Huntsville to Tuscaloosa drive: Distance, time & best stops

The distance from Huntsville to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is 156 miles, with a 2h20m driving time. The best road trip stops to add to the Huntsville to Tuscaloosa drive are Rickwood Caverns State Park, Birmingham and Alabama Adventure.

Planning a Huntsville to Tuscaloosa road trip itinerary

Huntsville and Tuscaloosa are Alabama cities with very different vibes. One is characterised by space exploration, the other by students. But there’s plenty to see along the Huntsville to Tuscaloosa drive.

Huntsville has played a massive part in the space race, and the US Space and Rocket Center is the top attraction. There are lots of ways to experience what being an astronaut is like here, including flight simulators and a G-Force Accelerator. Most fun (or nauseating, depending on perspective) is the multi-axis trainer, which spins you round in all directions.

Other Hunstville experiences include self-guided audio tours and scavenger hunts.

Tuscaloosa is home to the University of Alabama, with many of the top attractions linked to the university. The Paul W. Bryant Museum is a celebration of football and the Alabama Museum of Natural History covers fossils and dinosaur skeletons. The period-furnished Gorgas House Museum, meanwhile, dates back to 1829.

A Tuscaloosa multi attraction pass is arguably worth the investment if you’re planning to cram in several attractions in a short stay.

Huntsville to Tuscaloosa distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Huntsville to Tuscaloosa is 156 miles. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 20 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-565, then the I-65, then the I-20.

The best stops to add to a Huntsville to Tuscaloosa road trip itinerary are Rickwood Caverns State Park, Birmingham and Alabama Adventure.

Huntsville to Tuscaloosa 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.

Best stops on a Huntsville to Tuscaloosa road trip: Birmingham, Alabama

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.

Attractions between Huntsville and Tuscaloosa: Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure

Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure is an amusement park and water park rolled into one. In Bessemer AL, this theme park’s strength is the water park section. There are several big slides, plus a water maze and a lazy river.

The amusement park rides are very much at the kiddy end of the scale – don’t go expecting big thrill rollercoasters with multiple inversions here.

More Huntsville road trips

Huntsville to Birmingham | Huntsville to Chattanooga | Huntsville to Nashville | Huntsville to New Orleans | Huntsville to Orlando.

More Tuscaloosa road trips

Atlanta to Tuscaloosa | Tuscaloosa to Birmingham | Nashville to Tuscaloosa.