The Inside Scoop

For those cold, rainy or hot summer days where you just don’t want to spend your day outside, I have come up with a list of things to do ‘indoors’ for the Huntsville area. Although everyone would love to do all the attractions in Huntsville on their rainy days, I thought it did not make logical sense to place them at the top as not everyone can always afford paying those high prices, especially if you have a larger size family (speaking from experience). If you do find your favorite place, family membership passes are a great way to save some money.

Top 25 Places and things to do indoors

#1 High Point climbing and Fitness

High Point is located in the MidCity District, just off U.S. 72. It has over 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor climbing surface and also offers a Kid Zone, Bouldering Room, Weight and Aerobic Room, and yoga classes. There are many different climbing walls for most physical ability, age and experience level. High Point is open 7 days a week and offers discount rates for large groups and birthday parties. Their day pass is $18.50 for adults and $16.50 for children under 10. If you do not own climbing gear, they offer a gear package for an additional $6. They also offer a 7-day punch card and memberships for individuals, students, seniors and one for the entire family.

Website: High Point

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#2 Campus No. 805

Campus NO. 805 which was once a middle school, has since been converted to a family style retro station, featuring fun filled entertainment, great food and brewery style drinks. They have a wide range of activities such as a Ballroom dancing with instructional teaching and for those who want some excitement, axe throwing with Civil Axe Throwing, is a blast. When you get hungry, try the local favorite Ale’s kitchen with yummy burgers, amazing fries and homemade breads for your sandwiches. For the those who want to enjoy a spa, you can relax and enjoy the Fringe Salon. For outstanding pizza, Earth & Stone is there. If pizza isn’t your craving, then Rock N Roll Sushi & Hops N Guac is there too. Also located at Campus 805 is Straight to Ale brewery, Yellowhammer Brewing, X-Golf Huntsville, Spirited Art, The Net, and more!

Website: Campus 805

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#3 Topgolf

Topgolf is also located in MidCity District. Just like putt-putt mini golf, you don’t have to be a golf pro to play here. The golfing station is kind of set up like a bowling alley where a group of friends or family members can sit together in one outing. Depending of the time of day, you can pay as little as $25/hr. per bay. It does not matter how many people play in your group, but be mindful that more people who play, the less opportunity you have to play in your allotted hour. Top golf also offers a nice bar/side food such as burgers, fries and sandwiches. They also carry alcohol beverages for those who enjoy a nice cold beer.

Website: Topgolf

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#4 Dave and Buster’s

Dave and Buster’s is the ultimate place for those who enjoy video games. These games are not your 80’s or 90’s retro Donkey Kong games, rather they are the state-of-the-art high flying, ninja fighting, brain freezing, head spinning, sci-fi arcade games. With that said, I am not much of a video gamer, but I do enjoy watching my kids escaping life and having some fun. Like Topgolf, Dave & Buster’s, they too carry a good assortment of bar style food and drinks. They also have daily happy hour specials and ½ price games on Wednesday. For those who are looking to plan a birthday party, Dave and Buster’s offers several discounted packages.

Website: Dave and Buster’s

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#5 U. S. Space and Rocket Center

U.S. Space and Rocket Center is considered as Alabama’s most favorite attraction to visit. With many new displays and space relics rotated throughout the year, it will inspire you and your family to come back often. For those wanting their children to experience being an astronaut for the week, the center's U.S. Space Camp Program is a must. The camp attracts young inspiring minds from all parts of the world, especially those who desire the experience of space flight training. The training includes mock interstellar challenges, space science, aviation and robotics.

Website: U. S. Space and Rocket

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#6 Cook Museum of Natural Science

The Cook Museum of Natural Science was ranked #2 as the Best New Museum in 2019, by USA Today. While the museum is not located in Huntsville, it is just a short 30 minutes' drive to the next town over in Decatur, AL. This state-of-art educational museum is checkered with many fun and interactive exhibits for the entire family to enjoy and explore. There are numerous living creatures hidden throughout the museum in their ingenious habitats. Some are nestled within their large aquariums, while others can be seen within inches from the walking path. These animals include colorful saltwater fish, coral, jellyfish, snakes, turtles and alligators, that is, if you’re brave enough to have a conversation with the man-eating reptile. When you’re done visiting the reptiles and the fish habitat you'll make your way to their impressive collection of gems and the extensive coral reef bottled inside the 15,000-gallon saltwater aquarium.

