2013 Tourist Guide
“I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America’s destiny.” —An excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter from a Birmingham jail.
Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau www.inbirmingham.com
SAKS FIFTH AVENUE MICHAEL KORS SEPHORA BELK LULULEMON VINEYARD VINES APPLE ANTHROPOLOGIE THE NORTH FACE SUR LA TABLE FLEMING’S STEAKHOUSE THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY
Visit our more than 100 stores and restaurants.
DROP BY GUEST SERVICES FOR A PASSPORT WITH STORE SAVINGS. Located at Hwy 280 at I-459 | 205.967.0111 | thesummitonline.com | facebook.com/thesummitbham
COME HONOR THE SACRIFICES MADE AND GREAT PROGRESS IN THE ONGOING STRUGGLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. Throughout 2013, the City of Birmingham and various other organizations will come together in a major effort to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement of 1963: The Movement That Changed The World.
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I N T ROD UCTION
1 963
The Year The World Woke Up THE YEAR WAS 1963, and as the world watched, events in Birmingham sparked an unstoppable surge toward equal rights for people of all races. Throughout 2013, the city will mark the 50th anniversary of pivotal events of 1963 in America’s Civil Rights Movement. When it comes to today’s race relations, Birmingham is by no means perfect. But we are no more imperfect than many places in this country that point accusatory fingers at us with no recognition of the city’s present-day character. We’re more defensive perhaps, but no more imperfect. We are a city that may always feel the need to apologize for our past. But that does not mean we don’t recognize the importance of being Birmingham and the 4 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
lessons we’ve learned along the way. Birmingham has been living “diversity” long before it became a trendy catch phrase or a topic for national seminars. In some ways it was thrust upon us, but for the most part, the conversion came naturally. With a rich history of Italian, Lebanese, Greek, Hispanic and Asian immigrants, Birmingham benefits from the contributions of many cultures. Today’s social scene is the picture of diversity as well, with folks of all ethnic backgrounds enjoying and learning from one another, arguing issues of the day and sharing professional and social time together. The influences are all around us and beautifully melded into the diversity of Southern culture…in Birmingham.
I N T RO D UCT I O N
2013 TourisT Guide
“I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America’s destiny.” —An excerpt from mArtin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from A BirminghAm JAiL.
Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau www.inbirmingham.com •C1_FrontCover_Spring2013 copy.indd 2
3/13/13 9:48 AM
On the Cover
A quote from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” written in April 1963 while he was incarcerated for violating an injunction that prohibited public civil rights demonstrations in the city. It was written in response to a handful of Alabama’s leading white religious leaders who had issued a public statement questioning the motives and methods of the King-led demonstrations in Birmingham.
Contents 6 Information
58 Art Galleries
8 1963: The Year the World Woke Up
62 Entertainment 70 Dining
16 Lodging
88 Spotlight: Craft Beer
36 Attractions
92 After Dark
50 Shopping
98 Outdoors
54 Antiques
106 Golf
Published by CityVision, Inc. 205.595.0809 www.cityvision.tv This Tourist Guide is printed on 20% recycled (10% Postconsumer waste) paper using only soy-based inks. Our printer meets or exceeds all Federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Standards and is a certified member of the Forest Stewardship Council.
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I N FOR MATION C ENTRAL
Tourist Information DOWNTOWN TOURIST CENTER THE BIRMINGHAM SHOP
2200 9th Avenue North, 205-458-8000 or 800-458-8085 AIRPORT TOURIST CENTER LOWER LEVEL 205-458-8002 VULCAN PARK AND MUSEUM TOURIST CENTER
AREA: 3,358 square miles –
Metropolitan Statistical Area – Jefferson, Blount, St. Clair, Shelby and Walker Counties
CHURCHES: More than 1,300, all major denominations BIRMINGHAM SHUTTLESWORTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT:
205-595-0533
1701 Valley View Drive, 205-458-8000
BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU:
Helpful Information
TELEVISION STATIONS: 7 commercial,
205-558-2222
AREA CODE: 205
3 independents and 1 public educational station, several cable stations.
ALTITUDE: 620 average feet; ranging
RADIO STATIONS: 14 AM stations and
between 538 and 1,200
18 FM stations. Also, 1 Spanish station.
NEWSPAPERS: One daily (The
LAWS TO KNOW: Use safety belts. Turn on headlights during rain. Drinking age 21. Liquor sales at package and grocery stores after noon Sundays. EMERGENCIES— for emergencies
call 911
Rental Car Agencies ALAMO RENT A CAR
205-591-4395
AVIS RENT A CAR
CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU:
BUDGET RENT A CAR
BIRMINGHAM BUSINESS ALLIANCE:
205-324-2100
POPULATION: Metro – just over one
million
LIBRARY: 205-226-3600 TRAVELERS AID SOCIETY:
205-322-5426 6 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
CAP (CITY ACTION PARTNERS) Got a flat? Lock your keys in the car? MonFri, 7 am to midnight; Sat 11 am to 7 pm. 205-251-0111 (downtown only)
Birmingham News, morning) plus weeklies and monthlies. 205-458-8000 or 800-458-8085
FOR MORE INFORMATION SCAN HERE TO GO TO WWW.INBIRMINGHAM.COM
PARKS: 205-254-2391 (city), 800-252-7275 (state)
205-592-8901 205-322-3596
DOLLAR RENT A CAR
800-800-4000, www.dollar.com ENTERPRISE RENT A CAR
205-591-1927, www.enterprise.com HERTZ RENT A CAR
205-591-6090
NATIONAL CAR RENTAL
205-592-7259
I N FO R M AT I O N CE N T R A L
Wheelchair Accessible Transportation
MURRY’S CHARTER & TOUR
BUZZ-A-BUS
205-960-1114
205-879-3438 CLASTRAN
205-325-8787 FRESH AIR
205-744-7475 J&B PASSENGER SERVICE
205-781-5702
EMERGENCY AND SPECIALTY ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER
205-980-5994
205-967-7389 or 205-251-5696, 2864 Acton Rd., Birmingham, 35243
R. C. AMERICAN CAB
PET VET ANIMAL HOSPITAL
RARE TRANSPORTATION
205-824-2077, 2021 Kentucky Ave., Birmingham, 35216
205-980-7273 www.raretransportation.com ROYAL TRANSPORTATION & BOOKING AGENCY
205-929-3904 STS, INC.
MAX VIP
205-521-0101
205-324-4024 www.sts-transportation.com
SPECIAL NEEDS TRANSPORTATION
YELLOW CAB
205-821-3736
205-252-1131
Ground Transportation
Hospitals with Emergency Rooms
ACTON LIMOUSINE COACH
205-408-7723, www.actonlimo.com
BIRMINGHAM VA MEDICAL CENTER
AFFORDABLE LIMOUSINE, LLC
205-933-8101, 700 19th St. S., 35233
AIRPORT EXPRESS
205-877-1000, 2010 Brookwood Medical Center Dr., 35209
AMBASSADOR LIMOUSINE
CALLAHAN EYE FOUNDATION HOSPITAL
205-251-5466
205-591-7770
205-987-5466
AMERICAN CAB CO.
205-322-2222 APEX VALET
205-991-0532, www.apexvalet.com BIRMINGHAM DOOR TO DOOR
205-591-5550
BIRMINGHAM LIMOUSINE
205-822-8600, www.birminghamlimousine.com BURKES BROTHERS CLASSIC LIMOUSINE SERVICE
205-324-9677 www.burkesbrotherslimousine.com CALLOWAY TOURS
205-323-7377
CAREY LIMOUSINE
205-591-5959 or 322-8810 CROW CHARTERS
205-956-2333
KING AND SON BUS CHARTER & TOUR
205-780-4973
LARRY’S LIMOS
205-999-4201, www.larryslimos.com MAGIC CITY LIMOUSINE
205-916-0799
BROOKWOOD MEDICAL CENTER
205-325-8100, 1720 University Blvd., 35233 COOPER GREEN MERCY HOSPITAL
205-930-3200, 1515 6th Ave. S., 35205 ST. VINCENT’S HOSPITAL
205-939-7000, 2800 8th Ave. S., 35205 ST. VINCENT’S EAST
205-838-3000, 50 Medical Park East Dr., 35235 THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF ALABAMA
205-939-9100, 1600 7th Ave. S., 35233 TRINITY MEDICAL CENTER
205-592-1000, 800 Montclair Road, 35213 UAB MEDICAL CENTER WEST
205-481-7000, 995 9th Ave. S.W., 35022 UAB UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
205-934-4011, 1802 6th Ave. S., 35233
Veterinary Emergency Hospitals ALABAMA VETERINARY SPECIALISTS
205-481-1001, 3783 Pine Lane SE, Professional Building 200, Bessemer, 35022
Call A Cap
Uh-oh. Now you’ve done it. And just when you were on your way to McWane your brain at McWane Science Center. There are those keys just dangling from the ignition. Be thankful that CAP is downtown and to the rescue. Those handsome young men in uniform riding bicycles all over town are useful as well as cool. They are the City Action Partnership (CAP) patrol. CAP service area is downtown from 11th Avenue North to 5th Avenue South and from 22nd Street to 16th Street North, more or less. To summons free assistance or for helpful information, call CAP headquarters at 205251-0111 (unless you locked your cell phone in the car too), or visit their Web site at www. capisdowntown.com
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196 3 : THE YEAR T HE WOR LD WOKE U P
1 963
The Movement that Changed the World An afternoon at a lunch counter. A thousand arms linked at the elbows. A firing line of water hoses. A pack of German Shepherds. A letter from a Birmingham jail. A devastating explosion. A world that would never be the same. A Season of Upheaval
The climactic months of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in 1963 developed over the course of many years. Some events that took place during that year are now embedded in American history: the March on Washington, lunch counter sit-ins in Greensboro; the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. As the decade of the 1960s dawned in the city, the inequalities of living in a strictly segregated society were obvious. Although African-Americans made up more than 40% of Birmingham’s population, there were no black elected officials, no black police or firefighters, 8 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
no black sale clerks in white stores. Average income for African-Americans was less than half that of whites. The jobless rate for blacks was two-and-a-half times that of whites. Concerned African-American leaders in Birmingham decided it was high time to make changes. They targeted the downtown business district where the majority of “white” stores were located. In 1962 the city’s black population, led by local pastors, unified to boycott downtown stores. The boycott caused sales to decline drastically. Some of the stores discussed desegregating, but Birmingham’s police commissioner, Eugene “Bull” Connor, a notorious racist, threatened to yank the
business licenses of store owners if they did. The protests and demonstrations intensified in the spring of 1963. Bull Connor responded by bringing in police dogs while arresting the activists. Civil right leaders thought the public safety commissioner’s action would trigger a negative barrage of nationwide reaction against Connor and racial segregation. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, but Southern Christian Leadership Conference leaders had an ace up their sleeves. On May 2, 1963, more than a thousand black students skipped school and gathered at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. In a plan devised by James Bevel, SCLC’s head of Direct Action and Nonviolent Education, the students were told to go downtown, meet with the mayor and integrate targeted stores and buildings. Bull Connor responded as expected, sending police, paddy wagons and school buses to haul the children to jail. More than 600 young people were arrested in what Newsweek magazine termed “The Children’s Crusade.” The next day, with his jail cells full, Connor faced another thousand students marching across downtown’s Kelly Ingram Park. He responded savagely. Furious at the marchers’ lack of fear at being jailed, Bull Connor ordered the young demonstrators to be blasted with high-pressure fire hoses. The water cannons were set at a force that could tear the bark from trees. Still the marchers kept coming. Connor ordered
police dogs be loosed on the children. This time the news media did their job. Images of children being slammed with the water cannon or torn at by snarling dogs were front-page news in national newspapers the next day. Weekly magazines and national television covered the violence extensively. “They Fight a Fire That Won’t Go Out,” said Life magazine. President John Kennedy said the images sickened him. Calling the scenes “shameful,” he sent Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall to Birmingham to try to negotiate an end to the violence. Bull Connor, however, wasn’t deterred. He ordered the door to black churches in the area blocked. By May 6, 1963, the jails were so full, he was forced to use the state fairgrounds as a pen for his prisoners. For a time, firefighters disregarded Connor’s orders to attack the demonstrators, but by May 7, the hoses were blasting again. Another one thousand people were arrested. Pressure was building for a settlement. International news media were converging on Birmingham. The entire downtown business district was closed. In the early morning hours of May 8, Birmingham’s white business leaders said they would meet most of the demands
“…injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.” 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 9
of the protestors. However, many of the protesters and their leaders remained in jail. It was two more days before the city agreed to release them. On May 10, 1963, civil rights leaders told reporters they had won an agreement to release the people in jail. Downtown lunch counters would be desegregated. So would restrooms, fitting rooms and drinking fountains in stores. White store owners would hire African-
Americans and clerks and salesmen. Connor condemned the agreement, and on May 11 a bomb was detonated at the black A.G. Gaston Motel, where civil rights leaders had been staying and directing the campaign. Two days later 3,000 federal troops were sent to Birmingham to restore order. In the space of the next few weeks, all signs that designated racial segregation in public places in downtown Birmingham were removed.
The Essential Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth
No one did more to bring about positive change in Birmingham than the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth. He and his right-hand man, the Rev. Edward Gardner, were primarily responsible for a campaign that became a touchstone for the national Civil Rights Movement. A longtime civil rights activist, Shuttlesworth and his wife, Ruby, tried to enroll their children in an all-white public school in Birmingham in 1957. They were attacked by a mob of Ku Klux Klansmen, who beat him with chains and brass knuckles and stabbed his wife. 10 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
19 63: TH E YEAR T H E WOR LD WOKE U P The next year, his church, Bethel Baptist, was bombed. It was not his first brush with death by bombing; in 1956 Shuttlesworth attempted to desegregate the Birmingham Transit Company. On Christmas night that year, a bomb was planted under the parsonage where he and his family lived. The blast destroyed the house, blowing up the bed Shuttlesworth occupied. Miraculously, he walked away from the destroyed parsonage totally unharmed. The Baptist minister took part in sit-ins against segregated lunch counters in 1960 and aided the Freedom Rides in 1961. He invited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Birmingham in 1963 to lead the downtown desegregation campaign. He also was active in the march from Selma to Montgomery that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Shuttlesworth accepted the pastorate of the Greater New Light Baptist Church in Cincinnati while maintaining his leadership of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. In 2001, he was presented the Presidential Citizen Medal by President Bill Clinton. He was named president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 2004 but resigned later, citing differences with the organization. In July 2008, the Birmingham Airport Authority changed the name of the city’s airport to the BirminghamShuttlesworth International Airport. He died on October 5, 2011, in Birmingham at the age of 89. His imposing statue at the entrance to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute welcomes thousands of visitors each year.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Birmingham Campaign
In 1962, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth invited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Birmingham after Mayor Art Hanes rejected a desegregation petition by tossing it into a trash can. King was in need of a boost. His efforts had failed to desegregate Albany, GA. He was not universally welcomed by Birmingham’s black community, but Shuttlesworth saw potential in the young minister and his fledgling Southern
“Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained.” Christian Leadership Conference. In Birmingham on Good Friday, April 13, 1963, King was one of 50 people jailed in a mass arrest of demonstrators. Using scraps of paper given him by a janitor there, he wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” He was released a week later. Initially, King opposed using children in the desegregation campaign, but he was convinced otherwise by James Bevel and other civil rights leaders. He was impressed by the success of the effort. On May 10, 1963, King and Shuttlesworth announced victory in their downtown desegregation campaign. Although some criticized King for limiting the campaign and not seeking broader desegregation, he was regarded as a hero by many others, and his reputation soared. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would become the foremost leader in America’s Civil Rights Movement.
Birmingham’s Historic Civil Rights District The story of Birmingham’s role in the long
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“I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their 'thus saith the Lord' far beyond the boundaries of their home towns: and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom far beyond my own hometown.” march to civil rights has been told and retold around the world. With the opening of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in 1993, the city found a place to tell its own story. Though the events of the 1960s steal the spotlight, the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham and Alabama evolved from a complex history of race relations in the American South. Richly detailed exhibits in the Institute reveal slices of black and white life from the late 1800s to the present. A series of galleries tells the stories of daily life for AfricanAmericans in Alabama and the nation and how it differed dramatically from the lives white people of that era took for granted. The Institute documents the rise of the movement and the succession of events it bore around the nation: the 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks on a Montgomery bus for her refusal to give up her seat to a white man; the U.S. Supreme Court’s bus desegregation ruling in 1956; James Meredith’s 1862 admission to the University of Mississippi. Just across the street is Birmingham’s most famous civil rights landmark, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. (Though Sixteenth Street Baptist was the church that drew 12 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
worldwide attention, it was Birmingham’s Bethel Baptist Church that is credited with shaping the Civil Rights Movement here. Civil rights legend, the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, was pastor of Bethel Baptist Church from 1953 through 1961.) Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was recently designated a National Historic Landmark. In the basement of the church on a September Sunday morning in 1963, four African-American schoolgirls were changing into their choir robes. A dynamite bomb set by Ku Klux Klansmen ripped through that side of the church, killing 11-year-old Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Addie Mae Collins, all 14 years old. (The story of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing is told with intensity in filmmaker Spike Lee’s documentary “Four Little Girls.”) The bombing shocked and sickened the city and the world and was a turning point in the status of race relations in this country. For five decades since that time, visitors have come from all over the world to honor the victims. Now a marker has been placed on the east side of the church where the girls were killed in the ladies’ lounge as they prepared for morning worship.
196 3: THE YEAR T HE WOR LD WOKE U P Facing the Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park served as a congregating area for demonstrations in the early 1960s, including the ones in which police dogs and fire hoses were turned on marchers by Birmingham police. Images of those attacks haunted Birmingham in the decades that followed, but they were the same images that were instrumental in overturning legal segregation. Also nearby in the district is the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and historic Carver Theater for the Performing Arts. The museum honors jazz greats with ties to the state of Alabama. Exhibits showcase the accomplishments of the likes of Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Erskine Hawkins, Sun Ra and the music that made them famous. The Eddie Kendrick Memorial Park, just down the block, honors Birmingham native and Temptations lead singer Eddie Kendrick, who traveled the world but never forgot his Alabama roots. Sculpted by Alabama artist Ronald Scott McDowell, the Kendrick statue captures for eternity the magic moves of his Motown music. Inlaid in a granite backdrop behind Kendrick, the four other Temptations energize the work with their fine-tuned choreography. The Fourth Avenue Business District remains active with restaurants, barbershops and bakeries. This cluster of black-owned businesses was the core of African-American social and commercial life in the early 1900s and later when white-owned shops and stores refused to serve black customers. Many minority-owned businesses still operate in the district today, serving a steady stream of customers of all races.
Kelly Ingram Park Cell Phone Tour
Historic Kelly Ingram Park, site of civil rights
rallies, demonstrations and confrontations in the 1960s, now offers visitors a guided audio tour via their mobile phones. In the early 1960s, Kelly Ingram Park was ground zero for the nation’s Civil Rights Movement. The park was the international focus of civil disobedience for AfricanAmericans seeking equality and demanding the same rights as white citizens. Historic footage of police attack dogs and high-powered fire hoses remain indelibly imprinted on the memories of those who saw the images on televisions and in newspapers around the world. But it was those very images that became the turning point in the struggle for desegregation. Thousands of visitors come from around the world each year to learn about Birmingham’s painful and pivotal role in a nationwide call for civil rights. Sculptures throughout the park are vivid depictions of police dog and water cannon assaults on demonstrators, many of them children. The cell phone tour guides visitors through the historical significance of each sculpture. The tour is free and available to anyone with a mobile phone. The dial-in number is 205-307-5455.
Quotes throughout this article are from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” written in April 1963 while he was incarcerated for violating an injunction that prohibited public civil rights demonstrations in the city. It was written in response to a handful of Alabama’s leading white religious leaders who had issued a public statement questioning the motives and methods of the King-led demonstrations in Birmingham. During his eight-day imprisonment, King composed the response to his critics. The letter was never sent to the ministers he addressed, but it was printed in the national press in May 1963. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is widely considered the most important document of the civil rights era. 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 1 3
50th Commemoration Events
For complete information on all commemoration events taking place in Birmingham throughout the year, visit www.50yearsforward.com. Here is just a small sample: At the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
At the Birmingham Museum of Art
Marching On: The Children’s Movement at Fifty – Story of The Children’s Crusade, when black students of Birmingham took to the streets for the cause of civil rights. Through November 30
Face Jugs: Art and Ritual in 19th Century South Carolina – African American pottery type created in the midst of slavery in South Carolina. Through April 7
Human Rights Symposium – Features presentations by civil rights veterans, national and international speakers and activists. April 25-27 (Registration required.) Birmingham’s Civil Rights District Workshop – In conjunction with workshops at the Institute, 16th Street Baptist Church hosts public participation re-enactment of The Children’s Crusade. May 2 Juneteenth – Free family festival commemorating the oldest known celebration marking the end of slavery in the United States. June 1
Collecting Black – African American art from the permanent collection. June 9-September 1 Etched in Collective History – Artists gather to depict and memorialize the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham. August 18-November 17 Dawoud Bey: The Birmingham Project – Acclaimed portrait photographer symbolically commemorates the four young girls who died in the 1963 bombing. September 8-December 2 Question Bridge: Black Males – Presents more than three hours of videotaped interviews with African American men to explore black masculinity. October 6-December 29. At the Lyric Theatre (presented by the Birmingham Museum of Art) Jefferson Pinder: Belly of the Beast – At the historic Lyric Theatre, only theater in Birmingham that allowed black and whites to occupy the same
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space though remain segregated in seating, Pinder plans a vocal duel between a black gospel choir and white bluegrass singers. August 22 At the University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB Presents Blind Boys of Alabama and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra –Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. March 16 Evolution: Eric Essix Debuts Selections from His Musical Diary of Birmingham’s Progress – Birmingham native and Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame inductee performs songs from his landmark 20th recording. At the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. September 19 A More Convenient Season: World Premiere of a New Work of Hope & Healing by Composer Yotam Haber – Commissioned performance features the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Choir. September 21
At the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church National Historic Landmark The Official Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church – Prayers for peace by primary figures from the Civil Rights Movement and by pastors of many denominations at the site of the 1963 bombing. September 15 At the Birmingham Public Library Branches “Read It Forward” – The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 – Pick up a copy of this widely acclaimed book by Christopher Paul Curtis at any Birmingham Library branch. Read it. Then read it forward by giving it to someone else. Through May 31 Gee’s Bend Photography Exhibit – Shot by the late John Reese in the 1970s and ‘80s, images capture the lives of the residents of Gee’s Bend, now famous for its quilting tradition. Five Points West Branch through April 30
At Birmingham Children’s Theatre (in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex) The Watsons Go to Birmingham - Chronicles the Watson family’s trip to Birmingham that coincided with the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. October 7-19
At Vulcan Park and Museum A Place of Our Own: The Fourth Avenue District, Civil Rights and the Rise of Birmingham’s Black Middle Class – Illustrates how the historic black business district propelled the success of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham. April 12-September 30
At the Historic Carver Theatre, the 4th Avenue Business District & Other Theater Venues Downtown Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival & Sidewalk Film Festival – Historic 4th Avenue Business District joins forces with annual Sidewalk Film Festival. August 24-25 Our Mockingbird – Documentary film inspired by Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird. Includes panel discussion with director and cast. April 28 At McWane Science Center Race: Are We So Different – Interactive exhibits, historical artifacts, iconic objects, multimedia presentations offer eye-opening look at important subject matter. May 18-September 2 At the Red Mountain Theatre Company MLK Project – Highly-acclaimed theater company presents a play in remembrance of Dr. King’s legendary letter written during his 1963 incarceration in the Birmingham City Jail. April 11-14
At Virginia Samford Theatre To Kill a Mockingbird – Highlyregarded theater presents the stage version of Harper Lee’s bestselling novel. September 12-22 At the Birmingham City Jail Dedication of Historic Marker at the Birmingham Jail – Formal dedication ceremonies for the placing of first sign to mark location where Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” April 16 Event dates and locations are subject to change. Please check with venue prior to making plans.
