Planning a budget trip to Alabama need suggestions

[KBazzel]

Unfortunately, I don't stay at hotels here at home very often so I can't really tell you. I have stayed at the Marriott by the S&RC for a conference and it is nice. I've also stayed at the Embassy that's attached to the Von Braun Civic Center (and close to Constitution Village) and would recommend it but their rates can be pretty high. After a personal experience (not in Huntsville) with a hotel that I thought should be fine, I'm hesitant to suggest one without knowing for sure that it's good. Sorry I couldn't help more!

 

[cheerforchelsea]

In Birmingham there are 2 Drury Inns....this is the one that I would suggest..Drury Inn & Suites Southeast View Hotel Info...
3510 Grandview Parkway Birmingham, Alabama, 35243 It is in an extremely safe area of town and is convenient to The Summit Shopping area and right off of I-459. The Summit is a great place to walk around at night - their website is summitonline.com (I think). There is a beautiful state park nearby if you wanted a day of rest http://www.alapark.com/OakMountain/. Have fun!!!

 

[Mom2SamandJames]

I agree with the previous poster. The Drury Inn by the Summit is a good hotel. We have stayed there twice on business and have been pleased each time. The Summit is a nice place to mill around in the evening too. That location puts you close to tons of restaurants also. Have a wonderful trip.

The Space and Rocket Center is great! My son loved it when we took him. We stayed at the Marriott right next door as my hubbie was there for a conference. It was a nice hotel, but it was pricey.

 

[dr_zero]

When you are in atlanta dont forget the Coke museum its a neat place if you like Coke that is

http://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/html/index.html

There is also the Varsity a neat place to get a hot dog and is a classic!
http://www.thevarsity.com/

If you like history/civil war stuff you cant miss the cyclorama its a round room that has statues and murals depicting civil ware scenes and youre seats rotate around to see it all its pretty cool!
http://www.atlantacyclorama.org/

Mobile is pretty well covered but there is still Bellingrath gardens!
http://www.bellingrath.org/plan-your-visit.html

And if you like forest gump bayou la batre and to tie in Disney (Bayou La Batre was featured in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump and the book upon which it is based. In April 2005, Disney Studios launched a secretly built pirate ship, the Black Pearl, out of Bayou La Batre for filming sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. )
It was pretty devastated by Katrina but its kinda neat to say I have been there LOL

I loved riding along the coastline and looking at all the old homes down there not much fun for the kids but if you like history its chock full down there.

 

[cjlvsccm]

We can't afford disney this year So my husband wants us to take a short 4 day trip to Alabama with a stop in Atlanta to the American Girl store on the way back to NC. It looks like we'll go to Mobile and Birmingham and possibly stay in Drury Inns. i'm not locating many family attractions in the area. any help would be great. My girls are 7 and 10. My husband loves anything historical and my girls enjoy museums. What is there that's reasonably priced and fun to do? We're AAA members and teachers if either of those help. Thanks in advance.

Hi Maureenmouse!

If you do make it to Huntsville... in addition to the Space & Rocket Ctr , Constitution Village, Hsv Depot, EarlyWorks, SciQuest, there is also Burritt on the Mountain, an estate/museum with tours of the house and grounds... where there are reproductions of early farm life of the area.

You may find an exhibition that you'd like at the Hsv Museum of Art. It's downtown in Big Spring Park, and on Mon nights in the summer there is a free Concert in the Park just behind the museum, featuring local bands of all sorts. Good for a relaxing wind down of a day.

If you like outdoor activities, there is Monte Sano State Park with lots of walking or mtn bike trails on the mountainside. Also Green Mtn Nature Trail, with a single trail around a 17-acre lake on the mountaintop. And about a 30-min drive East of town is Cathedral Caverns, with a good tour deep into the cave.

The Harmony Park Animal Safari is pretty small and low-key, but it's fun. And the Botanical Garden (adjacent to S&RC) is always nice. And we also have a minor-league baseball team, the AA Huntsville Stars (where the infamous Jose Canseco and Mark McGuire rookied ). I haven't been to the North Ala.Train Museum just outside of town, but it's on my list to catch a train ride soon.

If you're here on a Sat a.m., look into the trolley or walking tours of Antebellum homes in the historic Twickenham and Old Town areas. The city was occupied during the Civil War with no major battles, so not as many places were destroyed as in other large cities of the time.

Definitely check with your AAA site for discounts and recommendations. Like a PP said, sorry I can't recommend hotels.

I hope you find enough to do that you want to visit us! And feel free to send a PM if you want any recommendations of local eats (other than the tons of chain-food).

And as for Bham... I think the McWane Ctr, Zoo, and Vulcan statue are all must-do's. If you do make it to the coast, Gulf Shores is really nice for the beach, and close enough to hit the sites in Mobile. My dad just went to see the USS Alabama battleship down there last month.

For a route between Hsv/ Atlanta, I highly recommend going through Chattanooga via I-75 and US 72, it's better than going through Gadsden/ Bham, unless those are also destinations on that leg of the trip.

Have a great time, wherever you go!

 

[HsvTeacher]

We also have EarlyWorks in Huntsville. It's a hands-on children's museum.

Huntsville's Botanical Gardens is fun for kids. There is a butterfly house and a huge playing area. Depending on the time of year, they may have special events such as the Scarecrow Trail or Wings, Warts, and Wonders.

 

[Melani]

We can't afford disney this year So my husband wants us to take a short 4 day trip to Alabama with a stop in Atlanta to the American Girl store on the way back to NC. It looks like we'll go to Mobile and Birmingham and possibly stay in Drury Inns. i'm not locating many family attractions in the area. any help would be great. My girls are 7 and 10. My husband loves anything historical and my girls enjoy museums. What is there that's reasonably priced and fun to do? We're AAA members and teachers if either of those help. Thanks in advance.

This must be one of those business/vacation trips my dad always took us on.

You didn't say when.
The weather gets good mid-March and by Aug it's deadly.
Mardi Gras is only a nightly parade followed by a ball if you have tickets. The last 3 days (Joe Cain Day, Mardi Gras Day & Fat Tuesday) have all day parades. It's happening now until Ash Wednesday.

The beaches at the Gulf are about an hour drive from Mobile.
Don't expect to save any money there. We spend more in a weekend there than we do at Disney!

We live in Mobile and there are a few museums, but nothing to come here for. It's a nice place to live & work, but not really exciting. For all the history here, the city does not do a very good job of presenting it.

 

[Lex87]

Great suggestions! We're planning a trip in the next few weeks and thought the only step left was picking one of these gulf shores hotels. Now I'm going to have to check out all these awesome ideas!

Thanks DIS members!