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yeah, i saw stevie nicks at the orion two years ago. plus it's only a short drive out to muscle shoals, down to oak mountain, sand mountain, or up to nashville.
Personally huntsville has plenty for me and the family, but we are at a different point in our lives, so different priorities.
My husband and I moved to the area couple of months ago for new jobs but have struggled to find out footing or enjoy much about the area, especially as people who aren't in the outdoorsy things.
I don't want this to come off a slam post.... I'm hoping maybe some people who have lived in the area longer than us can point us towards some things maybe we've missed about the area, so we can begin to feel more like home and begin to enjoy it more. We're going to be here for at least a couple of years most likely, and want to get the most out of it.
It was a blind move here because we moved from long distance and didn't have a chance to make a trip out before moving here. The whole process of taking a job out here came together pretty fast, and in some ways it was kind of an emergency career move for us as opposed to a "lets find our way to Huntsville" thing. Neither one of us have any family around here, mine is in the midwest, my husband's is in the northeast and midwest.
We moved here from the Oklahoma City metro, which is three times the size of the Huntsville metro. Specifically, we lived in 100,000 population suburb of Oklahoma City. Before that, we lived in Omaha, which is double the size of the Huntsville metro. My husband up in a place in the northeast also about twice the size of this metro.
We're just not finding a lot to do here, and we're realizing what there is to do here, is often a hike from our place about halfway between Meridianville and Hazel Green. That, too, was a surprise just how far out this area is to parts of the metro. We thought it was a little more centralized and more suburban than rural with everything we were reading about rampant growth.
We knew we were moving to a smaller metro, but didn't think that was going to be such a huge deal. Not all bigger cities are fun and vibrant (though we liked the ones we were in) and not all smaller cities are boring. I've been to some bigger cities that were surprisingly lame, and some charming smaller ones. We read a lot of promising things about Huntsville.
I think of the things we miss the most, it boils down to a few things:
1) Sports. Our social calendar can often revolve around go to sporting events. In Oklahoma City, we had an NBA team, a Triple A baseball team, a junior hockey team, and were within an hour of Oklahoma State and the University of Oklahoma, two major sports schools. In Omaha, we were also within an hour of some big sports schools (Creighton, Nebraska), but also had a Division I college hockey team that was often really good, a junior hockey team, and a Triple A baseball team. Not to mention, the Men's College World Series each year. Where I grew up back east, we didn't have much in the way pro sports, but had multiple Division I basketball and hockey teams and downtown arena big enough to attract bigger events like the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments and the NCAA hockey tournament.
We knew we wouldn't have that kind of luxury here but we were looking forward to professional hockey, one thing our last two cities did not have. The Havoc has been a total bust for us. We can't sit in the 300 seats (heights mainly), and the few 200 seats are all tied up in season tickets. We've tried for them on Facebook but the demand outweighs the supply, and people often sell those tickets at high prices for what level of hockey the SPHL is. I even inquired about getting season tickets myself, but was told by the team that new season ticket holders start up top and there's a 3-4 year wait to get down below. The layout of the VBC is unlike any other arena I've ever seen, and lack of availability for lower level seats has been completely unexpected. Our winter would have been a lot better if those seats were readily available at decent prices because we had planned on going a few times a month.
There's really nothing of note sports wise locally outside of the Trash Pandas, at least that's proven accessible to us. That leaves big void for us that nothing has really filled. I know a place like Nashville is only two hours away, but that involves a weekend trip/hotel, and it isn't the same as having something in your own city.
2) There are not many good restaurants here, that we've found. In Meridianville and Hazel Green, sit-down restaurants (not fast food) are nearly non-existent outside of one or two Mexican places, not my cuisine of choice. The best one up this way is Ole Hickory BBQ. Downtown Huntsville has a couple good places, but other than that, we haven't found much that's not a total hike from where we're currently living. Omaha has a foodie group on Facebook with over 100,000 people in it, Oklahoma City has one with over 40,000. Huntsville's foodies page has about an eighth of that. OKC and Omaha are surprisingly vibrant food cities that have tons of great locally owned restaurants. Here, I've never seen so much fast food. I always thought the south had a lot of great food, but we haven't found much.