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A GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM LODGING
WHERE TO STAY
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LODGING
1. Aloft Birmingham Soho Square 1903 29th Avenue S, Homewood 35209 205-874-8055 / FAX 205-870-5707 www.aloftbirminghamsohosquare.com, 111 rooms ★ AMENITIES: 24-Hour Business Center, Bus Parking, Cable TV, Concierge Service, Data ports, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Local Phone Calls, Free Parking, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting Space, Meeting/ Banquet Space, Pets Allowed, Pool, Refrigerators, Restaurant, Restaurant/Bar, Satellite TV with premium channels, Two Line Phone, Voice Mail 2. America’s Best Inn Birmingham/ Homewood
251 Summit Pkwy, Birmingham 35209-4731 205.945.5550 / FAX 205.945.8823, 102 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Extended Stay, FAX/Copy Service, Free High-speed Wireless Internet Access, Free Local Calls, Interior Corridors, Pets Allowed, Suite 3. America’s Best Inn Birmingham
Parkway East
9225 Roebuck Parkway East, Birmingham 35206-1510, 205-836-5400 / FAX 205-833-4561 www.americasbestinnbirminghamparkwayeast.com, 89 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Fitness Center, Laundry, Meeting Space, Pool 4. America’s Best Inns & Suites -
Birmingham Airport
5101 Airport Highway, Birmingham 35212-3046 205-592-6110 / FAX 205-591-5623 www.americasbestinnbirminghamairport.com, 143 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Fitness Center, Meeting Space, Pool, Suite 5. America’s Best Inn & Suites 6400 Kelco Place, Fairfield 35064-1828 205-780-5155 / FAX 205-780-2855 Fairfield.americasbestinn.com, 80 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Bus Parking, Cable TV, Complimentary
Continental Breakfast, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Pets Allowed, Voice Mail, Bus Parking 6. America’s Best Value Inn - Irondale 1813 Crestwood Blvd, Birmingham 35210-2031 205-956-3650 / FAX 205-951-5892 www.bestvalueinn.com, 86 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Pool 7. America’s Best Value Inn - Leeds 1093 Higrove Parkway, Leeds 35094-1700 205-702 2700 / FAX 205-702 2700 www.americasbestvalueinn.com, 42 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Free Local Phone Calls, Pets Allowed, Voice Mail 8. American Interstate Motel 5921 1st Ave N, Birmingham 35212-1607 205-595-4609, 29 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 9. Anchor Motel 4121 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham 35222-1918, 205-595-6157, 24 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 10. Anchor Motel Eastlake 8420 First Avenue North, Birmingham 35206-2704, 205-833-3414, 28 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 11. Apex Motel 1900 33rd Avenue North, Birmingham 35207-3338, 205-328-0080, 28 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 12. Bama Motel 6712 First Avenue North, Birmingham 35206-5016, 205-833-7141, 20 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 13. Baymont Inn & Suites Birmingham/
Vestavia
1466 Montgomery Highway, Birmingham 35216-3607, 1-877-229-6668 / FAX 205-822-9421 www.baymontinns.com, 123 rooms 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 1 7
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★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free InRoom Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Meeting Space, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Pets Allowed, Pool, Voice Mail 14. Best Western Plus Bessemer Hotel & Suites 5041 Academy Lane, Bessemer 35022-5250 205-481-1950 / FAX 205-481-2597, 70 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Board Suites, Bus Parking, Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Complimentary Newspapers, Data ports, Dry Cleaning Services, Extended Stay, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free Long Distance Phone Calls, Free Parking, Free USA Today Newspaper, Fully Equipped Kitchens, Hot Breakfast Buffet, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Jacuzzi/Hot Tub, Kitchen, Kitchenette, Laundry, Meeting Space, Microwaves and Refrigerators available, Outdoor Pool Seasonal/Gazebo, Pets Allowed, Pool, Refrigerators, Spa, Suites, Two Line Phone, Voice Mail 15. Best Western Carlton Suites Hotel 140 State Farm Parkway, Birmingham 35209-7186, 205-940-9990 / FAX 205-940-9930 www.carltonsuiteshotel.com, 102 rooms ★ AMENITIES: All Suites, Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free HighSpeed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Manager’s Reception, Meeting Space, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, Pool, Suite, Voice Mail 16. Best Western Plus/Gardendale 842 Thompson Street, Gardendale 35071-4602 205-631-1181 / FAX 205-631-1066 www.book.bestwestern.com, 59 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Interior Corridors
18 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
FOR LOCATIONS SEE FOLD OUT MAP IN BACK OF GUIDE
17. Birmingham Garden Inn & Suites 7901 Crestwood Blvd, Birmingham 35210-2611 205-951-0700 / FAX 205-313-3701, 102 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Extended Stay, Laundry, Pool 18. Birmingham Marriott 3590 Grandview Parkway, Birmingham 35243-1946, 205-968-3775 / FAX 205-968-4517 www.birminghammarriott.com, 295 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Club Level Rooms with added amenities, Complimentary Newspapers, Concierge Service, Dry Cleaning Services, Fitness Center, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Long Distance Phone Calls, Gift Shop, High Speed Internet Access by Request (Charge), In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting Space, No Pets Allowed, Restaurant, Suite, Two Line Phone, Voice Mail 19. Birmingham Motor Court 1625 Third Avenue West, Birmingham 35208-4205 205-786-4397, 19 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 20. Budget Motel 1548 Bankhead Hwy W, Birmingham 35214-4847 205-798-8444, 30 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay PHOTOGRAPH: AMBER FREDERIKSEN PHOTOGRAPHY
GOLF WORTHY OF THE PROS. PAMPERING DESIGNED FOR A DIVA. At Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, serious play meets exceptional service, creating an unrivalled escape. Enjoy stunning views as you play the world’s third longest course. Afterward, the spa awaits, ready to immerse you in an indulgent experience. Then dine on our sophisticated Southern cuisine. Sink into luxury with the savvy service that has earned our AAA Four-Diamond rating.
For more information or to make reservations, call 800 593 6419.
RENAISSANCE BIRMINGHAM ROSS BRIDGE GOLF RESORT & SPA 4000 Grand Avenue Birmingham, AL 35226 t: 205 916 7677 rossbridgeresort.com A part of the Resort Collection on Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
LOD G I N G
Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Fax and Copy Service, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Manager’s Reception, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, No Pets Allowed, Pool, Suites, Voice Mail
21. Budget Motel Bessemer 3010 9th Avenue N, Bessemer 35020-3546 205-428-9888, 35 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 22. Candlewood Suites Birmingham/
Homewood
400 Commons Dr., Birmingham 35209 205-769-9777, www.ichotelsgroup.com, 81 rooms
23. Clarion Hotel & Conference Center 5216 Messer Airport Highway, Birmingham 35212-3033 205-591-7900 / FAX 205-591-6004 www.clarionhotel.com, 197 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Dry Cleaning Services, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Meeting Space, Outdoor Pool Seasonal/ Gazebo, Refrigerators, Restaurant/Bar, Suites 24. Cobb Lane Bed and Breakfast 1309 19th Street S, Birmingham 35205-4801 205-918-9090, www.cobblanebandb.com, 8 rooms 25. Comfort Inn & Suites Colonnade 4400 Colonnade Parkway, Birmingham 35243-3365 205-968-3700 / FAX 205-968-0997 www.choicehotels.com, 67 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Bus Parking, Business Center, Cable TV, 20 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
26. Comfort Inn & Suites Trussville 4740 Norrell Dr, Trussville 35173-2634 205-661-3636 / FAX 205-661-3646 www.comfortinn.com, 66 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, No Pets Allowed, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Pool, Refrigerators, Suites, Voice Mail 27. Comfort Inn Airport 4965 Montevallo Rd, Birmingham 35210-2418 205-957-0084 / FAX 205-314-2400 www.comfortinn.com, 83 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Extended Stay, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Kitchenette, Laundry, Meeting Space, No Pets Allowed, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Pool, Voice Mail 28. Comfort Inn Bessemer 5051 Academy Lane, Bessemer 35022-5250 205-428-3999 / FAX 205-428-8053 www.comfortinn.com/hotel-bessemer-alabama, 59 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Interior Corridors 29. Comfort Inn Homewood 226 Summit Pkwy, Homewood 35209-4732 205-916-0464 / FAX 205-916-0298 www.choicehotels.com/hotel/AL339, 115 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free USA Today Newspaper, Laundry, Meeting Space, Pool, Suite
LODGING
30. Comfort Suites Fultondale 1325 Old Walker Chapel Rd, Fultondale 35068-1659 205-259-2160 / FAX 205-259-2170 www.choicehotels.com/hotel/al222, 70 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, Pool, Voice Mail 31. Country Inn & Suites Bessemer 4985 Academy Ct, Bessemer 35022-5250 205-481-0007 / FAX 205-481-0070 www.countryinns.com/hotels/albessem, 66 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, High Speed Internet Access by Request (Charge), Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Microwaves and Refrigerators available, Whirlpool 32. Country Inn & Suites Homewood 485 Wildwood North Circle, Homewood 35209 205-451-4000, www.countryinns.com/hotels/alhomewd, 70 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Newspapers, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Jacuzzi/ Hot Tub, Laundry, Meeting Space, Pool
33. Courtyard by Marriott Birmingham
Downtown/UAB
1820 5th Avenue South, Birmingham 35233-1809 205-254-0004 / FAX 205-254-8001 www.marriott.com/bhmdw, 122 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free USA Today Newspaper, Gift Shop, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting Space, No Pets Allowed, Refrigerators, Restaurant, Restaurant/Bar, Suites, Voice Mail 34. Courtyard by Marriott Colonnade 4300 Colonnade Parkway, Birmingham 35243-2399 205-967-4466 / FAX 205-967-2499 www.marriott.com/bhmsc, 122 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Interior Corridors, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting Space, Pool, Restaurant, Suites 35. Courtyard by Marriott Homewood 500 Shades Creek Parkway, Homewood 35209-4418 205-879-0400 / FAX 205-879-6324, 140 rooms www.marriott.com/bhmhw ★ AMENITIES: Fitness Center, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Pool, Restaurant, Suites 36. Courtyard by Marriott Hoover 1824 Montgomery Hwy S, Hoover 35244-1208 205-988-5000 / FAX 205-988-4659 www.marriott.com/bhmho, 153 rooms
Inspired Thoughts are Better when Shared Sheraton is where people gather. Together with The Westin Birmingham and the BJCC, we offer a total of 385,000 square feet of flexible event space and 1,051 welcoming guestrooms.
Sheraton.com/Birmingham
©2010–2012 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Preferred Guest, SPG, Sheraton and their logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its 8 0affiliates. 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 800.458.8085 | W W W. I N B| IWWW R M I.N INBIRMINGHAM G H A M . O RG .ORG | 2 1 21
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Extended Stay, Fax and Copy Service, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Pets Allowed, Pool, Suite 39. Days Inn Birmingham/Summit Mall 4627 US Highway 280 S, Birmingham 35064-1828 205-991-9977/FAX 205-995-0570, 102 rooms www.daysinn.com ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax And Copy Center, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Meeting Space, Outdoor Seasonal Pool, Pets Allowed. 40. Days Inn Birmingham/Vestavia 1485 Montgomery Hwy., Vestavia 35216-3633 205.823.4300/FAX 205.823.6535 ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, FAX/ Copy Service, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Outdoor Pool Seasonal. 41. Days Inn Galleria 1800 Riverchase Drive, Hoover 35244-1008 205-985-7500 / FAX 205-733-8122 www.daysinn.com/DaysInn, 138 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Fitness Center, Free HighSpeed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Laundry, Pool
★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Fitness Center, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Long Distance Phone Calls, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Restaurant, Whirlpool 37. Courtyard by Marriott Trussville 3665 Roosevelt Blvd, Birmingham 35235 205-661-2280 / FAX 205-661-2281 www.marriott.com/bhmtv, 84 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Newspapers, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Parking, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, No Pets Allowed, Pool, Voice Mail 38. Days Inn Birmingham 905 11th Court West, Birmingham 35204-1806 205-324-4510 / FAX 205-326-4360 www.daysinn.com/DaysInn, 106 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, 22 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
42. DoubleTree by Hilton Birmingham 808 20th Street South, Birmingham 35205-2795 205-933-9000 / FAX 205-933-0920 www.birmingham.doubletree.com, 298 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Data ports, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free USA Today Newspaper, Gift Shop, High Speed Internet Access by Request (Charge), In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting Space, No Pets Allowed, Pool, Restaurant, Voice Mail 43. Drury Inn & Suites Birmingham
Southeast
3510 Grandview Pkwy, Birmingham 35243-1929 205-967-2450 / FAX 205-967-6455 www.druryhotels.com/properties/birmingham.cfm, 151 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Fitness Center, Free Local Phone Calls, Fax And Copy Service, Dry Cleaning, Suites, Laundry, Voice Mail, Complimentary Breakfast, Pool, Meeting Space, Pets Allowed,
LODGING
Complimentary Hot Breakfast, Complimentary 5:30 Kickback, Free Wireless Internet, Free One Hour Long Distance Call, Free Wireless Internet, Indoor/Outdoor Pool With Whirlpool 44. Drury Inn & Suites Southwest 160 State Farm Parkway, Birmingham 35209-7186 205-940-9500 / FAX 205-940-9500 www.druryhotels.com/properties/birminghamsw. cfm, 139 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Fitness Center, Free Local Phone Calls, Fax And Copy Service, Dry Cleaning, Suites, Laundry, Voice Mail, Complimentary Breakfast, Pool, Meeting Space, Pets Allowed, Complimentary Hot Breakfast, Complimentary 5:30 Kickback, Free Wireless Internet, Free One Hour Long Distance Call, Free Wireless Internet, Indoor/Outdoor Pool With Whirlpool 45. Econo Lodge 1535 Montgomery Hwy, Hoover 35216 205-822-6030/fax 205-979-5834, www.econolodge.com, 34 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Free local phone calls, Pool, Restaurant, Lounge, Suites 46. Econolodge Oxmoor 195 Oxmoor Road, Homewood 35209-5956 205-941-0990 / FAX 205-941-1527 www.choicehotels.com/hotel/al114, 153 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free Local
Phone Calls, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Meeting Space, Microwaves and Refrigerators available, No Pets Allowed, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Suites, Voice Mail 47. Economy Inn 1011 9th Avenue SW, Bessemer 35022-4529 205-424-9690 / FAX 205-425-5955, 122 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay, Pets Allowed, Pool 48. Embassy Suites Birmingham 2300 Woodcrest Place, Birmingham 35209-1304 205-879-7400 / FAX 205-870-4523 www.birmingham.embassysuites.com, 242 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Airport Shuttle
RELAXED PRODUCTIVITY We offer 7,000 square feet of technologically advanced meeting space where you and your team can be inspired. TO BEGIN PLANNING YOUR NEXT EVENT, VISIT WESTIN.COM/BIRMINGHAM OR CALL 205 307 3600.
©2011–2013 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Preferred Guest, SPG, Westin and their logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its affiliates.
FOR LOCATIONS SEE FOLD OUT MAP IN BACK OF GUIDE
LOD G I N G
Service, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Data ports, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free USA Today Newspaper, Gift Shop, High Speed Internet Access by Request (Charge), In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Kitchenette, Laundry, Lounge, Manager’s Reception, Meeting Space, Pets Allowed, Refrigerators, Restaurant, Suites, Two Line Phone, Video games featured on TV, Voice Mail 49. Embassy Suites Birmingham/Hoover 2960 John Hawkins Parkway, Hoover 35244 205-985-9994, www.birminghamhoover.embassysuites. com, 208 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV w/HBO, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Data ports, Fitness Center, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free USA Today Newspaper, Gift Shop, High Speed Internet Access, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Kitchenette, Laundry, Lounge, Manager’s Reception, Microwaves Refrigerators available, Pool, Two Line Phone, Voice Mail 50. Extended Stay America Birmingham
Perimeter Park South
12 Perimeter Park South, Birmingham 35243-2326 205-967-3800 / FAX 205-967-0025 www.homesteadhotels.com, 137 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay, Free Local Phone Calls, Kitchenette, Laundry, Pets Allowed 51. Extended Stay America Birmingham
Wildwood
40 State Farm Parkway, Homewood 35209-7179 205-290-0102 / FAX 205-912-2092 www.studioplus.com, 72 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay, Fitness Center, Kitchenette, Laundry, Pool, Suite 52. Fairfield Inn & Suites Birmingham
Fultondale/I-65
1795 Morris Avenue, Fultondale 35068 205-849-8484 / FAX 205-849-7373 www.marriott.com/bhmbf, 75 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Extended Stay, Fax and Copy Service Fitness Center Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Gift Shop, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & 24 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Microwaves and Refrigerators available, Whirlpool 53. Fairfield Inn & Suites Birmingham/
Bessemer
4980 Academy Court, Bessemer 35022-5471 205-277-1700 / FAX 205-277-1701 www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bhmbb-fairfield-innand-suites-birmingham-bessemer, 76 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Fitness Center, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free Parking, In-Room Hair Dryers, InRoom Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, No Pets Allowed 54. Fairfield Inn Birmingham Inverness 707 Key Drive, Birmingham 35242 205-991-1055 / FAX 205-991-2066 www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bhmfi-fairfieldinn-birmingham-inverness, 63 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Parking, High Speed Internet Access, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, No Pets Allowed, Refrigerators, Voice Mail
LODGING
55. Hampton Inn & Suites Birmingham-
East I-20
3910 Grants Mill Road, Irondale 35210 205-933-0444 / FAX 205-933-0777 www.hamptoninn.hilton.com, 99 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Board Suites, Bus Parking, Business Center, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Complimentary Newspapers, Data ports, Dry Cleaning Services, Extended Stay, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free 24 Hour Gourmet Coffee, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free Parking, Free USA Today Newspaper, InRoom Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Meeting Space, Meeting/Banquet Space, Microwaves Refrigerators available, Satellite TV w/premium channels, Suites, Voice Mail, Wireless Internet (Public) 56. Hampton Inn & Suites Hoover-
Galleria
4520 Galleria Blvd, Birmingham 35244-5304 205-380-3300 / FAX 205-989-8524 www.birminghamriverchasesuites.hamptoninn.com, 102 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Extended Stay, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Gift Shop, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Meeting/Banquet Space, Microwaves Refrigerators available, Spa, Suites, Whirlpool
Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Meeting Space, No Pets Allowed, Pool 59. Hampton Inn Fultondale 1716 Fulton Rd, Fultondale 35068-1669 205-439-6700 / FAX 205-439-6701 www.fultondale.hamptoninn.com, 65 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Continental
57. Hampton Inn Bessemer 4910 Civic Lane, Bessemer 35022-7820 205-425-2010 / FAX 205-425-1630 www.bessemer.hamptoninn.com, 84 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Pool 58. Hampton Inn Colonnade 3400 Colonnade Pkwy, Birmingham 35243-2355 205-967-0002 / FAX 205-969-0901 www.birminghamcolonnade.hamptoninn.com, 133 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Local Phone Calls, Free Parking, Free USA 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 2 5
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Breakfast, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Pool 60. Hampton Inn I-65/Lakeshore Drive 30 State Farm Parkway, Birmingham 35209 205-313-2060 / FAX 205-313-2070, www.birminghamlakeshoredrive.hamptoninn.com, 97 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Meeting Space, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, No Pets Allowed, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Voice Mail 61. Hampton Inn Leeds 310 Rex Lake Road, Leeds 35094, 205-702-4141 www.birminghamleeds.hamptoninn.com, 105 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Bus Parking, Cable TV w/HBO, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Complimentary Newspapers, Concierge Service, Data ports, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Parking, Gift Shop, High Speed Internet Access, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Laundry, No Pets Allowed, Pool, Video games featured on TV, Voice Mail 26 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
FOR LOCATIONS SEE FOLD OUT MAP IN BACK OF GUIDE
62. Hampton Inn Mountain Brook 2731 Hwy 280 South, Mountain Brook 35223-2405 205-870-7822 / FAX 205-871-7610 www.birminghammountainbrook.hamptoninn.com, 130 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Extended Stay, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Manager’s Reception, Meeting Space, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Pool, Voice Mail 63. Hampton Inn Trussville 1940 Edwards Lake Road, Birmingham 35235 35235-3716, 205-655-9777 / FAX 205-655-0181 www.birminghamtrussville.hamptoninn.com, 78 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Meeting Space, Pool
LODGING
64. Hassinger Daniels Mansion
Bed & Breakfast (Opening March 2013)
Built in 1898 by William Hassinger, president of the Southern Iron and Steel Company 2028 Highland Ave. S., Birmingham 35205 205-918-9090, info@cobblanebandb.com, 10 rooms 65. Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park 8 Perimeter Park S, Birmingham 35243-2326 205-967-2700 / FAX 205-972-8603 www.birminghamperimeterpark.hilton.com 205 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Data ports, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Gift Shop, High Speed Internet Access by Request (Charge), In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting Space, No Pets Allowed, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Restaurant, Suites, Two Line Phone, Video games featured on TV, Voice Mail 66. Hilton Garden Inn Birmingham/
Lakeshore
520 Wildwood Circle North, Birmingham 35209-7199 205-314-0274 / FAX 205-314-0275 www.birminghamlakeshoredrive.gardeninn.com, 95 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free HighSpeed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free USA Today Newspaper, Gift Shop, In-Room Hair Dryers, InRoom Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Microwaves and Refrigerators available, Pool, Restaurant, Suites, Voice Mail
205-503-5220 / FAX 205-503-5221 www.birminghamselibertypark.stayhgi.com, 130 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting Space, Microwaves and Refrigerators available, Restaurant, Suites, Whirlpool 69. Hiway Host Motel 4301 Bessemer Super Hwy, Bessemer, 35020-2494 205-425-4352, 35 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 70. Holiday Inn Airport 5000 Richard Arrington Blvd N, Birmingham 352121497, 205-591-6900 / FAX 205-591-2093 www.holidayinn.com/bhm-airport, 220 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, Gift Shop, InRoom Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting Space, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, No Pets Allowed, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Seasonal/Gazebo, Pool, Refrigerators, Restaurant, Restaurant/Bar, Studio 1 and 2 Bedroom. Suites, Voice Mail 71. Holiday Inn Birmingham - Homewood 492 Wildwood Circle N, Homewood 35209 205-942-6070, www.holidayinn.com/homewoodal, 110 rooms
67. Hilton Garden Inn Birmingham/ Trussville
3230 Edwards Lake Parkway, Birmingham 35235 205-655-5222, www.birminghamtrussville.hgi.com, 104 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Concierge Service, Data ports, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Gift Shop, High Speed Internet Access, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Laundry, Lounge, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, No Pets Allowed, Pool, Room Service, Two Line Phone, Voice Mail 68. Hilton Garden Inn Liberty Park 2090 Urban Center Pkwy., Vestavia Hills 35242 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 2 7
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★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free InRoom Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free Parking, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, No Pets Allowed, Whirlpool 72. Holiday Inn Express Fultondale 1733 Fulton Rd, Fultondale 35068-1669 205-439-6300 / FAX 205-439-6301 www.hiexpress.com/bhm-fultondale, 67 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Fitness Center, Interior Corridors, Kitchenette, Laundry, Pool 73. Holiday Inn Express Hotel &
Suites Bessemer
5001 Academy Drive, Bessemer 35022-5250 205-424-2600 / FAX 205-428-9972 www.hiexpress.com/bessemeral, 63 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Interior Corridors, Meeting Space, Pool
74. Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Inverness 156 Resource Center Parkway, Birmingham 35242 205-776-6370 / FAX 205-776-6389 www.hiexpress.com/inverness280, 96 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry
Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Manager’s Reception, Meeting Space, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, No Pets Allowed, Suites, Voice Mail 75. Holiday Inn Express Irondale 811 Old Grants Mill Road, Irondale 35210-1233 205-957-0555 / FAX 205-957-0559 www.birminghameasti20suites.hamptoninn.com, 100 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Dry Cleaning Services, Extended Stay, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Manager’s Reception, Meeting Space, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, No Pets Allowed, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Pool, Suite 76. Holiday Inn Express Trussville 5911 Valley Road, Trussville 35173-1071 205-655-2700 / FAX 205-655-5500 www.hiexpress.com/trussvilleal, 64 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, No Pets Allowed, Pool, Refrigerators 77. Holiday Inn Hoover/Birmingham 2901 John Hawkins Parkway, Hoover 35244 205-682-2901/FAX 205-682-2910, www.holidayinn.com/ hotels/us/en/hoover/bhmgb/hoteldetail, 112 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Fitness Center, Pool, Laundry facilities, Dry Cleaning 78. Homewood Lodge 103 Greensprings Hwy, Birmingham 35209-4903 205-942-1263 / FAX 205-942-1219, 48 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay, Kitchenette, Laundry
28 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
LODGING
79. Hospitality Inn 2127 7th Avenue South, Birmingham 35233-3105 205-322-0691, 50 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 80. Hotel Highland at Five Points South 1023 20th Street South, Birmingham 35205-2622 205-933-9555 / FAX 205-933-6918 www.thehotelhighland.com, 63 rooms ★ AMENITIES: 24-Hour Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Concierge Service, Data ports, Dry Cleaning Services, Extended Stay Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Lounge, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, No Pets Allowed, Suites, Voice Mail 81. Howard Johnson Inn Birmingham 275 Oxmoor Road, Birmingham 35209-4705 205-942-0919 / FAX 205-942-1679 www.hojo.com/HowardJohnson/control/Booking/ property_info?propertyId=02254, 100 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free Local Phone Calls, Meeting Space, Outdoor Pool Seasonal
