Huntsville: Space City, Alabama

Located just north of the Tennessee River between Birmingham and Nashville lies Huntsville, Alabama. This city of approximately 170,000 residents offers many attractions on par with much larger metropolitan areas, largely due to the presence of NASA'S Marshall Space Flight Center, the Cummings Research Park, and the US Army's Redstone Arsenal. These facilities have helped transform Huntsville from a quiet town of fewer than 15,000 residents in the early 1950s to the city it is today, with its highly educated adult workforce, leading engineering and research firms, and perhaps the city's most famous attraction, Space Camp.

For visitors, Huntsville offers several nice museums, scenic parks, hiking trails, and caves in the surrounding mountains, a stop on the famous Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the Marshall Space Flight Center, and an active arts community. The city is also home to a number of outstanding restaurants that rival those in major cities, and thanks to the city's high income levels, shopping opportunities that are unusual for a city of this size. Visitors will also find several historic neighborhoods, including Alabama's largest collection of antebellum buildings, thanks to the Union Army's decision to spare the city from the complete destruction that befell other southern cities during the Civil War. Several annual events, like Big Spring Jam, are also popular with tourists and residents alike.

Quick Tips:

The best times to visit Huntsville are in the spring and fall, when the weather is most pleasant and the temperatures and humidity are mild. Summers can be rather warm, with high temperatures usually in the low-mid 90s. Occassional summer cool fronts do drop temperatures during the day into the low 80s for a day or two, but summers are generally hot. Huntsville's winters generally mild, with some measurable snow but mostly, cold, cloudy days with high temperatures in the mid 40s-mid 50s. During the fall and winter, temperatures in neighborhoods on top of the surrounding mountains can run 5-10 degrees cooler than those downtown.

Visitors should check out the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau website for information on festivals, arts and cultural events, and discounts to major attractions.

Best Way To Get Around:

Huntsville has very limited public transportation services, so you will likely want a car if visiting. Information on the city's fixed route bus system can be found on the City of Huntville's Public Transportation page. The bus service offers a tourist loop route that stops a most major attractions. Fares for the tourist route are .00 for an all-day pass.

Huntsville is served by by Huntsville International Airport, located a few miles west of the city just off Interstate 565. Huntsville International is Alabama's second busiest airport, and is served by Delta, Continental, American, US Airways, and Northwest Airlines; service by United is scheduled to start in early 2007. Most flights to Huntsville are operate by 50-seat regional jets to and from the airlines' major hubs. Delta and American do offer limited mainline service flights to Atlanta and Dallas on larger aircraft. Due to the lack of low-fare carriers in the market and large number of business travelers, fares to Huntsville can be high, especially during the week. However, weekend flights are often very affordable, and Huntsville frequently shows up on the "last minute weekend specials" that most airlines send out weekly by e-mail. Car rentals are readily available at the airport from most major rental companies. Larger airports in Nashville, TN and Birmingham, AL are both approximately a two-hour drive away.

If driving to Huntsville, the city is connected to the national system of interstate highways by Interstate 565, a 25 mile long spur off Interstate 65, which is located approximately 20 miles west of the city. The city is also served by US routes 72, 231, and 431.

The Bevill Conference Center and Hotel is located on the campus of The University of Alabama in Huntsville. The 100-room hotel was built in the mid-1980s, and provides quiet, clean, basic accommodations at a very reasonable price. A variety of room types are available, including rooms with a single twin bed, two double beds, and a king-size bed. Three junior suite rooms are also available. Slightly over half of the rooms are equipped with two double beds. All rooms feature refrigerators, microwaves, an iron and ironing board, clock radios, and cable television with remote. Wireless high-speed access is also available. Additionally, a complimentary continental breakfast is provided for hotel guests in the Bevill Center's Gardenview Café. A lunch buffet is also available in the Café for about $7.00. The lunch buffet is very popular with university faculty and staff, especially on Thursdays, which always feature turkey and dressing as the main entrée. Finally, one of the Bevill Center's best features is that all guests are allowed complimentary access to the University Fitness Center, located nearby on the UAH campus. The University Fitness Center is Huntsville's premier fitness club, and offers very modern, well-maintained facilities and equipment.

