Last summer my son and I spent some time with family near Huntsville, AL. The pandemic has me missing our travels and I realized I’d never posted our tour of a few geeky Huntsville hotspots: Supper Heroes, Pints and Pixels and the US Space and Rocket Center.

I was born in Huntsville, but moved to Florida at two, so I didn’t get to experience much of the city beyond my annual summer visits. The only thing I recall doing was visiting the US Space and Rocket Center every year. Also, every year I asked to go to Space Camp and I now realize that every time my great-grandmother told me I was on the waiting list, she was totally lying. That still makes me a little salty, but I forgive her.

When I travel, I like to seek out nerdy destinations, from comic book shops in Paris to Star Wars filming locations in Ireland. It’s fun to make a personal connection with the places I visit. And I thought it was pretty neat that Huntsville actually embraces its geeky side so much that they had a “geek interest” section in the city guide-type brochure I picked up at the airport.

Supper Heroes Restaurant

First we had lunch at Supper Heroes, a unique little geek-themed restaurant where the menus look like comic books and the TVs display superhero movies instead of sports.

Since we went a year ago, I can’t clearly remember the details, but I’m pretty sure the food was good. Looks like I had some sort of taco salad. This would make an awesome Yelp review, right? Regardless of the food, we went for the atmosphere and enjoyed our visit. Definitely a must-see on a geeky to-do list.

Pints and Pixels Pub

Next we made a stop downtown at the Pints and Pixels Pub and Arcade. They have a full bar, a full menu and a huge arcade filled with vintage arcade games and pinball machines.

Pints and Pixels was pretty impressive in both size and game selection. They had everything from Joust (an old Atari favorite of mine) to Spy Hunter, which I remember playing at the Arcade when I was little. I really enjoyed sipping wine while brushing off my finishing moves on Mortal Kombat. I’d definitely be a regular here if I lived in Huntsville!

US Space and Rocket Center

A trip to Huntsville would not be complete without a visit to the US Space and Rocket Center. It’s the reason Huntsville is known as Rocket City! I hadn’t been in nearly 20 years and it has grown and changed a lot since then.

The first thing I noticed on my way in was a memorial stone for Miss Baker, the first monkey the US launched into space that returned safely. People left bananas in tribute to Miss Baker around the little monument. The last time I was there, Miss Baker was alive and well and living on display at the museum.

The museum itself has expanded and includes big rockets you can walk through, interactive displays, movies, a kids activity area and rides. There’s tons of things to look at, watch, poke at and play with. I was glad to see there was a lot there for the kids (and adults) to see and do. There’s even a Biergarten with beer and sausages. Not sure how that ties in, but would never complain about a Biergarten!

I enjoyed getting to see a new side of Huntsville on my last visit and am looking forward to checking out more places next time we visit! I saw a place called Toy Box Bistro in the city guide brochure that proclaimed it the was THE place to “eat, drink and be nerdy.” Sounds my kind of place.