Top Attractions & Hidden Gems

• Address: 520 16th St N, Birmingham, AL 35203
• Neighborhood: Fountain Heights
• Website: https://www.bcri.org/
• Pro Tip: Make sure to check out the nearby 16th Street Baptist Church while you’re in the Civil Rights District. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a frequent speaker at the church, which was the site of a 1963 bombing that killed four young girls.

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is considered one of the top human rights museums in the country. This comes as no surprise since Birmingham played such a huge role in the national civil rights movement.

The museum features both permanent and traveling exhibits and is entirely self-guided. There are a variety of multimedia exhibits here, including videos, news articles, artwork, and even recorded oral histories.

The museum presents the material in an easy-to-understand fashion, but since some of the topics covered are emotionally difficult, it’s probably best suited for kids ages 10 and up.

General Admission is $15 and advanced timed tickets are required for entry. You can purchase tickets on the BCRI website.

The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is part of the massive 880-acre Barber Motorsports Park, which also has a 2.38-mile racetrack. The track is visible from inside the museum, so keep your eyes peeled and you might see cars racing around the track. The museum and racetrack were founded by George Barber, a pro racecar driver-turned-businessman.

You’ll find the world’s largest collection of motorcycles and Lotus race cars here. There are over 1,000 models in the museum, including plenty of beautifully restored antiques.

The museum takes about 2-4 hours to walk through – you’ll want to allow yourself extra time if you are a motorcycle enthusiast, as there’s a lot to see here!

Tickets are $18 for adults and can be purchased in advance on the museum’s website or at the museum’s entrance.

The Southern Museum of Flight is one of the largest aviation museums in the region, with over 75,000 square feet of space. It’s home to around 100 vintage aircraft dating back nearly 100 years.

You’ll find a fascinating exhibit on the Tuskegee Airmen, the nation’s first African American unit of airmen. The museum is also home to the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame.

A self-guided tour of the museum takes about 1-2 hours. It’s suitable for children, who are sure to get a big kick out of the flight simulator that will let you feel like you’re flying a real plane.

Tickets are currently $5 for adults and can be purchased at the door. Kids three and under are free.

The Vulcan statue is the official symbol of the city of Birmingham. The 56-foot-tall statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world and is also one of the tallest statues in the United States. The sculpture weighs 120,000 pounds and stands atop a 123-foot tall pedestal.

Vulcan was the Roman god of fire and forge, and here he’s depicted holding tools for ironworking. The sculpture was crafted for the 1904 World’s Fair and has a fascinating history. In 1936, it was moved to its permanent home, now called Vulcan Park, atop Red Mountain.

Admission into the 10-acre park will grant you access to the park, observation tower, and museum that details the history of both Birmingham and the Vulcan statue. The observation tower allows you to see a beautiful overlook of the city’s downtown area. Tickets are $6 for adults and can be purchased at the gate.

Kelly Ingram Park is a four-acre park that is one of many historical sites in Birmingham. During the civil rights movement, it served as a gathering place for protestors against segregation. Images of police confrontations with demonstrators here were broadcast across the country and led to increased support for desegregation.

The park is home to several monuments and plaques honoring major figures of the civil rights movement. It’s a great place to relax and reflect on the city’s history.

For couples that love nature, there’s nothing more romantic than lacing up your hiking boots and heading out to hit the trails. Ruffner Mountain is a 1,038-acre park featuring 14 miles of trails. The scenery is top-notch, and there are a number of wildlife species that call the preserve home. Did you know this is one of the largest urban nature preserves in the country?

If you’re not a Ruffner Mountain member, a visitor parking permit costs $5. It can be purchased on-site with cash or a credit card.

If you like being entertained on your date nights, it doesn’t get much better than a visit to the Alabama Theatre. This gorgeous old-style theater was built in 1927 as a movie palace. This is one of the grandest theaters in the southeast and it’s been beautifully restored to its former glory. It now hosts 150 special events a year, showing everything from live musicals to beauty pageants to movie screenings.

Check out a list of upcoming events on the Alabama Theatre’s website.