Overall the Bevill Center is not bad; it's just a very basic hotel. However, that's to be expected in a property where rates average around $50-59/night. Rooms are kept very clean by the housekeeping staff, but do have a dated appearance. Despite minor renovations such as new carpet and paint, most furnishings are original and showing their age. In one room I stayed in the air conditioning unit's front cover would not stay on the unit, and was simply sitting on the floor in front of the unit. The brass on the lamps in most rooms is tarnished, and in many rooms the lighting is very dim, especially at night. This is exacerbated by the small windows in the rooms, which do not let in much natural light. Beds are relatively comfortable, with clean, but aging floral print bedspreads, a single blanket, and sheets. Some rooms are also still equipped with what appears to be the original television set, which is now probably older than many of the students on the UAH campus. While the Bevill Center has recently added wireless Internet access, the signal and quality of connection varies greatly within the building. The rooms with the best wireless signal are those in the middle of the building just off the atrium.

If you're looking for very moderately priced, basic, clean accomodations in Huntsville, it's hard to go wrong with the Bevill Center. The hotel is somewhat nicer, and probably much cleaner, than what you might find in a similarly priced property located on Huntsville's "hotel row" nearby on University Drive. The location on the UAH campus offers easy access to I-565, NASA, and downtown.

You can learn more about the Bevill Conference Center and hotel on the hotel's website.

The Hampton Inn Huntsville is located along the busy strip of hotels and restaurants on University Drive (US 72). This is an older Hampton Inn location, and unlike most Hamptons, has exterior corridors and most rooms open directly to the outdoors. However, despite this obvious older design, the hotel's rooms have benefited from a recent major renovation and the overall excellent management of this property. The furnishings of the rooms go above and beyond what is offered at most Hampton Inns, with attractive dark wood furniture, bronze finished designer lamps, wood plantation shutters on the windows, and attractive artwork. All rooms at this Hampton Inn feature Hampton's new "Cloud 9" bed, with a pillow top mattress, higher thread count sheets, duvet, and choice of both firm and soft synthetic down-filled pillows. These beds are extremely comfortable, and competitive with those at much pricier hotel brands. I have yet to find a moderately priced hotel brand that offers a more comfortable sleep than Hampton Inn.

In addition to the extremely comfortable beds, all rooms at this Hampton Inn have complimentary wired high-speed Internet access that is truly fast. Of all of the hotels I stay in for work, this Hampton probably has the fastest Internet connection I've seen. Irons, ironing boards, cable television with about 70 channels (including HBO and Showtime), and coffee makers round out the in-room amenities.

Like all Hampton Inns, a complimentary breakfast with a rotating selection of hot items (scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, biscuits and sausage gravy, and breakfast sandwiches) in addition to the usual muffins, pastries, yogurt, fruit, and cereal is available to all guests. This location goes a little beyond the basic Hampton breakfast requirements, with some unique items like passion fruit juice. Freshly baked cookies are available in the breakfast area every evening, along with fresh hot coffee and tea.

The Hampton Inn Huntsville offers several room types, with either king size or two double beds. For a slightly higher rate, king study rooms are available. In addition to the king size bed, these rooms also include a small sitting area in the room with a sofa bed and coffee table.

This Hampton Inn does not offer a fitness center. However, it has one of the nicest pool and spa areas I've seen at a moderately priced hotel. The immaculately maintained pool is surrounded by attractive landscaping and a patio with tables, chairs, and umbrellas. A small courtyard with flowers, benches, and fountains is also located between two of the hotel buildings, and offers a relaxing area to sit outside and enjoy a good book.

The Hampton Inn Huntsville is my top choice for moderately-priced accommodations in Huntsville. No other hotel in the city offers so much in this price range, and the hotel far exceeds the basic standards for a Hampton. The hotel's only possible drawback are the exterior corridors, but the rest of the hotel's amenities make up for this shortcoming.

On one of my many trips to Huntsville, my usual hotel, the Hampton Inn Huntsville on University Drive, was fully booked. So, instead I chose the other Hampton Inn in town, located on the south side of the city just off South Memorial Parkway (US 231). While this hotel offers the standard Hampton Inn amenities such as a complimentary breakfast with both hot and cold foods, complimentary high speed Internet access, irons and ironing boards, and in-room coffee service, this Hampton is a poor example of the brand compared to the excellent Hampton location across town on University Drive. Probably the only advantage this Hampton has over the University Drive location is that it has interior corridors.

