Biergarten brings the community together for fun and German cuisine
HUNTSVILLE – The U.S. Space and Rocket Center hosts a weekly Biergarten Event for community members to enjoy German food and family fun. The event is free for entry every Thursday, May 22 through Oct. 23 from 5 p.m. to 7:30.
“This is an event that the Rocket Center’s been doing for more than 10 years,” said U.S. Space and Rocket Center Senior Director of Public and Media Relations Pat Ammons. “So this is a very well-established community event. It’s truly a Huntsville experience like no other.”
Visitors can enjoy a variety of German cuisine including a vegetarian dish and different beverages.
“You have a full German menu that is made in house by our chefs here on staff,” Ammons said. “We have German pork or chicken Schnitzel, and the pretzels are very popular. We have a vegetarian- friendly dish. We also serve beverages that are alcoholic and non-alcoholic, but it’s very family friendly.”
Biergarten visitors can enjoy live music and dancing. U.S. Space and Rocket Center Marketing Campaign Manager, Katie Kirkland said that she enjoys watching older couples dance together.
“What I love is, there are couples that come almost every week, and they’re older couples, and they will always dance to the live music, and they’re actually dancing,” she said. “It’s more like ballroom dancing, and it’s so cute, and you can just tell that they love it and that they have a group of people that come every week, and it’s community and camaraderie that they look forward to.”
Ammons said that the Biergarten events are family friendly and that she sees children and their parents enjoy the festivities on a regular basis.
“Lots of families come and have dinner with us on Thursday nights, and the kids can play and it’s a terrific opportunity,” she said. “If you’ve got somebody in from out of town to come and have a true Huntsville experience, where you can get to see the Davidson center. There’s no charge to attend the Biergarten, but the food and beverages are for sale.”
Not only is the Biergarten event fun for families and visitors, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center partners with a nonprofit to donate a portion of the concession profits.
“It’s first come, first served, in terms of seating, and we do have live music every week,” Ammons said. “We partner with a nonprofit agency every week, and we give a portion of the proceeds from the food sales to that nonprofit. So, we were very proud of being able to give back to the community through everybody having a great time and eating some food.”
For more information on the Biergarten event, visit www.rocketcenter. com/Biergarten.
“The parking is plentiful,” Ammons said. “You can come in, hang out and get a nice, comfortable seat. You’re sitting under a moon rocket, how much fun and how cool is that? It’s a relaxed atmosphere. A lot of people bring their families with their kids. We have a little play area. I’ve seen a lot of families set up over near it so they can sit and eat while their kids are indoors and safe and having a good time.”
