Huntsville is the largest city in north Alabama and a surprisingly interesting place to spend a few days. Known as Rocket City, this is where Wernher von Braun and his team built the Saturn V that carried astronauts to the moon. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center remains the star attraction -- you can stand beneath an actual Saturn V, walk through Space Shuttle hardware, and try the simulators that put you through astronaut training. It is one of the best space museums in the country.
Beyond the rockets, Huntsville has a strong cultural side. The Huntsville Museum of Art sits in Big Spring International Park, a green oasis in the middle of downtown fed by a natural spring. Burritt on the Mountain, perched on the edge of Monte Sano State Park, combines a mansion museum with a historic park and sweeping views of the valley. The Huntsville Depot and Alabama Constitution Village tell the city's early history in the heart of downtown.
Downtown has grown into a proper dining and drinking district. The bars and restaurants along Clinton Avenue and Jefferson Street are walkable and lively, especially on weekends. The Panoply Arts Festival fills Big Spring Park in late April with music, dance, and food -- it is the city's signature cultural event. South of downtown, Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment fills a converted cotton mill with over 150 artist studios and is the largest privately owned arts centre in the United States.
Huntsville also makes a good base for exploring north Alabama. West of town, the Shoals area has the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and Ivy Green, Helen Keller's birthplace in Tuscumbia. The father of the blues, W.C. Handy, was born in Florence. East of the city, the mountain village of Mentone and Fort Payne -- gateway to Little River Canyon -- are worth the drive. South toward Cullman you will find the quirky Ave Maria Grotto, the outlet shopping in Boaz, and the covered bridges near Oneonta.