Huntsville is a surprising little city in the northern reaches of Alabama. We visited from the West Coast of Florida, and so joked that we had gone north to visit the Deep South. Southern charm was in no short supply in this city that had a lot more than we expected.

Aside from discovering chicken and waffles, we also found an amazing self-guided tour through time available to Huntsville visitors. Spread throughout the downtown district of the city is an amazing architectural journey through history. Homes as old as the American Civil War line streets with granite curbs. We grabbed our brochure and headed out on a drizzly day to do our best to find the best homes. We were not disappointed.

The streets had one amazing, preserved home after another. Even on roads not marked as tour routes boasted homes that dazzled the eyes. Red brick was king, but that didn’t exclude charming wooden homes either. We liked our drive through the neighborhoods so much we doubled back and drove them again.

Added to the allure of the city was the downtown business architecture. Plenty of old businesses lined the street, more than one having preserved their old-time marquis. It as a pleasure to drive around the streets, which we did in circles several times over.

Our last stop, pun intended, was the graveyard. We drove slowly through the plots, identifying dates and calling out the oldest. We found large numbers of gravestones dating back into the 1800’s. It was an enjoyable trip through history that left a pleasant imprint on our memories.

We did much more in Huntsville, Alabama during our four day visit to promote Travel Stars, so please come back to read our other entries!