Huntsville, the largest city in Alabama by the number of people inside city limits, started out with a different name.
Its birth certificate lists “Twickenham” — a district in London, England — as the original name of this vibrant Tennessee River city in the southern reaches of the Appalachian Mountains. “Twickenham” fell out of favor before the War of 1812, when anti-British sentiment prompted changing the name to honor pioneer John Hunt, who settled here in 1805.
The Twickenham name lives on, however. Huntsville named the tour-worthy Twickenham Historic District as its first historic preservation district in 1972. It is a living museum of American architectural styles starting in 1814: Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and more. It contains Alabama’s largest collection of pre-Civil War homes. More city history is on tap downtown at Harrison Brothers Hardware, the oldest operating hardware store in Alabama, where the Historic Huntsville Foundation keeps the cash register ringing.
Beyond its history, modern Huntsville is more famous for looking to the stars, a fact that earned it the nickname of “Rocket City.” Scientists and engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center were pioneers in America’s early space flights around Earth, to the moon and deep into outer space. Groups can get a sense of that effort—and marvel at the size of the rockets that flung humans into space—at the U.S.Space &Rocket Center, which is Alabama’s most visited attraction.
Groups will see a Saturn V rocket; Rocket Park, which includes a mock-up of the Apollo 11 lunar landing site; and Shuttle Park, which showcases America’s most complete chronology of launch vehicles. Add to that stunning astronomy shows and live performances at the full-dome Intuitive Planetarium, a close look at the International Space Station’s design (the real one is 248 miles overhead), and more. Groups can book a docent to deliver extra explanations of everything on display, and an even deeper view into rocket science is available through tours at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
What’s Old Is New Again
Modern-day developers have scored home runs with three adaptive-use restoration projects—two at industrial sites and one at a high school. All are great for groups. Lowe MillArts & Entertainment, once a sprawling textile mill, now houses 150 studios for more than 200 artists. Group activities include ceramic classes, tango lessons and cigar-box guitar lessons. Stovehouse, once a huge metal manufacturing plant, is now a place for shopping, dining and games, such as bocce ball, foot billiards and cornhole. Three blocks away is Campus No. 805, formerly a middle and high school that is now a place for a cold brew, a hot coffee, video games, virtual golf and more.
Go See a Giant Troll
While the U.S.Space &Rocket Center explores other worlds, the Huntsville Botanical Garden showcases the Earth’s natural world. It is 120 acres of ever-changing flora, woodland paths, water features, broad meadows and outdoor sculptures. A 2025 addition is “Mama Zelda’s Hair,” an 18-foot-tall troll that sprang from the imagination of internationally acclaimed Danish artist Thomas Dambo. Mama Zelda’s Hair, made of recycled and locally sourced materials, crowns the garden’s newest permanent exhibit, the Mother Earth Troll Garden. A nearby complement to the Huntsville Botanical Garden is Burritt on the Mountain, a historic mansion on Monte Sano Mountain. The bird’s-eye view of the Tennessee River Valley is worth the drive.
Spinning Through the Huntsville Vinyl Trail
Huntsvillians enjoy coming up with reasons for visitors to explore their city—early examples are a mural trail, a coffee trail, a craft beer trail and the Lucky Duck Scavenger Hunt—and the Huntsville Vinyl Record Trail is among the latest curated activities. One of the destinations on the vinyl tour is Vertical House Records at Lowe Mill, which was the city’s first substantial shop for used vinyl records. It began with a 100-square-foot space and now covers 4,000 square feet and has more than 30,000 albums to peruse. All locations on the trail offer varied inventories, but Maxwell’s Music is known for jazz records, and Black Rose Records has a reputation for punk/new wave LPs.
Expanding Alabama’s Music Scene
Huntsville is building on Alabama’s international music reputation—rooted in nearby Muscle Shoals—with two notable venues: The Orion Amphitheater and Mars Music Hall. Big-name acts, such as Billy Strings, Luke Bryan and Kings of Leon, enjoy the midsize vibe of the 8,000-seat Orion, and special events, such as Harvest Hoedown and the Christmas season’s Jingle & Mingle, offer non-concert entertainment. Mars Music Hall, which accommodates 1,575 music lovers with an open floor plan and a balcony overlooking an oversize stage, is inside the Von Braun Center. Groups can combine a concert with a meal at Rhythm on Monroe, a restaurant and rooftop space with views of downtown.
