Huntsville, Alabama Virtual Tour

Happy Monday, beautiful friends! I hope y’all had a great weekend. After writing about my family’s reasons for living in a small town {pop. 2k}, I thought it would be fun to show you some wonderful places to visit in the “big city” {pop. 108k}. We go to “town” just a few minutes away for most appointments and errands, but we do visit Huntsville, Alabama – the “big city” – on occasion.

I know that Alabama gets a bad rap sometimes for being full of rednecks…and we do have those, but the Huntsville metro is full of some of the most brilliant engineers and rocket scientists {literally}. The number of PhD’s per capita is the highest in the United States!

There’s so much to see in Huntsville, but here are some of the highlights. Come on a little tour!

Huntsville Alabama Attractions

This is the historic Huntsville Depot which is one of America’s oldest remaining railroad structures. There are activities for kids including the Little Toot’s Imagination Station.

The Huntsville Botanical Gardens is a fabulous must-see especially during the holiday season. Besides educational activities, the gardens put on the Galaxy of Lights…a very popular {and nationally recognized} light show.

The Early Works Children’s Museum is the South’s largest hands-on history museum. I can’t wait to take Ridley here. I’ve been holding off, but since he’s three, I’m sure he would totally love it.  The Children’s Museum, Depot and Constitiution Village work in collaboration together to create wonderful historic learning experiences for kids.

I LOVE living near the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. It is an incredible place to visit.  I don’t think I’ve ever shared this on my blog, but I used to want to be an astronaut…yes, really. I was so impacted by visiting the space and rocket center as a kid. The history and the experience is superb.

In the last few years, the Space and Rocket Center built the Davidson Center. All I can say is that it is phenomenal. The pieces of history are just incredible and there are hands-on activities for kids as well.

Huntsville is also home to the U.S. Space Camp. Children from all over the country come to learn more about space each year.

Huntsville Dining & Shopping

We love to enjoy a special meal in Huntsville. From fine dining to “fast food” Mexican, there is something for everyone.

Cotton Row Restaurant – for an extra, extra special occasion. Do you think having a baby is an extra, extra special occasion? Ha! I’m going to save my $$ to eat here! This is one of several fancy restaurants downtown.

Bridge Street Town Centre is a fabulous date night destination. The dining choices are endless — P.F. Changs, Cantina Laredo, Red Robin and SO many more. If you’re in the mood to shop and you have a lot of dough to drop, then this is the place for you. I love to window shop, especially at Anthropologie, but I rarely spend at Bridge Street. 😉

Huntsville Parks & Culture

Big Spring Park is a favorite place to visit for kids to feed the ducks and geese. There plenty of shade and the “lake” is lovely. When I worked in Huntsville, I spent many a lunch hour here with my hubby who was in college at the time.

In the background, you can see the Von Braun Center which has an arena, a concert hall and a playhouse.  Big name celebrities and the circus {along with many other acts} come to perform. My brother-in-law plays the violin in the Huntsville Symphony. We love going to symphony concerts!

Downtown Huntsville has a plethora of beautiful, historic homes. I love driving around and sightseeing from my car. It is a lovely place to live.

This is the Huntsville – Madison County Veterans Memorial. My heart is touched every time I see it. There are so many names of those remembered for their military service. Since Redstone Arsenal is here, Huntsville is also a military city. The Veteran’s Memorial reminds us that Freedom Isn’t Free.

We like funky sculptures!

The Huntsville Museum of Art has a permanent collection of over 3,000 pieces and they also have exhibits that come to be on display. I really would love to visit the Museum of Art soon. It looks like a delightful, inspiring place!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little virtual tour of Huntsville. There are so many other amenities that I haven’t mentioned.

So, tell me. Have you ever been to Huntsville before??

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14 Comments

  1. I didn’t realize we were so close. We live straight up 231 in Shelbyville, TN. I love Huntsville, I just wish there was a better way to get there. Hwy 231 between us and Fayetteville is a curvy, hilly roller coaster!

    I’ll definitely bookmark this post for my next visit!

    1. Hey Leah! I drive up to Fayetteville for my midwife appointments. It’s a beautiful drive! 🙂

  2. How cool to see my hometown on your blog! Lots to do here as you noted-and a great place to live and work. The fancy restaurants are nice, but out of our price range most of the time. There are some locals that are really good and are more family and budget friendly. . Po’ Boys(Cajun), Rosies & Little Rosies(Mexican and “fast” Mexican, Lynns Gracious Goodness(Lunch & Carry out Dinner), Sam & Gregs(pizza)..We could talk food all day!

    1. Yes, yes, yes! We LOVE Rosie’s and Little Rosie’s and Lynn’s Gracious Goodness too! YUM! 🙂 xo

  3. I grew up in Athens, and Huntsville was an every week place to go. Now one of my sons still lives in Athens and the other in Rogersville going towards Florence. Coming home next week to see my granddaughters (have 5 ages 2 to 16). Very nice to see somewhere close to “home” on your blog. I live in Arkansas now.

    1. Hi Saundra! Thanks for your sweet comment! I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful visit with your family! 🙂

  4. Why didn’t I know you were from North Alabama?! I grew up in Morgan City (between Huntsville and Arab) and lived in Huntsville for 12 years before marrying and moving to Tennessee for 7 years and now in Florida for the past 13. Miss my “Hills of Alabam”! Thanks for the tour! It’s also beautiful up on Monte Santo mountain at the state park and Burritt Museum!

    1. Hi Carolyn! Thanks for your comment! I totally agree with you about Monte Sano and Burritt. Huntsville is so full of beautiful places!

  5. We live in Birmingham, so Huntsville is close enough that we visit several times yearly. Last year when we studied the space race, the Space Center was a fabulous field trip (and it didn’t hurt that we ate lunch at Rosie’s Cantina). I have taken my older daughter to the children’s museum, but haven’t taken my little one – might give us another reason to make the trip soon.

  6. Well, I hope you are ready for house guests after that post! Made me want to visit Huntsville. 🙂

  7. It’s truly a small world. I was born in Athens and have lived in Huntsville for nearly 60 yrs. I love this town. At one time if you wanted to know about any restaurant I could tell you where when and recommend a dish. But now I don’t get out much, so it’s all new to me. It’s a good quit place to live. Churches every mile or so, Grocery store everywhere. I have three within two miles of my home. Wal-mart and Lowe’s about 8 miles away. There’s good fishing in any direction, no more than 45 miles away. Flint River is less than a mile away. I can truly say I have been and being Blessed by our Heavenly Father every day. Bless you and thank you for sharing a small part of your life with us.
    The Father fill you and your family with His Bounty this year!

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