Things to Do with Kids in Huntsville, AL

Huntsville is the underrated U.S. family city, almost entirely because of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and the surrounding Cummings Research Park. The Saturn V rocket on the lawn is the photograph kids ask for the print of years later. Pair the Space Center with the Sci-Quest Center across town and you have a full day for any kid 4 and up. Cathedral Caverns State Park, 45 minutes east, is the geological day trip that pays off (a real cave with a stroller-accessible flat walking path through the main chamber). Mastermind Gaming is the rain-and-tween anchor downtown. Travelers II handles the road-trip overnight if you are passing through and the Little Cotton Shoppe is the small-town picnic supply. Big Spring Park is the free downtown playground and koi pond that fills the gap between museum visits. Pro tip: U.S. Space Camp registration opens in October for the following summer; the parent-child weekend program for ages 7 and up books up by January. If you are aiming for Family Astronaut Training Experience, get the email alert the moment the parks-and-rec catalog releases. The Huntsville Botanical Garden adds the second day for any family staying through a weekend.