Location: Birmingham
Top Things to do in Birmingham
Things to do in Birmingham, Alabama (AL): The Best Nature & Parks
It has been said that Birmingham is the last major Southern city in America, where a friendly "How y'all doin'," a hearty meal of country-fried steak with butter beans and a true taste of Southern hospitality await visitors. Whether you're into the history of the Civil Rights movement, a fan of jazz music or just looking for culture and a few fun activities for the family, Sweet Birmingham is the place for you. Spend the morning at the Birmingham Museum of Art, then have lunch at a traditional Southern tea room. Outdoor enthusiasts can tee off at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail or pack a lunch and spend the day hiking and enjoying the vistas at Ruffner Mountain. A world-class zoo, the innovative McWane Center and VisionLand, Alabama's first amusement park, are sure to keep families entertained and on the go. In the evening, listen to a blues show at an outdoor cafe and then spend the night at a small cozy inn or splurge for an elegant hotel.
Restaurants in Birmingham
1. Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
If you’re looking for the best year-round indoor amusements in the Leeds, Moody, Mountain Brook, Vestavia, and Trussville areas, Urban Air Adventure park is the perfect place! With new adventures behind every corner, we are the ultimate indoor playground for your entire family. Defy gravity with your kids’ birthday party or spend a day of fun with the family and you’ll see why we’re more than just a trampoline park.
2. Sims Cave Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 15 reviews
SIMS CAVE PARK is home to one of America's most extreme wild cave tours. Explore the land down under as you climb,crawl, and squeeze through one of Alabama's most beautiful caves. Be prepared to get wet and dirty! Fun for all ages to attend. Take your family or a group for a unique experience you can only find here. Reserve your Wild Cave Tour today!
3. Kelly Ingram Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 281 reviews
Home to vivid sculptures of the Children's Crusade.
Reviewed By wombat1223 - Charlottesville, United States
This park is exceptionally moving. It's easy to navigate the monuments and to pay tribute to the many people and groups who made the Freedom Movement possible in Birmingham. Anywhere you enter you can pick up the thread of the difficult path that was taken by the various actors in the movement. Especially affecting is the memorial to the four girls killed in the 16th St. Baptist Church: Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, Carol McNair, and Addie Collins, the youngest at just 11. The statue is Susan Collins' last memory of that day before the bomb blinded her. Addie holds between her up stretched hands 6 doves: 1 for each girl and two for the boys also killed that day, Virgil Ware and Johnny Robinson. In addition to their memorial are installations remembering the Children's Crusade including water cannon replicas and a scene of two children against a wall. It's difficult to imagine but that water pressure was so high it could throw a 160 lb man in the air. The youngest of the child protesters was 6 years old. There is also a narrow dog lunging pathway to go through that simulates what it might have felt like to have dogs lunging at you. Another monument is dedicated to three local pastors (one if MLK's brother Andrew) who were instrumental in organizing various other aspects of the movement and voter registration campaigns. It was Porter (one of the three) who saved the life of a White Episcopalian minister who was being threatened by the Klan. He had him come to a funeral home and they smuggled him out in a coffin after having a full funeral. Memorials to Martin Luther King (statue) and his wife Coretta Scott King (roses) are also there. There is, in addition a small stage on which people still protest today. Kelly Ingram Park hasn't stopped being a place of protest for change. Its legacy continues.
4. McWane Science Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 945 reviews
Fun and learning never end at McWane Science Center, a nonprofit, hands-on museum and IMAX(R) Dome Theater. Four floors of interactive exhibits celebrate science and wonder - from an amazing collection of dinosaurs to innovative environmental showcases, imaginative early childhood playgrounds, and an awe-inspiring aquarium. The energy and excitement of discovery spring to life through an extensive lineup of science demonstrations performed daily by talented educators. The adventure intensifies in the IMAX(R) Dome Theater, where wide-eyed visitors experience the sights and sounds of breathtaking films on a 5-story-tall screen surrounded by 3 tons of high-intensity speakers.
Reviewed By M8784FQannah - Canton, United States
On a little walk sightseeing around Birm, my family happened upon the science museum and got curious, so we stepped inside and inquired if it would be entertaining to our family (2 adults, our 20 year daughter and our 17 year old son) or was it geared more for children. We got kind of a mixed answer but from how it was described inside and the little we could see from the ticket purchase area, we decided to give it a shot. It was so entertaining, WE STAYED FOR ALMOST 3 HOURS! I guess I should say I have kids that love science. As parents, we found it just as cool as our kids because it had been a while since we had channeled our inner science child. There were 3 or 4 floors to the enormous building. One floor was basically an aquarium including a ray and shark petting tank. It also had a snack/vending area with tables. Another floor was full of fun science based activities, and the top floor included fun stuff about trains, outer space, and dinosaurs/fossils. There was a working train that gave train rides to the smaller kids, a fun little zip line, and a big slide. Every area was educational AND fun! Since it was right before Christmas, there were also Christmas related activities going on all around the building. When we finally left we laughed because we were so surprised at how entertaining it was for us, and we couldn't believe we were there for so long. Definitely an unexpected interactive, educational, and fun experience for our whole family!
5. Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 474 reviews
Reviewed By Belzoni627 - Portland, United States
We had time to kill and decided to stop by here and still talk about how great it was! So many flowers and plants etc They must have at least 30 different types of roses here which blew my mind because i thought they were just red or white... Try and look for all the hidden sculptures in all the different areas, some stand out easier than others !
6. Ruffner Mountain
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 113 reviews
Ruffner Mountain is a 1,038 acre urban nature preserve in the heart of Birmingham, Alabama providing science and nature education programming, 14 miles of trails, and a protected area for thousands of species of native flora and fauna. It is a site for Citizen Science programs and an array of scientist conducted research projects, including native bat and amphibian surveys, research into the causes of American Chestnut Blight, and groves of new-growth long leaf pine. Each year, through nature education and EcoArts programming, it impacts the lives of countless students and scores of schools and universities across the state.
Reviewed By alexisrachelletx - Nashville, United States
We had a great time exploring Ruffner Mountain this morning and afternoon during our weekend visit to Birmingham! The park is really pretty - and it has numerous trails that you can combine to create hikes of various lengths and difficulties! We hiked the Quarry Trail (1.2 miles) to the Possum Loop Trail (1.8 miles) to the Overlook Trail (0.4 miles) to the Ridge & Valley Trail (1.7 miles) for quite a good hike! All of the trails were ranked moderate difficulty except for the Ridge & Valley Trail, which was ranked difficult. That was pretty accurate - the Ridge & Valley Trail was definitely more challenging than the others we hiked! The trails were well marked and well taken care of (we were there in early February and there were a lot of leaves on the ground which could hide some tree roots, but we didn't have any problems). It was clearly a popular place to hike! We arrived around 10 a.m. on a Sunday, and the parking lot by the Nature Center was about half full; when we left around 1 p.m., the parking lot was full and people were parking on the street that led up to the parking lot! We saw a lot of people hiking - from families with small children to hikers with some pretty serious gear. The park seemed to have hikes/options for everyone! We really enjoyed our hike - great exercise, a great view of downtown Birmingham, and views of the old quarry! Definitely check it out and go exploring!
7. Birmingham's Railroad Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 289 reviews
Reviewed By wruple - Oneonta, United States
I visited Railroad Park on a nice summer day and was completely surprised that a few blocks from downtown Birmingham there would be such a relaxing and beautiful spot. I highly recommend this park as there is plenty of walkways, nice views of the city and places to simply unwind and relax no matter what the season is. Anyone could spend a day here, walking, relaxing, playing Frisbee, having a picnic, enjoying the scenery, reading or having fun with friends. It was really a surprise for me and the layout on 19 acres gives the impression the site is larger than what it is. Visitors are urged to use two parking lots nearby at $2 or free parking around the perimeter of the park.
8. Vulcan Park and Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,362 reviews
The largest cast-iron statue in the world created for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair placed on top of Red Mountain with a beautiful view of downtown Birmingham. Also, inside Vulcan Center, is an interactive museum that contains the historical timeline of the city of Birmingham.
Reviewed By interceptpubs - Columbus, United States
Built for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair to promote Birmingham's iron and steel industry, Vulcan is the largest cast iron statue in the world - weighing in at 100,000 pounds (120,000 pounds if his accoutrements - anvil, sledge, etc. - are included) and standing some 56 feet tall to the tip of the spear point in his outstretched arm. He moved to his present home atop Red Mountain in the late 1930s, being set atop a 126 foot tall pedestal built by the WPA. Several renovations to the statue and the surrounding park have been made over the years, including the addition of the observation deck, museum, and most recently a two-mile foot and bike trail. The museum is quite interesting, covering not only the history of the statue and park, but also Birmingham itself from its origins just after the Civil War through the civil rights movement. For $6 (plus tax), visitors can tour the museum and either climb the 100+ steps or ride an elevator up to the observation deck to get some great views of the city and the surrounding forest covered hills. We visited on a sunny Saturday afternoon and enjoyed both the museum and great views. There's even a nice little gift shop with souvenirs, history books, etc.
9. Red Mountain Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 146 reviews
Reviewed By 417laurelt
I went zip lining with my sister and nephew on the mega zip and highly recommend it. It was a ton of fun and totally worth the money. It is a great day or few hours adventure for locals or visitors. They have a lot fo zip lining options so grat for families of any age. For a full review and details of our experience, you can find it on my blog - Rose Colored Wandering Travel and Lifestyle blog.
10. Rotary Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 25 reviews
Reviewed By platinumforever - Lund, Sweden
What a beautiful path. So well planned and nicely landscaped. Just wish it extended a few miles so it would be totally worth bringing our bikes to ride it.
