A new movement is sweeping the nation, its creative, kind, and almost free!   Rocket City is no exception to this new movement, some call it painted rocks, or “Kindness Rocks”.   Here in North Alabama, we call it Rocket City Rocks. It’s pretty simple, paint a rock and hide it somewhere for someone else to find to brighten their day.  After finding the rock the idea is to continue spreading joy by either re-hiding the rock, or paint your own rock and hide it.

Rock painting is fun way to get out and explore the area to hide rocks you have painted or search for rocks hidden by others here in Tennessee Valley.  To get in on the fun in a digital way, you can even put a message on the back to “Post a Picture to Rocket City Rocks FaceBook Group”.  Some…

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Continuing our series of pieces on easy, outdoorsy day trips from the Huntsville area, this week I’m having a mixed bag of feelings on sharing Stephens Gap. Somewhat like a teenager who thinks their favorite band is cooler the fewer people that know them, there can be a twinge of guilt letting people in on a place like this, and I suppose I could rationalize it by wondering if someone wound up going and leaving garbage on the trail because they heard about someplace from me.

But, it’s a bummer to feel that way and much nicer to excitedly urge the sure footed among you to check out the natural wonder of Jackson County’s Stephens Gap cave. Protected by the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, and located a little over half an hour from Huntsville, Stephens Gap…

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Peggy Ann Bakery is one Huntsville’s best kept confectionery secrets.  Peggy Ann Bakery opened in 1953 and has been using quality ingredients to create all kinds of sweet treats for the last sixty five years!

Peggy Ann Bakery provides Rocket City with one of the largest selections of cookies, cakes, cupcakes, bars, brownies, Danishes, petit fors, and more.  Peggy Ann Bakery is sure to have a bakery item perfect for your special occasion. The bakery offers cakes suited for every occasion. Cakes can be decorated for your holiday, sports team, or children’s birthday theme.  It is recommended to order cakes a week ahead of time to be sure you get on their schedule for your day.   Smaller orders of cookies or Danishes require less advance notice.

One…

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I admit to having grown up in this area and not having heard of Huntsville’s Harmony Safari Park until a few days ago. As the internet says, it is indeed somewhat of a kept secret in town, as I don’t recall ever hearing its name in my social circle. Rocket City is home to a variety of unique experiences, this being one of them.

Folks are split on these sorts of attractions: Harmony Safari Park is home to endangered animals, and regardless of anyone’s take on the matter, it’s undoubtedly a kid magnet and likely an exciting way to .spend a few hours together as a family on the weekend. What kid isn’t fascinated by actual, live baboons and snapping turtles?

HSP’s website doesn’t have a lot of info, but it’s presented interestingly enough, as…

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The Auburn-Alabama Football fan feud is one of both viciousness and camaraderie. Much, I am led to believe, like the bickering of siblings. It is mostly good clean fun…mostly. Regardless of which of our football teams you cheer for during the season, or lament the dragging days of their off-season their is no denying the importance of sports in regard to southern culture. While those are our two most recognizable teams in the state, we in the Rocket City have another team: The Huntsville Havoc. Hockey is not the most obvious choice in the south. It’s hot pretty much all off the time, and ours is more commonly a warm Christmas than a white Christmas, but that is what makes the Huntsville Havoc such an exciting experience. There are not many place in…

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On a recent visit to Athens to see my folks, dad suggested we get lunch. I said I’d recently heard of a newer place called Wildwood Deli, just off the square in downtown Athens, on 113 W Market Street. “The Original Downtown Deli”, Wildwood has been named #9 on a Best Things Alabama top ten list of best delis in the state. The Huntsville metro area may not be known for outstanding sandwiches, but Wildwood Deli is out to change that, one lunch at a time. Rhonda Fisher and her son Matthew, a graduate of Auburn’s Hotel and Restaurant degree program, took over Wildwood earlier this year from its previous owners, who moved in after the closing of Tortillas Blanco several years ago. Matthew has since  moved on to other culinary adventures, but Rhonda remains in…

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Summarizing Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment in just one post is kinda like trying to describe the universe to someone who has never seen nor experienced it.

Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment

You may have seen the old Lowe Mill water tower from the Parkway without even realizing that it pinpoints what LM’s website calls the “largest privately-owned arts facility in the United States.”

Even Lowe Mill’s location is a bit quirky to Huntsville. It’s tucked away on 2211 Seminole Drive, away from the usual paths you may take.

Lowe Mill is housed in an old cotton mill that was converted into a huge arts and entertainment venue with rows of studios and shops.

Lowe Mill Exterior

Unique Artistic Variety

Whether you’re into the culinary arts or the fine arts, Lowe…

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