Outdoor & Nature

Big Spring International Park

The downtown park built around the spring where Huntsville began, with a red Japanese-style footbridge, fountains, and public art.

Downtown HuntsvilleVisit Website

Where Huntsville Started

In 1805, Revolutionary War veteran John Hunt chose Big Spring as the site for a new settlement. The spring produces millions of gallons of fresh water a day, and the community that grew around it was first called Hunt's Spring. Big Spring Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

What Is There

The park is the calm center of downtown, with ponds, walking paths, fountains, and the red Japanese-style footbridge that you will see in a lot of Huntsville photos. It is called "International" because of the gifts from other countries: the bridge and cherry trees from Japan, a sundial from Germany, and a bench from the United Kingdom.

The Huntsville Museum of Art and the Von Braun Center both sit at the edge of the park. Pane e Vino has views over the water.

Events

The park hosts the Panoply Arts Festival each spring and the Jazz in the Park concert series, and it is one of the best places downtown for a picnic or a slow walk between museum stops.