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8 Examples of Weird Huntsville Landmarks

Weird Huntsville LandmarksIt’s no secret that we think Huntsville Rocks!! But that’s not all Huntsville has to offer.

Here are our picks for Huntsville’s weirdest landmarks.

#1 – 70′ Cross on Monte Sano Mountain

The beautiful white cross is located on the Rock Bluff Trail at Burritt on the Mountain.

Cross on Monte Sano

#2 – Rocket at Airport Road & South Memorial Parkway

We call it a rocket, but it’s actually a Hermes Guided Missile. According to the marker at the site, this missile was the first American-made guided missile and it was put on public display at the intersection in the 50’s.

Rocket on Airport

#3 – Alien Restaurant on Pratt Avenue

The “alien” restaurant  is actually a really awesome place called D’licous Dining & Smokehouse Grill. You can find out more about it (and other places to eat in Five Points) here. And with great food comes a  pretty distinctive building!

D'Licious Restaurant

#4 – Eggbeater Jesus

One of Huntsville’s most distinctive landmarks is the mosaic mural on First Baptist Church on Governor’s Drive that everyone calls Eggbeater Jesus.

Eggbeater Jesus

 #5 – Dead Children’s Playground

Locals love to tell stories about the Dead Children’s Playground. Either way, the playground that’s inside the boundary of Maple Hill Cemetery is a creepy place to be at night!

Dead Childrens Playground

#6 – Japanese Tea Garden in Monte Sano State Park

Park at the Monte Sano Lodge and cross the street for the path to the beautiful Japanese Tea Garden.

Japanese Tea House

#7 – Mary Chambers Bibb Mausoleum

Another Maple Hill Cemetery entry is the mausoleum of Mary Bibb, who tragically died shortly after getting married. The legend says she’s wearing her wedding dress and is buried sitting in a rocking chair!

 Bibb in her chair

#8 – Kildare Mansion

The Historic Kildare Mansion has been in the news quite a bit this summer. The unique home is a true Huntsville one-of-a-kind!

Kildare Mansion

 

 

What are your favorite Huntsville landmarks? Tell us in the comments.

 

 

Comments

  2. MY hometown! I miss all the beauty, friendly people and close friends……and the many happy years my husband, Ed, and I spent together in Huntsville!
    My sister and I grew up on Franklin Street; lived across the street from each other as adults in our “autumn years” .

  3. Amy, how about the covered bridge on Green Mountain at the park on the mountain? A bit unusual.

    • That is a GREAT idea Robert! Wish we had thought of that one. Maybe we need to a Part 2. Thank you!

  5. I don’t advise getting too close to the Kildare Mansion. Last I recall, the woman living there was literally getting violent with people she felt were driving by/walking by too slowly. Local teenagers didn’t help matters by trolling her (playing pranks, etc.), but the last I heard, she was throwing rocks at passing cars, and had a firearm at one point. It’s a cool house, though.

    We miss Huntsville SO MUCH. It’s a lovely city. We were forced to move away about 8 years ago (for my husband’s job) and have been desperately trying to get back home to Huntsville ever since.

    • Hi Paige,

      That’s precisely why we mentioned the property being in the news quite a bit and included a picture with the website banner on the house. Let’s hope things work out positively for this special house.

      Also, fingers crossed that your family can make it back to Huntsville one day.

  6. From Monte Sano, you can look out to Redstone and see the rocket test towers, a real visual reminder of what Huntsville is all about.

  7. I remember a giant fiberglass cow on a bilboard somewhere along the parkway. Not sure where the cow is now. Theres also a van on top of a pole somewhere off Holmes Ave.

  8. I think the Natural Well and the Spacewalk are too awesome. The spacewalk starts across the street from Burritt Museum’s driveway. It goes all the way to Monty Sano park. After going about a mile there is the Natural Well which is a vertical cave 30 feet in diameter and 160 feet deep.

  9. Why do they call them “wierd” landmarks? There’s nothing wierd about them. D’licious Dining and Smokehouse Grill was one of the locations for the Christian group Mercy Me’s “Shake” video. The Cross has been a beautiful landmark since I was a little child. Only problem– the City of Huntsville, or whoever is responsible for taking care of it, is letting everything grow up around it making it hardly visible anymore when you drive East on Governors Drive. Frankly, I would rather see that Cross on Monte Sano than all the subdivisions being built up there, totally ruining the landscape of the mountain. I have a fond memories of Monte Sano. One of which was when I was a very little girl. I got terribly sick one Christmas Eve. My parents bundled me up and drove me to the scenic overlook to view the lights of the city in hopes that it would take my mind off of being sick for a little while at least. That was 50 years ago, but it seems like yesterday. The First Baptist mural of Jesus Christ—-“Eggbeater Christ”——-really!? That’s what you see when you look at it–reeeeally?! Anyone who was born and raised in this area knows how to appreciate these landmarks and not take them for granted. They are a staple of our lives.

    • Thank you for the comment L. Wood. Your Christmas lights memory is a great one, thank you for sharing. We found that this post brought back memories for quite a few folks! Each of us have our own take on what makes Huntsville special.