3) The lack of good concerts. The places we've lived before all have downtown arenas that seat 17-18K, far beyond what the VBC holds. Consequently, those arenas get much bigger acts than what we've seen here. I've heard some good things about the Orion, so maybe that proves to be a game changer, but there hasn't been one concert that's come through in our few months that we would be interested in.
4) Not only haven't we found a lot here, we aren't central to a lot of what we have found. We didn't want to live directly in Huntsville. We were shooting to live a little outside of the city but still close enough to be within a short drive of a lot of things. I think we missed the boat on that and ended up far more rural than surburban, and a little too far out. A lot of places seem like a haul from where we are, especially if they aren't on the northern side of Huntsville. We talked about going to the library sale in Madison this weekend, that would have been a 45-50 mile round trip. We're used to being much closer to things than we are.
Any advice is appreciated.
It's funny you mention this, because I saw it from a different angle back when I moved to HSV years ago. It was a good mid-sized city that was a step up from the small towns in which I was raised and attended college. But not too big - and was situated between Nashville, Atlanta and Birmingham. And for me, close to Mississippi State, which is where I went to school and still like to go back once in a while. So from my opinion, HSV had everything I needed and more. But I'll try and address a few things.
HSV is a 'job' town, i.e., you go there to work. THEN, you find things to do. And over the years, the indoor things to do have gotten better, but outdoor is the best part of it. So if that's not your thing, it'll be tough. I know an 'urban' type couple who lived there for a while and they hated that - and now they are in St. Louis. Just depends on what you want. But I'm surprised to see that type of mindset coming from OKC, a place that is very similar to HSV in my mind, just bigger and flatter.
And yeah, the food scene isn't great, but it's gotten better in the last few years. Again, jobs and influx of money have created the heartbeat, so it's a thriving area and has some newer things now. But it's generally a city where you work and then go out to eat at a commercialized restaurant.
Pro sports or even college sports? Eh, better get used to minor league or else you're driving at least 2.5 hours to Tuscaloosa and then 3.5 hours to MSU, 4 to Auburn. You're too close to much bigger markets in Nashville and Atlanta for the pro side of things, so that's not happening in our lifetimes.
My inkling is that you likely won't find what you're looking for. HSV has become more modern and urban but there is still an 'Alabama' feel to it. Again, I suggest spending your weekends in Nashville and Atlanta if the urban feel is what you want. The couple I mentioned above lived downtown too in the 5 points area - and still weren't happy. So, you already have your answer. You'll have to accept it or move.
I've since moved away, to smaller and bigger cities - I seem to move every 5 years or so . But I'd move back to HSV eventually due to the outdoor side of it - that's its main strength, and and being close to bigger cities. And seriously, I'd embrace Nashville - you really are less than 2 hours from one of the greatest cities in the country. And HSV is more culturally like central TN than the rest of AL. Go watch the Titans there and hang out downtown. And if you want NBA or MLB, head over to the ATL. You can make a weekend out of hanging out in the Battery by the Braves stadium.
We live close to Birmingham, but I work in Decatur (sometimes Huntsville), and drive up to Huntsville to spend the day occasionally. We do love hiking, so we usually spend some time at Monte Sano (I know you said you're not outdoorsy). Some other things we like in Huntsville: Lowe Mill, Botanical Gardens, L'Etoile Patisserie, Sip Fine Spirits and Cigar Lounge. I recommend driving down to Guntersville when the weather is nice and having dinner at a restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the lake (great, almost coastal, vibe). I have to admit, the biggest attraction for me to the Huntsville area is the natural setting with the low mountains and Tennessee River (also, there are stunning state parks not far away in Tennessee that are kind of underrated, like Savage Gulf), but there are other very nice things to do.
It's funny you mention this, because I saw it from a different angle back when I moved to HSV years ago. It was a good mid-sized city that was a step up from the small towns in which I was raised and attended college. But not too big - and was situated between Nashville, Atlanta and Birmingham. And for me, close to Mississippi State, which is where I went to school and still like to go back once in a while. So from my opinion, HSV had everything I needed and more. But I'll try and address a few things.
HSV is a 'job' town, i.e., you go there to work. THEN, you find things to do. And over the years, the indoor things to do have gotten better, but outdoor is the best part of it. So if that's not your thing, it'll be tough. I know an 'urban' type couple who lived there for a while and they hated that - and now they are in St. Louis. Just depends on what you want. But I'm surprised to see that type of mindset coming from OKC, a place that is very similar to HSV in my mind, just bigger and flatter.
