By Renuka Christoph
Get ready to have a blast at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Located within a scenic two hour drive from Nashville, the center offers family fun for all ages.
The U.S. Space and Rocket Center ignites the thrill of discovery as visitors find themselves surrounded by Apollo, Mercury and Space Shuttle spacecraft along with interactive exhibits on space exploration. As the world’s largest space attraction, the facility houses rockets developed in Huntsville which range from the Army boosters that put America’s first satellite and astronauts in orbit to NASA’s Saturn V moon rocket and the Space Shuttle.
The U. S. Space & Rocket Center gives visitors the unique opportunity to stand under a “full stack” – the Space Shuttle, external tank and two rocket boosters.
Thrill seekers will enjoy the G-Force Accelerator which has three times the force of gravity, giving riders quite the spin. Experience the powerful G forces of launch aboard the Space Shot. And climb aboard a simulated ride on the Mission to Mars.
The Spacedome Omnimax theater offers viewers breathtaking cinematography. Current movies are the IMAX movie To the Arctic, Air Racers and Space Junk.
Visitors can step back in time to the Ice Age and view The Field Museum exhibition Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age. Wall panels of prehistoric video, hands-on interactive displays, life-sized models, fossil tusks and skulls—and even touchable teeth— bring these ancient giants back to life. The tour begins with the question, “Are Mastodons related to elephants?” Learn the surprising answer to this and more.
SPACE CAMP
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center offers a phenomenal educational opportunity for young explorers with its Space Camp. June marked the 30th anniversary of Space Camp, where youth enjoy science, technology, engineering and math in a practical way that gives the next generation of scientists, engineers and innovators a chance to begin seeing their future.
Dr. Deborah Barnhart, the center’s CEO and executive director since December 2010 stated graduates have included four astronauts and one cosmonaut.
“I think there’s more interest than ever,” said Barnhart, who first worked at the space center in corporate development in 1986 before becoming Space Camp director and developing the curriculum for Space Academy II, the teachers’ program and Aviation Challenge.
“We find global interest in Space Camp and global knowledge of Space Camp.”
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
The Huntsville Botanical Garden is home to the nation’s largest open-air butterfly house. There is the Sci-Quest, a hands-on science center, the Huntsville Museum of Art with a wide variety of exhibits in its 13 galleries, the EarlyWorks Museum Complex which is three attractions in one – EarlyWorks Hands-on Children’s Museum, The Historic Huntsville Depot and Alabama Constitution Village. Step back in time and see life in the 1800s. Burritt on the Mountain is a living history museum with interpreters in period dress and a fantastic panoramic view of the city.
For more information, visit www.huntsville.org.
WHERE TO STAY
Enjoy comfortable accommodations at the Hilton Garden Inn South. Guests can swim, relax in the whirlpool and enjoy a restful night in a unique sleep system bed. There is complimentary Wi-Fi and a 24-hour Business Center, fitness center and a full-service restaurant, offering a daily breakfast buffet.
For more information, visit hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com.