Huntsville, Alabama: Eyes on the Skies

From its founding in the early 1800s to the mid-1900s, Huntsville was your typical sleepy Southern town, nestled on the high ground overlooking a fast flowing spring, with a thriving cotton trade and not much else. The spring can still be seen at Big Spring Park where it now feeds an attractive lake surrounded by the downtown "skyline" and the Von Braun Center (convention center). The space race shifted the city into high gear in the 60s, and the rapid influx of scientists and engineers catapulted it into one of the largest cities in Alabama and one of the best educated in the nation.

Huntsville is built at the base of low mountains and has grown south to the banks of the Tennessee River. Ditto Landing incorporates a marina, campground and picnic areas. Major TVA lakes are found both upstream (Lake Guntersville) and downstream (Wheeler Lake). A first trip to Huntsville should include a visit to the US Space and Rocket Center with a space collection on par with the Smithsonian’s. Local historical museums also include Alabama Consitution Village, Early Works, Huntsville Depot Railroad Museum and, on top of Monte Sano mountain overlooking the downtown, Burritt Museum.

Quick Tips:

A trip to Huntsville can be organized into various areas. From edge to edge, it takes no more than 30 minutes to cross Huntsville in moderate traffic, so a lot of activities can be packed into a single day. In the immediate downtown square, within walking distance, are Harrison Brothers Hardware, Big Spring Park, the Art Museum, Early Works and Constitution Hall Village. A very short drive takes you to the Huntsville Depot. Monte Sano, a few minutes drive from the square, offers picnic opportunities at the State Park or Burritt Museum. Lodging downtown is dominated by the Hilton, and there are a mix of places that specialize in lunch or dinner.

Traveling west on the interstate brings you to the Space Center and the Botanical Gardens. Head north to University Drive to hit the main set of shopping areas and chain restaraunts as well as a large selection of accommodations.

Ditto landing and another mountain-top park with a scenic nature trail are located south of downtown.

Best Way To Get Around:

Huntsville is very spread out due to its development in the 1960s. Since it was largely built for cars, an automobile is definitely the best way to get around. There is ample parking, and routes are well marked. While you can hop limited bus service downtown (tourist loop) with extended service to a major mall and the space museum, a car affords you more freedom (and chances are that you have one anyway). Parking is inexpensive or free in most places…but use the downtown parking garage on Clinton Street to visit the square, it is simple, cheap and saves time over hunting a free spot.

The Huntsville airport is efficient, modern and easily accessible. Don’t linger at the inter-city bus station, though, it is not in the best neighborhood.

Pauli’s restaurant (www.paulisbarandgrill.com/) has become one of the better fine dining opportunities in Huntsville. It is located west of downtown on University Drive in a "strip mall," but the large orange awnings set it apart from the anonymous eatery. Inside, Pauli has decorated with warm, inviting colors. The space is intimate, and reservations are definitely a good idea. Pauli offers a changing menu of upscale selections including a healthy range of seafood (big bowl of mussels) and freshwater fish (crawfish cakes sateed with spicy romoulade) to wood grilled meats (New Zealand farm raised venison served with porcini mushroom ragout and polenta) to name a few. The complete menu is on his website. Prices run on the high side for Huntsville ($12 – 25 per entree). The service is professional, and Pauli is often on hand to ensure that your current visit will not be your last.

If you like the food, you can also pick up refrigerated portions in the nearby Pauli’s wine shop and deli. An extensive review by the Huntsville Times (www.al.com/news/huntsville/1998-05-21/) rates it a must with nearly perfect scores in all categories, and I heartily agree.

Thai food in the heart of Dixie? Yes, and it’s not to be missed. Thai Garden is located in the older residential area of town known as "Five Points" on the corner of a set of brick storefront businesses. It can be easily spotted from California Street (which turns into Whitesburg Drive).

The menu includes a wide range of spicy and non-spicy Thai specialties as well as unique soups and salads. We especially enjoy the Tom Yum soup and the beef salad which has a unique savory taste that we keep eating and eating well after our stomachs say "stop."

It is hard to branch out on the menu given these known favorites, but each adventure has found excellent new choices. If you are a fan of Thai like we are, you will find that the food compares well with more elaborate restaurants in larger cities. The atmosphere is pleasant, if a little on the plain side. When filled with diners, and the smells of curries and Thai spices, the place is warm, friendly and relaxing.

The Market Place, a deli and gourmet food shop located on Whitesburg Drive near downtown, specializes in lunch fare and take away prepared salads. Located in a converted frame house, the front yard has been enclosed to form a delightful dining patio with huge tree-like crepe myrtles offering shade for some of the tables. The sandwiches are great. Not to be missed is the chicken salad with apple smoked bacon (for which we have driven completely across town to enjoy). The Market Place is a good base to load up on gourmet picnic supplies for a day on the mountain. Prices are at a bit of a premium, but so is the food.

The US Space and Rocket Center draws on the Huntsville’s role in the space race. The huge Saturn V moon rocket stands erect on it grounds along with a large collection of air and space craft including a full size space shuttle. The museum interior houses educational displays, hardware flown in space, and hands-on exhibits to give a sense of the astronaut’s experience. Some of the exhibits tend to be more "amusement park" than scientific (like the parachute drop), but they engage the kids and mix fun with learning. This is also the home of Space Camp and Aviation Challenge which have since franchised to other locations. The Space Dome, an iMax theater, offers a rotating set of movies. This is great for a rest when the legs get tired, but the mind still wants entertainment. In addition to the museum itself, you can take bus tour excursions onto the Redstone Arsenal which is home to the Marshall Space Flight Center and the US Army Air and Missile Command.

The museum is worth taking a full half day. When you enter the lobby check for times on the scheduled rides and movies so that you can plan your visit efficiently. Ticket costs are $15.95 for the entire experience (don’t forget your AAA 15% discount!) or $10.00 for the museum only. The official website is well worth a visit at www.spacefun.com.

The Huntsville Depot stands out in its coat of bright yellow paint as you drive along the raised interstate just north of downtown. Built in 1860, it was the hub of Huntsville’s transportation as the cotton capital of the South, and it survived Huntsville’s occupation by Union forces in the Civil War (as soldiers’ graffiti still attests). Today it no longer hosts weary travelers or bales of cotton, but the tracks north of the building are still in active use.

The depot is a railroad museum that gives the visitor a sense of train travel in the 1800s and 1900s. The building itself is a find for train buffs as it is one of the earliest wood frame stations still standing. Train hardware is displayed in both miniature and full size outside. A turn table and roundhouse complete the setting. The roundhouse is used for local functions and meetings. Admission is $6.00 for adults. More information can be accessed on www.earlyworks.com and at 256-533-1860.