And yeah, the food scene isn't great, but it's gotten better in the last few years. Again, jobs and influx of money have created the heartbeat, so it's a thriving area and has some newer things now. But it's generally a city where you work and then go out to eat at a commercialized restaurant.
Pro sports or even college sports? Eh, better get used to minor league or else you're driving at least 2.5 hours to Tuscaloosa and then 3.5 hours to MSU, 4 to Auburn. You're too close to much bigger markets in Nashville and Atlanta for the pro side of things, so that's not happening in our lifetimes.
My inkling is that you likely won't find what you're looking for. HSV has become more modern and urban but there is still an 'Alabama' feel to it. Again, I suggest spending your weekends in Nashville and Atlanta if the urban feel is what you want. The couple I mentioned above lived downtown too in the 5 points area - and still weren't happy. So, you already have your answer. You'll have to accept it or move.
I've since moved away, to smaller and bigger cities - I seem to move every 5 years or so . But I'd move back to HSV eventually due to the outdoor side of it - that's its main strength, and and being close to bigger cities. And seriously, I'd embrace Nashville - you really are less than 2 hours from one of the greatest cities in the country. And HSV is more culturally like central TN than the rest of AL. Go watch the Titans there and hang out downtown. And if you want NBA or MLB, head over to the ATL. You can make a weekend out of hanging out in the Battery by the Braves stadium.
All you say is right on. Regarding major league professional sports - it probably never will happen in Huntsville. We're just not big enough, and if nothing else, Huntsville is surrounded by larger metros (Birmingham, much larger Nashville, much, much larger Atlanta, and Memphis) so it'll have to do a lot of growing to compete for major league sports. Plus, Huntsville severely lacks Interstate/freeway accessibility. But the minors are pretty good here - the Trash Pandas and Havoc are very popular, and soccer seems to be catching on. It might be all for the better since we can enjoy the Braves and Falcons and Titans without having to pony up for their facilities. Nashville is soon to build an expensive NFL stadium (hopefully with a roof since it gets cold there - went to a Music City Bowl once and darn near froze) and we don't have to pay a bit for it. Nashville could easily get a major league baseball team sometime in the not too distant future. The Birmingham area doesn't have major league sports (unless you count the spring football league) and they probably won't get a team unless it might be NBA sometime down the road - a bit surprised they don't already have one. I think they're more into college football anyway, if you want to call college sports non-professional now with NIL and pay-for-play being rampant.
HSV is a 'job' town, i.e., you go there to work. THEN, you find things to do. And over the years, the indoor things to do have gotten better, but outdoor is the best part of it. So if that's not your thing, it'll be tough. I know an 'urban' type couple who lived there for a while and they hated that - and now they are in St. Louis. Just depends on what you want. But I'm surprised to see that type of mindset coming from OKC, a place that is very similar to HSV in my mind, just bigger and flatter.
Oklahoma City is significantly bigger and flatter than Huntsville, but that's about where the comparisons end from my experience there and so far in Huntsville. I wouldn't call my wife and I an urban couple - we lived in a 100,000 pop suburb just outside of Oklahoma City - but we were 20 minutes from downtown.
You are right that we're not into outdoorsy things. I think we miss sports here most of all. Oklahoma City and Omaha, the last two places we lived, absolutely destroy Huntsville in terms of sporting options. To be fair, those other cities are 2-3 times more populous, but the fact holds true. Oklahoma City had the NBA, not to mention being within an hour to OU and Oklahoma State - it would be akin to Huntsville being within an hour of Auburn and Alabama. Omaha was kind of the same way being so close to Creighton and Nebraska, not to mention a AAA baseball team, a good Division I hockey team, a team in the top junior hockey league in the country (USHL), and the Men's College World Series.
As my first post eluded to, Havoc games are basically inaccessible for us, leaving just the Trash Pandas with no good sports colleges nearby. We are not into soccer.
Oklahoma City had a surprising number of outdoorsy things too, like cruises along the Oklahoma River, a huge outdoor watersports venue that may host some Olympic water events in 2028, canal cruises in its downtown area, and the list goes on.
St. Louis has a bigger metro than OKC but OKC city proper is actually far more populous than St. Louis city proper.
