Why you should visit Huntsville, Alabama

Few Alabamians would call Huntsville a hidden gem. After all, it recently became the most populous city in the state. The outside world has taken notice of Rocket City, too. Last year, U.S. News & World Report named Huntsville the best place to live in the U.S. in 2022-23, thanks to a booming job market and its housing value, among other factors. 

But what exactly does Huntsville—home to more than 216,000 people—have to offer visitors?

It’s surrounded by mountain ridges and dotted with sprawling green spaces. World-class arts and entertainment venues lure creatives of all types, and its scientific achievements changed the world. Just as notable are the type of laid-back vibes that inspire visitors to check local real estate listings.

In other words, there’s a little something for everyone in northern Alabama’s hottest city. Here's why you should visit.

As the forest trail gently ascends, traffic noise fades to nothing, replaced by the rustle of wind in the foliage overhead.

Farther ahead, trees give way to rocky promontories with sweeping views of the valley below. Nearby, other routes lead through old-growth forests and past wet-weather waterfalls. 

Pausing on his return trek, Kansas native Douglas Doonan says easy access to nature has been one of the best parts about his move to Huntsville nearly a decade ago. “I’ve always found the mountains to be enchanting, and you have all of that right here around Huntsville,” he adds. 

This particular oasis—the 1,086-acre Blevins Gap Nature Preserve less than 10 miles southeast of downtown—is just the beginning. Nestled into the Tennessee Valley and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the rivers and ridges surrounding Rocket City are an outdoor lover’s dream. 

For the quickest getaway, locals head to the Monte Sano Nature Preserve, among the largest urban preserves in the nation and a 2-mile drive from downtown. There, 25 miles of hiking and biking trails link up with 2 other trail systems on the mountain. Like Blevins Gap, the preserve is part of the 9,000 acres under the stewardship of the Land Trust of North Alabama.

Those who prefer a boat to a boot also have a wealth of options among Huntsville’s many navigable waterways. Kayak or float fish the lower reaches of the Flint River to the east. Stand-up paddleboard in the calm waters surrounding Hobbs Island just downstream of the bustling Ditto Landing marina.

Or head west and boat through the tupelo swamps and glassy backwaters of Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, keeping a lookout for sandhill cranes and their endangered whooping brethren.

In the back room of Trailhead Incorporated bike shop, owner Tommy Reagh tunes up a skinny-tired road bike. Out front, bikes of all kinds—and their accoutrements—are for sale. And rentals, temporarily stymied by COVID-related supply issues, are set to resume soon. 

Among the most popular destinations for the city’s 2-wheeling tribe are the Chapman, Wade, and Monte Sano mountains, Reagh says. “There’s a pretty strong cycling community here, too.”

Huntsville’s music scene burst onto the national stage last year when its state-of-the-art 8,000-seat Orion Amphitheater began welcoming blockbuster acts such as Stevie Nicks and Dave Matthews Band, as well as a healthy schedule of local events. On recent weekend evenings, even the smaller venues were hopping.

In the intimate basement digs of Catacomb 435, visitors can sway to music and sip artisanal cocktails. At the newly revamped Lumberyard, a plastic-cup crowd gathers for a ’90s mixtape tribute band in an epic back courtyard. 

And as the sun sets behind Lowe Mill, families spread blankets and camping chairs across the broad lawn, awaiting the quirky stylings of singer-songwriter-comedian Aunt Sofonda. 

It’s one thing to spot the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s iconic 363-foot-tall model Saturn V rocket from the highway—a distant reminder that Huntsville helped propel humankind to the moon. 

It’s quite another to round a corner into one of the grand halls at the center (adults, $30) and see Saturn V’s 5 behemoth rocket engines. 

Huntsville, given its science and engineering legacy, is the place to geek out up close.

The Space Center’s 25-acre campus just west of the city center is home to the legendary Space Camp, several larger-than-life models and prototypes of NASA-built rockets, and enough artifacts related to everything from the Apollo program to the International Space Station to keep even the most avid aficionado busy all day. 

Add to that experiential highlights like a newly revamped planetarium, flight simulators, and aquatic virtual reality exercises, and you might need to make a weekend of it. 

On a recent afternoon, volunteer docent Phil Kitchens talked about his experience working at the Marshall Space Flight Center during the American space program’s earliest days. Beside him stood the Apollo 16 command module, its bottom charred and pocked from reentry into Earth’s atmosphere on its return from the moon.

“To have a chance to help send humans from Earth to another body in the universe? There weren’t words then, and there still aren’t for me,” says the former chemical engineer and librarian, now retired. 

But don’t let Rocket City’s name fool you. Enthusiasts of all stripes will find their people here, including those who prefer their “sci” with a little “fi.”

And beer nerds won’t want to miss Yellowhammer Brewing and Straight to Ale, located in a former middle school reimagined as the Campus 805 entertainment complex. The latter features a speakeasy taproom hidden behind a bank of lockers. 

Voluntarily hanging out at school? What could be geekier?

The upscale 106 Jefferson is more than just an address, though this AAA Four Diamond property’s prime downtown location is one of its many draws. Huntsville’s first boutique hotel recently opened with chic mid-mod interiors, plush rooms with Irish linens, and exceptional service. Bonus: Its popular rooftop bar, Baker & Abel, has some of the best views of the city. Rates start at $158.

Travel pro and guide author Jessica Fender liked Huntsville so much that she, too, was tempted to move there.