Here's my list of possibilities for a Huntsville, AL trip :)

U.S. Space and Rocket Center
A must for every visitor to Huntsville, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center features a sprawling complex where I found the largest collection of rockets and space memorabilia in the world. A day’s worth of discovery and learning awaits along with an IMAX theater and glimpse into Space Camp.

Space Camp for Families
With programs for kids as young as 9 all the way until high-school seniors, Space Camp offers STEM-based camps in a variety of topics ranging from two-day introductory mini-camps to week-long summer resident camps.

Marshall Space Flight Center Bus Tour
The Marshall Space Flight Center houses NASA’s research and development facility for programs like the mission to Mars. Take a guided bus tour of the facility that remains closed to the public.

A.M. Booth’s Lumberyard
Dine on the patio of a restored 100-year-old lumberyard while enjoying live music. This complex features several restaurants and hosts special events. I found A.M. Booth’s Lumberyard at 108 Cleveland Ave.

Campus No. 805
Across 13-acres of a revitalized high school campus, I found a complex of craft breweries, restaurants, food trucks, retail shopping, live music and a speakeasy. Campus No. 805 is located at 2620 Clinton Ave. W.

DeSoto State Park
DeSoto State Park offers camping along with the lodge, cabins and restaurant. Pick up a Junior Ranger booklet for the kids and take a hike to discover the rugged beauty of northern Alabama. DeSoto State Park adjoins the Little River Canyon National Preserve.

Little River Canyon National Preserve
From Lookout Mountain, Little River flows through sandstone carving Little River Canyon as it passes over Little River Falls. One of the wildest and cleanest rivers in the Southeast, Little River offers recreational opportunities like rock climbing, kayaking and hiking. Stop by the Little River Canyon Center for a map, a Junior Ranger booklet and an educational movie. Located at 4322 Little River Trail NE and open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Little River Canyon National Preserve is open from sunrise to sunset and is free to enter.

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
In the early 1800s, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole people were forcibly removed from their lands and relocated to the Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma. Using several routes, including land and waterways, visitors can retrace the Trail of Tears.

Russell Cave National Monument
Near the Tennessee border, the Russell Cave National Monument offers a glimpse into the history of human civilization 1,000 years before European contact. Russell Cave provides one of the most extensive archeological records on the East Coast. Explore Russell Cave from the boardwalk only. Located at 3729 County Road 98 in Bridgeport, 70 miles northeast of Huntsville. Russell Cave is free.

Find a treasure at Unclaimed Baggage Center
The Unclaimed Baggage Center is located at 509 West Willow Street, Scottsboro, 40 miles southeast of Huntsville. Open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closed on Sunday.

Brunch at the Wildflower Cafe
The Wildflower Café is located at 6007 Alabama Highway 117 in Mentone, 70 miles southeast of Huntsville.

Savor the Arts
After a hearty brunch at Wildflower Café, walk next door to Kamama Gallery for a collection of local artists’ work. I found pottery, landscapes and sculpture in the cultural hub of Mentone. Grab a cup of coffee at the Kamama Gallery’s café, located at 5951 Alabama Highway 117.

Another gallery, the Miracle Pottery, features the work of Valinda Miracle, who used ceramics as a form of physical therapy after a major car accident. In addition to a gallery, Miracle Pottery features classes in ceramics and located at 7811 Alabama Highway 117.

I haven't posted in a long time now! My oldest is in college now (eek!) and I finally have a little free time to myself again. I thought I would start posting about the cool trips we are either going on or planning to in the future, on our awesome homeschooling journey :)

We traveled to Birmingham, AL last month and holy cow was it a blast (and affordable!). I took my mom and my twins, and thanks to our Tellus Science Center membership we were able to visit the McWane Science center and the Southern Museum of Flight for free! The science center is SOOOOOO COOL! Check it out here: http://www.mcwane.org/. We all had a great time and spent hours exploring the exhibits there (pretty sure we spent 4 hours on the dot there!) and then splurged and ate in the cafe (I ate my own gf food I brought). The flight museum was very educational, my kids loved seeing the planes made from kits over the years, but especially enjoyed the military history room. We ran into the gentleman who runs field trips there, and he gave us a great tour of the military area. My kids learned so much! I want to go back when they are older and have a more thorough understanding of the wars we've been involved in and such. We also stopped at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens (which is always free yay!) and walked around through the beautiful scenery. We didn't stay long because it was HOT and I didn't want to get sunburnt, but holy cow did I feel like Alice in the queen's roses, the rose garden was so big and pretty! We did stop to see the Vulcan, a must see for tourists.

The last thing we did was visit the Barber Motorsports Museum, and whoa is that place big. Motorcycles everywhere! If you have a motorcycle enthusiast in your family, go. Just go. It's awesome.

Since we got into every attraction but one for free, we splurged and spent $102 on an overnight stay at the Drury Inn Grandview. The kids LOVED it! The pool is half indoors half outdoors, so even in the rainy weather they were able to swim. The hot tub is SUPER FUN, and we were down there alone the night we stayed (because we homeschool and can travel anytime haha). The hotel offers complimentary dinner, breakfast, and popcorn and drinks all evening too! We brought our roku stick and watched movies on netflix while eating popcorn and it was truly an enjoyable stay for us. I am going to look for Drury Inns for every trip now!

I highly recommend making the trip if you have an ASTC reciprocal membership, and kiddos who enjoy science museums. Birmingham isn't the prettiest city, and the flight museum isn't in the prettiest part of town, but be smart and don't leave ipads sitting out in your car and use good judgement and you'll have a blast! Next trip, we plan to check out the Birmingham Zoo and want to leave time for a little out of the way travel to one of the many National Parks in Alabama. We love the junior ranger program and want to earn more badges and learn more about our world!