Huntsville, AL Real Estate, Homes For Sale, School & Area Information

Nestled along the serene Tennessee River in southern Huntsville, Ditto Landing offers a unique blend of natural beauty and recreational amenities. With over 30 shaded camping spots, a full-service marina, and direct access to the Aldridge Creek and Tennessee River Greenways, it's an ideal location for outdoor enthusiasts.

A premier recreational destination in Huntsville, AL, offering a diverse range of amenities and facilities that cater to various interests and age groups. Spanning nearly 450 acres, it serves as the city's "Central Park," providing both residents and visitors with opportunities for outdoor activities, sports, and community events . Additionally, it features a 4.1-mile mountain bike trail with over 50 machine-built berms, catering to cyclists of all skill levels .

When my wife and I were looking to move, she told me she wanted somewhere in Alabama that felt as close to Colorado as possible. I had to break the news gently… that wasn’t going to happen. But I told her, “If we’re going to be in Alabama, let’s check out Huntsville.” And I’m so glad we did. Huntsville is one of the fastest-growing cities in the South, and for good reason. It might not have the Rockies, but the mountain views here are still beautiful—especially at sunrise or when the leaves change in the fall. It gave us just enough of that Colorado feel, without the snow and altitude! We’ve never once regretted making the move to North Alabama. Huntsville has everything: an incredible food scene, family-friendly events all year round, and more things to do than you’d expect. Whether it’s rafting, hiking Monte Sano, shopping at Bridge Street, or visiting NASA and the Space & Rocket Center, there’s always something new to explore. As a realtor and a local, I can tell you firsthand—Huntsville isn’t just a great place to live, it’s a place you’ll be proud to call home.

Buff City Soaps is officially open in Huntsville! If you love fun and colorful bath products, look no further! Their bright colors, soothing ingredients, and amazing scents instantly draw you into their shop! Check them out for gifts for your friends or for yourself. We won't judge. They are located in the shopping center at the intersection of Airport and Whitesburg.

Do you like fresh, warm, unique cookie flavors? Try Crumbl Cookies! Their new location is now open in Jones Valley in the Target shopping center. When you walk in, you'll see ordering screens to your right for easy ordering. But if you'd rather talk to a friendly face, they also have that option. Pictured in the video: Waffle, Chocolate featuring Oreo, Blueberry Crumb, and Milk Chocolate Chip.

Year after year, the Galaxy of Lights at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens continues to impress! Even in 2020, they've managed to give us something special during the holiday season. It is a great experience for young and old.

Just Love Coffee Cafe is brand new to the Huntsville area and we are so excited that it is finally open! This amazing new coffee spot has an amazing story behind their journey. Not only is their coffee awesome, but their food is incredible, too. Stop here for a cup of yummy coffee, breakfast, lunch, or snack. Check it out!

Huntsville is home to many fun, eclectic, and family-friendly events all around the valley. One of the newer events to the area is the Taste of Huntsville. Located this year in the South Hall of the Von Braun Civic Center, more than 30 restaurants were represented and allowed participants to taste what their restaurant had to offer.

Better yet, this event gave back to the community. Through ticket sales and a silent auction, proceeds went to the Downtown Rescue Mission and the Kids to Love Foundation. Fun music, friends, and good food made for an excellent evening of giving back to the community.

Jones Farm Park offers a respite from the hustle and bustle of life in Huntsville. Located right off of Four Mile Post Road and behind Target, you will find a pond and plenty of paved walking trails.
Come take a walk.

If you're looking for a place to enjoy live music that has an atmosphere that is as pleasurable as the performances, then you should check out Tangled String Studios. Located at Lowe Mill in Huntsville it offers a venue that is made for enhancing the melodic sounds of the artists that play there.

They host a wide array of artists from John Paul White (formerly of The Civil Wars), showcases highlighting local talent and even have an upcoming performance by the Grammy Award Winning band The Travelin' McCourys. So if one type of music isn't quite your style you can be sure they'll have a style that is! I really appreciate having a venue that provides the type of atmosphere where you can just kick back and relax or have higher energy interaction if the performance calls for it.

