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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