Downtown Huntsville has a variety of restaurant styles to chose from, depending on your mood. Check out some of these favorite dining options downtown in the Rocket City.

Humphrey’s Bar and Grill

When I started asking acquaintances and friends what downtown restaurants they would suggest almost everyone suggested Humphrey’s. One of the most common praises was the weekly specials at the restaurant. Sunday’s from 12pm until 2am they have “All You Can Eat Smoked Chicken Wings for $9.99. The bar aspect of the restaurant gets a lot of positive reviews as well. You should definitely check out Humphrey’s whether you’re looking for lunch, dinner, or just drinks.

Papou’s

Papou’s is a greek restaurant located on South Side Square. This is one of…

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Urban Cookhouse, a Birmingham based fast casual “farm-to-table” style eatery has opened a new franchise at Huntsville’s premiere shopping destination, Bridge Street Town Centre. Urban Cookhouse, originating in Homewood, now operates 13 stores in 5 states across the southeast. If you like to feel good about the folks fixin’ your food, Urban Cookhouse shows promise: in addition to their focus on the using local ingredients and taking food donation requests by their website, the company’s Birmingham Summit outpost also hosts a seasonal farmers market to enable area farmers more opportunities to sell their produce. 

What’s the menu look like, though? Fairly light, comfy choices, a few surprises but nothing too exotic. The menu available online is…

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It’s no secret Huntsville is home to a (surprising, to some) number of breweries, a local beer boom having been well underway for many years now. It isn’t just Huntsville, of course; there are craft brewers from Fairhope to Birmingham to Florence making interesting beer in strikingly designed cans. The Rocket City brewers largely hold their own in comparison to, say, Avondale or Trimtab, popular Magic City breweries. I washed dishes and cooked on the line at the Jazz Factory as a student at UAH in the mid-aughts, and remember the hubbub around getting Olde Towne Amber on tap in the Martini Room. The first microbrewery in Huntsville since the repeal of prohibition, Olde Towne operated from 2004 to 2007, when a fire destroyed the building. They rebuilt and…

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Madison, Alabama resident Tina Jones has always loved to decorate for the holidays. Growing up, she remembers helping her mother put out decorations for the holidays and has continued to enjoy this yearly tradition ever since. This Rocket City local now has a home off of Mill Road in Madison that she enjoys decorating, especially for Halloween and Christmas.

Home in Madison, AL   

Decorating for Christmas

Christmas is her favorite time to decorate and she puts up three main trees in her home. Along with a number of other special decorations like her Christmas dining room table and miniature holiday village. The Christmas china on her tables was handed down to her by her grandmother, and each piece holds a special memory.

The entry way Christmas tree greets you…

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What to do with out-grown clothes?

Every Mom knows that children outgrow clothes and shoes very quickly. As a working mom of two boys, it is a constant struggle to make sure that both boys have clothes that fit!  I learned very quickly that children go through sizes so quickly that many clothes hardly get any wear before the are too small!  Since the clothes get very little wear, they still have lots of life and could be used by other children. With clothing costs on the rise, families must be cost conscious, which makes consigning clothes a great fit for busy moms. Rocket City is fortunate to have several seasonal children’s consignment sales.  These are great if you have time to prepare and tag the clothing for the specific sales.  Each sale has…

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Quality Programs

Sometimes we moms just need a break! We can get so much done without our littles in tow, and Madison has several excellent Mom’s Day Out programs. We live in a highly-educated town and hold our child care facilities to high standards.  Therefore, I believe our Rocket City child care programs are the best in our state!

Here is a list of 3 local Mom’s Day Out programs to get you started.  Even if the programs are full, you can always get on a wait list.  If you need a program in a hurry, the director will be glad  to make a recommendation for you.

Mother’s Morning Out (Madison Church of Christ)

I sent my daughter to this MMO from age 1-4. As a family studies/education major, I can tell you that this program rates high because of…

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Plenty of us appreciate a quick day trip to check out neighboring towns. If you’re thinking about it but haven’t been to Athens, I can vouch for my hometown’s charm. Home to almost 22,000 people, there’s more than you might think happening in one of the oldest incorporated cities in Alabama. At one time, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers might have been the biggest name from Athens. Now, it’s inarguably the blockbuster-crossover-appealing East Limestone band Alabama Shakes. Home to its share of sports, music, and other history, Athens is worth an afternoon trip from the Rocket City for its quaint historic district and walkable downtown. Just a half hour’s drive from downtown Huntsville if traffic isn’t bad, Athens is home to Athens State…

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So, your boss tells you that there is a three-day training seminar that would put you in line for that big promotion. That’s awesome, right? Well, if you have a pet the awesome level is tempered by the anxiety of finding a place that will provide the best possible care for your pet while you are away. Last week the blog brought you some of the best veterinary services in the Huntsville area. We feel that a trustworthy pet-sitter is just as important as a trustworthy veterinarian. Below are some of the highest rated pet-sitting services in the Rocket City so whether your travel is business or pleasure, you can rest easy knowing your little loved one is being appropriately cared for.

In-Home Pet Care

Paws & Claws Pet Sitting | 256-859-7533

P&C…

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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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Bikes or Bust

It's the 15th Anniversary of Bikes or Bust, Huntsville bike drive for US Marines Toys for Tots. The bike drive benefits local Tennessee Valley children at Christmas. Radio personality Mo Jones from WZYP 104.3 goes to the top of a forty foot scissor lift and stays there for 104 hours. He hopes to bring more awareness to the drive. Donations come in the form of bikes being dropped off at the Huntsville Ashley Furniture location during the live event. Monetary donations are also being accepted for the cause.

15th Anniversary Bikes or Bust

Changing Lives

Mo Jones spoke in his live Facebook updates from the scissor lift, about how this program is more than giving a child a special Christmas. This program can have an impact not only on a child's Christmas, but can…

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