2023 Rocket City Mom Family Favorite Award Winners
Rocket City Mom readers have spoken! Hundreds of nominations and thousands of votes later and we have our 2023 winners. A big congratulations to all the local businesses and organizations represented on this list. Huntsville really is a great place to raise a family and you are part of why that’s true.
As always, a reminder that this award is unique in that both the nominations and votes are done entirely by our readers. I mean, when you’re looking for the 411 on the best place to hang out in Huntsville with a toddler, who better to ask than THOUSANDS of local parents!
This year’s competition had more than a fair share of close calls, with several organizations running neck and neck for the title! Honestly, we feel like having so many categories be so close is literally a great problem to have. So many beloved attractions and businesses that it’s hard to decide between them 🙂
Favorite Local Attraction for Toddlers & Preschoolers
Winner: EarlyWorks Children’s Museum – Website
Runners-Up: Huntsville Botanical Garden, Let’s Play, & We Rock the Spectrum
Favorite Local Attraction Ages 5-9
Winners: Cook Museum – Website
Runners-Up: EarlyWorks Children’s Museum, Huntsville Botanical Garden, & Flow
Favorite Local Attraction for Ages 9-13
Winner: Space & Rocket Center – Website
Runners-Up: Dave & Buster’s, Flow, & Cook Museum of Natural Science
Favorite Pizza Joint
Winners: Sam & Greg’s – Website
Runners-Up: Mellow Mushroom, Big Ed’s, & Grimaldi’s
Favorite Family Friendly Restaurant
Winner: Rosies – Website
Runners-Up: Sam & Greg’s, Little Rosie’s Taqueria, & MELT
Favorite Coffee Shop
Winners: Just Love Coffee – Website
Runners-Up: Honest Coffee, Angel’s Island Coffee, & Gold Sprint
Favorite Bakery
Winner: Edgar’s Bakery – Website
Runners-Up: Peggy Ann’s Bakery, L’Etoile Patisserie, & Moon Bakeshop
Favorite Ice Cream Shop
Winners : Handels – Website
Runners-Up: Bruster’s, The Yard Milkshake Bar, Cold Stone Creamery
Favorite Food Truck
Winner: 2 Chicks Food Truck – Facebook Page
Runners-Up: Fire & Spice, Get Loaded, & Hippea Camper
Favorite Seasonal Consignment Sale
Winner: Kid’s Market – Website
Runners-Up: The Boutique Closet, MOMSMart, & Sweet Repeats
Favorite Bricks & Mortar Consignment Store
Winner: Once Upon a Child – Website
Runners-Up: Play It Again, Snickerpoodles, & Off the Rack
Favorite Local Baby/Maternity Boutique
Winners (Tie): Posh Mommy and Baby Too – Website
Runners-Up: All About Baby, Little Cotton Shoppe, & Ana Banana
Favorite Field Trip Destination
Winner: Tate Farms – Website
Runners-Up: U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Burritt Museum, Cook Museum, & Huntsville Botanical Garden
Favorite Place to Hold a Birthday Party
Winner: Altitude Trampoline Park – Website
Runners-Up: Up a Creek, Let’s Play, & Matrix Gym
Favorite Place to Get a Kid’s Haircut
Winner: Spoiled Rockin’ Kids – Website
Runners-Up: Great Clips, Sports Clips, & Greasy Hands
Favorite Indoor Play Facility
Winners: Main Event – Website
Runners-Up: Let’s Play, FLOW Huntsville, Altitude Trampoline Park, & We Rock the Spectrum
Favorite Family-Friendly Event
Winner: Rocket City Trash Panda’s Game – Website
Runners-Up: Panoply, Madison Street Festival, Havoc Hockey, EarlyWork’s Nights of Santa
Favorite Waterpark or Splashpad
Winner: Point Mallard – Website
Runners-Up: Brahan Spring Park, Bridge Street Pop Jets, & New Hope Splashpad
Favorite Dance Studio
Winners : The Dance Company, Inc. – Website
Runners-Up: Jill’s Studio of Dance, Southern Sensations Dance Studio, & Project Dance
Favorite Place to Take Music Lessons
Winner: Musicology – Website
Runners-Up: Valley Conservatory, Huntsville Strings Shop, & Colors Fine Arts Center
Favorite Place to Take Art Lessons
Winner: Lowe Mill – Website
Runners-Up: Huntsville Museum of Art Academy, Pinot’s Palette, & Denise Onwere Gallery
Favorite Martial Arts Studio
Winner: Alexander’s Martial Arts – Website
Runners-Up: Tiger Rock Martial Arts, Claymore Fighting & Fitness
Favorite Family Friendly Performance Group
Winner: Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theatre – Website
Runners-Up: Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, Academy for Academics & Arts (AAA), & Madison City Community Orchestra
Favorite Summer Camp
Winners: U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Space Camp – Website
Runners-Up: Fantasy Playhouse, YMCA Camp Cha-La-Kee, & Huntsville Botanical Garden
Favorite Children’s Photographer
Winner: Allison Jansen Photography – Website
Runners-Up: Erin Cobb Photography, The Wild Four Photography, & Jeff White Photography
Favorite Childcare Program/Facility
Winner: Primrose School of Madison – Website
Runners-Up: Ardent Preschool & Daycare, Montessori School of Huntsville, & Hampton Cove Preschool
Favorite Pediatric Dentist or Dental Practice
Winner: Alabama Pediatric Dental Associates – Website
Runners-Up: Madison Pediatric Dental, Dr. Bietel, & Knapp Orthodontics
Favorite Pediatrician or Pediatric Office
Winner: Cornerstone Pediatrics – Website
Runners-Up: Huntsville Pediatric Associates, Pediatric Associates of Madison, & Twickenham Pediatrics
Favorite OB/GYN or OB/GYN Office
Winner: Clinic for Women – Website
Runners-Up: Advanced OB/GYN, Tennessee Valley OB/GYN, & Women 4 Women
Favorite Pediatric Chiropractor
Winner: HealthSource Chiropractic of Madison – Website
Runners-Up: Functional Chiropractic & Max Health Chiropractic
Favorite Pediatric Sleep Coach
Winner: Taking Cara Babies – Website
Runners-Up: Dana Stone (Live & Rest Coaching) & Roy Sleep Medicine
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Rocket City Mom is a website about raising children in and around Huntsville, Alabama. Started in late 2010 by a local mom and newcomer to Huntsville, Rocket City Mom has grown into a thriving community of local parents and now boasts a staff of four, thirteen regular contributors, and tens of thousands of Tennessee Valley readers making it the #1 Parenting Resource in North Alabama.