82. Hyatt Place Birmingham/Hoover 2980 John Hawkins Parkway, Birmingham 35244-1087 205-988-8444 / FAX 205-988-8407 www.birminghamhoover.place.hyatt.com, 128 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Dry Cleaning Services, Extended Stay, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Interior Corridors, Kitchenette, Laundry, Meeting Space, Pets Allowed, Pool, Suites 83. InTown Suites Central 90 Oxmoor Road, Birmingham 35209-6410 205-945-9154 / FAX 205-290-0306 www.intownsuites.com/detail_hotel.asp?id=3936, 150 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay, Kitchenette 84. Intown Suites Birmingham North 1100 Huffman Road, Birmingham 35215-7502 205-856-4929, www.intownsuites.com/detail_hotel. asp?id=3935, 137 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 85. Jameson Inn Bessemer 5021 Academy Lane, Bessemer 35022-5250 205-428-3194 / FAX 205-428-2690 www.jamesoninns.com, 60 rooms 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 2 9
FOR LOCATIONS SEE FOLD OUT MAP IN BACK OF GUIDE
LOD G I N G
★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Interior Corridors, Pool
Copy Service, Kitchenette, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting Space, Pets Allowed, Pool, Suite
86. Jameson Inn Trussville 4730 Norrel Drive, Trussville 35173-2634 205-661-9323 / FAX 205-655-9331 www.jamesoninns.com, 60 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Fitness Center, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Pool, Suites
Homewood
87. Kings Inn Civic Center/ UAB 1313 Third Avenue North, Birmingham 35203-1730 205-323-8806 / FAX 205-323-5591 www.kingsinnbirmingham.110mb.com, 147 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free Parking, Kitchenette Laundry, Microwaves and Refrigerators available, No Pets Allowed, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Satellite TV w/premium channels 88. Knights Inn – Bessemer 1121 9th Avenue SW, Bessemer 35022-7802 205-424-9780 / FAX 205-267-3556 www.knightsinn.com/hotels/alabama/bessemer 140 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Extended Stay, Fax and
30 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
89. La Quinta Inn & Suites - B’ham/ 60 State Farm Parkway, Homewood 35209-7179 205-290-0150 / FAX 205-290-0850 www.lq.com/lq/reservations, 129 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Pets Allowed, Pool, Restaurant, Suites 90. La Quinta Inn & Suites Fultondale 1207 Boots Blvd, Fultondale 35068 205-949-8700 / FAX 205-949-8701 www.lq.com/lq/properties, 66 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Data ports, Fitness Center, Free HighSpeed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, High Speed Internet Access, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Laundry, Meeting Space, Microwaves Refrigerators available, Pets Allowed, Voice Mail 91. La Quinta Inn Birmingham/Cahaba
Park South
513 Cahaba Park Circle, Birmingham 35242-5011, 205-995-9990 / FAX 205-995-0563 www.lq.com/lq/properties, 99 rooms
LODGING
★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free HighSpeed Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Pets Allowed, Voice Mail 92. Microtel Inn & Suites Gardendale 850 Odum Road, Gardendale 35071-4618 800-771-7171 / FAX 205-631-6450 www.microtelinn.com, 81 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Extended Stay, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Fax and Copy Service, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free Local Phone Calls, Free Long Distance Phone Calls, In-Room Hair Dryers, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, No Pets Allowed, Pool, Suites 93. Microtel Inn & Suites Hoover 500 Jackson Dr, Hoover 35244-1031 205-444-3033 / FAX 205-444-9091 www.hoovermicrotel.com, 59 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Local Phone Calls, Free Long Distance Phone Calls, Meeting Space 94. Motel 6 Bessemer 1000 Shiloh Lane, Bessemer 35022-4596 205-426-9646 / FAX 205-426-9305 www.motel6.com/reservations, 121 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Laundry, Pets Allowed, Pool 95. Motel 6 Birmingham 151 Vulcan Road, Birmingham 35209-4701 205-942-9414 / FAX 205-942-9499 www.motel6.com/reservations, 96 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay, Pets Allowed 96. Motel 8 Inn 5009 First Avenue North, Birmingham 35212-3101 205-595-1991, 40 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 97. Quality Inn Homewood 155 Vulcan Rd, Homewood 35209-4701 205-945-9600 / FAX 205-945-5706 www.qualityinn.com, 132 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Newspapers, Fax and Copy Service, Meeting Space, Outdoor Pool Seasonal
98. Quality Inn Irondale 3910 Kilgore Memorial Dr, Irondale 35210-1204 205-956-4100 / FAX 205-956-0906 www.qualityinn.com, 70 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Meeting Space, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, Outdoor Pool Seasonal/Gazebo 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 3 1
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102. Residence Inn Homewood 50 State Farm Parkway, Homewood 35209-7179 205-943-0044 / FAX 205-943-0668 www.marriott.com/BHMHM, 120 rooms ★ AMENITIES: All Suites, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Extended Stay, Fitness Center, Kitchen, Laundry, Pool
99. Relax Inn 6101 First Avenue North, Birmingham 35212-1611 205-591-5575 / FAX 205-595-1740, 42 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 100. Renaissance Ross Bridge
Golf Resort & Spa
4000 Grand Avenue, Birmingham 35226-6201 205-916-7677 / FAX 205-942-7080 www.rossbridgeresort.com, 258 rooms ★ AMENITIES: 24-Hour Business Center, Bus Parking, Cable TV, Complimentary Newspapers, Concierge Service, Data ports, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Parking, Free USA Today Newspaper, Gift Shop, High Speed Internet Access by Request (Charge), In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Jacuzzi/Hot Tub, Lounge, Meeting Space No Pets Allowed, Outdoor Pool/Gazebo, Refrigerators, Restaurant/ Bar, Satellite TV w/premium channels, Spa, Suites, Two Line Phone, Video games featured on TV, Voice Mail, Whirlpool 101. Residence Inn Birmingham
Downtown @ UAB
821 20th Street S, Birmingham 35205-2713 800-331-3131 / FAX 205-731-9596 www.marriott.com/bhmri, 129 rooms ★ AMENITIES: 24-Hour Business Center, All Suites, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Fitness Center Free, High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Fully Equipped Kitchens, Manager’s Reception, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Studio 1 and 2 Bdrm. Suites, Wireless Internet (Public) 32 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
103. Residence Inn Hoover 2725 John Hawkins Parkway, Hoover 35244-4004 205-733-1655 / FAX 205-733-1656 www.residenceinnbirminghamhoover.com, 118 rooms ★ AMENITIES: All Suites, Business Center, Cable TV, Cable TV w/HBO, Dry Cleaning Services, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Fully Equipped Kitchens, High Speed Internet Access, Hot Breakfast Buffet, In-Room Hair Dryers, Kitchen, Laundry, Manager’s Reception, Meeting Space, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Pets Allowed, Refrigerators 104. Rime Garden Inn & Suites 5320 Beacon Drive, Birmingham 35210-2820 205-951-1200 / FAX 205-951-1692 www.rimehotel.com, 127 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV w/HBO, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Complimentary Newspapers, Complimentary Shuttle - EWTN, Extended Stay, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Fully Equipped Kitchens, High Speed Internet Access, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting/ Banquet Space, Off-site Fitness Center, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Pets Allowed, Restaurant, Wireless Internet (Public) 105. Rodeway Inn & Suites Conference Center
260 Oxmoor Road, Birmingham 35209 205-942-2041, 193 rooms www.rodewayinn.com/homewood-alabama-A292 ★ AMENITIES: 24-hour Business Center, Extended Stay, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting Space, Seasonal Pool, Pets Allowed 106. Sheraton Birmingham Hotel 2101 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd N, Birmingham 352031101, 205-324-5000 / FAX 205-307-3045 www.sheraton.com/birmingham, 770 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Club Level Rooms with added amenities, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service,
FOR LOCATIONS SEE FOLD OUT MAP IN BACK OF GUIDE
Data ports, Fitness Center, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, High Speed Internet Access by Request (Charge), In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Indoor Pool, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Meeting Space, Pay Self Parking Facilities, Refrigerators, Restaurant, Suites, Voice Mail, Whirlpool 107. Siesta Motel 2510 Crestwood Boulevard, Birmingham 35210-2094 205-956-1400, 99 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay, Pool, Suite 108. Sky Inn 6000 First Avenue North, Birmingham 35212-1610 205-592-0153, 30 rooms AMENITIES: Extended Stay 109. Sleep Inn Bessemer 1259 Greenmor Drive, Bessemer 35022-6437 205-424-0000 / FAX 205-424-1971, www.sleepinn. com/hotel-bessemer-alabama-AL445, 73 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Fax and Copy Service, Interior Corridors, Meeting Space, Pool
LODGING
112. Springhill Suites by Marriott 3950 Colonnade Pkwy, Birmingham 35243 205-969-8099 / FAX 205-969-8098 www.marriott.com/BHMCO, 120 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar, Complimentary Newspapers, Concierge Service, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Kitchen, Laundry, Manager’s Reception, Meeting Space, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Refrigerators, Two Line Phone, Voice Mail 113. StudioPLUS Deluxe Studios -
Birmingham Inverness
101 Cahaba Park Cir., Birmingham 35242 205-408-0107 / FAX 205-408-6072 www.studioplus.com, 77 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Data ports, Fax and Copy Service, Free Local Phone Calls, High Speed Internet Access, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Kitchen, Laundry, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Pets Allowed, Studio 1 and 2 Bdrm. Suites, Voice Mail 114. Sun Inn 1573 Bessemer Road, Birmingham 35208-4094 205-925-7868, 33 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay
110. Southern Comfort Motel 725 Third Avenue West, Birmingham 35204-4018 205-785-9823 / FAX 205-785-9823 ext 214, 25 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 111. Springhill Suites Birmingham
Downtown
2024 4th Avenue S, Birmingham 35205, 205-322-8600 www.birminghamdowntown.place.hyatt.com, 147 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Free High-Speed Wireless Internet Access, Indoor Pool, Meeting Space 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 3 3
LOD G I N G
115. Sun Suites of Birmingham 424 Commons Dr, Homewood 35209-6963 205-942-1155 / FAX 205-942-1685 www.sunsuites.com, 135 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay, Fax and Copy Service, Kitchenette, Laundry, No Pets Allowed 116. Super 8 Homewood Birmingham Area
140 Vulcan Road, Birmingham 35209-4702 205-945-9888 / FAX 205-945-9928 www.super8.com, 95 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Data ports, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free HighSpeed Wireless Internet Access, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free In-Room Movie Channel, Free Local Phone Calls, Free Parking, In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Microwaves, Refrigerators available, Pets Allowed, Suite, Video games featured on TV, Voice Mail 117. The Redmont Hotel 2101 5th Avenue North, Birmingham 35203-3305 205-324-2101 / FAX 205-324-0610 www.theredmont.com, 114 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Board Suites, Business Center, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Complimentary Newspapers, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Free InRoom Coffee Makers, Free USA Today Newspaper, Gift Shop, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, Interior Corridors, Lounge, Meeting Space, Restaurant, Suite 118. Tourway Inn 1101 Sixth Avenue North, Birmingham 35203-1503 205-252-3921 / FAX 205-252-3921, 70 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 119. TownePlace Suites by Marriott
Homewood
500 Wildwood Circle North, Homewood 35209-7199 205-943-0114 / FAX 205-943-0115 www.marriott.com/bhmth, 128 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Dry Cleaning Services, Extended Stay, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free High-Speed Internet Access, Fully Equipped Kitchens, Kitchenette, Laundry, Pets Allowed, Pool, Studio 1 and 2 Bdrm. Suites 120. Travelers Rest Motel 1066 Forestdale Blvd., Forestdale, 35214-3856 205.798.3831/FAX 205.987.2233 ext. 311, 33 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 34 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
121. Tutwiler Hotel Hampton Inn & Suites 2021 Park Place, Birmingham 35203-2717 205-322-2100 / FAX 205-325-1183 www.thetutwilerhotel.com, 149 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Complimentary Breakfast, Fax and Copy Services, Fitness Center, Free local phone calls, Interior Corridors, Laundry, Lounge, Meeting Space, No Pets Allowed, Restaurant, Suites, Valet Services, Voice Mail 122. USA Economy Lodge Homewood 400 Beacon Parkway W, Birmingham, 35209-3106 205-942-2031, www.usaeconomyhotels.com, 190 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 123. USA Economy Lodge Irondale 7941 Crestwood Blvd., Birmingham 35210-2697 205-956-8211 / FAX 205-956-1234 www.usaeconomyhotels.com, 206 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Cable TV, Extended Stay, Fitness Center, Free Parking, Kitchenette, Laundry, Outdoor Pool Seasonal 124. Value Place Hotel 5535 Academy Drive, Bessemer 35022 205-428-4140 / FAX 205-424-7128 www.valueplace.com, 124 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Extended Stay 125. Westin Birmingham 2221 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N, 35203, 205-307-3036 www.starwoodhotels.com/westin, 294 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Outdoor Pool, Wireless High Speed Internet Access in Public Areas; Fitness Center; Meeting Space; Restaurant 126. Wynfrey Hotel 1000 Riverchase Galleria, Hoover 35244-2399 205-987-1600 / FAX 205-988-4597 www.wynfrey.com, 329 rooms ★ AMENITIES: Business Center, Cable TV, Club Level Rooms with added amenities, Complimentary Airport Shuttle Service, Concierge Service, Data ports, Dry Cleaning Services, Fax and Copy Service, Fitness Center, Free In-Room Coffee Makers, Free Local Phone Calls, Free USA Today Newspaper, Gift Shop, High Speed Internet Access by Request (Charge), In-Room Hair Dryers, In-Room Iron & Ironing Board, In-Room Mini Bar, Interior Corridors, Jacuzzi/ Hot Tub, Lounge, Meeting Space, Outdoor Pool Seasonal, Pool, Restaurant/Bar, Spa, Suites, Video games featured on TV, Voice Mail, Web TV
Make the most of your Birmingham visit‌ on your phone.
The new IN app puts nearly 300 of the most locally loved spots in Birmingham right at your fingertips. Download it free on the App Store or visit inbirmingham.com/app. Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau • 800-458-8085
A GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM ATTRACTIONS
WHAT TO SEE
36 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
PHOTOGRAPH: JEFFERY GREENBERG
FOR LOCATIONS SEE FOLD OUT MAP IN BACK OF GUIDE
ATTRACTIONS
1. Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
Outside on the sidewalk, visitors can feel the rhythm. From the boogie-woogie beginnings of Clarence “Pinetop” Smith to the velvet crooning of Nat King Cole, legendary jazz greats are immortalized in the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, within the historic Carver Theatre. Interactive exhibits also recall the contributions of Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Space Arkestra, along with Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Erskine Hawkins. Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm. Admission. 1631 4th Avenue North. 205-254-2731. www.jazzhall.com
2. Alabama Museum of Health Sciences
Located on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the museum is noted for its collection of small ivory 16th and 17th century anatomical models, a collection of wax moulage and an antique iron lung. The museum also houses a collection of rare and important medical books and manuscripts dating to the Middle Ages. Open Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm. Lister Hill Library, University of Alabama at Birmingham. 1700 University Blvd. 205934-4475. www.uab.edu/historical/museum.html
3. Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
Displays include memorabilia from the late University of Alabama Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, a tribute to Olympic great Jesse Owens, and other displays showcasing the careers of Alabama-connected sports figures such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Joe Louis. Open Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm. Admission. 2150 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. 205-323-6665. www.ashof.org
4. Alabama Theatre
Built in 1927, the Alabama Theatre is one of the nation’s last operating movie palaces, featuring first-run and revival films, concerts and other special events. The “Mighty Wurlitzer” organ still rises from the orchestra pit and is often played to accompany silent films. Tours by appointment. Call for special events schedule. Admission. 1817 3rd Avenue North. 205-252-2262 www.alabamatheatre.com
5. Alabama Veteran’s Memorial
Amid peaceful Alabama woodlands, you can peruse the names of Alabamians lost to war. A time line in the Memorial walkway outlines historic events of the 20th and 21st centuries, visitors will find descriptions of Alabama’s 23 Medal of Honor recipients of the 20th century, and in the courtyard, Medal of Honor stories appear on columns with artwork and letters. I-459, exit Liberty Park. 205-985-9488, www.alabamaveterans.org
Alabama Wine Trail
Wine enthusiasts are delighted to find vineyards and wineries in the Birmingham area. Be sure to sample the robust muscadine and delicate peach wines made from local fruit. Call for information on tours, wine tastings and hours of operation.
6. Vizzini Farms Winery
800 Highway 87, Calera (exit 234 off I-65 S). 205-685-0655. www.vizzinifarmswinery.com
7. Ozan Vineyard & Cellars
173 Highway 301, Calera (exit 228 off I-65 S). 205-668.6926. www.ozanwine.com
8. Morgan Creek Vineyards
181 Morgan Creek Lane, Harpersville (26 miles on Hwy. 280 E.) 205-672-2053. www.morgancreekwinery.com 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 3 7
ATTRACTIONS is fully restored and contains a fine collection of antiques and decorative arts including 19th century furniture, textiles, silver and paintings. During the Civil War, Arlington Antebellum home was spared from destruction when Union troops used the home as headquarters. Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm; Sunday, 1pm – 4pm (tickets sold until 3pm) Admission. 331 Cotton Avenue SW. 205-780-5656. www.informationbirmingham.com/arlington
12. Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
9. Aldridge Gardens
Aldridge Gardens, a 30-acre natural garden with a 5-acre lake, beautiful hydrangeas and now features the largest Frank Fleming Collection in the area, an art gallery on site and sculptures throughout the property. Aldridge Gardens is truly Birmingham area’s “best kept secret.” Aldrige Gardens, Nature and Art in Balance. 3530 Lorna Road, Hoover. 205-682-8019 or www.aldridgegardens.com
10. American Village
This Colonial-style village is set on more than 100 rural acres, just south of Birmingham. Costumed interpreters guide visitors on a trip back in time to America’s journey for independence. Bring your imagination and sense of adventure. Tours Monday – Friday at 10am, noon and 2pm. Special programs for groups by appointment. Admission. 3727 Highway 119. 205-665-3535. www.americanvillage.org
11. Arlington Antebellum Home and Gardens
The city’s only antebellum home, the mansion 38 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
Home to the world’s best motorcycle collection, the museum now has more than 1200 vintage and modern motorcycles and racecars and the largest collection of Lotus cars as well as other significant makes. The collection is the largest of its kind in the world. Approximately 600 of the 1200 motorcycles in the collection are on display at any given time. These bikes range from 1902 to current-year production. Common street bikes are represented, as well as rare Gran Prix race machinery. The museum is adjacent to Barber Motorsports Park, a worldclass 2.3 mile road course and home to the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama. Open Monday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm; Sunday, noon – 5pm. Admission. 6030 Barber Motorsports Pkwy. 205-699-7275. www.barbermuseum.org
13. Birmingham Botanical Gardens
The glory of nature in the heart of the city— that’s the promise of the 67-acre Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The gardens are Alabama’s largest living museum with more than 10,000 different plants in 25 themed areas. The gardens also have more than 30 works of original outdoor sculpture and miles of walking paths. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens also has the largest public horticulture library in the U.S., conservatories, a wildflower garden, two rose gardens and Japanese Gardens with a traditionally crafted tea house. The gift shop is a special treat. Open sunrise to sunset daily. 2612 Lane Park Road. 205-414-3900. www.bbgardens.org
14. Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail The Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail winds through downtown, marking significant
ATTRACTIONS
FOR LOCATIONS SEE FOLD OUT MAP IN BACK OF GUIDE
Monday – Friday, 9am – 4:30pm. Tours after hours by appointment. 1731 1st Avenue North. 205-202-4146. www.bjhm.org
17. Birmingham Museum of Art
locations along Civil Rights march routes. Designed as a self-guided tour, the route includes signs marking actual civil rights events that occurred on the very streets that are a part of this trail. Beginning at Kelly Ingram Park, corner of 6th Avenue North and 16th Street. Follow maps on signs.
15. Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Richly detailed exhibits in the Civil Rights Institute reveal slices of black and white life in Alabama from the late 1800s to the present. A series of galleries tells the stories of daily life for African-Americans in the state and the nation and how dramatically different it was from the lives white people of that era took for granted. The powerful Movement Gallery presents the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 to 1963. Here a picture emerges of the bad old days of “Bombingham,” a reference to the relentless violence that rocked the city in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. In the final exhibits, the Processional Gallery uses life-size figures representing all ages and races to portray the “walk to freedom.” Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm; Sunday, 1pm – 5pm. Admission. 520 16th Street North. 205-328-9696. www.bcri.org
16. Birmingham History Center
Located in the historic Young & Vann building, the center has exhibits that trace the history of Birmingham and its people from early settlers to the present. The collection includes information on the city’s founding, the Great Depression and, maybe most interesting, “notorious Birmingham” stories and pictures. Open 40 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
The Birmingham Museum of Art has one of the finest collections in the Southeast. More than 24,000 objects represent a rich panorama of cultures, including Asian, European, American, African, Pre-Columbian and Native American. Highlights include the museum’s collection of Asian art, considered the finest and most comprehensive in the Southeast, and its collection of Vietnamese ceramics, one of the finest in the world; a remarkable Kress collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts from the late 13th century to the 1750s; the collection of 18th century European decorative arts, which includes superior examples of English ceramics and French furniture; and the museum’s world-renowned collection of Wedgwood, the largest outside of England. Excellent café. Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm; Sunday, noon – 5pm. Donations welcome. 2000 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd., 205-254-2565. www.artsbma.org
18. Birmingham Public Library
The main library is made up of two stunning buildings, the East Building with its dramatic atrium and the 1927 Linn-Henley Research Library with its beautiful wall murals. Hundreds of visitors come to the main library each year to access their extensive genealogical resources. Open Monday – Tuesday, 9am – 8pm; Wednesday – Saturday, 9am – 6pm; Sunday, 2pm – 6pm. 2100 Park Place. 205-226-3600. www.bplonline.org
19. Birmingham Race Course
A spacious pari-mutuel racing facility, the Birmingham Race Course is open year-round. Patrons enjoy live greyhound racing and simulcast events from the country’s top thoroughbred and greyhound racetracks. With more than 200 simulcast races on Saturday alone, the Birmingham Race Course gives the ardent
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ATTRACTIONS handicapper the chance to hit the big one. Must be 19 or older to play. Open daily 11am – 1 am. 1000 John Rogers Drive. 205-838-7500. www.birminghamracecourse.com
20. Birmingham Zoo
One of the state’s most popular attractions, the Birmingham Zoo is an ever-evolving adventure. Visitors come from around the Southeast to see shows such as the Rhino Encounter, the Giraffe Feedings, the Lorikeet Aviary, the Predator Zone and the Sea Lion Splash Show. The zoo is blazing new trails in elephant conservation with the opening of Trails of Africa. The initiative designates the Birmingham Zoo as a national leader in the care and conservation of threatened elephants. Trails of Africa is a mixed-species exhibit that includes a bull elephant herd, red river hogs, giraffes, wildebeest, zebras and more. Concessions and dining on site. Open daily 9am – 5pm. Extended hours for special events. Admission. 2630 Cahaba Road. 205-879-0409. www.birminghamzoo.com
21. Eternal Word Television Network – EWTN
The Storyteller is a Southside Landmark Before the 1990s, the fountain in historic Five Points South was pretty unremarkable. Oh sure, there was the stunning backdrop of Highlands United Methodist Church, but the fountain itself wasn’t much to look at. All that changed in 1991 when a fantasyland of beautiful bronze animal characters entered the fountain. The creation, called “The Storyteller,” is the charming scene of a ram man telling stories to woodland animals. Rabbits, frogs, deer and dogs listen with rapt attention to the teller’s tale. The fountain sculpture was designed by nationally renowned Birmingham artist Frank Flemming. Visitors to the city are enchanted by this peaceful scene of love and sharing. It’s a favorite backdrop for tourists taking souvenir photographs. 20th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues South
42 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
One of the best known religious sites in Birmingham is EWTN, the Eternal Word Television Network, founded by Mother Mary Angelica, broadcasting daily from the grounds of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery. Mother Angelica hosted “Mother Angelica Live!” on EWTN until she suffered a debilitating stroke in 2001. Today daily Mass, music, news and devotionals are broadcast round the clock to more than 53 million homes in 32 countries. Tours by appointment only. 205-271-2900. www.ewtn.com
22. Five Points South/ 23. Lakeview Entertainment Districts
Live music and some of the best dining to be found in the area are in historic Five Points South and Lakeview, two of the city’s top entertainment districts. Dining options range from casual barbeque joints to fine upscale dining. Five Points South attracts a young eclectic crowd, while folks on the other side of young are the primary patrons in Lakeview establishments. Both districts border the downtown area.
24. Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
Alabama’s official railroad museum, the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum has operating standard gauge and narrow gauge trains and PHOTOGRAPH: JEFFREY GREENBERG
Come and Learn... How Birmingham Changed the World.
Visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Today. 520 Sixteenth Street North • Birmingham, AL• 35203 • 205-328-9696 • www.bcri.org BBVA Compass is proud to support BCRI and their efforts to build a better future for all people.
ATTRACTIONS two restored depots housing a good collection of railroad artifacts. Also on the grounds is a collection of railway cars, locomotives and cabooses. Train rides available—call for dates and times. Museum open Tuesday – Saturday, 9am – 4pm. Donations welcome. 1919 9th Street, Calera. 205-668-3435. www.hodrrm.org
25. Kelly Ingram Park
Called a “Place of Revolution and Reconciliation,” Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham’s Civil Rights District is adjacent to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and historic 16th Street Baptist Church. The park served as a staging
area for demonstrations in the early 1960s, including the ones in which police dogs and fire hoses were turned on marchers. Images of those attacks haunted Birmingham in the decades that followed, but they were the same images that were instrumental in overturning legal segregation. An audio tour, available via your cell phone, takes you on a journey through the most dramatic days of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham. Bounded by 16th and 17th Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues North.