Website: Cook’s Museum

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#7 Stars and Strikes Family Entertainment

Stars and Strikes is an indoor mixed entertainment center with an arcade, bumper cars, laser tag and a bowling alley. If your kids get bored of one fun filled event, just move on to the next one. Each day of the week, Stars and Strikes offers a different special and discount. For those who would like to have lunch or dinner there, they offer chips & dips, wings, burgers, wraps, salads and various sandwiches. Stars and Strikes has various discount packages to choose from if you would like to celebrate your kid’s birthdays or special events.

Website: Stars and Strikes

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#8 U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum

U.S. Veteran's Museum has an outstanding collection of past war Memorabilia’s and relics. At this fascinating museum you’ll tour and observe the authentic war time military equipment such as army tanks, jeeps and weapons. This is a great place for the entire family to learn about America's history and its heroes.

Website: U.S. Veterans

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#9 Cathedral Caverns

Cathedral Caverns host the world’s largest cave opening at 125 feet wide and 25 feet high and consist of 1.3 miles of underground trails but no worries, there’s no need to crawl around. For those who are disable, it is wheelchair accessible too. Year round tours are given with dedicated tour guides, many of which have a good sense of humor and will have you laughing throughout your visit. Don’t worry about a bad weather day as the caverns maintain a comfortable 60 degrees’ temperature year round. This is a well-needed relief, especially for those long and hot Alabama summer days!

Website: Cathedral Caverns

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#10 Indoor Axe Throwing

Axe throwing has become a trendy and unique sport among young adults including the older yet wiser grownups. Both Civil Axe Throwing and Bad Axe receives high marks here. At Civil Axe you must be 14 years or older. They are open 7 days a week for either individual or group rates. Hourly special cost $20. They are located on 2620 Clinton Ave W Suite B Room 210.

Bad Axe offers walk-in, schedule appointments, private lessons and league groups. They are located on 05 Washington St SE #100.

Website: Civil Axe

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Website: Bad Axe

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#11 Escape Rooms

Huntsville has two escape rooms, Huntsville Escape Rooms and Escapology. Your basic goal is to escape the room by finding clues and solving puzzles, and you have to do this in a short period of time. Huntsville Escape Room tickets are $25 per person with each room accommodating up to 7 people. Escapology has three different levels of difficulties but even the easy level can be challenging.

Website: Huntsville Escape Rooms

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Website: Escapology

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#12 Huntsville Brewery and Coffee Trail

Huntsville has a great Brewery trail and is home to over a dozen microbreweries. Some of the most popular being Yellowhammer Brewing and Straight to Ale. My other three favorite Breweries are Old Black Bear Brewing Company, Green Bus Brewing and Fractal Brewing Project, but like all beer, they have their own distinct flavors, so get out there, be responsible and have fun trying a few. For those who are coffee drinkers, Huntsville has a great coffee trail. You can pick a guide for both trails at the Huntsville Visitor's center.

#13 Lowe Mill Art and Entertainment

In 1901, Lowe Mill opened its doors as a textile operation creating the beginning of something far more inspiring than ever imagined. Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment Center is America’s largest privately owned art center. With over 100 artist selling and displaying their works of art within their studios, the amount of talent is everywhere here, so too are a good selection of restaurants, from pizzas to vegan cuisines. Boutiques of all kinds are stationed here and of course coffee, but if you’re a tea drinker you’ll be pleased to know Piper Leaf and Tea Company is also here! So, not only do you find yourself shopping and learning, but you’ll also appreciate the unique vibe of Lowe Mill.

Website: Lowe Mill

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#14 Rocket City Arcade

Unlike Dave and Buster’s, Rocket City Arcade mainly caters to those 80’s and 90’s retro games. No quarters are needed to play some of your favorite and classic games like Pac Man, Asteroids, Frogger, and Galaxia, instead they charge an affordable $12 to play all day here. I don’t think you could have beat this price 30 years ago.

Website: Rocket City Arcade

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#15 Earlyworks Museum and Constitution Hall Park

The Early Works Children's Museum was designed by the city as a place for the children to learn and explore. Upon entering the museum, children can hear stories being told by the Talking Tree or they may choose to explore Biscuit's Backyard which is filled with many hands-on fun exhibits. The Huntsville Constitution Hall Park, also located in Downtown Huntsville is also a great place for the children to visit and learn Huntsville's history all the way back to 1819. The museum guided tour gives a refreshing and rich history of both Alabama and the city's roots. They also allow you to explore the building and the many of its historical treasures. So bring a picnic or just sit back and relax from your busy schedule and enjoy the peaceful setting of downtown. Also close by these museums are the various retail outlets and small mom and pop shops.

