Burritt on the Mountain

Perched atop Round Top Mountain with views back over Huntsville, Burritt on the Mountain has served the community for roughly seven decades as a combined history museum, working farm, and outdoor destination. The 167-acre site sits above the city at 3101 Burritt Drive SE, and its elevation keeps the grounds noticeably cooler than downtown in the warmer months.

The property is anchored by the Burritt Mansion, built in 1938 for Dr. William Henry Burritt, a homeopathic physician whose personal tastes shaped the home’s unusual design. Below the mansion, the Historic Park and Barnyard gathers six restored 19th century farmhouses relocated to the site, a working blacksmith shop, and period livestock tended by interpreters in period dress, recreating daily life on the Cumberland Plateau in the 1800s.

Education is built into the site beyond the farm buildings. The Dorothy Davidson Rosenwald Schoolhouse offers 1918-style lessons aimed at fourth graders, giving school groups a hands-on complement to the barnyard demonstrations, and the museum runs day camps, a Pre-K Pioneers program, and homeschool options for younger visitors throughout the year. Adults have their own track through the Burritt Folk School, which teaches ceramics, stained glass, and glass-fusing classes, along with broader Makers on the Mountain artisan programming that rotates through the calendar.

Trails wind out from the barnyard and connect to broader regional conservation land, drawing hikers, birdwatchers, and geocachers in addition to visitors focused on the mansion and farm exhibits. The View, an overlook near the mansion, gives a wide look back toward Huntsville below, and it remains one of the more photographed spots on the mountain. Josie’s Gift Shop, on site, gives visitors a place to pick up something before heading back down the mountain.

Burritt on the Mountain also builds a full calendar of seasonal events around its grounds, including the Round Top Folk Festival, the City Lights and Stars concert series, and Haunted Mansion Dinner evenings that make use of the mansion after dark. The site participates in Museums for All, and its mansion and barnyard spaces are available for weddings and private event rentals, which keeps the property in regular use well beyond a typical day visit.

The museum operates Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., with the site closed entirely on Mondays, a schedule worth checking before a visit since it differs from many downtown Huntsville attractions. Because the story here is told through a working farm and a preserved mansion rather than glass display cases, a visit rewards slower exploration: walking between farmhouses, watching a blacksmithing demonstration, or following a trail from the barnyard gives a different texture than an indoor museum experience.

The museum’s mission centers on building community through educational, artistic, and recreational experiences, and that shows up in how many different kinds of visitors the site attracts on a given week. School groups working through the schoolhouse program share the grounds with folk school students glazing pottery, wedding parties touring the mansion for an upcoming ceremony, and hikers passing through on the connecting trail system, all on the same 167 acres. Membership options and volunteer opportunities are available for repeat visitors who want a closer relationship with the site, and the museum accepts donations that support its farm animals, historic buildings, and programming.

Visitors planning a trip up the mountain should check current hours before heading out, plan for at least an hour or two to see both the mansion and the farm buildings, and dress for the outdoors since much of the property involves walking between structures and along trails at elevation above the city. Group and school tours can be arranged directly through the site, and calling ahead at 256-536-2882 is the best way to confirm details for a larger visit.