26. McWane Science Center
Four floors of hands-on exhibits and an IMAX Dome Theatre are all part of the fun of learning at McWane Science Center. Celebrating science and discovery, the exhibits include everything from dinosaurs to space travel. Play tunes with your feet on the Giant Piano, and learn about gravity with a daring ride on the High Cycle. Pet the sharks and stingrays in the Shark & Ray Touch Tank, and check out the Zoetrope for visual illusions of motion from still pictures. Open September – May, Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm; Saturday, 10am – 6pm; Sunday, noon – 6pm. June – August, Monday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm; Sunday, noon – 6pm. Admission. 200 19th Street North. 205-714-8300. www.mcwane.org
27. Mercedes-Benz US International Visitors Center
Walking Tour Birmingham is a very good place for those who like to learn a city on foot. Along this downtown walking tour, people discover historic churches and theaters, wonderful shops selling everything from vintage clothing to hot roasted peanuts, and interesting arts and architecture in between. Go to www.inbirmingham. com, click on Walking Tours, and off you go! (Tour copy courtesy of Grey Brennan, Alabama Tourism Department)
Mercedes-Benz US International (MBUSI) in nearby Vance, builds the M-Class, the R-Class and the GL-Class vehicles. The visitors center, the first one of its kind outside Germany, displays the star studded history of DaimlerBenz. This architectural showcase brings to life the company’s long-held vision of producing the most excellent automobiles in the world. Much more than a museum, the visitors center moves people along a multimedia path through the past, present and future of automotive technology. Visitors Center open Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. Admission for factory tours (available by reservation only) 11 Mercedes Drive, Vance, Alabama. 205-507-2252. www.mbusi.com
28. Oak Mountain State Park
More outdoor adventure can be found at Ala44 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
ATTRACTIONS bama’s largest state park. The 10,000-acre park has a sandy beach area fronting the lake, rental boats and fishing equipment, an 18-hole golf course, and some of the best mountain biking trails in the Southeast. The Wildlife Center and Treetop Nature Trail give visitors up-close views of hawks and owls that cannot be released into the wild. Overnight accommodations also are available within the park. Open every day, 7am – 5pm. Admission. 200 Terrace Drive. 205-620-2520. www.dcnr.state.al.us
29. Peanut Depot
That tantalizing aroma wafting down historic Morris Avenue comes from peanuts toasting in antique roasters at the Peanut Depot. This is a must-see stop for visitors, if only to admire the magnificent old machinery while the children feed pigeons along the cobblestone streets. Open Monday – Friday, 8am – 5:30pm; Saturday, 9am – 1pm. 2016 Morris Ave. 205-251-3314. www.peanutdepot.com
30. Pepper Place Saturday Market
(seasonal) April – December The Pepper Place Saturday Market is a muchanticipated weekly event, taking place Saturday mornings from early spring through late fall. The region’s farming families converge on a lot in the Lakeview District to sell fresh vegetables and flowers, fresh-baked breads, cakes and pies, and even fresh honey. Local musicians and Birmingham’s finest chefs join the farming community and market patrons for entertainment and cooking demonstrations. A former Dr. Pepper bottling plant, Pepper Place is also known for its shops that have made it a premier design center. 2829 2nd Avenue South. 205-802-2100. www.pepperplacemarket.com
31. Rickwood Field
Built in 1910, Rickwood Field is America’s oldest baseball park. During its heyday, Rickwood hosted baseball greats such as Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lorenzo “Piper”
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Davis, Willie Mays and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. Friends and fans eagerly await the annual Rickwood Classic, a game that pits the AA Birmingham Barons against a regular Southern League rival. Team members dress in vintage uniforms, and people come from around the country to celebrate baseball history. The authenticity of Rickwood is being carefully preserved by the Friends of Rickwood Field, a non-profit organization devoted to the restoration and upkeep of the historic ball field. Open Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm. Check events schedule for expanded hours. 1137 2nd Avenue West. 205-458-8161. www.rickwood.com
32. Sixteenth Street Baptist Church National Historic Landmark
The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is Birmingham’s most famous Civil Rights landmark. On a September Sunday morning in 1963, four African-American schoolgirls were in the basement of the church just prior to the worship service. A bomb set by Ku Klux Klansmen ripped through that side of the church, killing 11-year-old Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Addie Mae Collins, all 14 years old. The bombing was a turning point in the status of race relations locally and nationally. Now a National Historic Landmark, the church is a reminder of man’s inhumanity 46 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
and his capacity for love and forgiveness. The sanctuary of the church contains a massive stained glass window of Christ, given in memoriam from the people of Wales following the bombing. Tours by appointment. Donations welcome. 1530 6th Avenue North. 205-2519402. www.16thstreetbaptist.org
33. Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Sloss is a 32-acre blast furnace plant where iron was made for nearly 100 years. Now a museum of history and industry, the site preserves a collection of machinery, buildings and industrial structures. These artifacts typify the first 100 years of Birmingham’s history and the technology that drove America’s rise to world industrial dominance. Sloss is the only 20th century blast furnace in the country being preserved and interpreted as a museum. Additional interest at Sloss is the speculation that the furnaces are haunted by a former foundryman. Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm; Sunday, noon – 4pm. Donations welcome. 20 32nd Street North. 205-324-1911. www.slossfurnaces.com
34. Splash Adventure Waterpark
Alabama’s greatest water adventure! Create water fun your way, whether it’s relaxing by the wave pool and enjoying the lazy river or amping PHOTOGRAPH: (OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP) JEFFREY GREENBERG
FOR LOCATIONS SEE FOLD OUT MAP IN BACK OF GUIDE
ATTRACTIONS
up the excitement with monster slides, waterbased obstacle course, water maze, Zip Line and more! Experience special events throughout the season, such as dive-in movies! Great for the family or a larger group outing. 4599 Alabama Adventure Pkwy. Located off Exit 110 at I-459 & I-20. 205-481-4750. www.SplashAdventureWaterpark.com
35. Southern Museum of Flight
The Southern Museum of Flight is dedicated to investigating, preserving and promoting the rich stories of Southern aviation. Among the top exhibits are the Korean War jets, the Tuskegee Airmen diorama, the Lake Murray B-25, and the Vietnam War helicopters. Ship models and full-size aircraft carriers also are in the collection. Open Tuesday – Saturday, 9:30am – 4:30pm. Admission. 4343 73rd Street North. 205-833-8226. www.southernmuseumofflight.org
36. Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park
With more than 1,500 acres for hiking and camping, Tannehill is well suited for outdoor recreation. The old ironworks and a collection of 19th century buildings give visitors a glimpse into life in Alabama in the 1800s. Steeped in his-
tory, Tannehill has a cotton gin, a pioneer farm, a working gristmill and a country store, along with the Iron and Steel Museum with artifacts from Alabama’s iron industry heritage. From spring through fall, visitors find blacksmithing, milling and many other activities underway in the park. The third weekend of each month, from March through November, shoppers and swappers come from near and far to Trade Days in search of quilts, clothing, jewelry, knives, furniture and other treasures. Open daily 7am – sunset. Admission. 12632 Confederate Pkwy. 205-477-5711. www.tannehill.org
37. Vulcan Park and Museum
Vulcan is the largest cast iron statue in the world and Birmingham’s city symbol. Standing high atop Red Mountain, the 56-foot-high statue has an observation balcony on its pedestal for a panoramic view of the city. Vulcan is patterned after the mythical Roman god of the forge, a nod to the city’s powerful position in the iron and steel industry in the first part of the 20th century. The statue was created as Birmingham’s exhibit in the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis and won the exposition’s grand prize. The museum at Vulcan has interactive exhibits and displays that portray the region’s history and progress. Museum open Monday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm; Sunday, 1pm – 6pm. Observation balcony open Monday – Saturday, 10am – 10pm; Sunday, 1pm – 10pm. Admission. 1701 Valley View Drive. 205-933-1409. www.visitvulcan.com 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 4 7
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BI R MI N G HAM
The City That Changed The World AS MOST PEOPLE OF A certain age remember, the second American Revolution took place in the streets of Birmingham, Alabama. The city was a battlefield for America’s Civil Rights Movement, a struggle for simple decency and common sense. Though Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is the most famous civil rights landmark, it was Birmingham’s Bethel Baptist Church that is credited with shaping the Civil Rights Movement here. Civil rights legend, the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, was pastor of Bethel Baptist from 1953 through 1961. The church often served as a gathering place for civil rights discussions. Bethel was bombed by angry white supremacists first in 1958 while the church was unoccupied. The bombing cemented Shuttlesworth’s fiery determination to bring Birmingham to the center of the Civil Rights Movement. On Christ48 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
mas night in 1956, another bomb exploded under the church parsonage where Shuttlesworth and his family were asleep. It is a miracle that the family walked away unharmed from their destroyed home. Shuttlesworth remained a central figure in the movement even after he moved to Cincinnati in 1961. With the opening of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in 1993, the city found a place to tell its own story. The institute documents the rise of the movement and the succession of events it bore around the nation: the 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks on a Montgomery bus for her refusal to give up her seat to a white man; the U.S. Supreme Court’s bus desegregation ruling in 1956; James Meredith’s 1962 admission to the University of Mississippi. www.bcri.org
PHOTOGRAPH: JEFFREY GREENBERG
ATTRACTIONS Across the street from the Civil Rights Institute, the 16th Baptist Church was recently designated a National Historic Landmark. In the basement of the church on a September Sunday morning in 1963, four African-American schoolgirls were changing into their choir robes. A bomb set by Ku Klux Klansmen ripped through that side of the church, killing 11-year-old Denise McNair, along with Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Addie Mae Collins, all 14 years old. The church bombing shocked and sickened the city and the world and was a turning point in the status of race relations thereafter. (The story of the Sixteenth Street Church bombing is told with intensity in filmmaker Spike Lee’s documentary Four Little Girls.) Facing the Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park was a regular congregation area for organizing demonstrations in the early 1960s, including the ones in which police dogs and fire hoses were turned on the marchers by Birmingham law enforcement officials. Images of those attacks still haunt Birmingham, but they are the same images that were instrumental in overturning legal segregation. The 4th Avenue Business District, also a part of the Civil Rights District, remains alive with restaurants, barbershops and bakeries. This cluster of black-owned businesses was the core of AfricanAmerican social and commercial life in the early 1900s and later when white-owned shops and stores refused to serve black customers. Many minority-owned businesses still operate in the 4th Avenue District today, serving a steady stream of customers of all races. Down 4th Avenue North at 18th Street is the Eddie Kendrick Memorial Park, a tribute to Birmingham native and Temptations lead singer Eddie Kendrick, who traveled the world but never forgot his Alabama roots. Sculpted by Birmingham artist Ronald Scott McDowell, the Kendrick statue captures for eternity the magic moves of his Motown music. Inlaid in a granite backdrop behind Kendrick, the four other Temptations energize the work with their fine-tuned choreography. The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame is only about a block down the street. If you’re lucky, jazz musician and historian Dr. Frank Adams will be on site and might even blow a tune on his clarinet (see attractions). www.jazzhall.com
The Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail winds through downtown, marking significant locations along the 1963 Civil Rights march routes. Designed as a self-guided tour, the route directs visitors along this historic pathway by maps at each location. The trail speaks to the valor of both common people and to the spiritual leaders who spearheaded the fight against segregation and other forms of racism.
Take the Cell Phone Tour BIRMINGHAM’S HISTORIC Kelly Ingram Park, site of civil rights rallies, demonstrations and confrontations in the 1960s, now offers visitors a guided audio tour through their mobile phones. Thousands of visitors come from around the world each year to learn about Birmingham’s painful and pivotal role in a nationwide call for civil rights. Sculptures throughout the park are vivid depictions of police dog and fire hose assaults on demonstrators, many of them children. The mobile phone tour guides visitors through the historical significance of each sculpture, using brief but powerful descriptions at each stop. The audio tour is free and available to anyone with a mobile phone. In the early 1960s, Kelly Ingram Park became the epicenter of the nation’s Civil Rights Movement. America’s second revolution was a struggle for human rights and simple decency for AfricanAmerican citizens. The park became the international focus of civil disobedience for blacks demanding equality. Historic footage of police attack dogs and high-powered fire hoses remain indelibly imprinted on the memories of those who saw the images on televisions and in newspapers around the world in the 1960s. But it was those very images that created the turning point in the battle for desegregation.
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A GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM SHOPPING
WHERE TO SHOP
50 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
SHOPPING WITHOUT QUESTION, Birmingham is the unrivaled retail giant of Alabama. From outlet malls to upscale boutiques, shopping opportunities are near endless. Devoted shoppers know that in Birmingham the buying spree can go on for days, fueled by the huge selection of places to purchase.
Colonial Brookwood Village
Conveniently located in Homewood right off 280 Highway, shoppers find specialty stores as well as larger retailers such as Macy’s, Belk and Books-A-Million. Also houses several particularly good restaurants. Garage and courtesy valet parking is available. Shades Creek Parkway (Alabama 149) between U.S. 280 and U.S. 31. www.shopbrookwoodvillage.com
Downtown Birmingham
Investigating downtown shopping is an adventure in itself. Start out at BB’s China & Glassware (2427 1st Ave. North) where you’ll find an enticing assortment of dishes and glassware, some bearing the logos of defunct hotels from around the country, along with Fiesta ware and seconds at good discounts. Walk over one block to 2nd Avenue North where you’ll find Charm (2329 2nd Ave. North), a delightful little boutique with new and vintage handmade jewelry, purses, scarves and more. Just across the street is Faith Skate Supply (2328 2nd Ave. No.) for skateboarding enthusiasts. Then head up the street about half a block to What’s on Second (2306 2nd Ave. No.) for an eye-feast of vintage, antique and unusual items. Move on to downtown 20th Street to the historic Bon Ton Hatters, where you can get your hat steam cleaned while you get the best shoeshine in town. Just off 20th on Third Avenue North is a treasure trove of memories at Reed Books (see Arts and Antiques section). Back over to 20th Street and south a few blocks is the Peanut Depot. Stop in for treats or just to see the beautiful old roasters that are still in use. Head further south down 20th into historic Five Points South. A good photo background here is “The Storyteller,” a fountain designed by Birmingham-native sculptor Frank Fleming. While in this district,
stop in at Charlemagne Record Exchange, if only for the atmosphere and the personnel. Also check out McNolia’s Cards and Gifts for funky stuff and The Golden Temple, where herbal supplements are sold alongside Birkenstocks®. www.downtownbirmingham.org
Downtown Homewood
Old-style shopping along main street in the Birmingham suburb of Homewood includes upscale clothing shops, home decorating stores, and nationally acknowledged high end antique galleries. A stop by Savage’s Bakery, a local landmark, is a necessity. The new Soho Square includes an interesting mix of boutiques and restaurants at sidewalk level below residential lofts. 18th Street (and beyond), Homewood. www.homewoodchamber.org
English Village, Mountain Brook Village and Crestline Village
In the heart of the suburb of Mountain Brook, these three distinct shopping areas are linked 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 5 1
SHOPPING
by tree lined sidewalks. English Village has restaurants, coffee houses and garden shops. Mountain Brook Village has funky art shops, high end boutiques and home furnishing stores. (Don’t miss a stroll through Smith’s Variety for a variety of toys and candy bins.) Crestline Village has a nice mix of restaurants and high fashion shops with special emphasis on children’s clothing. www.mtnbrookchamber. com/ membership_directory.asp
Patton Creek
Combines a “main street” element with parking and sidewalks in front of an eclectic mix of quaint, unique shops and restaurants, with larger retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Rave Motion Pictures. In the Birmingham suburb of Hoover between I-459, the Riverchase Galleria, and Alabama 150.
Pepper Place
For a different sort of shopping experience and a clear departure from the mall scene, Pepper Place is your destination. Pepper Place, an old Dr. Pepper syrup plant houses an eclectic mix of home furnishing shops, antiques and architectural stores. During the spring and summer months, tourists and residents alike flock to the Pepper Place Market, an outdoor farmers market with chef demonstrations every Saturday. Alongside the tomatoes, squash and peaches, shoppers find hand-crafted clothing, yard ornaments, honey, organic soaps, goat cheese and scones. www. pattoncreek.com
Riverchase Galleria
Housed beneath the world’s longest skylight are more than 200 shops, a dozen restaurants and a colorful carousel. Look for American Eagle, Banana Republic, Godiva Chocolatier, Abercrombie & Finch and the Disney Store, just a few samples of stores in this two-story city under glass. The complex also includes the Wynfrey Hotel. U.S. 31 and Alabama 150 at I-459. www.riverchasegalleria.com
The Shops of Grand River
Set against the picturesque landscape of the Cahaba River Valley, The Shops of Grand River is a brand new shopping destination. A sampling of the distinctive outlet and specialty stores are Brooks Brothers, Gap Outlet, Jones New 52 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
SHOPPING
York Outlet, Bose, Polo Ralph Lauren, Coach, Carters Babies & Kids, and more. www.shopsofgrandriver.com
a visit to The Summit you will shop in style. At I-459 and U.S. 280. www.thesummitonline.com
The Summit
The booming suburb of Trussville includes two large shopping areas with a third scheduled to open in October. Target, Books-a-Million, and Old Navy anchor the mall on U.S. 11. A second shopping area occupies both sides of Chalkville Road, just after the first I-59 Trussville exit, with a Wal-Mart and cinema on one side and Kohl’s anchoring the other. The third cluster of shops is the Pinnacle Shopping Center, located behind Target and anchored by Belk and Best Buy. www. colonialprop.com/propertyinfo/?cid=1267
Whether you’re looking for a new outfit, the perfect accessory, or an outstanding dining experience, The Summit offers a unique opportunity to find what truly suits you with over 100 stores and restaurants. Its outdoor design and beautiful architectural detail play host to a number of shops that fit your taste and your lifestyle. You may feel like just browsing or like wining and dining- but we know that during
Trussville Shopping
Dozens of other shopping centers are in the Birmingham area. For a complete listing, visit www.birmingham.travel.
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A GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM ANTIQUES
WHERE TO ANTIQUE
54 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
PHOTOGRAPH: (THIS PAGE, OPPOSITE TOP) BRENT BOYD
ANTIQUES 1. 5TH AVENUE ANTIQUES
2410 5th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-320-0500 www.5thavenueantiques.com 2. ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE
200 28th St. S., Birmingham 205-322-3538 www.architecturalheritage.com 3. ARGENT
2949 18th St. S., Homewood 205-871-4221 4. BAMA FLEA MARKET AND ANTIQUES
1605 Ashville Rd., Leeds 205-699-2499, www.bamafleamall.com
5. CHARLOTTE WOODSON ANTIQUES
2410 Canterbury Rd., Birmingham 205-871-3314 www.charlottewoodson.com 6. CHARM
2329 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham 205-322-9023, www.charmonsecond.com 7. CHRISTOPHER GLENN, INC.
2713 19th St. S., Homewood 205-870-1236 www.christopherglenninc.com 8. CHRISTOPHER HOUSE ANTIQUES
3205 2nd Ave. S., Birmingham 205-581-0202
9. CIRCA INTERIORS & ANTIQUES
2831 Culver Rd., Birmingham 205-868-9199
10. CLARK ANTIQUES GALLERY
2717 2nd Avenue, S., Birmingham 205-325-1999 www.clarkantiquesgallery.com 11. CRESTWOOD ANTIQUES
5514 Crestwood Blvd., Birmingham 205-595-0095 www.bidcityusa.com/ crestwoodantiques 12. FOUR SEASONS ANTIQUES, ART AND BOTANICALS
2910 18th St. S., Birmingham 205-803-4059 www.4seasonsantiquesandart.com 13. GARDENDALE FLEA MALL & ANTIQUE CENTER
2405 Decatur Highway, Gardendale 205-631-7451 www.gardendalefleamall.com
14. GREYSTONE ANTIQUES
21. JACKSON GALLERIES
15. HANNA ANTIQUES/ BOOKS! BY GEORGE
22. LAMB’S EARS, LTD
5475 Hwy. 280, Inverness 205-995-4773
2424 7th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-323-6036 16. HENHOUSE ANTIQUES
2227 First Ave. S., Birmingham 205-714-9933 www.jacksonantiquegalleries.com 70 Church Street, Mountain Brook 205-802-5700 www.lambsearsltd.com
1900 Cahaba Rd., Birmingham 205-918-0505 www.shophenhouseantiques.com
23. LEVY’S FINE JEWELRY
17. HENRY MAUS ANTIQUES
24. MARTHA LAUREN ANTIQUE LINENS & ACCESSORIES
2734 Cahaba Rd., Birmingham 205-240-0014 www.HenryMausAntiques.com
2116 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham 205-251-3381, levysfinejewelry.com
2417 Canterbury Rd., Birmingham 205-871-2283
18. HIDDEN TREASURES
1624 21st St. S., Birmingham 205-939-0378 19. HOOVER ANTIQUE GALLERY
3411 Old Columbia Rd., Hoover 204-822-9500
20. INTERIORS AT PEPPER PLACE
2817 2nd Ave. S., Birmingham 205-323-2817
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ANTIQUES
25. MULBERRY HEIGHTS ANTIQUES
2419 Canterbury Rd., Mountain Brook 205-870-1300 26. NOORDERMEER ANTIEKS
731 Broadway, Homewood 205-870-1161 www.noordermeerantieks.com 27. ON-A-SHOESTRING
601 Shades Crest Rd., Hoover 205-822-8741 28. PECK & HILLS
2720 19th Pl. S., Birmingham 205-871-7233 29. REED BOOKS, THE MUSEUM OF FOND MEMORIES
2021 Third Ave. N., Birmingham 205-326-4460 , www.jimreedbooks.com 30. SOHO RETRO
2805 18th Street S., Homewood 205.870.7655, www.shopsohoretro.com 56 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
31. THE BROWN HOUSE- ELEGANT COTTAGE LIVING- ANTIQUES, ART, COMFORTS OF LIFE
1809 Oxmoor Rd., Birmingham 205-870-3100 www.elegantcottageliving.com 32. THE COMMISSARY
4984 Overton Rd., Birmingham 205-747-0814 www.bhamcommissary.com 33. THE KING’S HOUSE
35. TRICIA’S TREASURES
2700 19th Place S., Homewood 205-871-9779 36. TRUSSVILLE ANTIQUE MALL/ THE MALL CAFE
147 North Chalkville Rd., Trussville 205-661-9805 37. VILLAGE FIREFLY
2816 Culver Rd., Birmingham 205-870-4560
2807 2nd Ave. S., Birmingham 205-320-2535 www.kingshouseantiques.com
38. WHAT’S ON SECOND
34. THE ROYAL STANDARD
39. ZOE’S IN FOREST PARK
2808 18th St. S., Homewood 205-871-6644 www.theroyalstandard.com
2306 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham 205-322-2688, www.whatsonsecond.org 3900 Clairmont Ave S., Birmingham 205-595-9049 www.zoeshop.com
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A GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM GALLERIES
WHERE TO FIND ART
58 | Birmingham TourisT guide
GALLERIES
1. A’MANO
2707 Culver Rd., Birmingham 205-871-9093 www.amanogifts.com 2. ARCENEAUX GALLERY
1830 29th Ave S., Homewood 205-802-5800 3. ART ALLEY
109 Broadway, Homewood 205-879-1105, artalley.net 4. ARTISTS INCORPORATED
3365 Morgan Dr., Vestavia Hills 205-979-8990 www.artistsincorporated.com 5. ATCHISON GALLERY
& Village Framers 2847 Culver Rd., Birmingham 205-871-6221 6. BETA PICTORIS GALLERY
2411 Second Ave N., Birmingham 205-413-2999 www.betapictorisgallery.com 7. BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART
2000 Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd., Birmingham, 205-254-2565 or 254-2566 www.artsbma.org 8. BIRMINGHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY
2100 Park Place, Birmingham 205-226-3600, bplonline.org 9. CITY ARTS BOUTIQUE
11. DIXON-BALLOG GLASS AND STUDIO
14. FOUR CORNERS GALLERY
12. DS ART STUDIO GALLERY
15. FOUR SEASONS ANTIQUES, ART AND BOTANICALS
2040 Old Montgomery Hwy, Hoover 205-402-2333, dixonglassgallery.com 2805 Crescent Ave., Ste. E., Homewood 205-802-4700, www.dsart.com 13. DURBIN GALLERY/ AZAR ART STUDIOS
900 Arkadelphia Rd., Birmingham 205-226-4925, www.bsc.edu/ academics/art/durbin.htm
4700 Hwy. 280, Ste. B, Birmingham 205-980-2600 www.fourcornersgalleryonline.com
2910 18th St. S., Birmingham 205-803-4059 www.4seasonsantiquesandart.com 16. FRIENDS GALLERY
Hoover Public Library 200 Municipal Dr., Hoover 205-444-7820 www.hoover.lib.al.us/gallery 17. GALLERIE ALEGRIA
600 Olde English Lane, Ste. 128, Birmingham, 205-868-9320 www.galleriealegria.com
5528 1st Avenue South, Woodlawn 205-902-3181, www.cityartsboutique. com
18. GALLERY SOLEIL
10. DANIEL DAY GALLERY & MELODYMADEIT INC.
19. JENNIFER HARWELL GALLERY
3025 6th Avenue S Birmingham, 205-731-9420 www.dreammeccastudio.com
PHOTOGRAPH: (TOP RIGHT) TED TUCKER
109 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. Blvd S. 205-218-3596, www.gallerysoleil.com Regions Harbert Building, Ste. 197, 1901 Sixth Ave. N., Birmingham 205-327-9950 www.jenniferharwellart.com 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 5 9
GALLERIES
20. LAMB’S EARS, LTD.
70 Church Street, Mountain Brook 205-802-5700 www.lambsearsltd.com 21. LEVITE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER
3960 Montclair Rd., Birmingham, 205-879-0411, www.bhamjcc.org 22. LITTLEHOUSE GALLERIES
2915 Linden Ave., Homewood 205-879-7022
27. ODESSA WOOLFOLK
Gallery at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute 520 16th St. N., Birmingham 205-328-9696, www.bcri.org 28. RED DOT GALLERY
1001 Stuart St., Birmingham 205-870-7608, www.reddotgallery.com
29. SPACE ONE ELEVEN
2409 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham 205-328-0553, www.spaceoneeleven.org 30. THE COMMISSARY
4984 Overton Rd., Birmingham 205-747-0814 www.bhamcommissary.com 31. TINA NEWTON GALLERY
2717 Second Ave. S. Ste. D, Birmingham 205-731-9955
23. LORETTA GOODWIN Gallery 605 S. 28th St., Birmingham 205-328-1761 www.lorettagoodwingallery.net
32. UAB VISUAL ARTS GALLERY
24. MONTY STABLER GALLERIES
33. WRIGHT ART CENTER ART
1811 29th Ave. S., Homewood 205-879-9888 www.montystablergalleries.com 25. NAKED ART GALLERY
3831 Clairmont Ave S., Birmingham 205-595-3553, www.nakedartusa.com 26. NEW LIFE ART, INC.
3600 Lorna Ridge Dr, Hoover 205-979-2158, www.newlifeart.com
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900 13th St. S., Birmingham 205-934-0815 www.uab.edu/art/vagallery.php Gallery at Samford University 800 Lakeshore Dr., Birmingham 205-726-2849 www.4.samford.edu/arts/art/index. html For a detailed brochure on Arts and Antique Galleries in Birmingham, call 800-458-8085 or download the information at www.inbirmingham. com.
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A GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM ENTERTAINMENT
WHERE TO PLAY
62 | Birmingham TourisT guide
ALABAMA BALLET Alabama Ballet seeks to promote and foster the development of classical and contemporary ballet through high-quality education and community outreach. Under the direction of Wes Chapman, this company of 41 professional dancers presents four full-length productions annually. 2726 1st Avenue South, 322-4300. For tickets and details, visit www.alabamaballet.org or call 205-975-2787. ALABAMA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Alabama Symphony Orchestra has entertained audiences for more than 70 years, playing a variety of classical and popular compositions and hosting performances by some of the finest international guest artists. The symphony’s 54 talented musicians bring to life some of the world’s most treasured musical masterpieces. 3621 6th Avenue South, 205-2517727. www.alabamasymphony.org ALABAMA THEATRE Built in the 1920s, The Alabama Theatre is one of the nation’s last operating movie palaces, featuring first-run and revival films, concerts and other special events. The “Mighty Wurlitzer” organ still rises from the orchestra pit and is often played to accompany silent films. Attending an event or movie at the Alabama is one of the most highly recommended activities for visitors to the city. Business Hours: Mon. – Fri. 9:00 AM – 4 PM, later during special events. Admission charged: varies by event,1817 Third Avenue North, 205-252-2262, www.alabamatheatre.com ALDRIDGE REPERTORY THEATRE Aldridge Repertory Theatre launched their inaugural season at the historic Carver Theatre with the southern premiere of “No Child” by Nilaja Sun. Over the past 20 years Aldridge Repertory Theatre has produced many shows including the Pulitzer Prize winning play “Fences” and the Broadway hit musical “Purlie.” 209 20th Street, N., Suite 145, 205-264-9910, www.aldridgerep.org.