Website: Earlyworks Museum

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#16 Huntsville Art Museum

Art never goes out of style! The Huntsville Museum of Art sits in Big Spring Park, the center piece of this vibrant and growing city. The museum has gone through a large expansion the past few years with many new items being added to the museum’s collection. It is a wonderful place to visit if you are a student of the arts or just interested in seeing some of the Nation’s finest “on loan” art displays and exhibits. Come out and visit the museum for the day or pick up an annual pass so you can enjoy the rotating art and exhibits that are seen throughout the year.

Website: Huntsville Art Museum

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#17 The Weeden House Museum and Garden

The Weeden House Museum is located in the historic district of Huntsville. The house was built in 1819 and later bought by Dr. William Weeden. It is now owned by the City of Huntsville and leased by Twickenham Historic Preservation District Association. It can be rented for $100 per hour and has been a favorite for photography, social events and wedding ceremonies. The Historic Preservation now offers tours for about $5 per person.

Website: The Weeden House Museum

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#18 Movie Theater

I would have ranked theaters much higher but in the days with the Corona-19 and Netflix, theaters aren’t as popular as they used to be. Huntsville host several nice theaters with Cinemark at Bridge Street Mall being my favorite followed by National Geographic Theater & The Intuitive Planetarium. Other nice theaters include: AMC Valley Bend 18 IMAX, TouchStar Cinemas Madison Square, AMC CLASSIC Huntsville 10, and Hollywood 18 Regal Theater.

#19 Bowling Alley

Just like movie theaters, bowling alleys are a great place to have family fun, whether you go a couple times a year or join a weekly league. Some of my favorite bowling alleys are Stars and Strikes Family Entertainment Center, AMF Pin Palace Lanes, Madison Bowling Center and Redstone Lanes Bowling Center.

#20 YMCA

The YMCA is a great organization and the perfect place for the entire family to relax, play or exercise. The YMCA has three locations in Madison County. The one in South Huntsville and in Madison have large indoor pools. This includes an Olympic size lap pool and a smaller one for kids. They also offer daycare for the little ones and the two larger facilities include a basketball court, racket ball court, an indoor jogging track and an aerobic exercise room and weight room. Membership for a family is very reasonable, especially if you go on a regular basis.

Website: YMCA-Huntsville

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#21 Up a Creek

Up a Creek is located just outside of Huntsville, in Brownsboro. Little kids love this place, especially for birthday parties. There are a lot of things for kids to climb on such as a tree fort, bouncy castles and a rock climbing wall.

Website: Up a Creek

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#22 Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese is still a favorite for those birthday parties. They have several discounts, such as one for military families and weekly specials (Tuesday pizza deal and All-You-Can-Play Wednesday). They also have several large family birthday packages with pizzas, goody bags, game tickets and balloons. No matter if you are visiting for the day or having a birthday party, Chuck E. Cheese is loads of fun for the kids.

Website: Chuck E. Cheese<

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#23 Local Libraries

There is no need to have an expensive adventure to have fun, in fact your local libraries have tons of activities for little kids. Instead of wasting your brain cells on video games, have your kids soak up fascinating history, interesting facts or reading something stimulating and creative. I myself find the library as a great alternate place to do research, especially if you need to find a quiet place. Many libraries have tutoring, book reading and fun activities such as treasure hunts, board games and trivial quizzes.

#24 Shopping at Parkway Place Mall

Huntsville has one an indoor mall. While the trend is moving to outside malls, shopping at Parkway Place Mall is still a great place to buy clothes and home decor, especially for those who want to escape from the hot Alabama summers. The two anchor stores are Belk and Dillard’s. For places to eat, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Piccadilly along will many other fast food restaurants are located there.

Website: Parkway Place Mall

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#25 Antique Malls

Huntsville is home to several great antique stores and malls. For those that like antiquing, there are plenty of places to shop in Huntsville to fill your entire day. My two favorite antique stores are Railroad Station Antique and Fire and Firehouse Antique and Collectibles.

Any question or need further information? Send me a note.