Fun things to do in Huntsville

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Huntsvile's place in Texas History gives it a very nice historic district with several buildings of historical and/or architectural interest, a few of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of my favorites was probably the Henry Opera House built in 1880. It was a business on the first floor and a theatre and opera house on the second.

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The Wynne Home was built by Gustavus Wynne and his wife Samuella Gibbs in 1883 using the Queen Anne style of architecture. In 1917, they expanded the house considerably using the Classical Revival style of architecture. The home stayed in the family for many years until it was donated to the City of Huntsville in 1998 for use as a cultural arts center. Today there is art on diosplay and they have art classes. Hours are 10 AM to 6 PM Tueasday through Friday and 10 AM to 2 PM on Saturday.

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The Walker County Museum began in 1984 and preserves the history of this important area of Texas where Sam Houston lived and worked and where some of the pivotal points in Texan History occurred. In addition to the interesting displays, the house itself is quite interesting. The museum is located in the old Gibbs-Powell House built in 1862 by early Huntsville businessman Thomas Gibbs using the Greek Revival style of architecture. The home was a center of social ife in the town and Sam Houston was a frequent visitor. The home was later owned by Judge and Mrs. Ben Powell who strove to keep the house in original condition. The museum is open 12 PM to 4 PM Firday and Saturday or by appointment. Admission is $3 for adults and free for kids.

There is a row of buildings of historical and/or architectural interest across from the courthouse square that will be of interest to another group of people antiquers. These buildings are full of antique shops helping make Huntsville an area destination for those seeking old things at good prices.

This cabin was built on the outskirts of town in the 1840s by Allen Roberts, stepson of San Jacinto veteran Hezekiah Farris. The cabin remained in the possession of the family for six generations until it was donated to the city in 2001, and moved to the Courthouse Square in 2002. It is a fine example of the early style pionner cabin used in the area in the earliest days of the Republic of Texas, and is open to the public. Hours are 10 AM to 2 PM Thursday through Saturday. It is now called the "Cabin on the Square".

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The HEART Veterans Museum also had a couple of memorials to the nation's veterans, one large and elaborate and the second very simple but no less touching. I stop at all the veterans memorials I see since I served for so long, and feel it is very important to remember the contributions of our veterans to our freedom and way of life.

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The veterans museum houses a number of displays inside, too. This is a big museum. They have displays covering all the conflicts and wars from the American Revolution through today (let's hope there will not be any more wars to add). The displays have interesting artwork, equipment displays and other items to help tell the stories. They have special rooms for some parts of the story like the Holocaust.

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Huntsville also has an excellent veterans museum with a number of items and pieces of equipment on display outside. I definitely recognized the helicopters and the Jeep. I like the eagle too. Hours for the museum are 10 AM to 5 PM Monday through Saturday. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for veterans, and $2 for students.