Magic on the Mountain
Dear Friends of Burritt on the Mountain,
As we look ahead to our spring and summer seasons, I want to take a moment to reflect on what makes Burritt on the Mountain so special. More than just a beautiful place, Burritt is a important part of our region’s cultural and historical landscape—a place that continues to inspire, educate, and connect.
Whether you're a history enthusiast, nature lover, or simply seeking a peaceful escape, Burritt offers something for everyone. Stroll our trails, explore the historic park, attend a concert under the stars, or take in the panoramic views. Every visit directly supports our mission and helps preserve this unique treasure for future generations.
This summer, we’re excited to invite you to a very special event: Burritt’s 70th: A Mountain Celebration on Sunday, June 8, from noon to 5 p.m. This community celebration will feature live music from the Sandy River Ramblers, Two Hammers and Pick and Donnie and Malea, a barbecue lunch, guided hikes, children’s activities, and a festive cake cutting to commemorate the occasion. It’s a day to celebrate Burritt’s legacy—and to say thank you for seven decades of community support.
In addition to our anniversary event, you can enjoy Cocktails at The View every Wednesday through October and the return of City Lights & Stars concerts beginning in May. Summer camps also kick off in June, welcoming young learners for hands-on fun and discovery.
We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the season—and our 70th year—by making Burritt part of your summer. Thank you for being a part of our story.
Warmly,
Melanie Thornton CEO, Burritt on the Mountain
2024-2025 Board of Directors
Chair: Jennifer Upton
Vice Chair: Cindy Griner
Treasurer: Ahmad Brown
Secretary: Jeffrey Blackwell
Governance: Sarah Smith
Steve Below
George Cannon
Paula Cushman
Brian Daniels
Theresa Durboraw
Richele Jordan-Davis
Camillia King-Stanley
Molly Moore
Melissa Musgrove
Lindsey Perry
Dawn Pumpelly
Mary Kathryn Treusdell
No amount is too small!
join the campaign to restore and preserve the historic burritt mansion for generations to come
A special crowdfunding campaign to restore Dr. Burritt's historic 1938 mansion has launched and you can be a part of preserving history. Our goal is to raise $70,000 in honor of 70 years to support the restoration project to clean and replace the mansion’s 36 windows, totaling 816 individual panes of glass.
Crafts and Activities |
The anniversary event will feature an afternoon of live music, BBQ, activities, and fun for all ages! Let’s come together for a family lunch on the mountain and build community.
Enjoy live music with the Sandy River Ramblers, Two Hammers and Pick in the HistoriccPark and Donnie & Melea at the Baron Bluff Veranda playing all your favorites!
A full cash/credit bar will be available, featuring Anniversary Mimosa’s and light snacks.
Local Museums, Attractions & Historical Organizations will be onsite offering special activations and sharing their stories.
Regular admission rates apply, and Members receive free entry.
Congratulations!
Volunteers of the Month
March 2025: Stephen Kirsch
April 2025: Kate Whited
Would you like to receive our “Volunteer Opportunity” emails?
Be the first to know about volunteer opportunities for concerts, family festivals, camps, special events, holiday events, and more. Scan the QR Code below or contact Laura Wren, Laura.Wren@huntsvilleal.gov.
We’ve had such a great time getting to know many different organizations in the community that chose to volunteer at Burritt! If you have a group that wants to spend some time volunteering at Burritt, contact us for more information.
Thank you to the Volunteers from Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, UAH SOAR, and the US Navy. They recently helped with projects all over the park helping to keep our site looking its best. We greatly appreciate the time they shared at Burrit.
Volunteer Opportunities
Cocktails at the The View, Wednesdays, May – October City Lights & Stars Concerts:, Friday Concerts, May – September
Explore! - Women's Work, May 10th
Summer Camp Counselors, Monday – Friday, June – July
Explore! – Archaeology Day, June 14nd
Explore! - Reptile Day, July 12th
Burritt 70th: A Mountain Celebration Family Fun Day & Bar-B-Q, Sunday, June 8th
March 8th through September 1st
presented by: Tom & Susan Griffith
backpack an adventure in every bag
Embark on an exciting family adventure! This hands-on experience, designed for children aged 4 to 12, offers a captivating scavenger hunt through Burritt. Explore our Nature Trails, the Historic Park, the Barnyard, and Dr. Burritt's mansion.
• 5 UniqUe AdventUres - each adventure provides a fresh and engaging hands-on experience
• speciAl soUvenir - take home a scavenger hunt souvenir at the end of your adventure
• explore At yoUr own pAce - enjoy a fun-filled family experience that fits your schedule
With five distinct themes to choose from, there's always something new to discover. We invite you to return, play, and explore again and again!
