Location: Birmingham
Top Things to do in Birmingham
What to do and see in Birmingham, Alabama (AL): The Best Sights & Landmarks
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. 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.
2. 16th Street Baptist Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 329 reviews
Four young girls were killed when a Ku Klux Klan bomb exploded in this church in 1963. The girls are remembered with a shrine in the crypt where they died, and a vibrant stained glass window donated in sympathy by the people of Wales adorns the historic church.
Reviewed By charisma2015 - Wantage, United States
Very sad that four young innocent lives were lost for no reason by a bomb planted by the KKK. Unwarranted hatred. The visit was very well done with information and detail of a very disturbing event. The tour of the church was very nice and the guide very welcoming. The beautiful stained glass window donated by Wales is quite stunning. Across the street is the Kelly Ingram park which has powerful statues of the Civil Rights movement and some of the tragedies - including a beautiful statue of the four sweet young girls that lost their life in the 16th Street Baptist Church. A must if visiting this area.
3. Civil Rights District
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 142 reviews
The neighborhood that was the center of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement is now a historic district with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute at its center.
Reviewed By latishan2018
an amazing history location we as adults loved the place we walked in the path of Dr martin Luther king jr saw amazing photos and visited the 16tth street Baptist church
4. Rickwood Field Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 110 reviews
America's oldest baseball park and former home of the Birmingham Barons is a place where visitors can relive the magic of baseball's glory years.
Reviewed By colonel77
Having been involved in sports, especially baseball, for much of my life over 65 of my 73 years to-date you owe it to yourself to visit Rickwood Field when you are traveling in the area as it is the very last of the original ballparks of that vintage - A true cannot miss oppotunity to be sure.
5. Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 488 reviews
Historic iron manufacturing facility
Reviewed By bruggesfc - Miami Beach, United States
After reading the reviews on Trip Advisor we decided to visit Sloss Furnaces and found it to be very, very interesting. The visit is well laid out and the movie at the Welcome Center gives nice background to the entire grounds. The Sloss Furnaces really gives background to the history and background of Birmingham. Highly recommend a visit....our favorite on our recent visit to Birmingham.
6. 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.
7. Regions Field
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 397 reviews
Reviewed By Stclair1958 - Collinsville, United States
Regions Field is a great place to watch a baseball game, super location, lots of fun, good food, inexpensive to do, right downtown, superb team, very family friendly atmosphere, nice park across the street
8. First United Methodist Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 13 reviews
Reviewed By pelarge
We attended worship on Sunday of MLK week-end. We are United Methodist, so we sort of knew what to expect, but really anyone could feel comfortable at this church service. It is a very welcoming, open congregation. As we United Methodists say, we are "open doors, open minds, open hearts". The pastor was excellent and the music was traditional. There is a lovely pipe organ and the woodwork and stain-glass windows are spectacular.
9. Airwalk Trampoline Arena
10. Alabama Veterans Memorial Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15 reviews
Reviewed By BohemianMimi1 - Birmingham, United States
Having lived in Washington, D.C. for approx. four years, I saw my fair share of monuments. However, I was blown away by the Alabama Veterans Memorial Park. Must admit, the entrance leaves much to be desired, but standing at the base of the flagpole overlooking the valley and mountain range on the horizon really put my position in the world into perspective. Next, I followed the trail to what looked like a building with columns holding up the sky. Walking among them, circling, passing deeper and deeper through the rows, I was struck by the steel-poured placques that mixed art with stories of Alabamians who lost their lives in defense of this country and my singular ability to stand and read their story. It felt like a personalization of the Korean War Memorial on The Mall in D.C. Everyone was silent as they wound through the columns. Thinking was more than enough, I started to search for the exit only to find a room with more. Poetic justice was that it didn’t have a roof, but was open to the heavens. I took the path back to my car with the sounds of nature and my heartbeat bringing me back to earth.
