Family Fun Abounds, Right Here in Our Own Backyard By Becky J. Beall
Bellingrath Gardens
Alabama Gulf Coast
Bellingrath Gardens
Birmingham residents looking for family adventure can experience everything from beautiful beaches to scenic mountains without ever leaving the borders of this southern state. In addition, keeping vacation dollars within the state supports economic development across Alabama, promotes tourism and offers employment opportunities to many. Consider all the diversity of sweet home Alabama when planning your next getaway. U.S. Space & Rocket Center Huntsville’s tech-savvy climate is the perfect home for the U. S. Space & Rocket Center, a Smithsonian Affiliate, offering exhibits and attractions with an educational premise. Since its opening in 1970, more than 16 million visitors have toured the Center that beckons all to become an astronaut for a day! The USSRC is home to Space Camp®, Aviation Challenge® Camp and Robotics Camp and is the largest museum of its kind (spaceflight) in the world! The museum houses and showcases a large rocket and space hardware collection, space vehicles like Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser and serves as the Official NASA Visitor Center for Marshall Space Flight Center. Spend the day taking a bus tour of the Marshall Space Flight Center, being adventurous with museum simulators (Mars Climbing Wall, Mission to Mars, G-Force Accelerator and the Space Shot) or watching an IMAX production. This is perfect for families and field trips! Point Mallard Park Just south of Huntsville in the city of Decatur, Point Mallard Park sits on 750 acres of wooded pines. Carved out among this massive area is an 18-hole golf course, a 25-acre campground, America’s first wave pool (operating seasonally in the Waterpark), an ice skating rink (operating 50 | birminghamparent | THE GUIDE 2016
in winter seasonally), tennis courts, batting cages, a driving range and trails for hiking/ biking/jogging. Point Mallard Park is well known for annual events such as Memorial Day Weekend’s Alabama Jubilee, the Fourth of July Spirit of America Festival and the Greater Tennessee Valley Antique Car Show just to name a few. This venue provides ultimate fun for multi-generational travel, families and outdoor enthusiasts. The Shoals Area The northwestern area of the state is collectively known as The Shoals and is home to some fun family attractions that you might overlook unknowingly. Plan a long weekend touring Helen Keller’s birthplace in Tuscumbia and then hop on over to the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield. Enjoy time wandering in Florence, a beautiful river city with a rich history and consider tons of outdoor recreation available on Pickwick Lake, Wheeler Lake, Wilson Lake and Coldwater Falls. (For web sites to assist with The Shoals travel, visit http://alabama.travel/places-togo/the-shoals#what-to-do.) If you are a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, then don’t miss America’s architectural gem, the Rosenbaum House Museum built in Florence in 1939 for newlyweds Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum. The only Wright-designed structure in the state of Alabama,
the Rosenbaum House offered fulfillment of the American dream to middle-income families through low-cost home ownership. This treasure has been carefully preserved and operates today as a museum open to the public. When in Florence, take some time to appreciate this entity. Another Shoals area must-see is FAME Recording Studios. FAME is the world-famous studio established in 1959 responsible for creating the Muscle Shoals Sound. Artists who have recorded here include the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Etta James and Otis Redding. Music lovers will delight in this tourist destination. Montgomery Zoo & Mann Wildlife Learning Museum Take a tour of the continents by way of the animals at the Montgomery Zoo & Mann Wildlife Learning Museum! From the cheetahs of Africa to the red kangaroos of Australia, the Montgomery Zoo offers tons of animals in their natural setting with opportunities for zoo keeper chats, learning about endangered species and the conservation of wildlife. Major animal exhibits, picnic facilities and special events all make this a family attraction you’ll come back to over and over. A complete calendar of events is available at http://www.montgomeryzoo. com/families.html and is very helpful in planning a visit. continued on page 52