Additional Sponsors:
Huntsville Utilities
Carey Anne Link Endowed Fund for Arts & Education
AL Tourism Grant: LegislatorsJames Lomax, Ritchie Whorton
The Caring Foundation BCBS of AL First Horizon Bank
Huntsville/Madison County CVB
Industrial Properties of the South
Adtran
Blackwell Law Firm
COLSA
GTEC
Liz and Wayne Laney, Pediatric Gastroenterology Associates
Teresa O’Malley
Dianne and James Reynolds
Van Valkenburgh & Wilkinson Realtors
BURRITT NATURE RANGERS
Madison County Soil & Water Conservation District
Camps filling FAST Register Today!
join us this summer for 7 weeks of FUN!
Burritt camps provide your child with a summer full of learning and laughter! Each week of camp revolves around different theme. These camps are open to children who have completed grades K-5th and are led by Burritt’s CPRcertified staff. Camp days run from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Students should bring their own sack lunch, but Burritt will provide a snack each day. You may also choose to register for our extended day options with drop-off available as early as 7:45 a.m. and pick-up as late as 5:30 p.m. The cost for each day of extended day is an additional $5/ morning only, additional $10/afternoon only, or $15/both morning and afternoon.
Earth Explorers & Beyond (June 4-8)
Humans have always been driven to explore the world and travel to new and different places. Become an Earth Explorer by learning about the early explorers, orienteering, early modes of transportation, and earth’s different environments, countries, and continents. As an Earth Explorer, you will explore and hike Burritt’s wooded nature trails along with playing games and making creative crafts. No exploration camp would be complete without talking about our solar system and beyond. Space is the final frontier, so boldly come to Burritt’s Earth Explorers & Beyond camp.
Burritt Camps provide your child with a summer full of exploration and excitement! Each of the seven weeks of camp revolves around a different theme and are led by Burritt’s CPR-certified staff. Our teacher-to-camper ratio of 1:12 ensures that your child receives individualized attention during these fun-filled days of crafts, games, hiking, nature exploration, and more.
Registration deadline: May 29
Cost: $155 members, $165 non-members
Everything Tells a Story (June 11-15)
Once again, Burritt with the Fresh Air Family for a fun-filled week of camp! Step back to a time when the world was filled with stories, when plants were created by the footprints and foibles of gods and goddesses, and secrets could be shared by the meanings of flowers. Expressions like dyed in the wool, strike while the iron is hot, or burning a candle at both ends, will come alive in a week filled with imagination and creativity. Campers will enter a world of cloud animals and new stories to be created through word play inspired by Burritt’s historic and natural setting.
Registration deadline: June 5
songbirds, domesticated, nocturnal, and scavengers all have similarities and differences to adapt to the world around them. We will also find out how the whooping cranes of North America were rescued from the brink of extinction. Campers come ready to learn as we hike, bird watch, play games, create crafts, and even get to meet up close some of our fine feathered friends with wildlife animal presenter and educator Tommy Howell and his Bird Encounter Nature Program.
Registration deadline: June 12
Cost: $155 members, $165 non-members
Paints, Pots, and Patterns (June 25-29)
Have you ever wanted to make a statue out of junk, paint a colorful self-portrait, or build your own basket? Bring out your creative side with a camp all about folk art! For hundreds of years, people have been using what they have on hand to make the world around them beautiful. We’ll try out all different kinds of art – from 2D doodles to 3D pottery. We’ll get inspired by nature, learn from pieces in our historic park, and play games to round out a truly hands-on camp!
Registration deadline: June 19
Cost: $155 members, $165 non-members
Fiddlin’ Around (July 9-13)
Burritt and HSO’s Symphony School are excited to offer an eighth year of violin camp!
Cost: $185 members, $195 non-members
Beaks, Bills, Feathers, Flight (June 18-22)
Ever wonder what makes a bird a bird? Come have fun exploring the many different kinds of birds that live all around us. Raptors,
This perennial favorite offers campers the opportunity to receive quality instruction in the violin from the Symphony School’s experienced staff, plus the crafts, games, and active fun that Burritt does best. It is sure to be a toe tapping good time! Family and friends will enjoy the campers’ concert on
Registration deadline: July 3
and fun that you won’t find anywhere else. No previous violin experience is required.
Cost: $185 members, $195 nonmembers, $15 weekly violin rental
Down Under Adventure (July 16-20)
Registration deadline: July 10
Enjoy an Australian adventure planned by a camp leader who recently returned from her own Down Under Adventure. Australia is not just a country but a continent that is full of wildlife and environments not found anywhere else on earth. We will discover its location, history, culture, diverse environments, and of course its exotic unique animals. Come explore and learn about dingoes, koalas, crocs, platypuses, kangaroos, and many more amazing Australian animals. We will hike, play games, and make some down under crafts. Kids won’t want to miss this hopping Down Under Adventure!
