Huntsville to Birmingham AL drive: Distance, time & best stops
The distance from Huntsville to Birmingham AL by car is 101 miles, with a 1h27m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Huntsville to Birmingham drive are Decatur, the Ave Maria Grotto and Rickwood Caverns State Park.
Planning a Huntsville to Birmingham AL road trip itinerary
The drive from Huntsville to Birmingham, Alabama, connects two Alabama cities that are fascinating for very different reasons.
Huntsville has played a massive part in the space race, and the US Space and Rocket Center is the top attraction. Other Hunstville experiences include self-guided audio tours and scavenger hunts.
Birmingham, Alabama, has a rich civil rights heritage. This is best explored on a civil rights tour which links the key sites and, crucially, puts them into context. Other Birmingham experiences include ghost walks and multi-brewery beer tours.
For museums, you’ve got the McWane Science Center, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark and more.
If planning to visit several of them, a Birmingham Area Multi-Attraction Pass will save you money.
The top-rated Birmingham accommodation picks are the Drury Inn and Suites Birmingham Grandview and the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Birmingham South.
Huntsville to Birmingham distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Huntsville to Birmingham, Alabama, is 101 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 27 minutes.
The quickest route is along the I-565 then the I-65. The best stops to add to a Huntsville to Birmingham road trip itinerary are Decatur, the Ave Maria Grotto and Rickwood Caverns State Park.
Huntsville to Birmingham road trip attractions: Decatur, Alabama
On the Tennessee River, Decatur has a wealth of riverside parks to enjoy. Of these, the Point Mallard Park is probably the most enjoyable, largely because it comes with its own water park.
If you’d prefer science to slides, head to the Cook Museum of Natural Science. It’s the sort of hands on, interactive science museum that kids adore.
For actual nature, however, you’re better off at the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge to the south east of Decatur.
Best stops between Huntsville and Birmingham, AL: Ave Maria Grotto
The Ave Maria Grotto on the grounds of the St Bernard Monastery near Culman, Alabama, is a landscaped hill cave. What makes it special is the work of Brother Joseph Zoetl, who spent 46 years making miniature models of famous buildings from around the world.
The tiny replica buildings are made of stone, concrete and whatever else Brother Joseph could get his hands on. Together, they make a tiny, magical town inside an old quarry.
Huntsville to Birmingham drive: Rickwood Caverns State Park
Unsurprisingly, the highlight of the visit to Rickwood Caverns State Park is the hour long cave tour. The enormous cave is home to 260-million-year-old formations, and was carved from what was the ocean bed at the time.
The park also has plenty of walking trails, plus an Olympic-sized pool that is fed by the water from the caves.
The nearest town to the park is Warrior, Alabama.
More Huntsville road trips
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More Birmingham AL road trips
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