downtownhuntsville
Enjoy the Local Arts
Festivals for All Seasons
Are you in town and looking for a fun event with local flair? Huntsville boasts a number of annual events (see Calendar of Events on pages 76-81). If you are visiting Hunstville in the spring, don’t miss the Panoply Arts Festival, held in Big Spring Park the last weekend of April. Panoply celebrates music, dance, theater and visual arts, featuring local artists, musicians and actors. For more information visit www.artshuntsville.org. Are you a music lover? Big Spring Jam is the area’s premier music festival, held in the fall in downtown Huntsville. Big Spring Jam brings a variety of genres of music from folk to country to rock and roll. Bands perform at a variety of outdoor venues as well as indoors at the Von Braun Center. Family activities and street vendors of all kinds make this a must do. For more information, visit www.bigspringjam.org.
Check Out Park Place and A.M. Booth’s Lumberyard
Located just blocks north of the square, Park Place and A.M. Booth’s Lumberyard is Huntsville’s newest, coolest shopping destination and event venue. Browse the J. Leko Furniture Maker, Allison Jansen Photography and Switch House Gifts for something to take home, shape your hairstyle at Vain Salon, grab a bike and cruise uptown and downtown Huntsville from Bicycles Etc. and finish off the day with a cocktail on the patio of the Lone Goose Saloon. Be sure to step into A.M. Booth’s hundred year old Lumberyard, offering the most original party space in the heart of “Uptown” Huntsville. The large outdoor courtyard, surrounded by lounging nooks, covered bars and banquet areas, includes a raised covered stage that can easily host a band, DJ, or banquet. For more information visit www.parkplaceplaza.com or www.thelumberyard.info.
Photo: Von Braun Center; dreamstime.com; tim wilkerson
Looking for a cultural night out on the town? Head to the newly renovated Von Braun Center for a variety of performances by local, regional and national groups. Enjoy all that Huntsville performing arts has to offer by visiting the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall, the newly renovated, luxurious venue at the Von Braun Center (VBC). Treat yourself to an evening with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and enjoy classical and modern performances led by new maestro Gregory Vajda. For information, visit www.hso.org. The Huntsville Community Ballet also calls the VBC home. Visit www.huntsvilleballet.org for a schedule of performances by some of the country’s most talented dancers and most famous ballets. The VBC hosts Broadway Theater League shows, brought straight from NYC to the Rocket City. For a list of dates and shows, visit www.broadwaytheaterleague.org. Looking for local theater talent? The Von Braun Center Playhouse plays host to the Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater (www.letthemagicbegin.org) and Theatre Huntsville (www. yourseatiswaiting.org).