Cost: $155 members, $165 nonmembers
Barnyard Bonanza (July 23-27) For our last camp of the year, we’re heading down to the farm! We’ll spend the week learning what it takes to grow food and raise animals, both in the past and today. Farming’s hard work, but we’ll have lots of fun meeting animals, exploring our gardens, and trying out life as a farmer. And all week we’ll practice our games and brush up our crafts to get ready for our very own “county fair” on Friday!
Registration deadline: July 17
Cost: $155 members, $165 nonmembers for more information visit...www.burrittonthemountain.com
Geology Really Rocks
Can You Dig It? Wild About Violins! Eco Explorers
Can You Dig It? (So much fun we are repeating it!)
Interested in a camp that is full?
Select a camp and add yourself to the waitlist. You will be emailed should a spot open within your desired camp.
Friday afternoon. Join us for a memorable week with music
& City Lights Stars
May 9 - KUSH
Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Michael Mutek
May 30 - Fireball Mail
Sponsor: Friends of SIGNALS Museum of Information Explosion
June 13 - Them Damn Dogs
Sponsored By: ValleyMLS.com
June 27 - Juice
Sponsor: Truist Bank
July 18 - Brassfield
Sponsor: Damson Automotive
August 8 - Eric Essix
Sponsor: Athens State University
August 29 - Calypso Vision
Sponsor: Tina & Steve Below
September 26 - Huntsville’s in the Mood
Sponsor: Alabama Farm Credit
PREORDER DINNER WITH A VIEW | BRING A PICNIC cAsH bAR AND fOODTRuck AVAIlAblE fOR PuRcHAsE ONsITE bRINg A blANkET OR cHAIRs NO OuTsIDE AlcOHOl PlEAsE
Concert Dinner with aView
Dinner at 6:30pm | $40 Per Person Back By Popular Demand!
Enhance your City Lights & Stars concert experience with a pre-show dinner at The View.
Stay at your dinner table during the concert to watch the sunset or bring lawn chairs to move to the lawn.
Please note, dinner reservations require a concert ticket and must be made by noon on the Tuesday before each concert.
Cocktails at The V iew
wednesday evenings 5pm - 8pm april 2nd - october 29th
Monthly Sponsors:
May Music: Drake State Community and Technical College
May Sunset: Cepeda
June Music: Paula Cushman
June Sunset: First Federal Mortgage
• Book a Group or Birthday Celebration
• Pre-Order Appetizers
• Reserve a Table
Full Bar serving Cocktails, Mocktails & other Non-Alcoholic options. Held Rain or Shine. For more Information scan here!
EXPLORE!
“Women’s Work”
Saturday, May 10th | 10am - 4pm
Immerse yourself in the world of 19th century women! Experience handson activities. Try your hand at the drop spindle, wool carding and laundry at the washboard. Active, ongoing demonstrations will include weaving, spinning, openhearth cooking and the washing and mending of clothes, among other tasks, done as they would have been in 1800s North Alabama.
“Digging Deeper: An Archaeology Adventure”
Saturday, June 14th | 10am - 4pm
Unearth ancient adventures and family fun! Kids will become budding archaeologists as they experience a mock excavation, create their own pottery, learn navigation skills, and test their aim with an atlatl, an ancient spear-throwing tool. Explore archaeology together in a beautiful mountaintop setting, sparking curiosity, and creating lasting memories.
Schedule of Activities
Throw with an Atlatl 10:30, 1:30, 3:30
Create a pinch pot 11:30 and 2:30
Orienteering activity 12:30
These events are included in general admission and are free for Burritt members. Children must be accompanied by an adult to participate.
ON THE MOUNTAIN
DO.
May
Glass: “Stained Glass Butterfly”
Historic Hands: “Foraged Spring Wreath"
Glass: “Introduction to Glass Fusing”
Weekday Series: “Folk Art Stained Glass Wind Chime”
Weekday Series: “Grilling Tools”
Glass: “Folk Art Stained Glass Wind Chime”
Blacksmithing: “Grilling Tools”
Textile Arts: “Raw Fleece to Finished Object”
Ceramics: “Face Mug”
June
Glass: “Introduction to Glass Fusing”
Jewelry Making: “Pattern Wire Bracelet”
Textile Arts: “Folded Bark Basket”
Ceramics: “Sgraffito Decoration”
Embroidery: “Embellishment and Applique”
Glass: “Stained Glass Tissue Box Cover”
Ceramics: “Glazed Stoneware Mug”
Textile Arts: “Drop Spindle for Beginners”
Dates to Remember:
