Location: Birmingham
Top Things to do in Birmingham
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The 10 Best Things to do in Birmingham, Alabama (AL)
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. Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,251 reviews
This historic museum traces the journey of the civil rights advocates of the 1950s and 60s, who changed the course of American history. The struggle for equality for Black Americans is chronicled here, from the Jim Crow laws in the 1800s to the freedom rides, sit-ins and demonstrations of the 1960s.
Reviewed By vault101_overseer - Newark, United States
The museum had interesting content. The target market seemed to be families with young children or people with less understanding of Jim Crow or the Civil Rights era. It was worthwhile though and the highlight was touching the bars of the jail cell MLK Jr was in and seeing the effects that were donated by Denise McNair's family.
2. Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,251 reviews
A motorcyclist's dream, this museum has 750 vintage and modern motorcycles displayed on walls, two-tiered platforms and just about everywhere you look. The bikes are displayed randomly, rather than by date and year, adding an element of unpredictability to the viewer's experience.
Reviewed By jwtraveller2015
If you have a love of motorcycles do not miss this. 900 on display. Wonderful day. Norton’s! Vincent’s! Broughams! Ariels! And a plethora of the usual suspects. Several mint Goldstars and some awesome sidecar setups. Plus “The Porsche Experience “.
3. 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.
4. Birmingham Museum of Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 538 reviews
This three-story museum houses an eclectic selection of art, including Wedgewood pottery, the largest collection of Asian art in the Southeast, Native American and African art, impressionism, contemporary art and American landscapes.
Reviewed By C_Athnos - Birmingham, United States
Very nice inside and provides a pretty large collection for viewing. Admission is free and it makes for a nice visit.
5. 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!
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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 !
9. 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
10. Birmingham Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,132 reviews
Watch sea lions being trained and fed, zip around on the Zoo Train, hop on the carousel, check out the alligator swamp and tropical rain forest: all this and more are offered at this educational and entertaining zoo housing 170 animals from around the world, including endangered species.
Reviewed By wesleys316 - Birmingham, United States
After the recent facelift/renovations, the Birmingham Zoo offers an even more impressive family day of fun. Our favorites include feeding the giraffes and lorikeets as well as riding the camel! Whether you live in Alabama or are just passing through, the Birmingham Zoo is worth at least 2-3 hrs of your time.
