Family Fun in Alabama
Family stays on the Alabama Gulf Coast and around Mobile Bay offer plenty to do. The resort towns of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach feature 32 miles of soft white sand lapped by sparkling emerald waters.
In nearby Mobile Bay family attractions include the USS Alabama Battleship, the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, Alligator Alley, Estuarium at Dauphin Island and Mobile Zoo.
Alabama’s largest city, Birmingham offers families a long list of attractions including the Alabama Adventure Theme Park, Birmingham Zoo, Vulcan Park and Museum and Birmingham Children’s Theatre.
Huntsville play in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains is home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, a fantastic museum and theme park as well as Huntsville Botanical Gardens, EarlyWorks Children’s Museum and Sci-Quest Science Center.
US Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center, in Huntsville, is the official centre for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Alabama's number one ticketed attraction. It is the only place in the world where you can stand under a "full stack" - space shuttle orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank - and the mighty Saturn V. Visitors can feel G-forces on the Spaceshot, view artifacts such as the Apollo 16 capsule, Apollo 12 quarantine facility and a moon rock and experience breath-taking films in the IMAX or 3D theaters.
Space Camp - Where The Mars Generation movie was filmed
People from around the world enroll in Space Camp on the grounds of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Programs offered include Family Space Camp, Adult Space Academy, 6-day Space Camp for groups of 16 or more and Space Camp for individual students ages 9 to 18. Aviation Challenge and Space Camp Robotics also offered. View the film The Mars Generation on Netflix to see the Space Camp experience.
Did you know?
- One of only three left in the world, the Saturn V moon rocket at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center is separated into three pieces, so visitors can see the engines of each stage. In addition to the National Historic Landmark, the centre displays the only full-scale vertical model of Saturn V in existence.
- Standing at 363-feet the Saturn V was the tallest rocket to ever fly.
- The rocket could hold three astronauts, carried in the command module that would circle the moon.
6 great swimming holes to visit in Alabama
Little River Canyon in DeKalb County, Alabama can now can rate its beauty alongside a Mayan sinkhole, a blue lagoon in Iceland, a clear blue Jamaican stream and the Fairy Pools of Scotland. The swimming hole at the nature preserve near Fort Payne was named part of Huffington Post's list of 11 great swimming holes around the world. Only three other sites in America made the list.
For more details on Little River Canyon; Wind Creek at Lake Martin, The Icebox at Magnolia Springs, The Devil's Den at Cheaha State Park, High Falls in Guntersville or Lake Tuscaloosa/Lake Nicol please read our Alabama Outdoors page.
Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama is home to tthe Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, which now holds the title of the world's largest motorcycle museum according to Guinness World Records. Officials made the announcement recently at Barber Motorsports Park, where the museum is located.
The Barber museum and park are already bringing some positive vibes to the city. Last year alone they drew 270,000 visitors, including more than 3,000 museum visitors from other countries. According to the official Guinness record, the museum houses the world's largest collection of vintage and contemporary motorcycles, with 1,398 unique exhibits. The five-story glass, steel and concrete structure features eye-catching displays of motorcycle towers and machines suspended from walls. The whole place has a cosmopolitan feel, as there are exhibits from more than 100 countries including around 60 Lotus race cars.
