(Keywords: Sightseeing - Alabama)
GPS Tour of Huntsville
Featuring:
Historic Downtown, Science Museums, and Outdoor Recreation
Huntsville
is a thriving city in the South, owing much of its prosperity to the nations
struggle for military superiority.
During the Civil War, Huntsville was spared from destruction. As a hub for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, control of Huntsville was strategic for the North. The North occupied the city and did not burn it to the ground as it had other commercial centers of the South. As a result, many historical homes remain beautifully preserved.
During WWII, Huntsville was chosen as the location of Redstone Arsenal where the government built several facilities for manufacturing chemical weapons and delivery systems. After the war, the Army brought German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun and his colleagues to Redstone Arsenal to continue development of U. S. missile technology.
During the Cold War, Huntsville's intellectual and manufacturing resources were used in the race for space. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established and reliable Redstone missile technology was essential to NASA's initial efforts with the Mercury spacecraft. Subsequently, the Saturn V - the rocket which put man on the moon - was designed and built in Huntsville.
Still today, the economy of Huntsville depends on residents working for the military and government contractors. Recent conflicts in the Middle East have increased the demand for rocket and missile technology, and the city again prospers.
Huntsville sports a modern Visitors Center, numerous museums, shopping and outdoor recreational facilities. Download this GPS map of tourist attractions in "Rocket City."
Click on the binoculars to see an image of Google Earth displaying Monte Sano, east of Huntsville.
GoogleEarth_Image.jpg (Approx. 70 KB) opens in a new window.
GPS Tour Guide to:
GPS Tour Guide Details
Revised: 31 July 2007
Datum: WGS84
Class A1 Data
Points of Interest: 9 Waypoints, including:
Visitors Center
Historic Depot
Constitution Village
Weeden House
Childrens Museum
Maidson Square Mall
Sci-Quest
U. S. Space and Rocket Center
Monte Sano State Park