PHOTOGRAPH: (OPPOSITE PAGE) KEN HOWARD; (TOP) JEFFERY GREENBERG
ALYS ROBINSON STEPHENS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center’s trademark is diversity – diverse performances and diverse audiences. From classical, pop, jazz and world beat music to dance, comedy and family entertainment, the center welcomes the entire community into the magical world of performing arts. Some of the world’s most renowned performing artists take the stage at this concert hall and theater space on the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus. 1200 10th Avenue South, 205-975-2787. www.alysstephens.org 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 6 3
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK Not only is this road course second to none, it is set within a perfectly manicured and sculptured landscape. Visitors can watch auto and motorcycle road racing while relaxing in wooded surroundings. The course was designed to meet the highest racing standards, yet also to be spectatorfriendly and welcoming to families. The length of the road course is 2.38 miles. It is 45 feet wide and has 16 turns. The park sits on 740 acres, 225 of which are developed. The Barber Motorsports Park hosts a continuous schedule of upscale, high-profile motorcycle and auto racing events. It is also home to the Porsche Driving Experience. 6040 Barber Motorsports Pkwy., 205-2989040, www.barbermotorsports.com BIRMINGHAM BALLET Birmingham Ballet offers dance training for aspiring talent as well as presenting professional performances. Performances are held at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. 2198 Columbiana Road, Suite 100, 205-979-9492, www.birminghamballet.com BIRMINGHAM BARONS The 2013 season marks a new era for the 64 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
Birmingham Barons when they begin playing their games at Birmingham’s new Regions Field, located near the heart of the city. The city’s AA baseball team, farm team for the Chicago White Sox, plays its season from April through September. 205-988-3200, www.milb.com BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN’S THEATRE Birmingham Children’s Theatre was founded in 1947. Since that time, it has become one of America’s largest professional theatres for young audiences and now operates in a threetheatre complex at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex. The theatre produces eight shows seasonally, four of which tour, giving the theatre a combined audience of over 200,000 each year. 2130 Richard Arrington, Jr., Blvd. N., 205-458-8181, www.bct123.org. BIRMINGHAM FESTIVAL THEATRE Birmingham Festival Theatre was formed in 1972. Since that time the theatre has provided both seasonal local performers and new aspiring talent to present shows that can be seen in Birmingham only at this theatre. 1901-1/2 11th Ave., South, 205-933-2383, www.bftonline.org PHOTOGRAPH: (TOP RIGHT) JEFFERY GREENBERG;
N OW P LAYI N G
The Alabama Theatre
The Alabama Theatre is a fabulous place to see everything from classic films to a Tom Waits concert. It is one of the grand architectural accomplishments saved from the wrecking-ball fate so many others of that era suffered. Built in 1927, the Alabama was designed by a Chicago firm that specialized in the extravagant movie palaces of the 1920s. The new motion picture house opened on Christmas Day. Silent movies still were the fare of the day, and the films were dramatized through music on the “Mighty Wurlitzer.� The massive pipe organ boasted a sound capacity of a 70-piece orchestra. That same wonderful Wurlitzer still magically rises from underground to accompany classic films or for special performances. Exploring the theatre is entertainment in itself. The building is designed like a Spanish palace with a hodgepodge of motifs from many periods.
Heavy Moorish details with spiraling terra cotta columns greet visitors. Marble columns, bright gold leaf ornamentation and ornate chandeliers decorate the grand lobby. Inside the 3,000-seat auditorium, rich stained glass arches and complex, gilded, plaster ornament ice the walls. The interior is crowned with an elliptical dome of recessed panels. And by all means, make a special trip to the lavish lounges in the theatre. For entertainment schedules, visit www.alabamatheatre.com.
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BIRMINGHAM-JEFFERSON CONVENTION COMPLEX Alabama’s largest convention facility is also the state’s premier venue for entertainment. From touring Broadway shows to big-name music performers, the BJCC has a full schedule of events. The expansive exhibition hall at the complex is often in use for boat shows, bridal fairs and hunting and fishing expos. The 19,000-seat arena hosts world class musical entertainers, along with special events such as Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus
and is known for its crisp acoustics. The more intimate 2,800-seat concert hall is the performance venue for limited seating performances. And the 1,000-seat theater is an ideal setting for theatrical performances where every seat in the house is a good one. 2100 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. No. 205-458-8400, www.bjcc.org CITY EQUITY THEATRE City Equity Theatre is a professional union theatre in Birmingham. In 2009 the theatre moved to Virginia Samford Theatre. City equity Theatre, The Alabama School of Fine Arts, 1800 Reverend Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd., 205-251-1206 EXTEMPORANEOUS THEATRE COMPANY Extemporaneous Theatre Company performs live, improvised entertainment. BIRMINGHAM magazine voted Extemporaneous “Best On-the-Spot Theatre”. 1901-1/2 11th Ave. S., www.extemporaneoustheatre.com
BIRMINGHAM CROSSPLEX For track and field events, the Crossplex has an indoor 200-meter, hydraulically banked Mondotrack SX that is one of only six in the U.S. and eight in the world. Eight 60-meter lanes for dashes and hurdles are located within the infield area of the track with dual horizontal runways for pole vault, long jump and triple jump. The pool in the natatorium has ten 50-meter lanes, ten 25-meter lanes and twenty 25-yard lanes. The grandstands around the pool hold 1,100 spectators. Two 1-meter and two 3-meter springboards are mounted on concrete pedestals for diving competitions. The facility also includes a media room, meeting hall, VIP suites and much more. 2337 Bessemer Road, Birmingham, 205-279-8900
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FIVE POINTS SOUTH AND LAKEVIEW ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS You can people-watch, dance to great live music, and enjoy fantastic fine dining in Five Points South and Lakeview, two of the city’s top entertainment districts. Stroll along the historic treeshaded streets, or stop and admire the artistry of the Frank Fleming fountain sculpture, The Storyteller. Five Points South attracts a young, interesting and eclectic crowd to dine and party. Folks on the other side of young are the primary clientele at wonderful restaurants and bars in Lakeview. 20th St. S. and 11th Ave. S. HIGHWAY 280 CORRIDOR Lined with a huge assortment of clubs and restaurants, the U.S. 280 Corridor is another lively entertainment district. Folks of all ages enjoy dining and live entertainment along this stretch of highway just south of town. HOOVER METROPOLITAN STADIUM Home of the SEC Baseball Tournament and other sporting events. Located south of town
near the Riverchase Galleria. 100 Ben Chapman Drive, 205-444-7732, www.hooveral.org MAGIC CITY ACTORS THEATRE Magic City Actors Theatre showcases the best of local talent both on stage and behind the scenes. Their shows are energetic and diverse, and chosen to appeal to a wide variety of theatergoers. 205-253-9604. Performances are presented at the Virginia Samford Theatre, 1116 26th Street, S., 205-251-1228. OPERA BIRMINGHAM Northern and Central Alabama’s only professional, regional opera company, Opera Birmingham has entertained and informed audiences in the region for over 50 years. From its humble beginnings in 1955 to its 50th anniversary in 2005 and beyond, Opera Birmingham has produced world-class operatic productions and concerts that have been hailed by critics and loved by audiences. 3601 6th Avenue South, 205-322-6737 REGIONS FIELD The Birmingham Baron’s new home located near the heart of the city. The ballpark is the future home of the Negro League Museum. Between 14th and 16th and First and Third Avenue S. 205-988-3200. PHOTOGRAPH: (TOP RIGHT) JEFFERY GREENBERG; (TOP LEFT) GEOFF BURKE
VERIZON WIRELESS MUSIC CENTER Each year between April and October, some of the world’s top musicians perform in the beautiful outdoor arena. Fee: Varies with each performance. Highway 119 exit off I-65, 1000 Amphitheatre Road, 205-985-4900. www.verizonwirelessmusiccenter.net RED MOUNTAIN THEATRE COMPANY Red Mountain Theatre Company is a nonprofit professional theatre organization with an emphasis on musical theatre. RMTC provides unique educational, training and performing opportunities for aspiring and culturally diverse artists, while growing new and existing audiences through quality theatrical experiences. For almost 30 years, Red Mountain Theatre Company (formerly Summerfest Musical Theatre) has grown to become one of the only year-round professional musical theatre organizations in Alabama. With its own unique Cabaret Theatre located right in the heart of downtown Birmingham’s Theatre District and summer Mainstage productions performed at the Virginia Samford Theatre (formerly Town and Gown), Red Mountain Theatre Company continues to bring both well-known national 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 6 7
performers and incredible local talent to the Birmingham stage. Red Mountain Theatre Company, 2900 1st Ave. South, Suite A, Birmingham, AL 35233-3033. For more information call 205324-2424 or visit www.redmountaintheatre.org TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY Talladega Superspeedway is the biggest, fastest, most competitive motorsports facility in the world. Records for both speed and competition have been established at Talladega. Two major races during the year draw thousands of fans from across the country for the heartthumping action on the track. Adjacent to the track is the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum. Admission charged. 3366 Speedway Boulevard, 256-362-2261, www.talladegasuperspeedway.com TERRIFIC NEW THEATRE One of Birmingham’s favorite live performance theatres for the unexpected, Terrific New Theatre turns 26 this year. 2821 2nd Avenue South, 205-328-0868, www.terrificnewtheatre.com VIRGINIA SAMFORD THEATRE The Virginia Samford Theatre is a very special facility for events. The charming historic theater with its park side setting is located on Birmingham’s southside and has a lovely outdoor courtyard. The entire complex can accommodate up to 400 guests. The Board Room can seat 22 people for a small meeting. Catering can be provided by the Theatre’s list of chefs. The Theatre auditorium can seat 323. Their website is a good resource for information and has photos of the facility. 1116 26th Street South, 205-251-1228, www.virginiasamfordtheatre.org WORKPLAY Inspired by the simple formula of work + play, WorkPlay is one of the premier entertainment complexes in the Southeast. Originally intended as a brick and mortar oasis for all things creative, WorkPlay has blossomed into a true multifunctional facility for entertainment, music and productions of all kinds. 500 23rd St S, Birmingham, AL 35233, 205-380-4082, www.workplay.com 68 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
Taking Birmingham Home With You Visitors can find a very good selection of Birmingham and Alabama souvenirs if they just know where to look. From postcards to Vulcan statuettes, gift shops around the city have special souvenirs to remind travelers of their visits here. A large selection of Birmingham items can be found at The Birmingham Shop, located in the main office of the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau at 2200 Ninth Avenue North. The shop’s inventory includes Birmingham mugs, glasses, watches, t-shirts, the enormously popular Vulcan sterling silver charm and wine cork, along with Birmingham stories on CD. The gift shop at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark is one of the city’s most interesting. Along with postcards and t-shirts bearing the likeness of this great industrial facility, the Sloss shop carries hand-wrought works of metal art by local blacksmiths. Also in stock is a wonderful and inexpensive little book telling the story of The Ghost in the Sloss Furnaces. Nearby Vulcan Park and Museum carries a wide selection of Birmingham souvenirs, including many that are themed after the Iron Man himself.
Downtown at the Birmingham Museum of Art, people linger over handmade jewelry, pottery, art books and all sorts of interesting items that make this one of the best gift shops in town. The gift shop at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens has an upscale line of souvenirs and garden-related gifts such as needlepoint pillows, elegant stationery and note cards with botanical themes, and other real treasures. Across the street from the gardens, the Birmingham Zoo offers a good selection of souvenirs in a good range of prices, from economical rubber alligators to more expensive but beautiful stuffed toy animals. The Zoo shop also carries handsomely screened t-shirts of featured exhibits. A small souvenir shop at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute offers a growing selection of merchandise. Also check the larger area hotel gift shops for Birmingham t-shirts and other souvenirs. For more information on souvenir buying in Birmingham, call the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800/4588085. For souvenirs from The Birmingham Shop, visit www.inbirmingham.com and click on Birmingham Shop under Quick Links.
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A GUIDE TOKICKER BIRMINGHAM TEXT DINING
WHERE TO DINE HEADLINE
70 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
PHOTO: BIGSWEDEFOOD.NET
DINING Downtown Dining
Few cities can claim a better cluster of topnotch dining rooms than in downtown Birmingham where they are all practically within walking distance of each other. Here are just a few: HIGHLANDS BAR & GRILL – Probably the best known dining establishment in the state---if not the Southeast---Highlands sets the standard for many of the best restaurants in the region. To know Highlands, you first must know about owner and Chef Frank Stitt, III. Stitt’s love of cooking with fresh southern ingredients comes from his rural raising in Cullman, Alabama. An avid traveler, Stitt’s trips through the French countryside in Provence and Burgundy led him to the unusual blending of Southern favorites with French sauces and braises, creating elegant balance with superb flavor. Sample Entree: Grilled Venison with Muscadines, Grilled Grits and Bourbon CHEZ FONFON – This casual French Bistro, just next door to Highlands, is also owned by Chef Stitt. The bustling café focuses on provincial food and wine. The country pâté and moules are musts for those wanting a true taste of French dining. Just off the rustic patio, patrons so inclined can play boules. Sample La Petite Cuisine: Country Pâté with Pork, Ham, Foie Gras and Pistachios BOTTEGA CAFÉ – The third in Stitt’s trio of restaurants, Bottega is a casual trattoria just about four blocks from Highlands and Chez Fonfon. The seasonal menu at Bottega includes naturally-raised meats and fresh organic vegetables. The café’s wood-fired oven turns out perfect pizzas and flatbreads. Bottega’s patio is one of the most popular places in town to dine. Sample Entree: Roast Pork Loin with Polenta, Tomato Chutney Aioli and Venetian Spinach HOT & HOT FISH CLUB – Though the notoriety may not be as great as Highlands, the food is. Chef Chris Hastings specializes in and excels at memorable dining. Diners along the sweeping limestone chef ’s counter have front row seats to the energetic, detailed preparation of the cuisine. Located in the intimate setting of a historic Southside building, Hot & Hot also adheres to the philosophy of using fresh ingredients from local providers. Sample Appetizer:
Heirloom Cauliflower Gratin with Local Chestnuts, Bread Crumbs and Truffle Oil VERANDA ON HIGHLAND – Just across the narrow street is Veranda, where love of food is apparent in every detail. Inventive combinations here are paired with gracious service for an experience to savor. Talented chefs combine traditional Southern food with flavors of New Orleans and the Caribbean. Sunday brunch here is a local favorite. Sample Brunch Entrée: House-made Boudin with Poached Eggs, Bacon Braised Onions and Andouille Tomato Country Gravy CAFÉ DUPONT – Part of the charm of this café is its setting in an 1870s renovated store in the heart of downtown. The dining room’s exposed brick, high ceilings and original floors reflect the building’s history. Chef/Owner Chris Dupont, like others, relies on locally grown produce for preparing top quality cuisine. Signature Dishes: Fried Oysters & Okra with Cayenne Butter Sauce, Seared Sea Scallops with Goat Cheese Soufflé, and Classic Beignets with Homegrown Strawberry Preserves. JOHN’S CITY DINER – This downtown landmark attracts a crowd of patrons from surrounding offices for the noon meal. While the restaurant maintains much of its historic charm, a new menu reflects the growing sophistication of a food savvy community. Recommended menu items: Home-style Meatloaf, Not-Your-Mama’s Macaroni and Cheese, Fire-roasted Corn Grits, John’s Slaw 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 7 1
DINING
CAFÉ DE PARIS – The historic Lakeview District adjoins downtown, and in it visitors will find several very good restaurants. Among the very good is Café de Paris. Owners/Chefs Serge Pambo and Jean Evens Estinfort have extensive restaurant experience from years of studying and operating restaurants in France. Authentic French cuisine at a reasonable price is a trademark of this dining room. Sample Dinner Entrée: Café de Paris Veal Scaloppini with Mushroom Sauce THE FISH MARKET – A must-visit for the avid seafood diner, The Fish Market is abustle with patrons who enjoy the busy atmosphere as well the Greek-influenced fresh seafood. Sample Dinner Menu: Athenian Snapper, Greek Salad with Feta, Homemade Hush Puppies, Beer or Wine OCEAN – Sea scallops, halibut, grouper, tuna, salmon, sushi, lobster, fresh oysters on the half shell---all the very best and freshest of seafood is what Ocean offers diners at this casually sophisticated establishment. The restaurant is particularly well known for its extensive selection of fresh oysters and for its unusually good 72 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
sushi. Sample Sushi Selection: Spicy Hawaiian Tuna, Red Pepper, Sambal, Cucumber, Macadamia Nut, Toasted Coconut 26 (TWENTY-SIX) – Next door to Ocean is its sassy little sister, 26. With an industrial chic décor, this bustling bistro is fronted by garage doors that roll up to open the entire face of the restaurant. 26 is another favorite with the young business crowd at lunch and also is a popular spot for a late night dining. Sample Dinner Entrée: Wood-oven Seared Grouper, Jalapeno White Cheddar Grit Cake, Corn Maque Choux, Sautéed Spinach, Tasso Ham Roasted Garlic Cream BRICK & TIN – This new establishment in the heart of downtown is an independently owned and operated sandwich shop that brings the artistry of fine dining to an informal setting. Sample menu items: Brisket on Fresh Baked Bread; Homemade Chicken Soup; Field Peas, Sweet Corn, and Cucumber Salad These dining rooms are just a handful of the many excellent restaurants in the downtown area. Check the corner nearest you; you’ll likely find another…. PHOTO: (TOP LEFT) BIGSWEDEFOOD.NET
DINING
Birmingham Area Dining Listings Southside and Downtown 26
1210 20th St. S., Birmingham 205-918-0726, www.twentysix26.com 808 SOUTH - A BISTRO
808 20th St. S., Birmingham 205-933-9000 AL’S DELI & GRILL
1629 10th Ave S., Birmingham 205-939-4278, www.alsdeliandgrill.com ATRIUM CAFÉ IN SHERATON HOTEL
2101 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd, Birmingham, 205-307-3005 AVERY’S CAFE
1901 6th Ave. N., Birmingham 205-250-9907 BAYOU DELI
323 20th St N., Birmingham 205-327-2300 BECKY’S DELI
4101 3rd Avenue S., Birmingham 205-592-0966 BETTOLA
2901 2nd Ave. S., Ste. 150, Birmingham 205-731-6499 www.bettolarestaurant.com BOGUE’S
3120 Clairmont Ave, Suite 110, Birmingham, 205-254-9780 BOTTEGA ITALIAN RESTAURANT AND CAFE’
2240 Highland Ave. S., Birmingham 205-939-1000 www.bottegarestaurant.com BOTTLETREE CAFE
3719 3rd Ave. S., Birmingham 205-533-6288, www.thebottletree.com BRICK & TIN RESTAURANT
CANTINA TORTILLA GRILL
2901 2nd Ave. S., Ste. 110, Birmingham 205-323-6980, cantinatortillagrill.com CARLILE’S BARBECUE
3511 6th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-254-9266, www.carlilesbbq.com CASEY’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL
2101 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd., Birmingham, 205-307-3050 CENTURY RESTAURANT
and Bar at the Tutwiler 2021 Park Place N., Birmingham 205-458-9611 CHAN LEE’S
1901 6th Avenue N, Suite 256 Birmingham, 205-252-2426 CHASER’S SPORTS BAR
815 24th Street N, Birmingham 205-324-2425 CHEZ FONFON
2007 11th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-939-3221, www.fonfonbham.com CHINA MOON
3312 Clairmont Ave. S., Birmingham 205-324-2332 CHRIS Z’S
2808 University Blvd., Birmingham 205-458-1007 COSMO’S 5 PTS PIZZA
2012 Magnolia Ave. S., Ste. R-3, Birmingham, 205-930-9971 www.cosmossouthside.com COURTYARD OYSTER BAR & GRILL SOUTHSIDE
2015 Highland Ave. S., Birmingham 205-558-4995 CULINARD CAFE AT INNOVATION DEPOT
EL BARRIO MEXICAN RESTAURANT
2211 2nd Avenue N., Birmingham 205-868-3737 www.elbarriobirmingham.com FISH MARKET RESTAURANT
612 22nd St. S., Birmingham 205-322-3330, www.thefishmarket.net FIVE
744 29th Street South, Birmingham 205-868-3841 FORMAGGIO’S ITALIAN BISTRO
1713 10th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-933-7555 www.myspace.com/formaggios FUEGO CANTINA
1101 20th St. S., Birmingham 205-933-1544 www.fuegobirmingham.com FULL MOON BAR-B-QUE - SOUTHSIDE
525 25th St. S., Birmingham 205-324-1007, www.fullmoonbbq.com GABLE SQUARE SALOON & GAMES
803 9th Court S., Birmingham 205-251-0960 www.myspace.com/gablesquaresaloon GABRIELLA’S RESTAURANT
317 17th St. N., Birmingham 205-983-7249
GARAGE CAFE & ANTIQUES
2304 10th Terrace S., Birmingham 205-322-3220 GIUSEPPE’S CAFE AND EXPRESSO BAR
925 8th St. S., Birmingham 205-324-2626
GOLDEN RULE BARBECUE HARBERT PLAZA
1901 6th Ave. N. Ste. 263, Birmingham 205-801-9600 www.goldenrulebbq.com
214 20th St. N., Birmingham 205-297-8636, www.brickandtin.com
1500 First Ave. N., Birmingham 205-314-3456, www.culinardcafe.com
CAFE DE PARIS
DAWSON’S BURGERS, WINGS & FRIES
2801 7th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-202-4024, www.cafedeparis.us
1617 4th Ave N, Birmingham 205-324-3342
1901 11th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-933-6333 www.goldentemplehealthfoods.com
CAFE DUPONT
DREAMLAND BAR-B-QUE
GREEN ACRES CAFE
113 20th St. N., Birmingham 205- 322-1282, www.cafedupont.net
1427 14th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-933-2133, www.dreamlandbbq.com
GOLDEN TEMPLE GROCERY, CAFE AND YOGA CENTER
1705 4th Ave. N., Birmingham 205-251-3875, www.greenacres-cafe.com
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DINING MAGIC CITY GRILLE
2201 3rd Ave. N., Birmingham 205-251-6500 MAGIC WOK
401 19th St. S., Birmingham 205-327-5000 MAKARIOS KABOBS & GRILL
940 20th St. S., Birmingham 205-731-7414 MARILYN’S DELI & DOGS
715 18th St N, Birmingham 205-324-3354 MATTHEW’S BAR & GRILL
2208 Morris Ave., Birmingham 205-862-6261 MELLOW MUSHROOM
1200 20th St. S., Ste. 100, Birmingham 205-212-9420 www.mellowmushroom.com METROPRIME STEAKHOUSE
1035 20th Street S., Birmingham 205-623-5288, metroprimesteak.com or opentable.com MILO’S HAMBURGERS - DOWNTOWN HARBERT PLAZA GUS’S HOT DOGS
1915 4th Ave. N., Birmingham 205-251-4540 HIGHLANDS BAR & GRILL
2011 11th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-939-1400 www.highlandsbarandgrill.com HOMECOMING COFFEE & GIFT SHOP
312 16th Street North, Birmingham 205-202-4088 HOT & HOT FISH CLUB
2180 11th Court S., Birmingham 205-933-5474 www.hotandhotfishclub.com JIM ‘N NICK’S BAR B Q -
Five Points South 1908 11th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-320-1060, www.jimnnicks.com JOHN’S CITY DINER
KELLEY’S NEIGHBORHOOD SPORTS GRILL
720 29th St. S., Birmingham 205-323-9786 LA COCINA
2111 7th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-252-7626 LITTLE SAVANNAH
3811 Clairmont Ave. S., Birmingham 205-591-1119, www.littlesavannah.net LOS AMIGOS MEXICAN RESTAURANT
3324 Clairmont Ave. S., Birmingham 205-324-5896 www.losamigosmexican.com LUCY’S COFFEE & TEA
2007 University Blvd., Birmingham 205-328-2007
1901 6th Ave. N., Ste. 270, Birmingham 205-326-6456 www.miloshamburgers.com MILO’S HAMBURGERS - SOUTHSIDE
401 19th St. S., Ste. 130, Birmingham 205-322-6456 www.miloshamburgers.com MIX BAKERY & CAFÉ
1820 4th Ave North, Downtown Birmingham, 205-323-4110 MOE’S ORIGINAL BBQ
731 29th St. S., Birmingham 205-252-5888 www.moesoriginalbbq.com MOE’S ORIGINAL BBQ & BLUES REVUE
2025 3rd Ave. N., Ste. 104, Birmingham 205-250-6333 www.moesoriginalbbq.com MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL – UAB
112 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd. N., Birmingham, 205-322-6014 www.johnscitydiner.com
LYRIC HOT DOGS & GRILL
1808 3rd Ave. N., Birmingham 205-251-9952
1801 4th Avenue S, Suite 109, Birmingham, 205-250-6355 www.moes.com
KAIROS KAFE & CATERING
M & M BARBECUE & CAFETERIA
NELSON BROTHERS CAFE
515 University Blvd., Birmingham 205-919-1934, www.kairoskatering.com 74 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
3921 First Ave. N., Birmingham 205-592-9941
314 17th St. N., Birmingham 205-254-9098
PHOTO: (TOP) BIGSWEDEFOOD.NET
DINING NEW CHINA TOWN RESTAURANT
1020 20th St. S., Birmingham 205-251-2373
NEW YORK STYLE DELICATESSEN
121 20th St. N., Birmingham 205-250-7878 NEWK’S EXPRESS CAFE
611 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd. S., Birmingham, 205-323-0992 www.newkscafe.com NIKI’S DOWNTOWN CAFE
1101 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham 205-251-1972 OCEAN
1218 20th St. S., Birmingham 205-933-0999 www.oceanbirmingham.com O’HENRY’S COFFEES - REGIONS/ HARBERT TOWER
1901 6th Ave. N., Ste. 295, Birmingham 205-323-1198, www.ohenryscoffee.com
ON TAP SPORTS CAFE - LAKEVIEW
737 29th St. S., Birmingham 205-320-1225 www.ontapsportscafe.com
PITA LOCO
2000 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham 205-252-4899 PITA STOP CAFE BAR & GRILL
ORIGINAL GREEN ACRES CAFÉ
2724 29th Ave N, Birmingham 205-328-8099
1106 12th St. S., Birmingham 205-328-2749 www.thepitastop.com
ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE
PLANET SMOOTHIE - BIRMINGHAM
1931 11th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-933-8837 OSCAR’S AT THE MUSEUM
2000 Rev Abraham Woods Jr Blvd., Birmingham, 205-254-2755 PARAMOUNT YOGURT SHOP
1901 6th Ave. N., Birmingham 205-328-4791 www.planetsmoothie.com
PURPLE ONION DELI & GRILL SOUTHSIDE
1717 10th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-933-7555
200 20th St. N, Birmingham 205-909-0312 paramountbham.com
RANELLI’S DELI & CAFE
PIT BAR-B-Q THE NUMBER ONE
REDMONT CAFE
1225 20th St. S. Birmingham 205-933-6983, www.ranellisdeli.com
2820 10th Ave. N., Birmingham 205-328-1515
2101 5th Ave. N., Birmingham 205-324-2101
EXPERIENCE A SLICE OF BIRMINGHAM
Join the Slice family for our city’s best pizza and brew.
Slice Stone Pizza & Brew 725 29th Street South (205) 715-9300 www.slicebirmingham.com
EAT LOCAL. DRINK LOCAL. BE LOCAL. 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 7 5
DINING
RIB IT UP
830 1st Ave. N., Birmingham 205-328-7427 ROCKY’S PIZZA & SUBS
715 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd., Birmingham, 205-252-8282 www.rockyspizza.net ROGUE TAVERN
2312 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham 205-202-4151, www.roguetavern.com ROJO
2921 Highland Ave. S., Birmingham 205-328-4733 www.birminghammenus.com/rojo/ SARRIS RESTAURANT
600 31st St. N., Birmingham 205-252-7357 SAW’S SOUL KITCHEN
215 41st St. S., Birmingham 205-591-1409 SILVERTRON CAFE
3813 Clairmont Ave. S., Birmingham 205-591-3707, www.silvertroncafe.us SINBAD’S AMERICAN AND MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT
401 19th St. S., Ste. 100, Birmingham 205-714-9991 SITAR INDIAN RESTAURANT
705 20th St. S., Birmingham 205-323-6500 SLICE PIZZA & BREW
724 29th St. S., Birmingham 205-715-9300 www.slicebirmingham.com 76 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
SOL Y LUNA
THE RED CAT COFFEEHOUSE
SOL’S SANDWICH SHOP & DELI
THE WINE LOFT
2801 7th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-322-1186, www.birminghammenus. com/solyluna/ 2 20th Street N, Suite 120, Birmingham 205-244-7657 SUBWAY
2105 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N., Birmingham, 205-397-7827 SURIN THAI BOWL & SUSHI BAR
2100 Third Ave. N., Ste. 100, Birmingham, 205-297-0996 SURIN WEST
1918 11th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-324-1928, www.surinwest.com SWEET TEA RESTAURANT
2205 3rd Avenue S, Birmingham 205-745-3990 www.sweettearestaurant.com TAJ INDIA
2226 Highland Ave. S., Birmingham 205-939-3805, www.tajindia.net TED’S CAFETERIA RESTAURANT
328 12th St. S., Birmingham 205-324-2911, www.tedsbirmingham.com THE J. CLYDE
1312 Cobb Lane, Birmingham 205-939-1312, www.jclyde.com
2901 2nd Ave. S., Ste. 120, Birmingham 205-616-8450 www.redcatcoffeehouse.com 2200 1st Ave. N., Birmingham 205-323-8228 www.wineloftbirmingham.com TIN ROOF
2709 7th Avenue S, Birmingham 205-323-4356, www.tinroof.com/ home/birmingham TRADITIONS
1909 Park Place, Birmingham 205-327-7999 TRATTORIA CENTRALE
207A 20th St. N., Birmingham 205-202-5612 www.trattoriacentrale.com URBAN STANDARD
2320 Second Ave. N., Birmingham 205-250-8200 www.urbanstandard.net V. RICHARD’S MARKET & CAFE
3916 Clairmont Ave. S., Birmingham 205-591-7000, www.vrichards.net VERANDA ON HIGHLAND
2220 Highland Ave. S., Birmingham 205-939-5551 www.verandaonhighland.com
PHOTO: (TOP RIGHT) BIGSWEDEFOOD.NET
DINING YEHMAN CARRIBBEAN CUISINE
CHINA ONE
ZEN YOGURT & SMOOTHIES
CHOCOLATE BISCUIT TEA ROOM
1801 5th Ave. S., Ste. 115, Birmingham 205-701-1161, www.zen-yogurt.com
335 Main St., Trussville 205-655-0119
ZOE’S KITCHEN - DOWNTOWN
COSTA’S MEDITERRANEAN CAFE
1623 4th Avenue N, Birmingham 205-323-3120
1819 5th Ave. N., Birmingham 205-252-5200, www.zoeskitchen.com
Fultondale, Gardendale, Northwest, Trussville CAFE ON MAIN
218 Main St., Ste. 110, Trussville 205-655-0330 www.cafeonmainfood.com CAJUN STEAMER BAR AND GRILL
5071 Pinnacle Square, Trussville 205-655-6008, www.cajunsteamer.com
357 Walker Chapel Plaza, Fultondale 205-849-9111
5891 Trussville Crossings Pkwy., Birmingham, 205-655-9779 EL CAZADOR
1930 Edwards Lake Rd., Birmingham 205-661-0904 EZELL’S CATFISH CABIN
GOLDEN RULE BARBECUE TRUSSVILLE
120 South Chalkville Rd., Trussville 205-655-4849 www.goldenrulebbq.com GYROS CAFÉ
5614 Chalkville Rd, Trussville 205-856-2424 HABANERO’S MEXICAN GRILLGARDENDALE
835 Odum Rd., Ste. 115, Gardendale, 205-608-2168 HABANERO’S MEXICAN GRILL – TRUSSVILLE
5961 Chalkville Mountain Lane, Trussville, 205-655-8006
1477 Gadsden Hwy, #126, Trussville 205-655-7380
FRONTERA GRILL MEXICAN CUISINE
JALISCO MEXICAN RESTAURANTE
5974 Chalkville Rd., Birmingham 205-661-3318
325 Walker Chapel Plaza, Fultondale 205-849-2137
FULTONDALE BAKERY
JIM N NICK’S BAR B Q - GARDENDALE
1214 Decatur Hwy, Ste 112, Fultondale 205-808-4431
915 Odum Rd., Gardendale 205-608-3315, www.jimnnicks.com
DINING JIM N NICK’S BAR B Q - TRUSSVILLE
1660 Gadsden Hwy., Birmingham 205-661-3100, www.jimnnicks.com JOEL’S RESTAURANT
312 Main St., Trussville, 205-655-8248
MILO’S HAMBURGERS - ROEBUCK
5899 Trussville Crossing Pkwy, Suite 105, Trussville, 205-661-1668
MILO’S HAMBURGERS - TRUSSVILLE
2516 Walker Chapel Rd., Fultondale 205-849-5122
5870 Trussville Crossings Blvd., Birmingham, 205-661-1821
5887 Trussville Crossing Pkwy., Birmingham, 205-661-2100 www.miloshamburgers.com
LEE GARDEN CHINESE RESTAURANT
MING’S GARDEN
MILO’S HAMBURGERS - FORESTDALE
MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL – TRUSSVILLE
KONOMI
1423 Gadsden Hwy, Ste. 111, Trussville 205-655-1138
1046 Main St., Gardendale, 205-631-7746
1120 Forestdale Blvd., Forestdale 205-798-6363 www.miloshamburgers.com
5870 Trussville Crossing Blvd, Ste. 102, Trussville, 205-655-9669 www.moes.com
MILO’S HAMBURGERS - GARDENDALE
NEIGHBORHOOD SPORTS GRILLE
604 Fieldstown Rd., Gardendale 205-608-0050 www.miloshamburgers.com
PALACE CHINESE RESTAURANT
209 Gadsden Hwy., Birmingham 205-833-6363 www.miloshamburgers.com
1423 Gadsden Hwy, Ste. 131, Trussville 205-655-1018 www.neighborhoodsportsgrille.com
PORKY’S PRIDE SMOKE HOUSE
RED LANTERN CHINESE RESTAURANT
311 Main St., Trussville, 205-655-0736 ROCK N ROLL SUSHI
5078 Pinnacle Square, Ste. 105, Trussville, 205-655-6040 www.rockandrollsushibar.com SAL’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT
256 Gadsden Hwy., Birmingham 205-833-9272 SHERRY’S CAFÉ CATERING CAKES
5800 Valley Rd, Ste. 110, Trussville 205-655-5260, FAX 205-655-5259 www.sherrysfloralandcatering.com
Airport, Centerpoint, Eastwood, Irondale, Leeds COSTA’S FAMOUS BAR-B-QUE HUFFMAN CENTERPOINT
613 Springville Rd., Birmingham 205-853-9933, www.costasfamous.com CRESTWOOD COFFEE COMPANY
5512 Crestwood Blvd., Birmingham 205-595-0300 www.myspace.com/crestwoodcoffee EL CAZADOR MEXICAN GRILL
1540 Montclair Rd., Birmingham 205-951-1205 GOLDEN RULE BARBECUE IRONDALE
2504 Crestwood Blvd., Irondale 205-956-2678, www.goldenrulebbq.com GOLDEN RULE BARBECUE PINSON
4437 Pinson Valley Pkwy., Birmingham 205-520-0502, www.goldenrulebbq.com GUS’S HOT DOGS
5415 Beacon Drive, Suite 139, Irondale 205-956-6622 HACIENDA MEXICAN GRILL
1676 Montclair Rd., Birmingham 205-956-2550 www.haciendamexicangrill.com HAMBURGER HEAVEN
1703 Crestwood Blvd., Birmingham 205-951-3570
78 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
PHOTOGRAPH: (OPPOSITE PAGE) EARTHBORN STUDIO
DINING MAGNOLIA GRILLE RESTAURANT
SAMMY’S OLD FASHIONED HOT DOGS
MILO’S HAMBURGERS - EASTWOOD
SAMMY’S SANDWICH SHOP
5320 Beacon Dr, Rime Garden Inn, Irondale, 205-951-1250 or 951-1223 1530 Montclair Rd., Birmingham 205-951-2889 www.miloshamburgers.com MUNOZ MEXICAN GRILL
6662 Hwy. 75, Ste. 209, Pinson 205-681-6992 NEW CHINA BUFFET IRONDALE CAFE, THE ORIGINAL WHISTLESTOP CAFE
1906 1st Ave. N., Irondale 205-956-5258, www.irondalecafe.com KEN’S HICKORY PIT BARBECUE
7307 Crestwood Blvd, Birmingham 205-599-5558 NEW CHINA WAY RESTAURANT
5220 Oporto-Madrid Blvd S, Birmingham, 205-595-5300
7883 Crestwood Blvd, Irondale 205-956-4364
4921 Messer Airport Hwy., Birmingham 205-591-1462 SHANGRI-LA RESTAURANT
4500 Montevallo Rd., Ste. B103, Birmingham, 205-951-3168 SHERRY’S EASTGATE CAFE
1603 Center Point Pkwy., Birmingham 205-853-0029 STEEL CITY BAR & GRILL
5000 10th Ave. N., Birmingham 205-591-6900 THREE OAKS DELI
4817 Pinson Valley Pkwy., Birmingham 205-853-6488
OLD SMOKEY BAR-B-Q
7323 Pkwy. Dr., Leeds, 205-699-7904
4500 Montevallo Rd., Ste. E105, Birmingham, 205-951-0109
KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUTS
ROADSIDE BAR B Q RIBS & CHICKEN
VILLA FIESTA MEXICAN RESTAURANT
8601 First Ave. N., Birmingham 205-836-3251
7303 1st Ave. N., Birmingham 205-833-9616
The True Flavor of Gulf Coast Tradition
7950 Crestwood Blvd, Irondale 205-956-3607
Taste • Laugh • Live
Lunch • Dinner • Happy Hour • Private & Semi Private Dining Landrysseafood.com • Facebook.com / LandrysSeafood 139 State Farm Pkwy. Birmingham, AL 35209 • 205.916.0777
DINING CHOP SUEY INN – INVERNESS
5511 Highway 280, Suite 113, Birmingham, 205-995-4007
CHURCH STREET COFFEE & BOOKS
81 Church Street, Suite 106-107, Birmingham, 205-870-1117 www.churchstreetshop.com CHUY’S RESTAURANT
216 Summit Blvd, Ste. 135, Birmingham 205-977-4224, www.chuys.com COCINA SUPERIOR
587 Brookwood Village, Birmingham 205-259-1980 www.thecocinasuperior.com COSTA’S FAMOUS BAR-B-QUE WILDWOOD
215 Lakeshore Pkwy., Homewood 205-263-0145 COURTYARD 280 OYSTER BAR & GRILL
Homewood, Mountain Brook, Inverness 32 DEGREES, A YOGURT BAR
BLACK JACK GRILL
2409 Acton Rd, Suite 129, Birmingham 205-824-5208 www.blackjacksteaks.com
4643 Hwy. 280, Ste. M, Birmingham 205-980-9891 CRAPE MYRTLE’S CAFE
2721 18th St. S., Homewood 205-879-7891
229 Country Club Pk, Suite 229, Mountain Brook 205-871-7328 www.facebook.com/32degreesyogurt
BLACK PEARL ASIAN CUISINE
ACAPULCO BAR AND GRILL
430 Green Springs Hwy., Birmingham 205-941-1183
68 Church St., Ste. A, Birmingham 205-879-5947 www.bongiornoitalianrestaurant.com
CRESTLINE BAGEL AND PIZZA
AMORE RISTORANTE ITALIANO
BRIO TUSCAN GRILLE
DALE’S SOUTHERN GRILL
5510 Hwy. 280, Ste. 116, Birmingham 205-437-1005, www.letsamore.com ANOTHER BROKEN EGG CAFE
3419 Colonnade Pkwy. Ste. 600, Birmingham, 205-262-9888 BONGIORNO ITALIAN RESTAURANT
591 Brookwood Village, Birmingham 205-879-9177, www.brioitalian.com
2418 Montevallo Rd., Birmingham 205-871-7849 www.anotherbrokenegg.com
CARRABBA’S ITALIAN GRILL
AUSTIE’S DELI
CHEN EXPRESS
3800 Colonnade Pkwy., Ste. 120, Birmingham, 205-969-1046
221 Country Club Park, Birmingham 205-871-7588
AVO
CHEZ LULU/CONTINENTAL BAKERY
2721 Cahaba Rd., Mountain Brook 205-871-8212, www.avorestaurant.com BELLINI’S RISTORANTE
6801 Cahaba Valley Rd., Hoover 205-981-5380, www.ourbellinis.com BILLY’S SPORTS GRILL
2012 Cahaba Rd., Mountain Brook 205-879-2238 www.billysbarandgrill.com 80 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
4503 Riverview Pkwy., Birmingham 205-980-1016, www.carrabbas.com
CRAZY CAJUNS’ BOILING POT
125 Inverness Plaza, Birmingham 205-408-0630 66 Church St. Ste. B, Birmingham 205-871-4583 5479 Hwy 280, Birmingham 205-408-8888 www.dalessoutherngrills.com DANIEL GEORGE
2837 Culver Rd., Mountain Brook 205-871-3266 www.danielgeorgerestaurant.com DAVENPORT’S PIZZA PALACE
2837 Cahaba Rd., Mountain Brook 205-879-8603
1911 Cahaba Rd., Mountain Brook 205-870-7011, www.continentalbakery andchezlulu.com
DAVE’S PIZZA
CHICAGO MIKE’S HOT DOGS
DEMETRI’S BAR-B-Q
2701 18th Street S, Homewood 205-868-4728 CHOP SUEY INN
813 Green Springs Hwy., Ste. F, Homewood, 205-942-9782
1819 29th Ave. S., Homewood 205-871-3283 1901 28th Ave. S., Homewood 205-871-1581, www.demetrisbbq.com DEVINCI’S PIZZA
2707 18th St. S., Homewood 205-879-1455
DINING DISH’N IT OUT
1113 Dunston Ave, Birmingham 205-871-5444, www.dishnitout.com DODIYOS
1831 28th Ave. S., Ste. 110, Homewood 205-453-9300, www.dodiyos.com DON PEPE MEXICAN GRILL
230 Doug Baker Blvd, Suite 300, Inverness, 205-408-3880 DYRON’S LOWCOUNTRY
121 Oak St., Birmingham 205-834-8257 www.dyronslowcountry.com EDGAR’S OLD STYLE BAKERY
3407 Colonnade Pkwy, Birmingham 205-968-4031, www.edgarsbakery.com EDGEWOOD CREAMERY
936 Oxmoor Rd., Homewood 205-874-1999
GEORGES LEBANESE & AMERICAN CUISINE
44 Green Springs Hwy., Homewood, 205-942-1962 www.georgeslebanese.com GIANMARCO’S
721 Broadway St., Homewood 205-871-9622 GILCHRIST DRUG COMPANY
2805 Cahaba Rd., Birmingham 205-871-2181 GINZA SUSHI & KOREAN BBQ
5291 Valleydale Rd., Ste. 101, Hoover 205-981-1616 GUS’S HOT DOGS – CRESTLINE VILLAGE
71 Church Street, Mountain Brook 205-871-3938 HAMBURGER HEAVEN
328 Valley Ave, Homewood 205-945-4900
5303 Hwy. 280, Birmingham 205-981-6402 www.hamburgerheavenrestaurant.com
FISH MARKET RESTAURANT
HAMBURGER HEAVEN
EL SOL CANTINA & TAQUERIA
HOMEWOOD DINER
162 Oxmoor Rd., Homewood 205-941-9444 http://homewooddiner.blogspot.com HOMEWOOD GOURMET
1919 28th Ave S, #103, Homewood 205-871-1620 HUNAN CUISINE CHINESE RESTAURANT
5407 Hwy. 280, Birmingham 205-980-8600 www.fishmarketrestaurant.com
180 Oxmoor Blvd, Homewood 205-941-1668
5510 Hwy. 280 S., Ste. 113-114, Birmingham, 205-437-1000 www.hunancuisinebham.com
HOGAN’S IRISH PUB & GRILL
507 Cahaba Park Circle, Ste. B, Birmingham, 205-995-0533
HUNAN WOK
FLAT TOP STIR-FRY GRILL
250 Summit Blvd, Ste. 100, Birmingham 205-994-3113, www.flattopgrill.com
429 Green Springs Hwy., Ste. 121, Homewood, 205-941-9808
FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE AND WINE BAR
103 Summit Blvd., Birmingham 205-262-9463 www.flemingssteakhouse.com
FLIP MODERN BURGER BOUTIQUE
220 Summit Blvd., Ste. 140, Birmingham 205-968-2000 www.flipburgerboutique.com FRESH MARKET
4740 Hwy. 280, #6, Birmingham 205-991-0294, www.freshmarket.com FULL MOON BAR-B-QUE HOMEWOOD
337 Valley Ave., Homewood 205-945-9997 FULL MOON BAR-B-QUE - HWY. 280
4635 Hwy. 280 S., Birmingham 205-991-7328, www.fullmoonbbq.com GARDENS CAFE
2612 Lane Park Rd., Birmingham 205-871-1000 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 8 1
DINING KOBE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI BAR
3501 Grandview Pkwy, Birmingham 205-298-0200, www.ekobe.com KOSHER CAFE
4673 Hwy. 280, Birmingham 205-980-8266, http://intercoups. com/menu/ixtapa/ JACKSON’S BAR & BISTRO
1831 28th Ave. S., Ste. 175, Homewood 205-870-9669 JIM N NICK’S BAR B Q - GREYSTONE
2831 Greystone Commercial Blvd., Birmingham, 205-991-1306 www.jimnnicks.com
JIM N NICK’S BAR B Q - HOMEWOOD
220 Oxmoor Rd., Homewood 205-942-3336, www.jimnnicks.com JINSEI SUSHI BAR & LOUNGE
1830 29th Ave. S., Ste. 125, Homewood 205-802-1440, www.jinseisushi.com JOE’S CRAB SHACK
20 Meadow View Dr, Inverness 205-981-2999, www.joescrabshack.com JOHNNY RAY’S BAR-B-QUE
3431 Colonnade Pkwy., Ste. 500, Birmingham, 205-967-0099 www.johnnyrays.com
3936 Crosshaven Dr, Birmingham 205-969-2253 MAX’S DELI
3960 Montclair Rd., Birmingham 205-386-3130
3431 Colonnade Pkwy., Ste. 400, Birmingham, 205-968-7600 www.maxsdelionline.com
LA PAZ RESTAURANTE
MELLOW MUSHROOM – HWY 280
99 Euclid Ave, Birmingham 205-879-2225, www.lapazbham.com IXTAPA MEXICAN RESTAURANT
MARTA’S BAKERY
LA SABROSITA
293 West Valley Ave., Homewood 205-290-0511 LANDRY’S SEAFOOD HOUSE
139 State Farm Pkwy., Homewood 205-916-0777 www.landrysseafoodhouse.com LITTLE DONKEY TAQUERIA
2821 Central Avenue, Homewood 205-703-7000 www.thelittledonkey.com LLOYD’S RESTAURANT
5301 Hwy. 280 S., Birmingham 205-991-5530 LOS COMPADRES MEXICAN RESTAURANT
308 Oxmoor Rd., Homewood 205-945-8002 MAFIAOZA’S PIZZERIA & NEIGHBORHOOD PUB
2 Dexter Ave., Birmingham 205-414-7878, www.mafiaozas.com MAKI FRESH
2800 Cahaba Village Plaza, Birmingham 205-970-3242, www.makifresh.com
920 Inverness Corners, Birmingham 205-981-9914 www.mellowmushroom.com MEXICALI RESTAURANT
5287 Hwy 280, Suite 219, Birmingham 205-991-1836 MICHAEL’S RESTAURANT @ ALOFT HOTEL
1903 29th Ave. S., Homewood 205-871-9525, www.eatatmichaels.com MILO’S HAMBURGERS - HOMEWOOD
208 State Farm Pkwy., Homewood 205-945-8008 www.miloshamburgers.com
MILO’S HAMBURGERS – INVERNESS
1210 Inverness Corners, Birmingham 205-991-6456 www.miloshamburgers.com MING’S CUISINE
514 Cahaba Park Cir, Birmingham 205-991-3803 MISS MYRA’S PIT BARBECUE
3278 Cahaba Heights Rd., Birmingham 205-967-6004 MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL – MOUNTAIN BROOK
2737 Hwy 280, Suite 161 205-445-0456, www.moes.com MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL – WILDWOOD
231 State Farm Pkwy, Homewood 205-943-7942, www.moes.com MOMMA GOLDBERG’S DELI
2829 18th St. S., Homewood 205-834-8871 www.mommagoldbergsdeli.com MOUNTAIN BROOK CREAMERY
2715 Cahaba Rd., Mountain Brook 205-870-0092 MR. WANG’S RESTAURANT
217 Lakeshore Pkwy., Homewood 205-945-9000 www.mrwangsbuffet.com 82 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
PHOTOGRAPH: (TOP) EARTHBORN STUDIO
DINING ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL
241 Summit Blvd, Birmingham 205-298-7998 www.macaronigrill.com RUTH’S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE
2300 Woodcrest Place, Homewood 205-879-9995, www.ruthschris.com SABABA
3150 Overton Rd, #3, Mountain Brook 205-769-6100 SABOR LATINO RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
112 Green Springs Hwy., Homewood 205-942-9480 SALEM’S DINER
2913 18th St. S., Homewood 205-877-8797, www.salemsdiner.com MUDTOWN
3144 Green Valley Rd., Birmingham 205-967-3300 NABEEL’S CAFE & MARKET
1706 Oxmoor Rd., Homewood 205-879-9292, www.nabeels.com NAJI’S PITA GOURMET RESTAURANT
166 West Valley Ave, Homewood 205-945-6001 NEW YORK PIZZA
1010 Oxmoor Rd., Homewood 205-871-4000 OAK HILL BAR & GRILL
2835 18th St. S., Homewood 205-870-8277 O’CARR’S DELI
2909 18th St. S., Homewood 205-879-2196 www.birminghammenus.com/ocarrs O’CARR’S DELI
ON TAP SPORTS CAFE - INVERNESS
810 Inverness Corners, Birmingham 205-437-1999 www.ontapsportscafe.com OTEY’S TAVERN
224 Country Club Park, Birmingham 205-871-8435 358 Hollywood Blvd, Homewood 205-639-1910, www.eatovereasy.com 233 Summit Blvd., Birmingham 205-967-0040, www.pfchangs.com PABLO’S RESTAURANTE & CANTINA
3439 Colonnade Pkwy., Birmingham 205-969-1411
2031 Cahaba Rd, Mountain Brook 205-871-2423 932 Oxmoor Rd, Homewood 205-871-0383 2812 18th St. S., Homewood 205-871-0046
SATTERFIELD’S RESTAURANT
3161 Cahaba Heights Rd., Ste. 113, Birmingham, 205-969-9690 www.satterfieldsrestaurant.com
PHO QUE HUONG VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT
430 Green Springs Hwy., Ste. 15, Homewood, 205-942-5400
O’HENRY’S COFFEES - DOWNTOWN HOMEWOOD
PURPLE ONION DELI & GRILL HOMEWOOD
OLEXA’S
RED PEARL RESTAURANT
OLIVE BRANCH
RIVER CITY GRILLE
3236 Cahaba Heights Rd., Birmingham 205-967-4600
SALVATORE’S PIZZA & PASTA – MOUNTAIN BROOK
SAM’S SUPER SANDWICHES
P. F. CHANG’S
PINKBERRY FROZEN YOGURT
Mountain Brook Village, 2838 Culver Rd., Birmingham, 205-871-2060
1831 28th Ave. S., Ste. 160, Homewood 205-870-9373, www.salsaritas.com
SAM’S DELI & GRILL
OVER EASY
3150 Cahaba Heights Village Rd., Birmingham, 205-967-4173 www.ocarrs.com
2831 18th St. S., Homewood 205-870-1198, www.ohenryscoffee.com
SALSARITA’S FRESH CANTINA
216 Summit Blvd, Suite 105, Birmingham 205-968-6577
