Birmingham, Alabama – Beauty, class, art, charm, fine dining and civil rights
Birmingham
Lovely clothes, art, food, civil rights, and a good time.
People who live in Birmingham often hear from tourists who are visiting for the first time that they didn’t know how beautiful the area was. With the dramatic foothills of the Appalachians in the background, the city is built on a series of lush, rolling hills, and areas are just minutes from downtown that are covered in trees. What makes the city great, though, is how diverse it is. People love Birmingham because it has a lot of charm and fun things to do.
Interesting History and Business
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute honors Birmingham’s important part in the American Civil Rights Movement with displays that show the movement’s growth. This busy museum has events, traveling exhibits, and programs for kids. The Civil Rights District was just named a National Monument. The 16th Street Baptist Church and Kelly Ingram Park are both important historical places that you should see. Sloss Furnaces, an old ironworks that is now a National Historic Landmark, is close by and shows how the city used to be industrialized. The furnace plant has been around for 90 years, and you can learn about it while looking at the pipes, smokestacks, and modern metal art on show. This city was changed so much by iron that the Vulcan Museum & Park has a huge figure of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forge. The 17-meter-tall Vulcan figure is the biggest cast iron statue in the world. It stands in front of a park and an interactive museum that tells the story of Birmingham.
Super Sports and Fun in the Sun
Railroad Park in downtown is like a bridge between the city’s industrial past and its fun, outdoor side. This green area is almost eight hectares and has a Rail Trail, beautiful wetlands, an open lawn, and great views of the city. It’s simple to throw a ball or get to Regions Field in time for a Birmingham Barons minor league baseball game. Wildlife lovers can find a lot to do along the Cahaba River if they are ready to leave the city for a while. It is the biggest free-flowing river in the state and is famous for its great fishing. A canoe or kayak trip along the river can lead to amazing sights: People can see many kinds of plants, birds, and other animals along the banks in the summer. There are also rare white flowers coming into bloom. Along Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, golfers will enjoy the mild weather and the chance to play on two difficult courses, Oxmoor Valley and Ross Bridge.
Great arts, food, and entertainment
Another thing that surprises tourists is that this Southern city has its own cosmopolitan vibe. There’s no pretense about how cool it is. There’s nothing too hard about it. If you think that barbecue and fried pies are the only foods that Birmingham serves, you should know that the city is home to many James Beard Foundation Award winners and candidates. When it comes to art, it has just as good of a reputation. There are dozens of galleries near the downtown area, and more are opening all the time. The Birmingham Museum of Art has 26,000 works of art from ancient times to the present day. It also has a constantly changing schedule of shows and events for people who want to experience some really high culture. The Alabama Theatre is a beautiful 1927 movie palace in the Theater District that shows movies, concerts, shows, and other events. The same goes for the Lyric Theatre, which is right across the street and is where opera, symphony, and ballet events happen.