About Huntsville

Located in the beautiful North Alabama Mountain Lakes region in the heart of the Tennessee River Valley, Huntsville has both historic downtown areas with early 19th-century homes to its popular US Space and Rocket Center, the NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center, and a camp that attracts young people from around the world. Ranked as one of the best places for careers and business, Huntsville is a tourist destination with pleasant climate year round as well as artistic, scientific and cultural attractions unlike many others.

Comfortable accommodations close to attractions include Comfort Inn, Bevill Conference Center & Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott, Candlewood Suites, America’s Best Inn, and Best Western. Ditto Landing is a camper’s paradise along with Wheeler Reservoir.

When you’re hungry, Huntsville dining options range from fast food, casual, ethnic to Southern and gourmet. These include the Blue Plate Café, G’s Country Kitchen, Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ, 801 Franklin, Copelands of New Orleans, the Furniture Factory (yes, it’s a restaurant), the Jazz Factory, Bistro La Luna, Casa Blanca, and Bandito Burrito.

Popular attractions include the Huntsville Botanical Garden, Alabama Constitution Village, Burritt On the Mountain (a living museum), Cathedral Caverns, Clay House Museum, Early Works (a hands-on history museum), Harmony Park Animal Preserve, Huntsville Train Depot & Museum, Huntsville Madison County Botanical Garden, North Alabama Railroad Museum, Sci-Quest (a hands-on science museum), the1879 Harrison Brothers Hardware Store, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Weeden House Museum, and the Veterans Memorial Museum.

Things to do include horse back riding at the 3H Stables along the Flint River, ice skating at the Benton Wilcoxon Ice Complex, roller skating at the Carousel Skate House, or paddle the Flint River with Chickasaw Canoeing. Golfers can choose from almost a dozen courses, including the Hampton Cove Golf Course, Fox Run or Harvest Hills. 60,000-acre Wheeler Reservoir offers outdoor activities, and Green Mountain Nature Trail is a 16-acre park with wooded paths and covered bridges.

Annual events include the Animals in Art at the Huntsville Museum of Art, Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Cook-Off, Historic Homes Tour, Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll, Village of Providence Saturday Market, Fern Festival & Sale, Master Gardeners’ Weekend, Old Fashioned Trade Day on the Square, and Civil War Jamboree.

Written by: Natasha Lawrence