Bistro Two Eighteen is a wonderful choice if you’re looking for a romantic outing. It’s one of the top fine-dining restaurants in Alabama. The atmosphere is not so elegant that you’ll be uncomfortable, but it’s definitely a quieter option than a bar or a more casual restaurant, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk. The menu combines French classics like duck confit with American favorites. There are vegetarian options available, as well.

The Pizitz Food Hall is a wonderfully unique Birmingham food hall that currently houses 12 food vendors. It’s a wonderful spot for a first date if you aren’t sure what type of food your partner likes, or even for those in an established relationship if you have different palates. You can get a variety of different foods here, whether you’re looking for Indian, Mexican, or sandwiches.

• Address: English Village
• Neighborhood: Mountain Brook | Greater Alabama
• Website: https://www.mtnbrook.org/
• Pro Tip: If you want to make a day of it, check out some of Mountain Brook’s other charming villages. These mixed-use developments each have their own personality and draws. Each features great shops and restaurants.

Mountain Brook is one of the most charming towns in Alabama. It’s divided up into several mixed-use districts, known as villages. One of the best is English Village. Established nearly 100 years ago, this shopping and restaurant destination is an upscale location with European-style architecture and plenty of places to browse and shop.

Iron City Birmingham is a concert venue in a historic building with three stages, a restaurant, and two bars. The venue books nationally-renowned acts and has had names as diverse as BB King, Rob Zombie, Demi Lovato, and Bone-Thugs-n-Harmony. If you love the nightlife in Birmingham, it doesn’t get much livelier than a show at Iron City Birmingham.

For a calendar of upcoming events and to purchase tickets, check out the Iron City Birmingham website.

Dread River Distilling Company is a newer distillery in Birmingham that specializes in bourbon, whiskey, vodka, gin, and rum. The spirits here are made in small batches to ensure the highest quality. There’s a small food menu of elevated bar food, and the upscale environment is incredibly comfortable and great for conversation.

Zydeco is the type of small music venue that many adore. It’s a tiny dive bar that’s standing-room only, and extremely intimate. It’s the second-oldest bar and music venue in Birmingham and it’s beloved by many music lovers in the Magic City.

Zydeco also serves food and drinks in the pub, and there’s a great all-weather patio that features a full bar.

For a full schedule of events, check out the Zydeco website.

The Birmingham Museum of Art is so fantastic that it’s hard to believe general admission is free! It showcases more than 24,000 works of art and spans 180,000 square feet, including an outdoor sculpture garden. It’s one of the top art museums in the southeast and has a great variety of modern art, art from Alabama artists, Asian art, European art, and Native American art. This is one of the best free things you can do in Alabama and it’s definitely worth a visit.

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens is a great way to stretch your legs and enjoy the beauty of nature in Alabama. There are 67.5 acres to explore here, so make sure you have your walking shoes on. You’ll find more than 30 gardens here, with over 12,000 different types of plants. It’s an absolutely amazing Alabama day trip in the spring, but even in the off-season, this is still a beautiful place to explore. Both parking and admission are free.

This Alabama farmers’ market is the perfect place to get locally-grown food while supporting local farmers. The market is open nearly year-round (it’s closed for a few weeks at the beginning and end of each year) and occurs on Saturdays downtown. It’s held rain or shine and is a great event for the whole family – it’s even dog-friendly. There’s live entertainment and also homemade crafts and wares for sale. This is such a great way to eat healthier while helping the local economy.

The Sloss Furnaces operated as pig iron blast furnaces for nearly 100 years before closing down in 1971. Alabama was once one of the country’s leading producers of steel and iron ore, and the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark honors that heritage today with its fascinating museum. A self-guided tour takes about 1.5 hours, and guided tours are available by appointment only. Walking through this place is a fascinating look back in time, and it’s truly surprising how much of the grounds you can enter while touring the facility. Ghost hunters would be wise to keep their eyes peeled, as it’s allegedly among the most haunted places in Birmingham.

Since it is an urban area, you might think there aren’t many great trails in Birmingham, but you’d be wrong. The Rotary Trail is a wonderful 0.5-mile linear park that connects Sloss Furnaces to Railroad Park. There are several benches along the trail if you’d like to stop and relax, and you’ll also find murals and sculptures.