Group Tour Planner's Guide

The Huntsville Convention & Visitors Bureau is your one-stop shop for planning your group’s visit to North Alabama. Our Tourism Department is part of the most comprehensive, full-service CVB between Nashville and Birmingham. Services and materials provided to you by the Huntsville CVB are free of charge.

We help you plan... Site Inspections/FAM Tours Itineraries Planning Assistance Group Pricing Contact Information Escort Notes

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Suggested Group Itineraries

ONE NIGHT ITINERARY:
Early Works Children's Museum • SciQuest • North Alabama Railroad Museum • Renaissance Theatre • U.S. Space & Rocket Center • Huntsville Botanical Garden

* DAY 1 *

• Spend the afternoon exploring history at EarlyWorks Children’s Museum, the South’s newest and largest hands-on history museum.
• Sci-Quest is the place for adventures in science! Interactive exhibits allow kids of all ages to experience and explore!
• “All aboard” train lovers! The North Alabama Railroad Museum in Chase includes a restored depot and actual restored locomotives. Monthly train excursions are a favorite among groups!
• Continue “riding the rails” with a Renaissance Theatre performance of “Murder by Train,” an interactive mystery dinner theatre.
• State Black Archives Research Center and Museum: Visit a unique archive museum center housed in the historic James H. Wilson Building on the campus of Alabama A&M University. View Huntsville from Normal’s Hill and tour Normal Chase Historic Corridor

* DAY 2 *

• Your group will love “Breakfast in Space” at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
• Enjoy the scenic beauty of the Huntsville Botanical Garden and visit the butterfly house Memorial Day through October.

TWO NIGHT ITINERARY:
Historic Huntsville Depot • Twickenham Historic District • Alabama Constitution Village • Harrison Brothers Hardware • Huntsville Museum of Art • Burritt on the Mountain • U.S. Space & Rocket Center • NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

* DAY 1 *

• Enjoy a relaxing Southern-style barbecue dinner at the Historic Huntsville Depot, a restored 1860 railroad museum. After dinner learn about the history of this facility as well as the city itself during your private tour.

* DAY 2 *

• Start your day off with a driving tour of Twickenham Historic District, the state’s largest concentration of Antebellum homes, and visit the 19th Century homestead of renowned artist and poet Maria Howard Weeden.
• Continue your look back at the old south with a tour of the Alabama Constitution Village, a living history area where costumed interpreters serve as your tour guides.
• Your group will enjoy lunch in historic downtown!
• After lunch, round the corner to shop at Harrison Brother’s Hardware, the state’s oldest operating hardware store.
• The afternoon will be complete once you visit the nationally-renowned Huntsville Museum of Art, overlooking beautiful Big Spring International Park.
• After freshening up at your hotel, head up the mountain for “TimePiece” historic drama at Burritt on the Mountain. Playgoers will be served an old-fashioned box supper before the show by Burritt’s very own 19th Century hostesses.

* DAY 3 *

• “Blast off” from the 19th Century straight into the 21st and beyond at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. You’ll tour the Earth’s largest space museum, see an Imax movie in the Spacedome Theater, take a bus tour of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and even have lunch before heading for home!

Huntsville Tour Themes

Huntsville’s diverse landscape and unique blend of cultures mean endless possibilities for tour planners! This is just a sampling of the themed tours a group can experience in Huntsville and the surrounding region.

Before and After Hours Around Huntsville

If your group is interested in special functions, please consider these possible suggestions for catered events.

BREAKFAST IN SPACE 256-721-7183 or 800-63-SPACE ext. 106 Arrive at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center early for a bountiful breakfast that would make any astronaut proud! Tour the center and marvel at actual spacecraft surrounding you in Earth’s largest space museum. Have a you-are-there experience in 67-foot domed IMAX theatre. All this and you’re back on the road well before lunch! WINE TASTING AT THE HUNTSVILLE MUSEUM OF ART 256-535-4350 or 800-786-9095 Be a part of this exciting evening at the Huntsville Museum of Art. Enjoy sumptuous food, view artwork in the galleries and sample a variety of wines. CIVIL WAR BARBECUE AND EVENING LANTERN TOUR 256-564-8100 or 800-678-1819 Follow your guide through the Historic Huntsville Depot as you stroll the hallways soldiers once walked. After the tour you’ll enjoy a truly Southern barbecue meal within this historic setting. “TimePiece” AT BURRITT ON THE MOUNTAIN 256-536-2882 or 256-512-0143 An original play written especially for performance at Burritt on the Mountain, “TimePiece” is a fictional story based on historical events before and after the Civil War in the rural South. In the spirit of rural hospitality, playgoers will be served an old-fashioned box supper before the show by Burritt’s very own 19th Century hostesses. AFTERNOON TEA AT THE WEEDEN HOUSE MUSEUM 256-536-7718 Your group will love having tea in one of Huntsville's most notable, historic homes. Local guides provide information, entertainment, and maybe even some “ghost stories.” RENAISSANCE THEATRE 256-536-3117 The play’s the thing at Renaissance Theatre, a local company offering shows year-round. Whether you prefer comedy, drama, classics, musicals or mysteries, Huntsville’s performing arts venues can meet your group’s needs! Ask about the availability of dinner theatre. COFFEE NIGHTCAP 256-539-1636 The Kaffeklatch in downtown offers delicious gourmet coffees with an atmosphere to match. It’s the perfect setting to end a fun-filled day and night in Huntsville.

Tour Huntsville
Tour Operators and Step-on Guides

GALA TOURS
256-859-6137
Hidden Treasures awaits you with Gala Tours. Mildred Hightower, owner and guide, is a private receptive operator who will tailor a tour to meet your needs, offering historical tours, step-on-guide services. Most Requested Tours Include: African American Heritage, Spotting Huntsville, Decatur and Quad Cities: Florence, Tuscumbia, Muscle Shoals and Shefield. With one call all of your arrangements will be made: attractions, lodging, meals, special functions and entertainment.

GLORY TOURS
256-830-2468 or 888-89 GLORY
info@glorytours.com • www.glorytours.com
Glory Tours offers full receptive services for Huntsville and all of North Alabama. With one call all of your arrangements will be made: attractions, lodging, meals, step-on guides or escorts, special functions and entertainment. Specialty tours include historical, agricultural and technological.

HISTORICAL PURSUIT, INC.
256-650-0516, 256-527-2488
www.historicalpursuit.com
Historical Pursuit, Inc. provides historically enriching and entertaining excursions for your business, church, school, or organization. Rhonda Ford, an historian and environmental educator, will custom design a tour for you, combining interesting historical descriptions and stories with local attractions and restaurants, all within a fun and interactive atmosphere.

TOUR NORTH ALABAMA
800-263-9320
Specializing in tours that “Discover the Mountain Lakes Region” of North Alabama, owner Doris Leverett offers historic tours, step-on guide service and custom motorcoach packages.

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