Outdoor Dining, Indoor Seating, Hybrid Hangouts at Huntsville’s Stovehouse
Rain or shine, hot or cold, find the perfect unique spot to enjoy eating, drinking & leisuring!
Stovehouse, a 12-acre mixed-use development in Westside Huntsville, Ala., is part office park, part outdoor shopping mall, and part food garden with outdoor dining and indoor seating. It’s a funky little village that sits, unassumingly, right off Governors Drive, in the footprint of the historic Martin Stove factory which was built in 1929.
Maybe you’ve visited on a night when hundreds of folks are dining, drinking, and listening to live music on the Leisure Lawn Stage. Or maybe you’ve visited for lunch or Sunday brunch while the jazz band serenades you in The Shed. Either way, what you’ll see is an insane diversity of options for where to eat, drink, shop & play—no matter the weather.
Outdoor Dining in Huntsville
Of course, Stovehouse is most well-known for its electric, backyard-party-like atmosphere where patrons can enjoy foodie-friendly meals, treats, and drinks from a growing number of restaurants and bars. From Huntsville’s best ramen to Mexican street tacos, Japanese crepes, fresh Mediterranean, gourmet grilled cheese, and amazing BBQ, the options for food are as plentiful as the choices for where to sit and enjoy your meal.
The area works much like a fancy food court where you order from restaurants and then meet back up with your group on the lawn, on the rooftop patio, under the shade sails, at picnic tables, and more. And the Stovehouse folks didn’t scrimp on comfort or quality. Visit any day to kick back in super comfy rope chairs, roomy rockers, on antique gliders, huge swings, and giant Adirondack chairs.
Pro Tip: Want to spread out more? Grab your grub and enjoy at dozens of picnic tables in the huge green courtyard around the corner. Or … there are even dozens of table sets down Martin Alley that are secluded enough that you’ll feel like you have the whole place to yourself!
There are a plethora of wonderful places to enjoy Huntsville’s best outdoor dining when the weather is great.
OK, but what if the weather is … not so great?
Stovehouse has you covered, quite literally. You can choose to dine inside The Booth. This one-of-a-kind dining hall used to be the “paint booth” at the old Martin Stove factory and you can still see evidence of its industrial days hanging from the rafters, in the “PeeGee Paints” mural, and in the factory tables that were refurbished into the dining tables in use today. The area is heated and cooled and also has large garage doors that are opened when the weather is lovely out.
Within The Booth is yet another climate-controlled room called The Canteen. It’s a small space that seats about 60 and is open to the public for dining when not rented for private parties.
OK, what if it’s just chilly, or rainy, but I still want to dine outdoor?
Stovehouse has hybrid dining options. (I think I may have invented that term) WTH does this mean? Well, you can still dine in the great outdoors with a slew of patio heaters spread out around the lawn. You can huddle around fire pits and stay warm in heated outdoor seating under the Pourhouse awnings. Raining? Head to The Booth, The Shed, or under Pourhouse awnings.
Not done yet. There’s seating in The Shed, an open-air, but heated and fan-cooled area, that features a huge historic Martin Stove and Electric Belle mural wall and seating for a hundred or more folks. There are dropdown walls in this room that are used for privacy or in extreme cold—making it a great room for private events in Huntsville as well! Even in the cold, this room stays COZY!
Pro Tip: If you come in the day time, you can ask Stovehouse staff or restaurant employees to light the fire pits, the fireplace, the heaters under the awnings, and in The Shed. They’re usually lit and waiting for you in the evenings!
An Unforgettable Dining, Shopping, Drinking People-Peeping Experience
Whether you are visiting to watch live music on the main stage, heading to a private party in the Canteen, shopping Gas Light Alley, or just popping in for drinks with friends, there’s a comfy spot for you on the campus.
Rain or shine, hot or cold, the Stovehouse Experience feels like it was made for mixing it up, crafted for curiosity, and designed for delight.
The Food Garden at Stovehouse is open daily for lunch, dinner, dessert, and late-night dining at 3414 Governors Drive, Huntsville, Alabama, 35805.
About the Author: Steven Jackson
Steven Jackson is director of experience, music, marketing & communications at Stovehouse. He’s an Auburn University grad, father of two, a local music advocate, and a songwriter at Brighter Things.