Tickets are reasonably priced and vary based on the artist. The venue is also BYOB, so bring your favorite libation and enjoy the show!

As a bonus Tangled String Studios is also home to Danny Davis Guitars. Danny makes each of his guitars at the studio. So, if you need a high quality, beautiful sounding guitar, check him out!

This is a great opportunity to get out and enjoy Downtown Huntsville's square and the surrounding blocks where this free pop up putt putt course is located. Putters and balls can be found at various locations and it is so much fun to see all the different holes that are sponsored by and decorated by local businesses. There are 32 holes this year.

Pick up scorecards and golf balls at Harrison Brothers Hardware, Sam & Greg's Pizzeria, and UG White. Bring your own putter or borrow one and play the course.June 15, 2018 - June 25, 2018. This will be recurring daily at local businesses in Downtown Huntsville. Time is sunrise to sunset. There is no admission charged. See the map below for the course layout.

For those of you that have grown up in Huntsville I am sure at some point you have dined at Terry's Pizza. Established in 1959 this local restaurant enjoyed almost a "Superstar" status with a huge fan base during its peak. At the height of their popularity in the 1960s they had three restaurants and no other pizza could compare to a Terry's Pizza. They were fabulous!

Unfortunately, years later when the owner of Terry's Pizza died so did the restaurant.
A few years ago the Star Market in Five Points began selling the original Terry's Pizza recipe.
It became a big hit and Terry's Pizza just opened a new location on Bailey Cove Road. Today there are many pizza chains in operation compared to the 1960's. Terry's still makes a great pizza....will it continue to come in first place? That's something you will have to judge for yourself.

The next time you want to taste the number #1 rated pizza in Huntsville during the 60s....drop by Terry's on Bailey Cove Road for a slice of pie.....You never know...that huge fan base of the past may just return for the next generation of Pizza lovers! Arrivederci....

One of South Huntsville's best little Italian Restaurants you will find is The Boot Pizzeria.
"The Boot" as locals refer to it is probably as close as you'll get to Little Italy in Huntsville. It is owned and operated by an Italian family. The food is very good and the staff friendly. The place is nothing fancy but a favorite with the locals.

On the weekends there is usually live music provided by musicians strumming away on their acoustic guitars. There is a large mural on the wall that feels like you are sitting outdoors in Venice.

The Boot is known for their superb Pizzas. They have every kind of Pizza you can think of including a Smoked Salmon Pizza. The menu features many different Italian dishes including an Eggplant Parmigiana that is out of this world. They also serve more traditional sides including Bruschetta and Crostino Con Prosciutto. If you love fast food one of the favorites is Italian Ragu Fries.

The large bar that covers the entire wall serves an assortment of beers and alcoholic beverages. There are tables set up where you may dine indoors or outdoors on the patio. When you're in the mood for some good Italian food but prefer a casual atmosphere you might want to check out The Boot Pizzeria. They are located at 11505 Memorial Parkway SW.

The City of Huntsville has been known for many things over the course of its history. In the early days, the sleepy little town was primarily known for its cotton production. In later years, Huntsville saw major expansion and became known as Rocket City, USA because of its affiliation with rocket development and testing.

Over the years NASA and Huntsville have played a large role in the development of the Saturn booster and manned missions to the moon. Then came Skylab, the Space Shuttle and finally the Space Station orbiting the earth today. These advanced technologies could have not existed without the development and testing by those high tech aerospace companies. Many of those companies are located right here in Huntsville's Cummings Research Park. Cummings Research Park is the second largest research and development location in the US and the fourth largest worldwide.