The Hampton Inn Huntsville Arsenal/South is not an entirely bad property. The rooms are clean, and offer all of the basic Hampton Inn features. However, maintenance at this property could be better. The room I stayed in had obviously been abused by previous guests. Several holes punched in the walls had been poorly patched and painted over in a color that did not remotely match the rest of the walls, which just highlighted the fact that a fist had been put through the sheetrock in more than one place. This room's closet door was also broken, and would not close completely. Lighting in the room was pretty dim; more lamps or brighter bulbs would have helped tremendously, especially at night. The air conditioning unit in my room was extremey loud and made an annoying rattling noise that made sleeping at night difficult. Additionally, the building was constructed with very thin walls that allowed sound from the hallway and neighboring rooms to be heard inside the room at a volume loud enough that it was distracting. Internet service was provided by a wi-fi connection at a pretty low speed. In the evenings when more guests were in their rooms the service came to a crawl.

The location of this Hampton Inn also leaves a lot to be desired. While it is convenient to the Redstone Arsenal, most of the city's attractions, shopping, and restaurants are not close by. The hotels along University Drive, I-565, and downtown are much closer to the places most visitors will want to go.

Overall this Hampton is not a horrible place, but it pales in comparison to the excellent Hampton Inn on University Drive. There are several other hotels in Huntsville that are similarly priced that are much nicer, and in better locations.

The Embassy Suites Hotel is the latest addition to Huntsville's hotel line up. Located downtown and connected to the city's Von Braun Civic and Convention Center, the Embassy Suites opened for business in late October 2006. This is Huntsville's premier full-service hotel property, and it brings big city, first class accommodations to this small city.

I stayed in the Embassy Suites Huntsville for five nights about one week after the hotel's opening. I was immediately impressed by this hotel from the moment I walked in. The beautifully decorated lobby and 10-story atrium is very impressive. In the center of the lobby a large, square fountain separates the breakfast area from sitting areas, the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, and the registration area. The contemporary decor looks more like New York than Huntsville, but still feels very comfortable in this small southern city.

Like all Embassy Suites locations, all suites feature separate living and sleeping areas. The suites at the Embassy Suites Huntsville are very nicely appointed, with a sofa, armchair, coffee table, dining/work table and chairs, and plasma screen television. A wet bar with sink, coffee maker, refrigerator, and microwave rounds out the living area. In the bedroom, large windows spanning the length of the room provide plenty of light and nice views of downtown Huntsville and the surrounding mountains. The bedroom includes a nicely sized closet with plenty of hangers, a bathrobe and slippers, a second desk, two large mirrors, ample drawers for storage, and a second plasma screen television. The extremely comfortable bed has a mix of firm and soft pillows, high thread count sheets, a cotton blanket enclosed in top and bottom sheets, and a nice comforter. The bedroom also includes the easy to set Hilton alarm clock with an input jack that allows you to connect an iPod or other music player to the clock and play your music through the clock's speakers. It's also possible to set the clock to wake up to your own music this way.

Between the living and bedrooms is the bathroom, with its contemporary light fixtures, granite counter top, and dark wood cabinet. The bathtub/shower combination has a curved shower curtain rod, which creates the illusion of a larger shower. Thick, oversized bath towels complete the bath ensemble, and add a touch of luxury.

All Embassy Suites Hotels offer a complimentary breakfast and evening managers reception, and the new Huntsville location is no exception. Breakfast was excellent, with a hot buffet, made to order omelets, pancakes and waffles, and a selection of fresh fruits, pastries, and breads. The evening managers reception featured complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and light snacks.

Other amenities include room service provided by the in-hotel Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, a business center, well equipped fitness center, a gorgeous pool, Caffeina's Marketplace featuring Starbucks Coffee and convenience foods, and Spa Botanica day spa.

The new Embassy Suites Hotel Huntsville is definitely a place Huntsville should be proud of. The excellent accommodations and great staff make this the place to stay in Huntsville.

The Courtyard By Marriott Huntsville is located along the busy strip of hotels, restaurants, and shopping centers on Huntsville's University Drive. This is an older Courtyard location, built to the original Courtyard design, with several wings surrounding a courtyard area in the center of the hotel. However, inside and out the property looks almost brand new, thanks to a complete renovation in early 2005.

