When planning our trip to the beach. we decided that a stop for the night at the halfway point would be the best for our sanity! The halfway point to the Gulf Coast from Louisville is Huntsville, Alabama about 5 hours down I 65.
Other than the stops at the rest area just inside the state line to see the big rocket ship, we never had spent much time in the city. Which we soon realized has been a big mistake on our part! We totally fell in love during our very short time in town!
Our first stop was at the visitor’s center, which has lots of things for little ones to check out while we chatted with the extremely knowledgable and friendly staff. They had a green screen for pictures with backgrounds of various notable landmarks for the area. In addition, they also have coupons for the area attractions!
We asked for restaurant recommendations and we were given a several brochures for local restaurants. My husband and I are huge foodies and love to seek out local places. I think my favorite piece of information was the 100 dishes to eat in Alabama before you die. You can check out that website here.
The city also offers a scavenger hunt around downtown Huntsville. Once your group finds 12 bronze ducks, following the clues that are provided the kids get a prize! The kids (and adults) loved it!
Next, we headed to the U.S Space and Rocket Center. We arrived late in the afternoon so we didn’t have much time to explore the museum. That wasn’t all bad, because the kids were tired and we asked if they had a discounted admission rate for the afternoon. We were pleased to find out that they did! An entire day, or at least half of a day needs to be devoted to checking out all of the exhibits! I will have a post about our experience at the Space and Rocket Center soon!
Our reservations for the night were at the Four Points Sheraton at the airport. I had never stayed at an airport hotel prior to this visit, in fact I would go as far as to say that I avoided them. I don’t know why, I just had a vision of a very noisy night of sleeping. That fear that was very quickly put to rest while we were staying at the hotel. My husband liked the hotel so much that he had me look up all the other locations where we could stay in a Four Points Sheraton. It is safe to say that they converted us!
My kids absolutely loved the room that we stayed in, it had lots of windows that overlooked the runway. They pulled up a little stool that was in the room to watch the planes take off out of the window. The noise from the planes wasn’t noticeable at all, a very pleasant surprise! While this set up wouldn’t have worked for everyone, our room had a king size bed and a sofa bed. My kids are still fairly small at 4 and 6 so it was a great option, plus when we folded the couch up we had lots of room!
The bathroom had a huge tub with jets. After a long day of traveling and threatening to go back home more than one time, a bath with my Kindle was just what I needed to feel refreshed!
We didn’t get the chance to try any of the local restaurants, opting instead for a pizza from the hotel restaurant. Our little road warriors we really tired and needed some time to hang out in the room.
We fell in love with Huntsville, so much so that we are planning to go back during fall break!
*All or part of this trip was provided free or at a reduced cost for review purposes. However, the opinions are solely those of the writer.*
Maria@SewTravelInspired
Sunday 16th of August 2015
Allison, it is always nice to find a new vacation destination. Now you have me trying to figure out how to fit a trip to Huntsville into my road trio from CA to GA. Come share this party at Snickerdoodle Sunday. The party is in full swing. We start at 3 PM Saturday. Here is the link. http://www.sewtravelinspired.com/ Our party goers would love it. While you're there share a comment on a natural wonder near you.
Allison
Tuesday 18th of August 2015
I just saw this! I will for sure swing by your next party. I do hope that you can get to Huntsville someday soon! It might be a new family favorite!