It began in 1961 with land acquisition by Milton Cummings, President of Brown Engineering.
In 1962 Milton's successor Joseph Moquin with the support of German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun officially launched Huntsville Research Park. Milton Cummings located Brown Engineering there to become the first company to have its headquarters based in the new Research Park. In 1973 after the passing of Milton Cummings the park changed its name to Cummings Research Park. The park is home to over 300 high technology firms. It employs 26,000 employees and over 12,500 students. The park is made up of Aerospace, Defense, Engineering, Biotech, Advanced Manufacturing, Software Development, Information Technologies and Cyber Security firms.

The park has continued to expand over the years and is now approaching 4,000 acres.
It is home to some of the brightest minds in the country and is a major contributor to the development and testing of new technologies today and exciting technologies for the future.

Valley Hill Country Club is located in South Huntsville in the Jones Valley area. It is the only 27 hole golf course in North Alabama with beautiful Green Mountain as its backdrop. Originally founded in 1963 as Willowbrook Country Club it hosted some of golfs greatest including the likes of Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Huntsvilles own Stewart Link.

In the 70's Willowbrook was changed to Valley Hill Country Club and hosted many Pro Celebrity Tournaments. Some of the prominent celebrities included Lee Majors, George Lindsey, Roger Ward, Frank Cady, Tige Andrews, Forrest Tucker and Apollo 13 Astronaut John Swigert. Famous rocker Alice Cooper has also played Valley Hills a time or two when in town for a concert.

It features over 60 bunkers and multiple water features to test your skill across the three - 9 hole courses. Valley Hill offers a beautiful newly refurbished club house. The clubhouse has a Pro Shop, two dining rooms, private meeting rooms and an elegant ballroom. The grounds also have a 25 yard swimming pool and a kids wading pool for the youngsters family fun. For the members there are bars for your favorite food and beverage and a large patio to sit and relax. Valley Hill is very active in the social scene. There are parties and entertainment all year long. Valley Hills is a great place to enjoy a challenging game of golf then enjoy a fine dinner with friends at the club.

For Native Huntsville residents the Monte Sano Cross has always been a source of pride. The huge cross was first erected in 1963. It is made of concrete and is 74 feet high and weighs 38 tons. It was lit at night and could easily be seen for miles when travelling down Governors Drive or from the Burritt Museum. For many years you could also look over at Monte Sano Mountain while travelling down the parkway to see it. The Cross would burn bright at night and was a thing of beauty against the dark backdrop of the mountain. In those days there were few houses on the mountain. Eventually more and more houses were built and the trees began to block the view of the cross. Over the years it fell into disrepair and the lights were no longer visible. It could no longer be seen day or night. For years there were discussions about repairing the Cross but no budget for it.

In 2014 a local Dentist, Denton Kimbrough and his wife decided to on take on the project and began the restoration process. Dr. Kimbrough was also an elder at Mayfair Church of Christ. After finishing the restoration process the large beautiful cross is now visible . Next time you are driving down the Parkway or Governors Drive especially at night be sure and take a look.
Once again, the Monte Sano Cross shines brightly like a beacon of hope for all to see and appreciate.

In South Huntsville lies an area known as Lily Flagg. This area was originally known for its cotton production. Every field offered views of white cotton as far as the eye could see. Some of those cotton fields still exist today. In fact, the Lily Flagg Gin still stands but now operates as a carpet and rug company.

Lily Flagg later became well known for its subdivisions and great schools. In the 50's and 60's things began to change rapidly. The area was about to experience a great building boom. The city of Huntsville annexed the area and began building houses. There were many Rocket Scientists moving to town as Huntsville changed its image from sleepy cotton town to Rocket City, USA. Wernher von Braun and his team of German rocket scientists relocated to Huntsville and put us on the map as Americas headquarters for Rocket Design, Manufacturing, Testing and Space Exploration. As the missions grew so the did number of scientists and engineers relocating here.

In order to accommodate these families the infrastructure had to change. Schools and homes had to be built. One of the early subdivisions built for these scientists was named Lily Flagg Acres. Most of these homes were built in the late 50's and mid 60's and still a very desirable area to live in today. There is a lot of rocket history in South Huntsville and I am sure there were many discussions about conquering space around the dinner tables back then.