Rooms at the Huntsville Courtyard have been completely updated to Marriott's new Courtyard room design. The old beds have been replaced with new, thicker and more comfortable mattresses, topped with new sheets and comforters, and plenty of plush pillows. Behind the bed is a new, larger wood headboard that extends beyond the bed, and has reading lamps mounted to it on each side of the bed. For the convenience of those who like to work on the computer lying on the bed, the reading lamps have an electrical outlet close at hand. The bed is a big change from the old Courtyard bed, which was more traditional in appearance with a floral print bed spread, traditional headboard, and more often than not, a thin, backache-inducing mattress. The new Courtyard bed is not only more attractive, but extremely comfortable.

One of my favorite features of the new Courtyard rooms is the desk area. The Huntsville Courtyard offers both wired and wireless Internet access, and both provided a good, fast signal. Desk-mounted electrical outlets are close by. The new Courtyard desk is really two desks in one. A slightly higher portion of the desk is built-in with the room's dresser. From under this section of the desk, a large, free-standing table on casters can be easily pulled out and arranged wherever you want it in the room. This provides a lot of flexibility in creating a large workspace, which is perfect for us business travelers who often have a full agenda of things to do in the evening.

Other nice things about the Courtyard rooms include a large television with a variety of inputs on the front of the set that allow you to connect a portable DVD player or laptop computer with DVD player to the television. The television is mounted on a swivel stand that allows it to be positioned for viewing from the bed, desk, or just about anywhere else in the room. Rooms also include a small sofa bed or comfortable armchair and ottoman.

Unlike some other mid-priced hotel brands, Courtyards do not offer a complimentary breakfast. Instead, a full breakfast buffet is available for approximately $10. This includes the usual selections of sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, potatoes, breads, fruits, yogurt, and cereal. The hot buffet also includes cooked to order eggs, including omelets, and waffles and pancakes. For a smaller charge (around $6), a continental buffet of just the cold breakfast items is also available.

The Courtyard by Marriott Huntsville is a very nice hotel, and a great choice for those who want to be close to NASA and the University Drive strip.

Thanks to the arrival of Werner von Braun and other German and European physicists in Huntsville in the 1950s, the city is home to several outstanding German and European-influenced restaurants. Cafe Berlin is one of these.

Cafe Berlin features a predominately traditional German menu, centered around schnitzels and sausages. There are also a number of continental entrées that are more French-influenced. Most entrées are served with a fresh salad and choice of potatoes, including Cafe Berlin's outstanding warm German potato salad. A basket of freshly baked breads accompanies the meal. Favorites of mine include the chicken schnitzel and gypsy schnitzel, both of which are perfectly prepared, and despite being lightly pan fried, not the least bit greasy. Cafe Berlin also offers an attractive bakery case of cakes, pies, and strudels. Although I have never tried any of Cafe Berlin's desserts, they do look quite indulgent and wonderful.

Cafe Berlin is located in a small strip center on Airport Road in southern Huntsville, about half a mile east of South Memorial Parkway. The restaurant's interior is reminiscent of cafes and bistros I've seen in Europe, and the speaker system plays German folk music, adding to the European feel of the place. Because the dining area is small, most tables are close together, and reservations for larger groups are highly recommended. There is also a small outdoor dining area, but unlike a European sidewalk cafe, the outdoor tables overlook the shopping center parking lot.

While the food at Cafe Berlin is consistently outstanding, I have found the service mixed. At its best, it's polite but not overly attentive, at its worst, it's slow to the point you may feel like you're invisible. This is a shame, because it can detract from the otherwise excellent experience at dining at Cafe Berlin.

However, even with the service that can be lacking, I still highly recommend Cafe Berlin for its outstanding German and European fare.

Of the German/Austrian restaurants in Huntsville, Ol' Heidelberg is my favorite. The restaurant is one of several great choices for this type of cuisine, but I've found the atmosphere, food, service, and consistency at Ol' Heidelberg to be a slight cut above other similar restaurants in Huntsville.

