Water Garden at the Huntsville Alabama Botanical Gardens

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Huntsville Botanical Garden

Alabama


Huntsville residents take great pride in these gardens, which sprawl across 112 acres at the edge of town. On site you'll find a birding trail, aquatic gardens, nature trails, storybook gardens aimed at kids, scads of local dogwoods and azaleas, and stages where various shows and events take place throughout the year.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Alabama attractions

1. US Space & Rocket Center

1.39 MILES

If you ever entertained dreams of playing Major Tom to someone's ground control, head here. This Smithsonian-affiliated museum boasts one of the world's…

2. Huntsville Museum of Art

2.64 MILES

A good chunk of Huntsville culture revolves around this beloved museum, which contains regional art from across the Southeast United States, as well as…

3. Big Spring Park

2.65 MILES

Big Spring is named for the water source Huntsville was built around. Now this park acts as a sort of anchor for Hunstville's downtown museum and arts…

4. Huntsville Depot Museum

2.73 MILES

If you're into trains, trolleys and the like, head to this enormous building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which once served as the…

5. EarlyWorks Children's History Museum

2.8 MILES

Wear your kids out at EarlyWorks, a hands-on experience with a talking tree, a 46ft keelboat, 19th-century general store and roughly a bazillion costumes…

6. Burritt on the Mountain

5.15 MILES

Rising over Huntsville like the proverbial house on the hill (because that's exactly what this is), Burritt is a historical mansion turned museum, events…

7. Monte Sano State Park

6.9 MILES

Spanish for 'Mountains of Health,' Monte Sano is a forested upland breath of fresh air located just east of Huntsville. There are some 20 miles of hiking…

8. Hays Nature Preserve

10.07 MILES

This refreshing nature preserve contains miles of easy paved trails that wind along the Flint River and nearby oxbow lakes. Playgrounds, riverbanks…