Most children growing up in this area had fathers that were involved in the Space Program in one form or another. They developed and tested the Saturn V Booster which took our Astronauts to the moon. They were also involved in the development and testing of Sky Lab, the Space Station and the Space Shuttle. Today development of new technologies that will be implemented in Space are being tested here in Huntsville.

NASA and Redstone Arsenal have continued to attract leading minds from all over the world. This town once known for its cotton production has been transformed into the leader in Science and Space Exploration. It is home to many PHDs, Rocket Scientists and Engineers second to only Silicon Valley in California.

Now about the name Lily Flagg.... Where did it come from and who was it named after...possibly a wife or daughter of one of those scientists.......well not exactly.

Lily Flagg was named after a cow. A Jersey Cow to be exact. Lily Flagg was the top butter producer in the world in 1892. She was famous in her own right. She was owned by W.E. Matthews and General Samuel H. Moore of Huntsville. Lily Flagg weighed in at 950 pounds and produced 1047 pounds of butter. Lily Flagg was raised on Monte Sano Dairy and became known by her owners as a cash cow for her production capabilities.

Today when driving through Lily Flagg its easy to think about Lily out producing all others in the late 1800s with her butter production or putting man on the moon in the late 1900's. Either way the area known as Lily Flagg has something to be very proud of and has left its mark on history.

If you live in Huntsville chances are you have been to the Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment Venue. Originally a Cotton Mill consisting of 171,000. square feet, it opened its doors in 1901 with 25,000 spindles which could take locally grown cotton and turn into woven cloth. Over the years the plant has produced many different products. After its purchase by General Shoe Company later known as Genesco, they manufactured shoes of all brands and were even known for producing boots for the soldiers during the Vietnam War.

Today the mill has been transformed into a fun place to go for the entire family. It is geared toward Music and the Arts. There are currently 148 working art studios and over 200 artists located at the mill. There are six art galleries and a multi use theater. The Flying Monkey Theater features plays and performances of all types and for all ages. There are classes taught by well known comic illustrators if you feel the calling. There are eating bistros when you get hungry.

The studios sell paintings, ceramics and glass blown creations. Don't like what you see, well take a class and learn how. There are many classes and workshops for every creative mind at Lowe Mill. There are Yoga classes, Dance classes and even Culinary classes for those that love to cook.

For eight weeks during the spring and fall there are series of free concerts under the water tower called "Concerts on the Dock". These concerts feature local, regional and national musicians that perform for hundreds while the kids throw Frisbee's and have a good time. Parking is only $5.00. Lowe Mill has something for everyone and is such a popular venue for summertime events. They have a calendar online to tell you about all the scheduled events happening during the season. If you have not experienced the Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment Venue...you need to...I guarantee a great time.

Like to travel through time...then hop in the car and take a drive over to Harrison Brothers Hardware Store. Experience what a hardware store was like 121 years ago. Harrison Brothers opened in 1897 and has not changed much since then.

It is located on the town square in downtown Huntsville. Visiting Harrison Brothers is really a treat. From the minute you enter those doors you know you have just entered a special place. The old original wooden floors squeak with every step. The display shelves are not nice and tidy, they are crammed packed with every possible gadget a person could ever want and then some. Its almost like the shelves talk to you. There are so many things in that store I would imagine the owners would be hard pressed knowing exactly what they have. There are wares displayed in glass cabinets and hanging from the ceiling overhead. There is an old rope driven elevator from yesteryear.

The store features all kinds of American Arts. The same kind of products you would find in a mercantile 121 years ago. There are paintings, pottery, hand blown glass, forged metal and unique crafts made by local Artisans. They also sell Kitchen Cookbooks of every kind along with an assortment of foods that are hard to come by. There is local honey, fresh bread and homemade jams just like your grandmother use to make. There are candies not seen since you were a kid. There are sleds, tools and games. Some evenings there are story tellers that will captivate your knowledge of a bygone era. At times, there is live music where you can enjoy the old foot stomping Harrison Brothers experience.