Ol' Heidelberg is located in a shopping center along the busy University Drive strip. The restaurant's bland strip mall façade hides the quaint European charm that awaits diners inside. Due to several expansions of the original space, the dining room is separated into several areas, each of which is decorated like what you'd expect if you walked into someone's German grandmother's living room. Walls of hunter green contain a variety of European accents, including cuckoo clocks, German artwork, and knickknacks. The dining tables complete the theme with red and green checkered tablecloths. Each table also has a small glass vase with fresh flowers. Overhead German folk music softly plays.

The food at Ol' Heidelberg is simply perfect. Most meals start with a choice of side salad — either the fresh house garden salad, or the restaurant's signature cucumber salad. The house garden salad is served with a choice of dressings, all of which are homemade in the restaurant. The bleu cheese dressing is divine, and quite possibly the best bleu cheese dressing I've ever tasted.

Entrées revolve around a variety of schnitzels, from the traditional wiener schnitzel (veal) to variants made with chicken and pork. The black forest schnizel (wiener schnitzel topped with a marsala wine sauce, onions, and mushrooms), chicken Berlin (chicken schnitzel topped with thinly sliced apples, onions, and jarlsberg cheese), and jägerschnitzel (wiener schnitzel with a dark mushroom sauce) are all oustanding choices. Several excellent seafood options are also available. The honey pecan trout — trout filets crusted in pecans and lightly pan fried, then drizzled with a light honey sauce — is a real treat, and something I've never seen in any other restaurant. A similar dish is also available made with chicken. Most entrées are served with a choice of potatoes, including warm German potato salad and the restaurant's outstanding pan fried potatoes, which are my personal favorite.

In addition to the various schnitzels, Ol' Heidelberg serves a variety of sausage platters, and a selection of lighter "bistro" entrées. Additionally, a full selection of mostly Eastern European beers and wines is available from the bar.

As with most German restaurants, you will want to be very hungry when dining at Ol' Heidelberg, as portions are HUGE. If you can manage to save room for dessert (or if not, they'll gladly package dessert to go for you), they have a wonderful selection of cakes, strudel, and cheesecakes in the bakery case by the front door. Excellent choices include the big fat chocolate cake, lemon coconut cake, and apple strudel.

If you like German and Austrian food, it's hard to go wrong with Ol' Heidelberg. The excellent food, attentive service, and quaint atmosphere make this one of Huntsville's best.

Being from Texas, I've always been a fan of good Mexican, and Tex-Mex, cooking. After all, it's something us Texans can be guilty of having several times a week. So I was thrilled to discover Rosie's in Huntsville, and made it one of my regular dinner choices during the year I was frequently traveling to Huntsville for work.

Rosie's Mexican Cantina has two several locations in Huntsville, making it a convenient place to eat dinner no matter where you're staying in the city. The University Drive location is in a large shopping center near many of the city's hotels. On the south side of Huntsville, there is another Rosie's located at 7540 Memorial Parkway SW. And for faster service, there's the scaled-down Little Rosie's Taqueria, at 4781 Whitesburg Drive S, also on the city's south side.

Rosie's is consistently good. Having tried many of the items on the menu, I've never had anything that wasn't quite good. Enchiladas, tacos, and fajitas are always reliable favorites at Rosie's, but there are also some creative entrées featuring grilled chicken and steaks, as well one of the local favorites, Mexican lasagna. This is not authentic Mexican food the way it's eaten in Mexico. It's not even the best Tex Mex you'll find; but overall it's quite good, and much better than many of the Tex Mex places you'll find in the South.

In addition to the tasty and filling entrées, all meals at Rosie's are served with the standard chips and salsa, and most come with sides of Spanish rice and refried or charro beans. Both full-service locations also feature full bars, and all three, including Little Rosie's, have a good selection of margaritas and Mexican beers available to wash down your meal with. My favorite beverage is Rosie's Mombo Taxi, a swirl of frozen margarita and sangria.

If you're in Huntsville and a fan of good Tex Mex, Rosie's is definitely a place you'll want to check out.

Northern Alabama is probably not a place you'd expect to find truly outstanding Thai food. After all, it's not one of those places that automatically pops in your mind as a place to enjoy great Asian cuisine. Yet Huntsville is home to a very fine Thai restaurant.

