Alabama Welcome Center
Location: I-65 (Southbound lanes only) near Huntsville, AL
Attraction: Saturn IB rocket
Cost: Free
As you are entering Alabama headed south via I-65, your first stop should be the Alabama Welcome Center. This is cooler than other welcome centers. Although it does offer all the same amenities as normal rest stop – bathrooms, vending machines, picnic tables, etc, this rest stop features a real life space ship. At one end of the parking lot stands a Saturn IB rocket. The Saturn IB rocket was used during the Apollo missions (https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/rocketry/imagegallery/rh_Saturn-1B.jpg.html#.Wylu3KdKgdU). There is now a safety fence around the rocket so you can’t walk under it anymore but it’s still a pretty cool thing to walk over to see while you stretch your legs. Inside the information building there are also a few pieces of NASA history (spacesuit, etc) and a cardboard cutout where your kid can get their picture as an astronaut. This is a great spot for a short stop for a bathroom break and picture op with the rocket.