479 Green Springs Hwy., Homewood 205-941-9979 243 West Valley Ave., Homewood 205-945-9558 Birmingham Marriott, 3590 Grandview Pkwy., Birmingham, 205-968-3775 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 8 3
DINING SAVAGE’S BAKERY & RESTAURANT
TAQUERIA GUZMAN (ALSO REFERRED TO AS THE TACO TRUCK)
ZOE’S KITCHEN - CRESTLINE
215 W. Valley Ave., Homewood
225 Country Club Park, Birmingham 205-871-0060, www.zoeskitchen.com
SAW’S BBQ
TAVERN ON THE SUMMIT
1008 Oxmoor Rd., Homewood 205-879-1937
225 Summit Blvd. Ste. 100, Birmingham 205-298-1222
ZOE’S KITCHEN - HOMEWOOD
SAW’S JUKE JOINT
TAZIKI’S GREEK FARE – MOUNTAIN BROOK
ZOE’S KITCHEN - SUMMIT
2916 18th St. S., Homewood 205-871-4901, www.savagesbakery.net
1115 Dunston Avenue, Birmingham 205-745-3920 STEEL CITY POPS
2737 Hwy 280, Suite 121, Mtn. Brook, 205-870-0455
2821 Central Avenue, Ste. 109, Homewood 205-969-8770, steelcitypops.com
TAZIKI’S GREEK FARE
STEELE’S
TAZIKI’S GREEK FARE – COLONNADE
3439 Colonnade Pkwy., Ste. 1700, Birmingham, 205-968-6622
8 Perimeter Park S., Birmingham 205-972-8602
3439 Colonnade Parkway, Ste. 1700, Birmingham, 205-968-6622 www.tazikis.net
STONE’S THROW BAR & GRILL
THE BACK NINE CLUBHOUSE & GRILLE
3 Mt Laurel Ave., Birmingham 205-995-0512 www.stonesthrowgrill.com SUBURBAN GRILL
3154 Heights Village, Mountain Brook 205-972-9227, www.surburbangrill.com SUPERIOR GRILL
4701 Hwy. 280 S., Birmingham 205-991-5112 www.superiorgrillbirmingham.com/ SURIN 280
16 Perimeter Park S., Birmingham 205-968-8161 SURIN OF THAILAND
64 Church St., Birmingham 205-871-4531, www.surinofthailand.com TAIPEI 101 SUSHI AND ASIAN BISTRO
471 Green Springs Hwy, Homewood 205-912-7037
323 Summit Blvd., Birmingham 205-967-5800, www.zoeskitchen.com
Bessemer, West BOB SYKES BARBEQUE
1724 9th Ave. N., Bessemer 205-426-1400, www.bobsykes.com BRYANT’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
3096 Allison Bonnett Memorial Dr, Hueytown, 205-491-5652
611 Doug Baker Blvd., Ste. 105, Birmingham, 205-981-4588 www.myspace.com/loungeguy
CHINA KING CHINESE RESTAURANT
THE BASKITS
CHINA SEA
801 Green Springs Hwy., Homewood 205-916-0401 THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY
236 Summit Blvd., Birmingham 205-262-1800 TIN DRUM ASIA CAFÉ
214 Summit Blvd, Ste. 550, Birmingham 205-968-8083, www.tindrumcafe.com TRACY’S
75 Church St., Birmingham 205-803-3005 URBAN COOKHOUSE
2846 18th Street, Homewood 205-879-0883 URBAN COOKHOUSE AT THE SUMMIT
4760 Eastern Valley Rd, Suite 102, McCalla, 205-477-8388
3102 Allison Bonnett Memorial Dr, Hueytown, 205-491-7500 CHINA WOK
3979 Parkwood Rd, Suite 111, Bessemer 205-428-8801 CLASSIC BURGER
1732 15th Street North, Bessemer 204-424-5742 EZELL'S CATFISH CABIN
5060 Academy Lane, Bessemer 205-424-5860 GOLDEN DRAGON I
2227 Bessemer Rd., Birmingham 205-788-8730
250 Summit Blvd, Ste. 102, Birmingham 205-969-6700 www.urbancookhouse.com
GUADALAJARA – HUEYTOWN
VILLAGE TAVERN
HABANERO’S MEXICAN GRILL
101 Summit Blvd., Birmingham 205-970-1640, www.villagetavern.com
3048 Allison Bonnett Memorial Dr., Hueytown, 205-491-9974
VINO
HABANERO’S MEXICAN GRILL
1930 Cahaba Rd, Mountain Brook 205-870-8404
4863 Promenade Parkway, Ste. 103, Bessemer, 205-438-1558
YANKEE PIZZERIA
HOME PLATE DINER
ZEA ROTISSERIE & GRILL
JADE GARDEN
3144 Heights Village, Birmingham 205-967-6266 595 Brookwood Village, Birmingham 205-380-3118, www.zearestaurants.com 84 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
1830 29th Ave. S., Ste. 155, Homewood 205-870-1100, www.zoeskitchen.com
591 Allison Bonnett Memorial Dr, Hueytown, 205-744-2550
2780 Allison Bonnett Dr, Hueytown 205-744-8855 760 Academy Drive, Ste. 112, Bessemer 205-428-5878
DINING
ALI BABA DELI & GRILL
1694 Montgomery Hwy, #110, Hoover (205) 823-2222 www.alibabagrillkabob.com KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUTS
96 Weibel Dr., Midfield, 205-923-2016 LENA’S OLE HICKORY RESTAURANT
3103 Ensley Five Points W. Ave., Birmingham, 205-781-7837 LOS SOMBERO’S
5031 Ford Pkwy, Suite 107, Bessemer 205-425-8887 MILO’S HAMBURGERS - BESSEMER
757 Academy Dr., Bessemer 205-426-1650 www.miloshamburgers.com
MILO’S HAMBURGERS - FAIRFIELD
6600 EJ Oliver Blvd., Fairfield 205-788-6456
MUFFALLETTA’S PIZZA AND PASTA
1810 9th Ave. N., Bessemer 205-424-9901 NIKI’S WEST
233 Finley Ave. W., Birmingham 205-252-5751
RAILROAD CAFE
AMIGO’S MEXICAN GRILL
SAN ANTONIO GRILL – MCCALLA
BAKER’S FAMOUS PIZZA
SMOKEHOUSE STEAK & SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
BILLY’S SPORTS GRILL
1205 Lake Dr. SE., Ste. 111, Bessemer 205-424-1073 4760 Eastern Valley Rd, Suite 140, McCalla, 205-477-1110
348 Finley Ave. W., Birmingham 205-323-6427 or 328-2247 STADIUM GRILL
3659 Lorna Rd, #133, Hoover 205-682-8090 757 Shades Mountain Plaza, Hoover 205-822-4848 www.bakersfamouspizza.com 4520 Overton Rd., Suite 104, Birmingham, 205-956-2323 www.billysbarandgrill.com BISTRO V
1002 4th Ave. N., Bessemer 205-424-9210
521 Montgomery Hwy., Ste. 113, Vestavia Hills, 205-823-1505
THE BRIGHT STAR
304 19th St. N., Bessemer 205-424-9444, www.thebrightstar.com TOP THAT GRILLE II
1371 Bessemer Rd., Birmingham 205-923-2422 UNCLE SAM’S BARBECUE
BLUFF PARK DINER
591 Shades Crest Rd., Birmingham 205-824-4320 BONEFISH GRILL
3430 Galleria Circle, Hoover 205-985-9545, www.bonefishgrill.com
3043 Allison Bonnett Memorial Dr, Hueytown, 205-491-1333 www.unclesamsbbq.com
BROCK’S
12632 Confederate Pkwy, McCalla 205-477-4121
Hoover, Vestavia
181 Main St., Ste. 241, Hoover 205-403-7480, www.cafelazio.net
PIKE’S HICKORY PIT
AGAVE MEXICAN GRILL
ORIGINAL FURNACE MASTERS RESTAURANT
515 West Town Plaza, Bessemer 205-428-1538
PHOTO: ARIK SOKOL
1694 Montgomery Hwy., Ste. 142, Hoover, 205-824-9410
4000 Grand Ave., Hoover, 205-949-3051 CAFE LAZIO
CAJUN STEAMER BAR AND GRILL
180 Main St., Ste. 200, Hoover 205-985-7785, www.cajunsteamer.com
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DINING CARINO’S ITALIAN GRILL
4330 Creekside Ave., Hoover 205-560-0505, www.carinos.com CHICORY GRILLE
1000 Riverchase Galleria, Hoover 205-444-5739, www.wynfrey.com CHINA BEN
790 Hwy. 31 S., Ste. 102, Vestavia Hills 205-823-8920 CHINA DOLL 2
2656 Valleydale Rd., Hoover 205-980-7151 CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL
1759 Montgomery Hwy., Hoover 205-982-4833< www.chipotle.com COSTA’S MEDITERRANEAN CAFE
3443 Lorna Rd., Hoover, 205-978-1603 DALE’S SOUTHERN GRILL
1843 Montgomery Hwy, Suite 107, Birmingham, 205-987-4757 www.dalessoutherngrills.com DAVE’S DELI
1615 Montgomery Hwy., Ste. 124, Hoover, 205-822-8000 DIPLOMAT DELICATESSEN & SPIRITS
1413 Montgomery Hwy., Ste. 101, Vestavia Hills, 205-979-1515 DONATOS PIZZA
629 Montgomery Hwy, Vestavia Hills 205-824-1112 EARTHFARE, THE HEALTHY SUPERMARKET
3230 Galleria Circle, Hoover 205-988-2938, www.earthfare.com EDGAR’S OLD STYLE BAKERY
180 Main St., Ste. 240, Hoover 205-987-0790, www.edgarsbakery.com
EL POBLANO MEXICAN RESTAURANT
2499 Rocky Ridge Rd., Cahaba Heights 205-823-0447 FIREBIRDS ROCKY MOUNTAIN GRILL
1694 Montgomery Hwy., Ste. 184, Birmingham, 205-978-5599 www.ironhorsecafe.net
191 Main St., Hoover 35244-5060 205-733-2002 www.firebirdsrestaurants.com
IZ CAFÉ ROCKY RIDGE
FISH MARKET RESTAURANT
J. ALEXANDER’S RESTAURANT
FORMAGGIO’S ITALIAN BISTRO
JIM N NICK’S BAR B Q - RIVERCHASE
FORMOSA CHINESE RESTAURANT
JUBILEE JOE’S FRESH SEAFOOD MARKET & RESTAURANT
1681 Montgomery Hwy., Hoover 205-823-3474 www.fishmarketrestaurant.com 1779-A Montgomery Hwy., Hoover 205-989-7999 2109 Lorna Ridge Ln., Hoover 205-979-6684 or 979-6687
FULL MOON BAR-B-QUE - HOOVER
2000 Patton Chapel Rd., Hoover 205-822-6666 GABRIEL’S SPIRITED CAFE
3706 Lorna Rd., Hoover 205-985-0983, www.gabrielscafe.net GOLDEN RULE BARBECUE HOOVER
1571 Montgomery Hwy., Hoover 205-823-7770, www.goldenrulebbq.com HABANEROS MEXICAN GRILLHOOVER
1601 Montgomery Hwy., Hoover 205-979-7772
2514 Rocky Ridge Road, Hoover 205-979-7570, www.cafeiz.com 3320 Galleria Circle, Hoover 205-733-9995 or 733-9537 www.jalexanders.com
1810 Montgomery Hwy. S., Hoover 205-733-1300, www.jimnnicks.com
2341 John Hawkins Pkwy., Ste. 119, Hoover, 205-982-7797 www.jubileejoes.com JOHNNY BRUSCO’S NEW YORK STYLE PIZZA
2516 Rocky Ridge Rd, Vestavia 205-637-5270 KLINGLER’S EUROPEAN BAKERY & CAFE
621 Montgomery Hwy., Vestavia Hills 205-823-4560 www.birminghammenus.com/klinglers KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUTS
1990 New Patton Chapel Rd., Hoover 205-822-8272
HAPPY CHINA CHINESE RESTAURANT
LA DOLCE VITA
HUNAN GARDEN
LA FIESTA
ICHIBAN JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE
MANDARIN HOUSE
4524 Southlake Pkwy, Suite 28, Hoover 205-403-6188 1851 Montgomery Hwy, Hoover 205-987-9499 620 Old Towne Rd., Vestavia 205-822-4646 86 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
IRON HORSE CAFE
1851 Montgomery Hwy. S., Ste. 107, Birmingham, 205-985-2909 1941 Hoover Court, Ste. A, Hoover 205-979-7314 1550 Montgomery Hwy., Ste. O, Hoover 205-822-1761
DINING MILO’S HAMBURGERS - VESTAVIA
1449 Montgomery Hwy., Vestavia Hills 205-823-6456 www.miloshamburgers.com MOE’S ORIGINAL BBQ
181 Main Street, Ste. 201, 205-985-8841, www.moesoriginalbbq.com MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL RIVERCHASE
3670 Lorna Road, Hoover 205-937-6163, www.moes.com MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL VESTAVIA HILLS
716 Montgomery Hwy, Suite 108 205-824-7663, www.moes.com MR. P’S BUTCHER SHOP & DELI
813 Shades Crest Rd., Hoover 205-823-6136 MUGSHOTS BAR & GRILL
1919 Kentucky Ave, #101, Vestavia Hills www.mugshotsgrillandbar.com NEW CHINA
2141 Tyler Road, Ste. 7, Hoover 205-823-9788 ON TAP SPORTS CAFÉ – GALLERIA
3440 Galleria Circle, Hoover 205-988-3203 www.ontapsportscafe.com
ORGANIC HARVEST MARKET & CAFE
1580 Montgomery Hwy., Ste. 12, Hoover, 205-978-0318
PABLO’S RESTAURANTE & CANTINA
2760 John Hawkins Pkwy., Hoover 205-682-1211 PAPPAS’ DELICIOUS FOODS
1066 Montgomery Hwy., Vestavia Hills 205-823-4458 PURPLE ONION DELI & GRILL HOOVER
1551 Montgomery Highway, 205-822-7322 www.purpleonionofhoover.com RAGTIME CAFE
2080 Valleydale Rd., Ste. 4, Birmingham, 205-988-5323
SEKISUI BIRMINGHAM
YUKI JAPANESE RESTAURANT
SHANE’S RIB SHACK
ZAPATA MEXICAN RESTAURANT
SHIPLEY’S DO-NUTS
ZOE’S KITCHEN - PATTON CREEK
700 Montgomery Hwy, Vestavia Hills 205-978-7775 2673 Valleydale Rd – Hoover 205-874-6888, www.shanesribshack.com 2050 Greenvale Lane, Hoover 205-822-2142 Wynfrey Hotel. 1000 Riverchase Galleria, Hoover, 205-444-5750 www.donshula.com/steakhouse/ birmingham/ SILVER COIN INDIAN GRILL
LO CA L F L AVO R S
Street Food
SOL AZTECA
1360 Montgomery Hwy., Ste. 128, Birmingham , 205-979-4902 STIX
3250 Galleria Circle, Hoover 205-982-3070, www.stixonline.com SUMO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE
& Sushi Bar 151 Main St., Hoover, 205-444-1515 TAQUERIA MEXICO
3724 Lorna Rd., Hoover, 205-989-5559 TASTE OF THAILAND
3321 Lorna Rd., Ste. 3, Hoover 205-978-6863 TECATE BAR & GRILL
612 Montgomery Hwy, #100 Vestavia Hills, 205-823-2399 THE PITA CAFE
2801 Hwy. 150, Ste. 137J, Hoover 205-402-7482 TIP TOP GRILL
588 Shades Crest Rd., Birmingham 205-978-8677 TORTUGAS HOMEMADE PIZZA
2801 John Hawkins Pkwy. Ste. 169R, Hoover, 205-403-9800 UP THE CREEK FISH CAMP AND GRILL
SANPEGGIO’S PIZZA - HOOVER
WINE’D DOWN
PHOTOGRAPH: ARIK SOKOL
180 Main St., Ste. 140, Hoover 205-989-4020, www.zoeskitchen.com
3321 Lorna Rd., Hoover, 205-823-9070 www.silvercoinusa.com
2943 John Hawkins Pkwy., Hoover 205-988-0744 www.upthecreekfishcamp.com
3435 S. Shades Crest Rd., Ste. 115, Hoover, 205-403-0100
2005 Valleydale Rd., Ste. 3, Hoover 205-733-1115
SHULA’S STEAK HOUSE
1594 Montgomery Hwy., Ste. 102M, Hoover, 205-823-7206
SALVATORE’S PIZZA
2760 John Hawkins Pkwy., Hoover 205-402-9888
180 Main St., Ste. 212, Hoover 205-988-9463, www.wineddown.com
It’s true that New York, LA and San Francisco have had them for years, and now so does Birmingham. (Next thing you know we’ll be part of the foraged food movement!) Food trucks can be found all around the city selling everything from tacos and burgers to cupcakes. And this is some of the tastiest, highest quality food to be found in the city. When you’re visiting, don’t hesitate to dine from one of the many trucks you’ll see around downtown and outlying areas. Find out about one of our favorites at www.shindigscateringtrucks.com.
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S P O TL IG H T: C RAFT BEER
WELCOME TO BEERMINGHAM Your Insider’s Guide to Birmingham’s Craft Beer and Brewing Community photography by brent boyd
BIRMINGHAM HAS A HISTORY OF local breweries spanning 200 years. First, there was the local brew house Birmingham Brewery, in the 1800s. That was followed by Birmingham Brewing Co., which supplied the city from 1992 to 1998. City Brewery replaced Birmingham Brewing Co., but closed in 2000. Opening and running a successful brewery was no easy task given Alabama’s strict beer laws. And for nearly a decade, there was no beer production in town and certainly no signature brews to offer outsiders on a thirst-inducing day. Then something of a revolution happened. In 2004 a group of concerned citizens gathered to discuss Alabama legislation; the topic was 88 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
one of an effervescent nature. Nearly eight years and hours upon hours of volunteer manpower later, the Magic City is now a diamond in the rough where the craft beer scene is concerned, with a thriving community boasting three local breweries and two of our favorite watering holes where you’ll find oneof-a-kind styles and flavors. Birmingham is witnessing a new industry form that is changing the face of burgeoning neighborhoods and giving residents something to toast about. It’s something we’re proud of and we celebrate it as often as possible with annual events, tours and just plain relaxing after work with a pint.
S P O TL I G H T: CR A F T B E E R
1
GOOD PEOPLE
Good Brews, Good Times, Good Stuff Michael Sellers and Jason Malone started Good People Brewing Co. with humble beginnings and no intention for a labor of love to become a business. Long days in the garage, bad equipment, curious dogs and friends became commonplace for the pair. It took root and this hobby turned into a passion. Before long, folks began requesting Good People beer at parties and tailgating. “It’s pretty fun for a stranger to walk right smack up to you and tell you how much they like your beer. We didn’t set out to start a business, the business found us,” according to Sellers. Good people describes the kind, humble, and respected folks in the South and it seemed like the perfect name. In September of 2007, Good People acquired their equipment and put their brewery together. It was a long, frustrating, and tiring process,
but it was worth every bit. If you are looking for something made in small batches with high quality ingredients and pride, give Good People a shot. goodpeoplebrewing.com; (205) 286-2337; 114 14th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35233; Taproom Hours: Mon: 3p – 10p; Tue – Fri: 3p – 10p; Sat: 1p - 10p; Sun: 1p - 5p
2
AVONDALE BREWING COMPANY Put Your Trunks Up!
Combine the charm of a historic town, the passion of several good friends, a rooted respect for the brewing craft, and you have unearthed the beginning of what Avondale Brewing Company is all about. A byproduct of the collaboration between brothers Coby and Hunter Lake and brew master Craig Shaw, Avondale Brewing Company is a quaint craft brewery housed in a fully renovated, historic building in the Avondale neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama. In just over a year, Avondale Brewing Company has launched a complete line-up of 15 unique flagship and seasonal hand-crafted brews that tell the stories of the area’s rich folklore and neighborhood queen, a beer guzzling circus elephant named Miss Fancy. The brewery and a handful of other local small businesses have helped bring people back to this area to enjoy the
benefits of a once again thriving community. avondalebrewingcompany.com; (205) 777-5456; 201 41st South, Birmingham, AL 35222; Taproom Hours: Friday 3 pm- 12 am; Saturday 12 pm- 12 am; Sunday 1 pm- 10 pm; See our Facebook page for tour dates 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 8 9
S P O TL IG H T: C RAFT BEER
3
CAHABA BREWING COMPANY Beer isn’t a luxury; it’s a time of day
Taylor DeBoer, Eric Meyer, and Andy Gwaltney – three friends with more than a common interest in craft beer and home brewing – came together to found a brewery to provide Birmingham with a broad selection of flavorful craft beers. They devised a plan in the summer of 2011 to build a brewery and Cahaba Brewing Company was born. The trio purchased brewing equipment from Huntsville’s Straight to Ale and set-up shop on 3rd Avenue South near Pepper Place. Now Taylor, Eric, and Andy are supplying Birmingham bars and restaurants with craft beers such as the flagship Liquidamber, a specialty brew called Fraxinus Maximus, and a seasonal Kiwi Kolsch. cahababrewing.com; (205)
4
HOP CITY BEER AND WINE Simply… Beervana
With a commitment to carry every single bottle or canned choice available in Alabama, 90 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
578-2616; 2616 4rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233; Taproom hours: Thu: 3p - 9p; Fri: 3p – 10p; Sat: 2p – 10p
coupled with 60 constantly rotating taps for pints and growlers, Hop City is the goto spot for all things beer. Sprinkle in an informed selection of over 1,000 wines and you have a grown-up version of Willy Wonka’s factory. Magic City’s version of Hop City opened in September 2012. Hop City is one of the top ten beer retailers in the US, according to both Draft Magazine and Ratebeer.com. In addition, Beer Advocate has awarded their highest ranking for Hop City’s amazing service, knowledge, and selection. Swing by and enjoy a beer at the bar, browse the aisles for a favorite or a rarity, then fill a jug with a draft for that party this weekend. Ask for a recommendation – the team loves to talk beer and wine! Check the website for an event schedule including free weekly tastings and new beer launches. hopcitybeer.com; (205) 279-2337; 2924 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233; Hours: Mon – Wed: 10p - 9p; Thu – Sat: 10a - 10p; “Like” Hop City on Facebook to stay in the know.