We did go to Nashville in mid-January and loved it, but it's too expensive (night in a hotel, gas, food, attractions) for us to do all that often. I think we spent over $500 for a game, hotel, and everything else the weekend we went up there. We will probably hit up Atlanta at some point too but we don't have the money to do that kind of thing often. When we were in OKC we were 3 hours from Dallas but went just once in the few years we were there. Part of that was money, part of it was having a lot to do locally.
I recommend driving down to Guntersville when the weather is nice and having dinner at a restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the lake (great, almost coastal, vibe).
We did Guntersville in mid-December and really liked it, though the weather wasn't great that night. We plan on going back, a good occasional day trip to make. Same for Scottsboro.
You are right that we're not into outdoorsy things. I think we miss sports here most of all. Oklahoma City and Omaha, the last two places we lived, absolutely destroy Huntsville in terms of sporting options. To be fair, those other cities are 2-3 times more populous, but the fact holds true. Oklahoma City had the NBA, not to mention being within an hour to OU and Oklahoma State - it would be akin to Huntsville being within an hour of Auburn and Alabama. Omaha was kind of the same way being so close to Creighton and Nebraska, not to mention a AAA baseball team, a good Division I hockey team, a team in the top junior hockey league in the country (USHL), and the Men's College World Series.
You're right about this, and I'm starting to see what you're really looking for. And I mean remember, Huntsville is a techy/engineering town. Sports won't be high priority.
Better sports metros would be Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Tampa/Orlando. Nashville could be one day, especially if they land an MLB team (I had heard the Royals but I don't think that will ultimately happen). I don't know what your job requirements are. And if you rule out the outdoorsy type stuff, Dallas/Houston/Tampa would be my bets. I'm not a Dallas/Houston guy myself, as I don't care for flat land and a bunch of indoor stuff.
But with Tampa - you get the Bucs, Rays and right up the road the Orlando Magic. All the indoor stuff you want, plus water and theme parks. Close to the University of Florida if you get into that, plus USF and UCF right there. But I will say, Tampa and Miami don't really care about their sports like Dallas and Houston.....so if you're a casual fan, it's great. But if you follow it and want to win, not so much.
I am not intending to be rude, but hardly any decent restaurants in Huntsville? Surely you jest. It's true that the area is smaller and more suburban-like (I originally come from Southern California) but to say there are very few decent restaurants is misguided. I moved away from the Huntsville metro 3 months ago and miss it. In fact I've been meaning to do a post about what I miss and don't miss about Huntsville and Alabama in general. I am mostly positive about Huntsville, but I suspect I'm in a different age bracket than you are, OP. Also, if you had waited about 5 more years to move to Huntsville, the concert scene would probably have been more to your liking. If I ever moved back to Huntsville, it would be to the SE area (near Astro dog park) or closer to the Medical District on the SE side. Just enjoy the area for what it is while you are there. It's not that long of a time.
I am not intending to be rude, but hardly any decent restaurants in Huntsville? Surely you jest. It's true that the area is smaller and more suburban-like (I originally come from Southern California) but to say there are very few decent restaurants is misguided. I moved away from the Huntsville metro 3 months ago and miss it. In fact I've been meaning to do a post about what I miss and don't miss about Huntsville and Alabama in general. I am mostly positive about Huntsville, but I suspect I'm in a different age bracket than you are, OP. Also, if you had waited about 5 more years to move to Huntsville, the concert scene would probably have been more to your liking. If I ever moved back to Huntsville, it would be to the SE area (near Astro dog park) or closer to the Medical District on the SE side. Just enjoy the area for what it is while you are there. It's not that long of a time.
I'd like to hear this - please list the restaurants.
If you say Rosey's, let's just end this discussion now.
I'd like to hear this - please list the restaurants.
If you say Rosey's, let's just end this discussion now.
Multiple good restaurants downtown on or around the square and several at Bridge Street.
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. But I'd move back to HSV eventually due to the outdoor side of it - that's its main strength, and and being close to bigger cities. And seriously, I'd embrace Nashville - you really are less than 2 hours from one of the greatest cities in the country. And HSV is more culturally like central TN than the rest of AL. Go watch the Titans there and hang out downtown. And if you want NBA or MLB, head over to the ATL. You can make a weekend out of hanging out in the Battery by the Braves stadium.
