Explore Downtown Huntsville with Three New Self-Guided Public Art Tours

Discover murals, sculptures, Huntsville history (and even a few visiting aliens!) with three new ways to experience public art downtown.

There’s more public art to discover in downtown Huntsville than ever before, and now Arts Huntsville is making it easier to explore it at your own pace.

In partnership with the City of Huntsville and Downtown Huntsville, Inc., Arts Huntsville has launched three free self-guided public art tours, designed for different audiences, interests and amounts of time.

Each tour is available through an interactive Public Art Archive map, which shows your location as you walk along with information about each artwork. No data? No problem! Downloadable guides are also available on the Arts Huntsville website. You can also pick up printed pocket guides for two fo the tours at the Huntsville/Madison County Visitor Center while supplies last.

Downtown Art Essentials Tour

Short on time, or looking for some of downtown Huntsville’s most recognizable public art?

The Downtown Art Essentials Tour is a one- to two-hour route highlighting some of the city center’s standout works. It’s an ideal introduction for first-time visitors, local residents looking to rediscover downtown, or anyone searching for a memorable photo backdrop.

Downtown Art Discovery Trail

Want to go deeper? The Downtown Art Discovery Trail, created in partnership with Downtown Huntsville, Inc., is the most comprehensive of the three tours, featuring 30 public art stops.

The trail stretches from Dan Burch’s sculptural work at the Huntsville Madison County Veterans Memorial to the restored Cosmic Christ mosaic at First Baptist Church. Along the way, visitors can discover murals by local artists, the rotating sculpture exhibition on Courthouse Square, historic works, and more.

Most of the stops are concentrated within downtown’s walkable core. The final five are best reached by car and include Cosmic Christ, the Dr. William Hooper Councill sculpture and Glenn Dasher’s Moon Gate.

“Downtown Huntsville already gives people so many reasons to explore, and the Art Discovery Trail adds another fun way to experience our city.Public art encourages people to slow down, discover something new and explore the businesses, restaurants and spaces around them. It’s another great way to create connections while supporting the vibrancy and economic vitality of downtown.” – Karla Palacios, Director of Partnerships at Downtown Huntsville, Inc. 

The Amazing Space Race

For our youngest art explorers, The Amazing Space Race turns downtown Huntsville into an intergalactic adventure.

Designed for children in grades K-5, the tour follows the Artonians, a group of curious aliens visiting Huntsville.  The Artonians travel from artwork to artwork. Along the way, kids learn about public art through activities aligned with Alabama state education standards. You can also download coloring pages for kids to print and color during or after your tour!

The tour also connects with the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s popular Lucky Duck Scavenger Hunt, with bonus “Duck Alert!” clues included in the guide.

Shuli Sade’s ‘Watermarks’ in City Hall, being visited by one of our Artonian alien friends.
Character illustration by Public Art Coordinator Meaghan Hanback.

More Ways to Connect with Huntsville Public Art

The new tours are part of the Downtown Huntsville Public Art Engagement Initiative, funded in part by the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

The project expands Arts Huntsville’s existing public art resources, including the free docent-led First Friday Public Art Tours at City Hall. It also added new Huntsville artwork records to the Public Art Archive and QR-code signage at many downtown artworks, allowing visitors to scan a code and learn more about a work while standing in front of it.

“We often get requests for public art tours, but previously the City Hall collection and the Public Art Archive were the main options we could offer. Now we have three new resources to help people engage in our downtown art in a more meaningful way.” – Jennifer Moore, Director of Public Art, Arts Huntsville

And if you’d still rather have a human guide, First Friday Public Art Tours continue on the first Friday of each month from 4:30–6 p.m. Tours are limited to 50 participants, with registration generally opening about one month in advance.

Start Exploring

Whether you have an hour, an afternoon or a young alien adventurer in tow, there’s a tour designed to help you see downtown Huntsville a little differently.

Explore the interactive maps, download your tour guides or register for an upcoming First Friday tour at artshuntsville.org/public-art-tours.

Printed pocket guides for the Downtown Art Discovery Trail and The Amazing Space Race are also available at the Downtown Huntsville/Madison County Visitor Center while supplies last.