Huntsville

An upright Saturn V rocket towers over the hills of North Alabama – you can see it from the interstate. A trip to Huntsville, the "Rocket City," takes you to the place where the rockets for the moon landings were developed, and to a green region on the edge of the Appalachians.

From Cotton to Rockets

Huntsville grew up around a karst spring where the settler John Hunt made his home in 1805. In 1819, the constitutional convention of the new state of Alabama met here. For a long time the city was shaped by cotton, until the U.S. Army built Redstone Arsenal during World War II. In 1950, a team of German rocket engineers led by Wernher von Braun arrived; their work led to the founding of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and to the Saturn V. Its role in the war and the use of forced laborers at Peenemünde and Mittelbau-Dora are viewed more critically today than they once were.

Sights in Huntsville

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center displays an original Saturn V lying horizontally in a huge hall, along with space capsules, simulators, and Space Camp, where teens and adults can experience astronaut training. In downtown, Big Spring Park, with the spring that gives it its name and Japanese cherry trees, and the historic Twickenham district with its antebellum mansions invite you to take a stroll. The Huntsville Museum of Art sits right by the park. The Huntsville Botanical Garden is known for its winter light display. Burritt on the Mountain, an open-air museum on Monte Sano, offers sweeping views over the city.

Eating and Going Out in Huntsville

Barbecue is a must in North Alabama, often served with the regional white sauce made of mayonnaise and vinegar, which goes especially well with smoked chicken. Southern classics such as fried green tomatoes and banana pudding round out the menu. Campus No. 805, in a former school, and Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, in an old cotton mill and one of the largest privately owned arts centers in the U.S., are popular gathering spots with breweries, studios, and concerts. Bars and restaurants cluster around Courthouse Square downtown.

Huntsville with Kids

Space Camp also offers programs for adults and families, where you simulate missions and train in a weightlessness simulator. At the EarlyWorks Children's Museum downtown, kids experience history through play, and the botanical garden has a butterfly house. On Monte Sano, trails lead to rocky outcrops and overlooks. In summer, concerts are held at the Orion Amphitheater, a striking new open-air venue. Baseball fans can catch Rocket City Trash Pandas games in neighboring Madison.

Getting Around Huntsville and the Best Time to Visit

Huntsville International Airport lies west of the city and is served via hubs such as Atlanta, Charlotte, or Dallas; Nashville is just under a two-hour drive away. Buses run within the city, but a rental car is handy. The best times to visit are spring and fall; summer is hot and humid. Monte Sano State Park has hiking trails and overlooks, and thousands of sandhill cranes spend the winter at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. Day trips lead to the caves and waterfalls of northeastern Alabama, such as Cathedral Caverns State Park.