I always consult a guidebook when I travel. It sounds like that might be a good idea for you.

When I first traveled in Europe, back in the late 60's, I just winged it. I think I missed a lot because I didn't consult a guidebook.

Oh, I will definitely do this. I love to plan and research. I just wanted to see if people had any suggestions of "hidden gems" they found along the way too. Thanks!

When we lived in Stuttgart many years ago, we often spent part of our weekends doing volksmarches. It's a great way to see the surrounding area and if you enjoy hiking and small towns, this sounds like something you would also enjoy.

While we did not participate with the Stuttgart German-American Wandering Club, this might be a good resource for you to find out where the volksmarches are being held each weekend and even to find others to take you there and walk with you.

http://www.sgawc.org/

longhorn55-
Thanks! I would definitely be interested in doing that. I will check out the link you sent to me. Kathy

I think the official tourist info site of the state will be a good starting point to get an overview
http://www.tourism-bw.com/

And, by the way, don't bother to learn more German than then usual 10 phrases.
In German-language advertisement, the state's tourism agency uses this as their official claim: We can do everything but talk proper (standard high) German. And that is neither a joke nor an exaggeration!
Even a native speaker hardly understands the Swabians.

Thanks Cowboy1968! I will have fun checking through that website too!

Cowboy is being silly; the vast majority of Stuttgarters speak perfectly good German.

I'm so glad I happened upon your post and I hope you are still checking it. I lived in Stuttgart from 2005-2007 and could go on at length about the many wonderful things to see and do...but since I am the parent of two small children, I can only take a few minutes to write a short list. I will leave it up to you to look these up. I have tried to limit it to places you can reach via public transit, but since we always had a car, I can't be relied upon for specifics.

In Stuttgart:
Koenigstrasse, Schlossplatz, Schillerplatz - for shopping, dining, and people-watching
If you're a foodie, don't miss the indoor Markthalle and outdoor market in Schillerplatz
Wilhelma - Stuttgart's lovely historic zoo
Fernsehturm - the famous TV tower, glorious views
Birkenkopf - A Stuttgart landmark, worth a stroll to the top of this hill for the great city views and stark WWII memorial.
Katharina Kapelle - another historic landmark, surrounded by vineyards, a nice place to walk and contemplate the view.
Schloss Solitude - a picture-perfect summer palace of the Wuerttemberg royalty - not much to see inside, but a great place to take a picnic lunch and eat on the lawn; lots of trails in the vicinity too (we used to walk/bike here from our house in Botnang).
If you are at all interested in cars, both the Porsche and Mercedes museums are excellent.

Scenic cities, towns & villages:
Tuebingen
Schwaebisch Hall
Bad Wimpen
Ludwigsburg
Strasbourg is not too far if you want to venture into France

Castles, etc.:
Burg Hohenzollern & Schloss Lichtenstein - if you can figure out how to get to these, they are worth the effort!
Residenzschloss Ludwigsburg - the Versailles of Germany; take the English tour and stroll the beautiful gardens
Ruine Hohenurach - if you can get yourself to the town of Bad Urach, this ruined castle is a great hike and incredibly atmospheric.
Kloster Bebenhausen - a very well-preserved monastery outside Tuebingen; the audio tour is excellent.

That's just a start...some of my pictures of a number of these places can be found here (I didn't start using Flickr until 2006 so these are only a fraction of my collection!):
www.flickr.com/photos/hausfrau/collections/72157603855868390/

You might also consider contacting the International Women's Club of Stuttgart, a fantastic group of ex-pats from around the globe (lots of Americans) and Germans. Since you will be there a while you might be able to make it to one of their get-togethers and enjoy some conversation with like-minded women. I made many dear friends through that group, many of whom are now scattered around the globe.
http://www.iwcstuttgart.org

Hausfrau, Thanks! I will begin looking at all you have written about. I already know of some of the places you have mentioned from researching this week. I finish teaching this week at my school and will have three weeks before I fly over for my summer job. I am very excited about going to Stuttgart. The more I read about the city the more I like it!

I'm glad you saw my post. Stuttgart is a wonderful place to live and I hope you will enjoy your time there. It is not on most tourists' radar so you will really get a feel for what it's like to live in a German city without the hordes of summer visitors. Let me know if you have any more questions...I don't post much on Fodor's anymore, but I still check it fairly often.

Other towns: Bamberg, Wurzburg, Nurnberg, Munich

Hausfrau- I understand what you mean about Stuttgart. I think Houston, TX, where I live is the same way. It is a wonderful city to live with a lot to do, but not a place where a person would really choose to vacation. I prefer to live/visit "like a local" when I travel so I am looking forward to going to Stuttgart!

Dukey1- I have been to Munich a couple of times, but I might check into the other places you listed. I would like to stay close to Stuttgart and get to know the area, but I might venture a little further too. Thank you!

On Tripadvisor there is a Stuttgart local that writes volumes about what to see in the area. His board handle is marcopolko:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/members-forums/marcopolko

An example:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187291-i826-k5363841-Stuttgart_as_a_base_for_baden_Wurttemberg-Stuttgart_Baden_Wurttemberg.html#40414781

I would look through his posts.

Regards, Gary

Thanks Gary! I have spent some time looking over the tripadvisor site now too! Thanks everyone for the helpful information. I am really excited to have two months in the Stuttgart area this summer!

another vote for Tübingen (tuebingen).

do some research ob this lovely university town (90.000 inhabitants, 25.000 students) located at river neckar.
another lovely university town (224.000 inhabitants, 30.000 students) is Freiburg (im Breisgau), also not far away from Strassburg / Strasbourg and the Alsace.

Stuttgart also has universities, (Universität Stuttgart, orientation on sciense and engineering, Universität Hohenheim famous for agriculture studies) but the town itself is not dominated by students, as Tübingen (the best wine sinse semesters) or Freiburg.

Stuttgart bookstores; Wittwer, Königtrasse

Thank you hhildebrandt! I have been to Freibrg and I loved it. It gave me the same feel that Austin, TX gives me. My former high school math teacher went to a university in Tuebingen years ago and I remember him liking the town too. I do hope to check out Strasbourg (smae place?)because one of my co-workers used to live there while she was in college. Oh, and I love bookstores!

Hi kkukura,

I am going to be living in Stuttgart this summer and would love to work in a summercamp... that is exactly the job I've been looking for! What company were you with, and did you have to know much German? Was it paid or volunteer? and were you required to have a TEFL certificate?

Thank you so much for your help, this would be so amazing for me if it worked out!