Surin of Thailand is a small regional chain of Thai restaurants, with locations in Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia. The Huntsville location, on Airport Road, about a mile east of South Memorial Drive, is similar to many Huntsville restaurants in that it's located in a large strip center. While the cookie-cutter exterior of the center makes Surin blend in with the rest of the surroundings, once guests step inside they are met with a dining room and bar handsomely decorated in an elegant, contemporary style with lots of artwork and decorative pieces from Thailand. It's a great atmosphere, and gives the restaurant a very upscale feel.

Surin features an extensive menu of Thai favorites, as well as a sushi bar. I've never ordered sushi at Surin, but have always thought that what was being served from the sushi bar looked very good. Instead, I've always opted for the restaurant's signature Thai appetizers and entrées. It's hard to go wrong with the Thai dishes here. The basic curries and noodle dishes are all here, and the chefs are more than happy to vary the degree of spiciness to your personal liking. In addition to the regular menu, there are usually a variety of dinner specials. Some of these are truly outstanding, such as the roasted duck with red curry. Other good bets from the regular menu are the chicken panang, fresh basil rolls, and satay beef and chicken. Prices are quite reasonable, with most entrées priced at $10-15. As with many Asian restaurants, the portions are large enough to share, so a party of three or four adults can easily order three entrées and a couple of appetizers to share, and have more than enough food. Surin also has a good selection of lunch specials, which are served with a cup of soup.

Curiously missing from the menu are some traditional Thai desserts, such as mango with sticky rice and sweetened condensed milk. However, with the size of the entrées, it's unlikely you'll have room for dessert. Surin does feature a full bar and a decent wine list, including a number of beverage selections imported from Thailand.

Since 1993, each September Huntsville residents join visitors from all over the country for this large outdoor festival. Big Spring Jam is held in the city's Big Spring Park and spans an entire weekend. The festival is primarily a series of concerts held at numerous outdoor stages for musical performers of all genres, including some very well-known acts. In addition to the music, there are a variety carnival games and small rides, a huge selection of food vendors selling everything from Asian foods to festival favorites like corn dogs and funnel cakes, to barbecue and Greek gyros.

I experienced Big Spring Jam quite by accident. Due to the approach of Hurricane Rita in September 2005, I was unable to return home from Huntsville for several days after a work trip there. After finding out I'd be stranded for the weekend with little to do, one of the employees at my client offered an extra ticket to the Saturday night Big Spring Jam concerts that she was unable to use. I had a great time listening to a variety of live music acts, including Journey, the Black Crowes, and Billy Dean. Even though there are always several acts performing at the same time, the stages are arranged in such a way that the sound from each stage does not affect the listening experience at other stages. This is also helped by the sheer size of the festival grounds, which occupy not only the park but a variety of surrounding city blocks and parking lots.

Big Spring Jam is one of the largest, if not the largest, events in Huntsville each year. As a result, hotels tend to fill up early for the weekend. However, if you enjoy live music, it's one of the premier events in the Southeast, and definitely worth making a visit. More information can be found on the Big Spring Jam website.

Huntsville sits in a valley at the southern base of the Appalachian Mountains. Along the city's western edge are several mountains that rise 1,000-1,500 feet above the rest of the city. The mountains provide a wealth of parks, nature preserves, and hiking trails that often provide scenic views of the surrounding terrain. One of these parks is the Green Mountain Nature Trail, located near the city's southern border, at the top of Green Mountain.

The 2.25 mile walking trail surrounds Skye Lake and features a covered bridge, the log cabin built in the early 1800s by Charles Green (whom the mountain is named for), a picnic area and restroom facilities, an outdoor wedding chapel, and several landscaped gardens. Most of the trail is wooded and passes through the forest that covers the top of Green Mountain. All along the trail native plants are identified by plaques. One of the featured plants is Alabama's largest and oldest elm tree. While many of the park's facilities are handicapped accessible, most of the nature trail is not. However, it is a very easy trail to hike, with only modest elevation changes. A variety of wildlife can be seen on the trail, including a flock of ducks and geese that call the lake home. The setting is quite serene, and it's hard to believe that you're still technically in the city of Huntsville, and only a few minutes away from the area's urbanized areas. It's the perfect place to enjoy a picnic lunch outdoors, followed by a leisurely stroll around the lake.

The park is open to the public during daylight hours free of charge. Fishing is allowed for a very small fee of $1.50 on weekdays only; no fishing is allowed on weekends.