In an age of instant everything, its nice to know Harrison Brothers is still a place you can go to slow down and unwind. When you walk into Harrison Brothers Hardware you are walking into a bygone era. There is no rush here. One can easily spend the day just browsing and taking a peek at those simpler times. If you ever get a chance I would recommend visiting Harrison Brothers. Not only is it a great place to take a peek into the past but also a unique place to take out of town guests.

For those of you that really know me, you know I am a history buff and enjoy writing and learning about what life was like in the past. One of my interests has been the Civil War.

This may have been triggered when I was growing up and serving as a Boy Scout. Our troop traveled all over the South hiking and camping at most of the Civil War battlefields. I remember the blisters I got on my feet for every battlefield I hiked and for every merit badge or medal I received. At all the battlefields be it Shiloh, Chickamauga, Nathan Bedford Forest, Kennesaw or any of the others, when we would camp we would tell stories at night around the campfire about what life must have been like. In those days the hardships the soldiers faced were many. It must have been a hard life for the soldiers but also an interesting one.

When our son was small he loved trains. Having lived in Huntsville for many years I had never been to the train depot. When my dad asked me one day have you ever been, I said no. Well then, that's one place we have to visit. So off we went with my parents, wife and son to the Southern Railroad Depot. We did the usual tour and heard the normal presentation from the tour guide. The depot is the oldest surviving railroad depot in Alabama. It was completed in 1860 and served as eastern headquarters for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.

During the Civil War, Huntsville was over run by the Union Army. In 1862 it was considered a strategic point on the railroad and the depot was used as a prison for Confederate soldiers. The soldiers were kept on the third floor of the depot.

Being in prison in wartime was no picnic. During the Civil War there were very few rules as to the comfort of the enemy. Some were treated inhumanly and received very little food. There were stories of some attempted escapes where local girlfriends or wives would help them try to escape by bringing food and distracting guards. There were stories of some being shot while trying to escape. Some died in this room they called prison.

The prison was hell and most of these soldiers felt they would die waiting on help so to pass the hours they wrote on the walls and told their stories. Many of these soldiers were in their teens or younger. These stories still appear like ghosts on the wall.

When the depot was refurbished many years later these walls were kept intact. There were names, dates and poems written by these men that were in agony. There were all kinds of writings on the wall describing the horrible conditions the men suffered during these times.
It was decided to leave the writings on the walls to give future generations a picture of what life was like as a Civil War prisoner.

Today the walls on the third floor have been covered by clear plexi glass encasing these writings like a tomb from the past. When you enter the room you get an eerie feeling and can almost feel the anguish they went through. To observe these writings is to roll back the clock 152 years and experience the hardships these soldiers suffered. It is said there may be ghosts in this room at night still feeling trapped with no way out. Who knows for sure but if you have an interest in Civil War history this may be the closest you will ever get to speaking with these soldiers of the Confederacy.

Next time you get the opportunity to go it would be worth your time to experience this for yourself. You will feel as if you are there...152 years ago...it's almost surreal.

If you take a drive down Airport Road in South Huntsville you will find shopping centers and about every kind of restaurant known to man. You will also see a hospital along with doctor and business offices everywhere...but you may ask yourself where is the airport? The sign clearly says Airport Road...so what's up.

In the 1940's there was an airport located across the parkway beside the golf course. In fact, it was used until the new Huntsville "Jetplex" opened in 1967. The "Old Airport" as locals call it is now a complex made up of soccer and baseball fields. It is packed during the summers with tournaments that attract teams from all over the South. At times it is also used for weekend races by the SCCA "Sports Car Club of America".

The Old Airport was built in 1941. It had two paved runways and a wooden shack used for the control tower at the end of 5/23 runway. Later, a new concrete Control Tower was constructed because of the additional flights and more modern aircraft coming into service. Aircraft technology was changing and so must the Control Tower to maintain safety for the passengers.

