.”

The event, Smedley said, is through the Alabama Development Office and its Alabama Advantage Magazine, which names Selma as “plantation country.”

Selma Tourism director Candace Johnson said this expo will be the first of its kind for Selma. Johnson wants others to see that Selma is a great place for retirement.

“We are the perfect community to host these groups as they travel the South to escape colder winter months up north,” Johnson said. “My goal … will be to get those people to stop and stay a while in Selma on their way down, back up or to plan a trip as a group to our area while they are in Alabama.”