Burritt on the Mountain

A Mansion Shaped Like an X

Burritt on the Mountain sits at 3101 Burritt Drive SE on 167 acres overlooking the city. It began as the estate of Dr. William Henry Burritt (1869-1955), a Huntsville physician who built an unusual X-shaped, 14-room mansion in the 1930s. The mansion was insulated with wheat straw, and the day Burritt moved in, an electrical fire burned it to the ground. He rebuilt it, lived there until 1955, and left the property to the city.

The Historic Park

Today it works as a living-history museum and is often called Huntsville's first museum. Twelve nineteenth-century structures have been restored on the grounds, and the site hosts concerts, exhibits, and special events. The views alone are worth the drive up the mountain.

Pairing It With the Mountain

Burritt sits on Monte Sano, right by Monte Sano State Park, so it makes an easy half-day if you combine the two. For a meal afterward, head to Five Points for Big Ed's Pizza.