It did boast a 4,000 foot runway which was a big deal back in the day. In addition to propeller aircraft, it would also accommodate the new McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jet aircraft that began entering service in the mid 60's. The leading major airline that offered service to Huntsville in those days was Southern Airways later purchased by Republic Airlines. Anyone that ever flew into Huntsville remembers this tricky approach made by pilots flying into this airport. It was a very steep approach and could sometimes be a nail biter for both passengers and cockpit crew.

After the new airport was finished and opened up in 1968 the old airport closed and sat for several years. The car lovers would go and race their cars on the weekends taking advantage of those long runways. The Fire Department took over the Control Tower and used it for training.

The prized procession for the current airport is its 12,600 foot runway, second in length to only Atlanta, and it can accommodate any size aircraft. During the weekends you can see military aircraft from Birmingham practicing their touch-n-go landings. It also serves as a major hub with air cargo flights coming in from all over the world.

When I travel down the "old" Airport Road these days, I can still remember the days hearing those old noisy Southern Airways propeller planes with oil stains on their cowlings coming in for a landing!

My.... how times have changed.

Sitting off I-565 and located at 1 Tranquility Base is the ultimate playground for those up and becoming Astronauts. Huntsville is known as both the Rocket City and home of the US Space and Rocket Center. You can't miss it. There is a huge Saturn V Rocket lying on its side inside the Davidson Center. It allows you to see just how enormous the size of the rocket actually is. This Saturn V rocket is what took man to the moon. Outside there is a full size Space Shuttle. It is truly amazing.

The Alabama Space and Rocket Center is also home to US Space Camp. The Space Camp provides NASA type training simulations. The courses have been teaching future Astronauts of all ages what space travel would be like. People come from all parts of the world to get that experience. There are space dormitories where the students sleep. These emulate the cramped quarters on the real Space Shuttle. The students participate in mission solving training modules. Several NASA Astronauts that have flown on the Space Shuttle were early graduates of Space Camp. It offers an education in Science and Space travel that is next to none. Space Camp offers a wonderful experience for anyone that has a love of what it would be like as an Astronaut living in space.

Ask anyone that grew up in South Huntsville and they will tell you there is no other place like it. It's a laid back lifestyle that's hard to beat. Most of us that did grow up in South Huntsville have come back years later. Having lived in many different states myself, I returned to Huntsville this time bringing my family with me. I wanted my wife and son to experience what I did. Even though we were blessed to live in some really nice places, we returned because I could never find the same atmosphere anywhere else. South Huntsville is genuine, and so are the people. The area is surrounded by mountains in every direction. The Valley is home to the Jones Farm, a working farm and one of the most picturesque farms anywhere in the country. It looks as if it came out of a storybook. The area features several golf courses like Valley Hills Golf Course which is interwoven through the various neighborhoods and The Ledges, a gated community. You can sit on your back patio and watch the golfers at Valley Hills.

If you like breathtaking views then The Ledges may be your cup of tea. Sitting on top of the mountain, this Country Club and Golf Course community features upscale homes in peaceful and private surroundings. Green Mountain is just a short jaunt down Bailey Cove Road with hiking and jogging trails for residents that love the outdoors. The Madison County Nature Preserve on Green Mountain even has a wonderful covered bridge on the walking trail built over a serene lake. Bring the kids and the dog for a fun day on Green Mountain. The Valley consists of many different subdivisions: Willowbrook, Bailey Cove Estates, Green Mountain, Weatherly Mountain, Waltons Mountain, Jones Valley Estates, Blevins Cove, Box Canyon, Lendon, Valley Hills Gardens, and many more that offer something for everyone. If you get the chance, take a drive to our neck of the woods. Stop by for an ice cream or a piece of pie. Let us show you an area that you will hopefully love as much as we do.

Happy October! Looking to "treat" the family for a fun outing? Check out Huntsville Botanical Garden! You can walk around, take lots of photos and enjoy all of the beautiful pumpkin decor. Don't forget to stop by its Butterfly House - it is so so amazing! This is a fun thing to do for all ages.