Although the main draw for my trip to this corner of Alabama was a visit to Unclaimed Baggage in nearby Scottsboro, it would have been an utter shame to skip over the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama – a visit enhanced by yet another fairly recent trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
As NASA’s official visitor’s center for the Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center first opened in 1970, expanding to now house a Saturn V Rocket, planetarium, multiple exhibits, and two on-site camp programs. Needless to say, there’s enough here to fill a full day! And although Michael and I could only spare half a day to visit, we still managed to cover a lot of ground.
We knew we were in the right place well before we arrived because the rockets and space shuttles outside were visible from the interstate. We parked (free!) and walked right in. Though it was a gloomy day outside, you’d never know it from the bright, cheery inside.
The wait to purchase tickets ($25 each, though there are more expensive options with additional features) was short, and soon we were saying “no thank you” to a green screen photo and entering the exhibits. It may not have been a journey to space, but it was still an otherworldly experience. Heading to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center? Here’s what to expect for your visit:
EXHIBITS AT THE U.S. SPACE AND ROCKET CENTER
Alabama Inventions
Huntsville boomed into a tech hub when NASA came to town in the middle of the last century, and to honor this creative spirit, the first exhibit featured inventions that were created and patented locally in Alabama. You might be surprised to discover that many of the items featured are ones we use on a daily basis, such as an orange juicer and even Wikipedia:
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Apollo: When We Went to the Moon
Like many museums, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center frequently features rotating exhibits. During my visit, Apollo: When We Went to the Moon (running through December 2019), offered a fascinating, wide-lens look at the Space Race.
With a focus not just on space travel and the goal to put man on the moon, this exhibit also offered a look at the tumultuous 1960s, including civil rights artifacts and information about the assassination of JFK. With a few interactive features and a moon rock that’s free to touch (spoiler alert: it feels like a regular rock), kids won’t grow bored walking through this exhibit.
This exhibit and several others are currently on the road; head here to discover if they’ll be popping up in your city.
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Space Station Exhibit
The Space Station exhibit was one of my favorites of the day. Although it’s relatively small, it’s crammed full of information. There are videos throughout and hands-on opportunities to experience what life is like in space (but thankfully the toilets are hands-off!).
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Saturn V Hall
The Saturn V test rocket is a National Historic Site and is identical to the ones used to send man to the moon. It is, as you might expect, massive and kept lit at night for viewing from the interstate. The building is similarly huge with lots of information, displays, and interactive exhibits along the outer walls. With a time crunch we had to skip over huge segments, but plan to spend a couple of hours here if you can.
DINING AT THE U.S. SPACE AND ROCKET CENTER
Michael and I passed on eating here after experiencing the not-so-great food at the Kennedy Space Center, but the prices and options aligned with my expectations of attraction dining halls:
INTUITIVEPlanetarium
Tickets for attending a show at the INTUITIVEPlanetarium are available separately or as part of a combo pass. I had to make the tough call to skip over the planetarium show in order to experience more of the exhibits, but some of the shows on the calendar sound stellar (Cocktails and Cosmos? Count me in!). If you are lucky enough to have enough time to attend a show, please let us know in the comments!
RIDES AT THE U.S. SPACE AND ROCKET CENTER
One thing offered at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center that isn’t available in Cape Canaveral is the plentiful rides for aspiring astronauts. With a long line of kids, we skipped the indoor offerings, and unfortunately due to cold and wet weather the outdoor ones weren’t running. If rides are your thing, you may want to keep the weather in mind before your visit!
SPACE CAMP
Let me tell you, attending Space Camp was my absolute dream as a kid, but my family just could never make it work. But just because I grew up, it doesn’t mean that my dreams are shattered. I hope we’ll be able to return one weekend for Adult Space Academy!
TIPS FOR VISITING THE U.S. SPACE AND ROCKET CENTER
You can visit the U.S. Space and Rocket Center all but four days of the year from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., although there are occasional events in the evening. Our visit fell on a Sunday, but the Thursday evening Stein & Dine Biergarten is hugely popular.
General admission tickets are available to purchase on-site, and several different attraction tiers are available depending on what you’d like to see. There’s also an option to add a bus tour (currently unavailable) to the Marshall Space Flight Center, however, this tour is only available to U.S. citizens. Much of the center is accessible by wheelchair, but just keep in mind that some of the interactive exhibits are in close quarters.
BEYOND THE ROCKET CENTER: HUNTSVILLE AND THE SURROUNDING AREA
The U.S. Space and Rocket Center is located just west of central Huntsville, Alabama. Huntsville International Airport (HSV) offers direct flight service to and from Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Orlando, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. on several major airlines. If you choose to drive into the city as we did, you’ll find that having access to a vehicle is a huge benefit to visiting the area.
With all of the knowledge pouring into the city, it’s clear that there is a more worldly influence on the area (which will always be a good thing in my book!). I wish we had more than one night to stay, but I’m glad we were able to enjoy our brief introduction. At the very least, I’m happy to share a few recommendations while you’re in the area:
Coffee in Huntsville
University towns and coffee just go together so well. We visited Honest Coffee Roasters right in the heart of downtown fairly early in the morning, and it was packed. I would have loved to stay for a real bite to eat, but our hotel included free breakfast and I’m not one to pass up free food. No matter though – the cinnamon roll we picked up was absolutely fantastic.
Later in the day, after we visited the Space and Rocket Center, tiny Alchemy Coffee (now The Greenroom Coffee Shop at The Camp) was a bit quieter. The coffee was good and strong, and I’d love to return to hang on their patio space.
→Honest Coffee Roasters // 114 Clinton Ave E #106, Huntsville, AL 35801 →The Greenroom Coffee Shop at The Camp // 5909-A University Dr, Huntsville, AL 35806
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Where to Eat and Drink in the Huntsville Area
Huntsville had the best brewing scene out of all of the Alabama cities we visited, hands down. With great weather and a hotel near downtown, you could string together a really nice brewery crawl down Clinton Ave if you desired. Since we chose to save money on lodging over the course of our whole road trip, unfortunately, the need to drive back to our hotel prevented us from doing that. Not to worry, because we still enjoyed a great brew at Yellowhammer Brewing before picking up a mix-six at Straight to Ale to bring home.
Huntsville is home to several German restaurants, yet only one was open on Sunday: Ol’ Heidelberg. I can’t vouch for its authenticity (we have yet to make it to Germany, but one day!), but I can say it was delicious. We shared the Schlachtplatte – and took a slice of cake to go.
And if you’ve got wheels, I highly recommend the drive over to Decatur to Big Bob Gibson’s. With a history spanning nearly a century, I’d say it’s a great example of Alabama barbecue (don’t forget the white sauce!).
→Big Bob Gibson's // Multiple Locations →Ol' Heidelberg // 6125 University Dr, Huntsville, AL 35806 →Straight to Ale // 2610 Clinton Ave W, Huntsville, AL 35805 →Yellowhammer Brewing // 2600 Clinton Ave W, Huntsville, AL 35805
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With more time…
With more time in the city, I’d love to get outdoors to visit Monte Sano State Park for its hiking trails (and perhaps even stay on site!), as well as the Huntsville Botanical Garden, which is supposed to be stunning. Food-wise, Hildegard’s and Mason Dixon Bakery (it’s completely gluten-free!) are on my list, and both were highly recommended by a friend of a friend.
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Would you ever consider taking the ultimate trip: to space?
Visited earlier in the year and had a lot of fun. It looks like you guys saw a different temporary exhibit in the first section and you tried out some local eating and drinking spots. We did too, found Huntsville to be a nice town to visit.
Really interesting post!