Northern Alabama
Huntsville.org; @Go2HuntsvilleAL; @VisitHuntsvilleAL
Many things set Huntsville apart, according to Jamie Koshofer, vice president of conventions for Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). “Huntsville, known as ‘Rocket City,’ is home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, which gives the city a unique blend of high-tech innovation and space exploration history that no other Southern destination can match,” he says. “Meeting planners often use this theme to inspire events with immersive, forward-thinking experiences. In addition, we boast a vibrant arts and cultural scene, we have a great balance between urban amenities and outdoor beauty, and we have a history and heritage beyond rockets, with pre-Civil War homes, historic districts, and Harrison Brothers Hardware, the oldest continuously operating hardware store in the state.”
Huntsville also offers accessibility and convenience, Koshofer says. “Downtown is only 15 minutes from Huntsville International Airport, which was recently ranked among the best small airports in the United States and has direct flights to 18 cities.”
In downtown and adjacent to Big Spring Park, the Von Braun Center has 170,000 square feet of convention and event space. The VBC campus includes two ballrooms, a 1,955-seat concert hall, and an arena seating 8,300. The connected Embassy Suites Huntsville Downtown has 295 guest rooms and 12,310 square feet of function space. Several hotels are within a seven-minute walk, according to the CVB, including the 120-room AC Hotel by Marriott Huntsville, with space to seat 275 people theater style; 150-room Hampton Inn & Suites Huntsville Downtown, with four meeting rooms; 106 Jefferson Curio by Hilton, with a 1,600-square-foot ballroom and additional function spaces; and Trilogy Autograph by Marriott, set to open this fall, with 214 guest rooms, 4,000 square feet of meeting space, and a top-floor lounge.
At the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the dual-branded Westin/Westin Element has 382 guest rooms and 12,741 square feet of event space, and the 290-room Huntsville Marriott has 11,288 square feet of meeting space. “At the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Museum, your event guests can gather under a Saturn V moon rocket. That’s the perfect backdrop for your next social media post,” Koshofer says. There are approximately 8,500 guest rooms in the Huntsville/Madison County area.
There is much for all ages to enjoy in Huntsville, Koshofer notes. “You can learn about the extraordinary efforts by NASA engineers and astronauts to explore space and land on the moon. You can connect with nature in Monte Sano State Park or peruse art at more than 150 working-artist studios at Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment. You might attend a Trash Pandas Minor League Baseball game, a soccer match with the Huntsville City Football Club, or a Huntsville Havoc hockey game. There’s almost always music or other entertainment happening at The Orion Amphitheater, the Von Braun Center, or the Mars Music Hall.”
