By 
February 5, 2018
The Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s #iHeartHsv campaign is in full swing. Visitors and residents alike can share their love for the Rocket City on social media by using the hashtag #iHeartHsv on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the campaign, read this post.
Big Spring Park
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle calls Big Spring Park the “City’s living room” for good reason. Big Spring Park (East and West) have both been renovated over the past few years and both offer a beautiful and fun experience for the whole family.
If you enjoy wildlife, you will love feeding the ducks and Koi fish from the designated grain feeders. Seeing all of the different types of ducks and fish interact with each other can entertain you for hours!
Do you enjoy art, live music, movies, food trucks and free exercise classes? All of these and more are offered year round. In fact, some of the large events that bring visitors to Huntsville are Panoply, NASA in the Park, Concerts in the Park, Skating in the Park and the Huntsville Museum of Art, all centered around Big Spring Park.
Huntsville Aquatics Center
This award-winning facility is impressive for anyone to see. You certainly don’t have to be a swimmer or diver to appreciate it. Plans for the new facility started in 2015. By the summer of 2017, three pools, two of which are Olympic size, opened up under one roof. The project is an addition to an existing indoor swimming pool built in the early 1970’s. While the existing 50-meter pool was still functional, the overall facility was dated, with a lack of amenities, spectator space and no air conditioning. The project required the addition of another 50-meter competition pool and a 25-yard warmer water pool for both therapy and swim instruction. The design required all three pools be connected via a common entrance, locker facilities and support spaces.
The objectives were to create a connected venue capable of supporting large regional swim meets, accommodating the continuously growing Huntsville swim community and providing a high-end therapy/instructional pool.
We hope you come see the spectacular facility. Whether you stop by to admire the Brahan Spring Park water views from the 1500-seat grandstand of the Competition Pool, enjoy the massage jets in the Instructional Pool or get your laps in at the Legacy Pool, we know you’ll have a good time.
Dr. Richard Showers Sr. Rec Center Splash Pad
At the time of this writing, it’s a bit too cold for splash pads. However, we want to make sure this is on your radar for the warmer months. As all Alabama natives know, those warmer months are never too far off. So, come visit the City’s largest splash pad at the Dr. Richard Showers, Sr. Recreation Center off of Blue Springs Road! This free splash pad is open to the public from May 1-September 30 and has an Alabama A & M Bulldog theme. Kids will love the features, which include a waterslide, splash bucket and giant water spouting bulldog. Parents will appreciate the plethora of sunshades, locker rooms and large pavilion space!
Brahan Spring Park
Brahan Spring Park is located in Southwest Huntsville and is an important recreation hub for the City. Brahan Spring Park includes Huntsville’s largest fully accessible playground (Everybody Can Play Playground), splash pad, baseball fields (including a specialty field to accommodate the Miracle League), 18 holes of disc golf, 10 horseshoe courts, soccer fields, a City recreation center, the Huntsville/Madison County Senior Center and the Huntsville City Schools football stadium.
The two lagoons that are located at Brahan Spring Park are open for fishing (with any required license) and are also home to the annual Youth Fishing Rodeo in June and Senior Fishing Rodeo in May. Enjoy model boats? The International Model Power Boat Association holds record trials every year, bringing people to Huntsville from all over the world!
Future plans for the area include connecting the park to the Merrimack Soccer Complex through a greenway, opening additional tournament and user possibilities. So, if you are visiting Huntsville now, be sure to keep coming back – many exciting developments are in the works!
Southside Community Archery Park
Visit Huntsville’s first public archery park at Southside Park off of Chaney Thompson Road! This park is a team effort on behalf of Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Madison County, Huntsville Sports Commission and Huntsville Parks & Recreation.
The range has a fixed distance range with 12 targets from 5 yards to 70 yards, as well as an elevated archery shooting platform with targets from 10 to 40 yards. The shooting line is covered by a pavilion and has overhead racks for you to put your equipment.
This is only a sampling of the many parks and recreation offerings abundant in Huntsville, Alabama. Check out more offerings via the Parks & Recreation section on HuntsvilleAL.gov. One thing is for sure. There is simply so much to ‘heart’ about the Rocket City that it’s impossible to fit into one post.