S P O TL I G H T: ACR F TAEFRTDA B ER EK R
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THE J. CLYDE
Quench your thirst, satisfy your appetite Beers from around the globe populate the 43 taps of The J. Clyde’s front bar, but what really distinguishes The J. Clyde as a local icon is the back bar--17 taps filled exclusively with beer from the great state of Alabama! With an expert staff and a wide variety of glassware, they ensure that every beer is poured properly and served in its appropriate vessel. The J. Clyde takes pride in supporting the local food community, too. Summer, fall, winter, and spring bring slates of vibrant and fresh local ingredients to craft seasonal culinary treats that pair perfectly with a fluid rotation of beers, some of which can be found only at The J. Clyde. Quarterly beer dinners showcase many of these pairings and educate neighbors and visitors about the unique nuances and
expressions of world-class beer. Cheers! jclyde.com; (205) 939-1312; 1312 Cobb Lane, Birmingham, AL 35205; Hours: Mon: 2p - 12p; Tue – Sat: 2p - 2a
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Take the Tour! Call 205-991-0532 for more information
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A GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM AFTER DARK
WHERE TO SIP
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PHOTOGRAPH: BRENT BOYD
A F T E R DA R K
Southside and Downtown 3000 BAR
1100 20th Street S., Birmingham 205-933-3222 ABOVE
The Historic Redmont Hotel 2101 5th Ave. N., Birmingham 205-324-2101, www.theredmont.com AQUA LOUNGE & NIGHTCLUB
2824 5th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-714-8155
AVONDALE BREWING COMPANY
201 41st Street S., Birmingham, 205-777-5456, www.avondalebrewing.com BACCHUS DANCE CLUB
1928 11th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-731-2582 facebook.com/ bacchus5pts BLUE MONKEY LOUNGE
1318 Cobb Lane S., Birmingham 205-933-9222 www.bluemonkeylounge.com BOTTLETREE CAFE
3719 3rd Ave. S., Birmingham 205-533-6288, www.thebottletree.com C & G’S OUR PLACE
2115 7th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-715-0077 CANTINA TORTILLA GRILL
2901 2nd Ave. S., Ste. 110, Birmingham 205-323-6980 www.birminghammenus.com/cantina CHASER’S SPORTS BAR
815 24th Street N., Birmingham 205-324-2425 CLUB SOUTH
1102 10th St. S., Birmingham 205-251-0512 COURTYARD OYSTER BAR & GRILL SOUTHSIDE
2015 Highland Ave. S., Birmingham 205-558-4995 DAVE’S PUB
1128 20th St. S., Birmingham 205-933-4030 FORMAGGIO’S ITALIAN BISTRO
1713 10th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-933-7555
FUEGO CANTINA AND SALOON
NANA FUNKS
GABLE SQUARE SALOON & GAMES
OASIS
1101 20th St. S., Birmingham 205-933-1544
803 9th Court S., Birmingham 205-251-0960, www.myspace.com/ gablesquaresaloon GARAGE CAFE & ANTIQUES
2304 10th Terrace S., Birmingham 205-322-3220 GOOD PEOPLE BREWING COMPANY
114 14th Street S., Birmingham 205-286-2337 www.goodpeoplebrewing.com INNISFREE IRISH PUB
710 29th St. S., Birmingham 205-252-4252, www.innisfreepub.com
708 29th St. S., Birmingham 205-250-8003, www.nana-funks.com 2807 7th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-323-5538, www.oasisbar.com OLD CAR HEAVEN
115 35th St. S., Birmingham 205-326-8902, www.oldcarheaven.com ON TAP SPORTS CAFE - LAKEVIEW
737 29th St. S., Birmingham 205-320-1225 www.ontapsportscafe.com ONA’S MUSIC ROOM
2801 Second Ave S, Suite C, Birmingham, 205-320-7006 www.onasmusicroom.com
KELLEY’S NEIGHBORHOOD SPORTS GRILL
720 29th St. S., Birmingham 205-323-9786
LOU’S PUB & PACKAGE STORE
726 29th St. S., Birmingham 205-322-7005 MARTY’S
1813 10th Court S., Birmingham 205-939-0045, www.martysbar.com MATTHEW’S BAR & GRILL
2208 Morris Ave., Birmingham 205-862-6261
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A F TE R DARK
PALE EDDIE’S POUR HOUSE
2308 2nd Ave, North, Birmingham 205-297-0052 www.paleeddiespourhouse.com PARKSIDE CAFE
4036 5th Ave S., Birmingham 205-595-0920 PLATINUM CLUB
STEEL URBAN LOUNGE
2300 1st Ave. N., Birmingham 205-324-0666 www.steelurbanlounge.com
THE QUEST
821 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham 205-324-0791 www.platinum-bham.com RAG’S BAR & GRILL
STILLWATER PUB
THE RARE MARTINI
728 29th St. S., Birmingham 205-327-7247 ROGUE TAVERN
2312 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham 205-202-4151 www.roguetavern.com
2109 7th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-202-5625 www.stillwaterpub.com THE BREAK RESTAURANT & BILLIARDS
1001 20th St. S., Birmingham 205-252-3779 THE H MARTINI BAR
1023 20th St. S., Birmingham 205-933-9555, www.thehotelhighland. com/martini_bar.htm THE J. CLYDE
1312 Cobb Lane, Birmingham 205-939-1312, www.jclyde.com THE METRO BAR
2839 7th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-323-0008 www.theraremartini.com THE WINE LOFT
2200 1st Ave. N., Birmingham 205-323-8228 www.wineloftbirmingham.com TIN ROOF
2709 7th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-323-4356, www.tinroofbars.com/ home/birmingham UPSIDE DOWN PLAZA
2012 Magnolia Ave. S., Birmingham 205-930-0333
2125 2nd Ave. N., Ste. 100, Birmingham 205-323-7995, www.myspace.com/ metrobistroandmarket
WORKPLAY
THE NICK
ZYDECO
2514 10th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-252-3831 www.thenickrocks.com 94 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
416 24th St. S., Birmingham 205-251-4313 www.quest-club.com
500 23rd St. S., Birmingham 205-879-4773, www.workplay.com 2001 15th Ave. S., Birmingham 205-933-1032 www.zydecobirmingham.com
PHOTOGRAPH: (BOTTOM) TAYLOR CHRISTIAN JONES
A F T E R DA R K
CAFE FIRENZE
110 Inverness Plaza, Birmingham 205-980-1315 www.myspace.com/cafefirenze COURTYARD 280 OYSTER BAR & GRILL
4643 Highway 280, Ste. M, Birmingham 205-980-9891 DRAM WHISKEY BAR
2721 Cahaba Rd., Mountain Brook 205-871-8055 www.dramwhiskeybar.com
Fultondale, Gardendale, Northwest, Trussville
BOURBON ST. BAR & LOUNGE
NEIGHBORHOOD SPORTS GRILLE
CRESTWOOD TAVERN
1423 Gadsden Hwy, #131, Trussville 205-655-1018 www.neighborhoodsportsgrille.com VELMA’S PLACE
1911 Gadsden Hwy, Birmingham 205-661-0404
Airport, Centerpoint, Eastwood, Irondale, Leeds AIRPORT INN TAVERN
7502 5th Ave. N., Birmingham 205-836-9110
1568 Cooper Hill Rd., Birmingham 205-957-1006 5500 Crestwood Blvd., Birmingham 205-510-0053 www.crestwoodtavern.com TENAMPA NIGHTCLUB
3425 Colonnade Pkwy., Birmingham 205-968-3823 www.fhrg.com/FHRG.aspx HOGAN’S IRISH PUB & GRILL
507 Cahaba Park Circle, Ste. B, Birmingham, 205-995-0533 www.hogansirishpubandgrill.com JACKSON’S BAR & BISTRO
5800 Oporto-Madrid Blvd., Birmingham, 205-951-8200 WALKER’S RESTAURANT/THE EMERGENCY ROOM LOUNGE
2100 Pinson Valley Pkwy., Birmingham 205-849-0704
1831 28th Ave. S., Ste. 175, Homewood 205-870-9669 jacksonsbarandbistro.com/Birmingham LUCKY’S PUB & PACKAGE
704 Valley Ave., Homewood 205-945-1657
Homewood, Mountain Brook, Inverness
MAFIAOZA’S PIZZERIA AND NEIGHBORHOOD PUB
BILLY’S BAR & GRILL
OAK HILL BAR & GRILL
2012 Cahaba Rd., Mountain Brook 205-879-2238 www.billysbarandgrill.com BLACK MARKET BAR
3411 Colonnade Parkway, Ste. 800, Birmingham, 205-967-8787 www.evilbartenders.com
PHOTOGRAPH: (TOP LEFT) BRENT BOYD
FOX & HOUND PUB & GRILL
2 Dexter Avenue, Birmingham 205.414-7878, www.mafiaozas.com 2835 18th St. S.,Homewood 205-870-8277 ON TAP SPORTS CAFE - INVERNESS
810 Inverness Corners, Birmingham 205-437-1999 www.ontapsportscafe.com
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CASSIE’S PUB 261
9340 Helena Rd., Ste. C, Hoover 205-444-0261, www.pub261bar.com COMEDY CLUB STARDOME
1818 Data Drive, Hoover 205-444-0008, www.stardome.com GABRIEL’S SPIRITED CAFÉ
3706 Lorna Rd, Hoover 205-985-0983 IRON HORSE CAFÉ
1694 Montgomery Hwy., Ste. 184, Birmingham, 205-978-5599, www.ironhorsecafe.net IVORY’S
Wynfrey Hotel, 1000 Riverchase Galleria, Hoover, 205-987-1600 www.wynfrey.com MARTINI’S FINE FOOD & CLUB ULTRA
2132 Lorna Ridge Lane, Hoover 205-823-7300 MOONLIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN
585 Shades Crest Rd, Birmingham www.moonlightonthemtn.com
ON TAP SPORTS CAFE - GALLERIA
3440 Galleria Circle, Hoover 205-988-3203 www.ontapsportscafe.com STARZ KARAOKE LOUNGE
730 Valley Ave., Homewood 205-944-0007 STIR CRAZY
430 Green Springs Highway, Ste. 10, Homewood, 205-941-3343 SUPERIOR GRILL
4701 Highway 280 S., Birmingham 205-991-5112 THE UPPER DECK SPORTS BAR & GRILL OTEY’S TAVERN
224 Country Club Park, Birmingham 205-871-8435, www.oteystavern.com SATTERFIELD’S RESTAURANT
449 Valley Ave., Homewood 205-942-3289
Hoover, Vestavia
3161 Cahaba Heights Rd, #113, Mountain Brook, 205.969-9690 www.satterfieldsrestaurant.com
BLACKWELL’S NEIGHBORHOOD PUB
SAW’S JUKE JOINT
BUMPERS BILLIARDS
1115 Dunston Ave., Birmingham 205-745-3920 96 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
3151 Green Valley Road, Vestavia 205.967.3798, www.blackwellspub.com 2132 Lorna Ridge Ln. #100, Hoover 205-823-4006
ON TAP SPORTS CAFE RIVERCHASE
1845 Montgomery Hwy., Ste. 207, Hoover, 205-988-5558 www.ontapsportscafe.com REDLINE BAR & GRILL
1615 Montgomery Highway, Birmingham, 205-823-1488 www.facebook.com/redlinerbar WINE’D DOWN
180 Main Street, Ste. 212, Hoover 205-988-9463, www.wineddown.com
A F T E R DA R K
TH E GAR AG E C AFÉ
Hidden Gems WE CAN’T KEEP ANYTHING a secret anymore. Garden & Gun magazine has happened upon one of our most treasured watering holes and now the world knows. In a recent edition, the venerable publication named The Garage Café among the “50 Best Southern Bars.” Quoting now from Garden & Gun: “Walk past the shabby facade and gloomy
interior and you’ll discover one of Birmingham’s treasures, a wisteria-covered courtyard filled with concrete tables and an assortment of quirky antiques, the soul of this unassuming Southside haunt. The cash-only bar has no beer on tap, but there’s a generous lineup of bottled brews, plus surprisingly tasty deli sandwiches made to order until 10 p.m.” www.garagecafe.us
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WHERE TO COMMUNE
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OUTDOORS
Hiking and Outdoor Enjoyment ALDRIDGE GARDENS Aldridge Gardens, a 30-acre natural garden with a 5-acre lake, beautiful hydrangeas and now features the largest Frank Fleming Collection in the area, an art gallery on site and sculptures throughout the property. Aldridge Gardens is truly Birmingham area’s “best kept secret.” Aldrige Gardens, Nature and Art in Balance. 3530 Lorna Road, Hoover FOR MORE INFORMATION: 205-682-8019 or www.aldridgegardens.com AVONDALE PARK Recent major renovations at Avondale Park led to revitalization in the area with the opening of Avondale Brewery, new restaurants, a pub and a fresh market. The 40-acre park has a 1,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, a large villa for events such as weddings and family reunions and a rose garden. The park also has small lake, baseball fields and other areas that are often in use for sports activities and cultural events. The park lies between 40th and 42nd Streets South and 5th Avenue South and Woodvale Road. FOR MORE INFORMATION: 205- 254-2391 DORA’S HORSE CREEK TRAIL Constructed along an old railroad bed, this easy three-mile hiking trail runs from T.S. Boyd School to U.S. 78 at the Horse Creek Golf Course. It’s a combination of asphalt with an additional mile of unpaved nature trail. Five rest areas are along the route. GETTING THERE: The school is at 23 Austin Circle. MOSS ROCK PRESERVE This 250-acre preserve has boulders for climbers of all skill levels. It is home to four rare plant species, rock outcroppings, streams, waterfalls and wildlife. The wilderness within the preserve continues to improve as hardwoods grow and age and trails become more defined by continued use. Maps and signs help direct and guide difficulty. For maximum mileage, take the loop made up of the Blue and White Trails, which is a little more than 3 miles long. Or just spread out in the shady coolness PHOTOGRAPH: ARIK SOKOL
of the preserve and picnic. Please remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. For more information: 205-444-7866 or www.ci.hoover.al.us GETTING THERE: From I-459 in Birmingham take Exit 10 onto Alabama 150. Turn east toward downtown Hoover. Turn left on Stadium Trace Parkway. Stay straight; this road becomes Sulphur Springs Road. Go about two miles to the intersection with Preserve Parkway. This road leads to Moss Rock Preserve and to parking for the boulder field. OAK MOUNTAIN STATE PARK Alabama’s largest state park offers plenty of trails for hikers who want a peaceful outing apart from the mountain bikers. New park goers might want to try the EagleTrail or Treetop Nature Trail for starters, but those are only two of many. The Peavine Trail, four-anda-half miles round trip, is moderate to difficult, but it’s still a popular hike because of the payoff: It leads to Peavine Falls, which cascade down a rock wall and splash into a pool below. Three suggested hiking loops begin at the North Trailhead. Maggie’s Loop is an easy twoand-a-half-mile walk. North Loop is three-anda-half miles long; it’s rated easy to moderate because of some ascents. Shackelford Loop is rated moderate to difficult because of its sixand-a-half-mile length. Maps for these and other Oak Mountain trails are available at the park office. FOR MORE INFORMATION: 205-620-2524 or www.alapark.com 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 9 9
OUTDOORS
GETTING TO THE FRONT GATE: Take exit 246 off
I-65. Turn west onto Alabama 119, left at the first light on State Park Road. Follow one mile to stop sign, and turn left onto John Findley Road through the front gate into the park. GETTING TO THE BACK GATE: Take U.S. 280 to Alabama 119. Follow three miles to left turn at Oak Mountain Public Lake sign. RAILROAD PARK A 21-acre park in downtown Birmingham gives the city a historically rich green space for recreation, concerts and cultural events. Called the Railroad Park, the area is designed to highlight Birmingham’s development at the crossing of two railroad lines. The park runs along a railroad corridor at First Avenue South from 14th to 18th Streets and includes a lake, a natural amphitheater and several playgrounds. Ten acres of open lawn provide a strolling garden landscaped to bloom with various perennials throughout the year. The park is an essential piece of a long-term plan that will give Birmingham the greatest amount of green space per capita of anywhere in the country. RED MOUNTAIN PARK Red Mountain Park is one of the largest urban parks in America. The park has more than 10 miles of trails, and roughly half the park’s 1,200 acres are open to the public seven days a week. Once the site for mining iron ore, the park is 100 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
now home to natural beauty and, relics from its past mining days. The park also has a universal -access zip line canopy tour, 10 foot platforms connected by zip lines running from 100 to 350 feet long. The entrance to the park is just off Lakeshore Parkway at the end of Frankfurt Drive. www.redmountainpark.org RUFFNER MOUNTAIN NATURE PRESERVE Eleven miles of nature trails, ranging from easy to arduous, route visitors through this thousand-acre park. Hawk’s View Overlook is a moderate, three-mile, round-trip hike with a challenging incline. Along the way you’ll reach Cambrian Overlook and proceed with a switchback climb to a stunning vista of downtown Birmingham. The new Visitors Center offers lessons in nature and the environment and has exhibits including raptors, turtles and other native Alabama wildlife. The Visitor Center is open Tuesday – Saturday, 9am – 5pm; Sunday, 1pm – 5pm. Hiking trails are open daily, dawn to dusk. Donations welcome. 1214 81st Street South. FOR MORE INFORMATION: 205-833-8264 or www.ruffnermountain.org. GETTING THERE: The center is at 1214 81st St. South in Birmingham’s East Lake area. STEELE’S HORSE PENS 40 Horse Pens 40 is a 120-acre nature park atop Chandler Mountain, and one of the Southeast’s
B R U N O World-Class Sporting Events Served with Southern Hospitality
The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama returns to Barber Motorsports Park, April 5 - 7, 2013. The stars of the IZOD IndyCar Series including defending champion Will Power, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, and more compete for the title. For tickets please visit ww www.barbermotorsports.com.
Professional golf returns to Shoal Creek as the Regions Tradition, a major championship, tees off June 5 - 9, 2013. Champions Tour favorites Fred Couples, Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, and many more are scheduled to compete. For more details vi visit www.regionstradition.com.
The SEC Baseball Tournament is the premier college baseball tournament in the country. The top twelve teams in the SEC will compete for the conference tournament title. The SEC Baseball Tournament draws more than 100,000 fans during the week. The 2013 to tournament will be the 16th consecutive year the Alabama Sports Foundation has hosted the event. For tickets go to www.secsports.com.
For more information about our events, visit www.brunoeventteam.com.
OUTDOORS best boulder fields. There’s a warm-up field with relatively easy routes to the top as well as more challenging climbs. Instructions on the rocks tell climbers how to start their ascents. A national bouldering competition held each fall draws hundreds of climbers from around the U.S. FOR MORE INFORMATION: 256-570-0076 or www.hp40.com. GETTING THERE: From I-59 North, take the Ashville exit. Go north on U.S. 231 for about four miles. Watch for signs. For RVs and campers, the easy way is to take I-59 to exit 174. Go north on Steele Station Road. At U.S. 11, take a left. You’ll soon see a sign at St. Clair 42. Take a right and go to the top of Chandler Mountain. After this road turns left, follow it for three miles to the entrance; look for signs. VULCAN TRAIL At slightly more than a mile in length, the Vulcan Trail is a gem carved from the rough stone of what was once part of the old L&N Birmingham Mineral Railroad.
Fishing License Info Alabama fresh water and salt water fishing licenses can be ordered by phone by calling 888-848-6887 or by Internet at www.outdooralabama.com. Licenses also can be purchased at most bait and tackle shops. Short term, annual and lifetime fishing licenses are available for both fresh water and salt water fishing in Alabama.
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Located off Richard Arrington, Jr. Boulevard, at the base of Vulcan Park and Museum, the trail offers a quiet stroll along a shaded path and fantastic views of the city skyline below. In 2003, a volunteer group of citizens formed “Friends of Vulcan Trail” to work to make the experience of visiting the trail a highlight for all who walk it. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 205-254-2699 or visit www.informationbirmingham.com/parksrecreation.aspx
Fishing Birmingham was recently voted “Bass Capital of the World” by BASSMASTERS magazine, so you’re in a prime place to have a rod and reel. The state’s lakes offer up everything from largemouth and spotted bass, to saltwater stripes, crappie, catfish and bream. Bring your bait and tackle to these close-by lakes and rivers: ALABAMA LAUNCHES BASS TRAIL The state’s wily bass will want to avoid the “hot spots” since the opening of the Alabama Bass Trail. The statewide tourism initiative includes 11 premier bass-fishing lakes, several in the greater Birmingham area, and stretches from North Alabama through the central plains to the Mobile Delta. A new website provides details anglers need to plan their fishing trips and includes the latest tips from professionals and guides, along with lake maps with hot spots marked and info on what’s biting and where to stay. FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.alabamabasstrail. org CAHABA RIVER This 191-mile free-flowing river is an ecological treasure and home to 135 fish species, including several which are rare and protected such as the Cahaba shiner and the gold-line darter. Cahaba River Society is a non-profit organization working to preserve this treasured waterway. Guided tours are offered. 205-3225326 or www.cahabariversociety.org Bank fishing or canoe casting are good routes to finding fish. Here are a couple of
OUTDOORS places to rent canoes: ALABAMA OUTDOORS – HOMEWOOD STORE
205-870-1919, Pelham store 205-403-9191. ALABAMA SMALL BOATS – 205-424-3634. LIMESTONE CANOE RENTAL – 205-926-9672. LAKE PURDY This 1,050-acre lake is a quick trip from Birmingham. Some anglers consider it to be one of the best crappie-fishing lakes in the state. The Lake Purdy Fishing Marina is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., except on Christmas and Thanksgiving, and sells bait, tackle, drinks and snacks, and rents flat-bottom johnboats, canoes, and pontoon boats, with life jackets and paddles. GETTING THERE: From U.S. 280 east, turn left on Alabama 119. Travel four miles and turn left on Boat Launch Road. Follow to the Lake Purdy Fishing Marine. LAY LAKE This 12,000-acre lake, a short drive south of Birmingham, sports lots of open water and slews where you can cast a line. And fishing below Logan Martin Dam at the upper end of the lake often yields a good catch. Check www.adph.org for Lay Lake fish consumptions advisories. GETTING THERE: Take U.S. 280 East to Harpersville and turn right at the traffic light onto Alabama 25. Follow to Columbiana and ask for directions. LOGAN MARTIN LAKE This 15,000-plus-acre lake east of Birmingham in the Coosa River chain offers up an abundance of fish along the banks, in the open water, and in the headwaters below Neely Henry Dam, especially when the turbines are running. Check www.adph.org for Logan Martin Lake fish consumptions advisories. GETTING THERE: Logan Martin measures almost 50 miles long and winds between St. Clair and Talladega Counties about 30 miles east of Birmingham off I-20 East. There’s a marina and boat launch at the Riverside/Pell City Exit 162. OAK MOUNTAIN STATE PARK Two 85-acre stocked lakes are fertilized and
open year-round, and the park rents johnboats and flat-bottom fishing boats with paddles and life preservers. Anglers with their own boats can use the park’s launches and their own electric trolling motors. The Fishing Center Store just inside the back gate and the Campground Country Store sell bait, tackle, drinks and snacks. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Fishing Center Store 205- 620-2528 or Campground Store 205-620-2527.
Canoeing and Kayaking CAHABA RIVER Alabama’s longest river is a great place to canoe or kayak. Just remember along the way that you’re sharing space with several rare and protected fish and the imperiled Cahaba Lily which once thrived across the southeast. Floating down the Cahaba’s gentle waters provides a pleasant respite and a close-up look at some of the interesting species. If you’re looking to make a bigger splash, head to the river’s northernmost portions for some Level I-III whitewater rapids. Because shallower waters mark the Cahaba’s steep banks and rocky shoals, it’s best to go canoeing after a heavy rain. The Cahaba River Society hosts canoe trips down the river, including day trips, moonlight trips and overnight canoeing. Among the most popular outings are the Lily Trips, which run 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 1 0 3
OUTDOORS
Mountain Biking
when the rare and endangered Cahaba Lily is in bloom, from mid-May to mid-June. All trips are free if you bring your own canoe, and reservations are required. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Cahaba River Society, 205-322-5326 or www.cahabariversociety.org. For boat rentals: Alabama Small Boats, 205-424-3634. LOCUST FORK Just a short drive from Birmingham, Locust Fork is on the Black Warrior River. This is an excellent whitewater run with some very difficult rapids known as Double Trouble and House Rock. Beginners will do best to avoid these rapids. Beautiful limestone bluffs accent the rapids. The National Park Service places Locust Fork in the top two percent of rivers in the country for its recreational value, among other assets. GETTING THERE: Take I-59 North to Tallapoosa Street Exit (Tarrant). Take Alabama Hwy. 79 North through Cleveland (about 40 minutes). Follow signs to Blountsville and cross the bridge over the Locust Fork River. Just past the bridge on the right is King’s Bend. Turn into King’s Bend and follow the gravel road through the gate. FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.flfr.org (Friends of Locust Fork River) 104 | BIRMINGHAM TOURIST GUIDE
OAK MOUNTAIN STATE PARK Oak Mountain has a 17-mile mix of bike trails ranging from technical and tight single track, to fast roller coaster rides, to wide-open fire roads. You can download a map of Oak Mountain bike trails at www.bump.org, the Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers Web site. Here are some adventures to try: MR. TOAD’S WILD RIDE – No hills along this justless-than-a-mile single-track trail, but there are some tight turns and narrow sections between trees. FOREPLAY – A half-mile-long smooth singletrack trail with one sharp S-turn followed by a bumpy – but short – downhill ride. JOHNSON’S MOUNTAIN – This hilly and woody single-track trail measures a little less than two miles. You’ll cross a creek via a bridge, then follow the creek until you climb the spine of the mountain’s first ridge, and have a quick descent along two remaining ridges. BUMP TRAIL – A single-track path climbing oneand-a-quarter miles to Red Road at the top of a ridge. It’s hilly but smooth at the bottom, and rocky, steep and technical at the top. RED ROAD – A fire road leading about five miles counterclockwise from the top of the BUMP Trail to the North Trailhead parking lot. The last two-and-one-half miles downhill will get your heart pounding. There are eight creek crossings. ROCK GARDEN – A challenging trail, and you may see deer along the way. FAMILY-BEGINNER TRAIL – A short loop built by BUMP to encourage young riders to take up the sport. The lollipop-shaped ride – with a spur and loop at the end – is about one-and-a-half miles long. There are a couple of stream crossings, but no road crossings, and a gentle grade. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 620-2524. Getting to the front gate: Take exit 246 off I-65. Turn west onto Alabama 119, left at the first light on State Park Road. Follow one mile to stop sign, and turn left onto John Findley Road through the front gate into the park. Getting to the back gate: Take U.S. 280 to Alabama 119. Follow three miles to left turn at brown Oak Mountain Public Lake sign.
OUTDOORS
Who Let the Birds Out?
In the Birmingham area, birding’s a big deal. RUFFNER MOUNTAIN – This huge urban park
covers more than 1,000 acres and is just minutes from downtown Birmingham. Interesting breeding birds along the hiking trails in the summer include Kentucky and Hooded Warblers, Red-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos, Summer Tanagers, Wood Thrushes, Red-headed, Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers. Winter months bring Juncos, Winter Wrens and Sapsuckers. Spring through fall, look for Indigo Buntings, White-eyed Vireos and Common Yellowthroats. And that’s only scratching the surface. EAST LAKE PARK – This 45-acre lake attracts waterfowl from late November through February. Wood Ducks, Night Herons and Great Blue Herons are present year-round. Winter brings feeding flocks led by Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellowbellied Sapsuckers. Migrant songbirds appear in the spring and fall. BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS AND BIRMINGHAM ZOO – Located just across the
street from one another, the gardens and the zoo are two of the most visited sites for songbirds in the Birmingham area. In the gardens, concentrate on the more natural northern end of the park, especially the Bog Garden and the Fern Glade. LAKE PURDY – Birmingham’s source of drinking water, this lake is one of those rare birding destinations that can present any of several different habitats depending on water levels and seasons. TANNEHILL IRONWORKS HISTORICAL STATE PARK – Hiking and birding are major activities
at the birthplace of Birmingham’s iron and steel industry. Though summer months can be crowded and active, at quieter times look for woodland songbirds, Louisiana Waterthrushes and Brown-headed Nuthatches.
TURKEY CREEK NATURE PRESERVE – Abundant water and vegetation make this an excellent site for songbirds and raptors. The park teems with flycatchers of all sorts, warblers, vireos, tanagers and more. A special note of interest: Turkey Creek is home to the endangered Rush and Vermilion Darter species of fish, which live nowhere else in the world. THE UPPER CAHABA RIVER REGION – In this birding-rich region, some birds can be found throughout the year while others are migratory. Each visit is a new experience in finding Barred Owls, Scarlet Tanagers, Indigo Buntings and Orchard Orioles. Also spotted in the area are Swainson’s Warblers, Red-shouldered Hawks, Wild Turkeys and Wood Ducks. Birders flock to the area to see Worm-eating Warblers, Belted Kingfishers, Green Herons, Eastern Bluebirds and American Goldfinches.
To learn more about birding in the greater Birmingham area, visit the Alabama Birding Trails website at www.alabamabirdingtrails. com/counties/jefferson, or request a Birds of the Upper Cahaba brochure at www. birmingham.travel or call 800-458-8085.
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A GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM GOLF
WHERE TO TEE OFF
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PHOTOGRAPH: TED TUCKER
Alpine Bay Golf
9855 Renfroe Road, Alpine, AL 35014; 256.268.2920 Located within the forests adjacent to Lake Logan Martin, this course features a contemporary clubhouse, lodge and restaurant as well as stunning scenery. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 6,518 RATING/SLOPE: 69.9/126, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Ballantrae Golf Club
1300 Ballantrae Club Drive, Pelham, AL 35124; 205.620.4653 Because not everybody can travel to Scotland to play golf, now there is Ballantrae. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 7,310 RATING/SLOPE: 74.5/130, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Bent Brook Golf Course
7900 Dickey Springs Road, Bessemer, AL 35022; 205.424.2368 or www.bentbrook.com Once a dairy farm, this beautiful course is located approximately 15-20 miles from downtown Birmingham. On-site restaurant. All major credit cards accepted. NO. OF HOLES: 27, PAR: 36-36-35, YARDAGE: 6,000-7,000, RATING/SLOPE: 69.6/117, 70.2/121, 69.2/116, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Capstone Club of Alabama
16000 Capstone Blvd., Brookwood, AL 35444; 205.462.0590 Located in Brookwood, Capstone is in between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Ranked third in the State of Alabama by Golfweek magazine, Capstone Club is a must play. NO. OF HOLES: 18
Castle Pines Country Club, LLC
1600 Quail Ridge Drive, Birmingham, AL 35071; 205.631.3140 Located in Gardendale, approximately 10 miles north of downtown Birmingham. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 6,439 RATING/SLOPE: 70.6/124, PRACTICE RANGE: yes PHOTOGRAPH: NILE YOUNG
Cedar Creek Golf Course
900 Cedar Creek Drive, Bessemer, AL 35023; 205.424.8450 An 18-hole course with large Bermuda greens located only 20 minutes from Birmingham. Tee times required for weekends only. Visa and MasterCard are welcome. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 6,004 RATING/SLOPE: 67.9/114, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Cumberland Lake Golf & Country Club 2150 Cumberland Lake Drive, Pinson, AL 35126; 205.680.4653 or 680.4650 This is a scenic course with lake and mountain views. It receives high marks for course variety. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 6,655/6,422 RATING/SLOPE: 70.7/126, 69.1/123, 70.7/117 PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Don A. Hawkins/Roebuck Municipal Golf Course 8920 Roebuck Blvd., Roebuck, AL 35206; 205.836.7318 This city park course, located only 10 miles from downtown Birmingham, is not only a challenging course, but also one of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best bargains. No credit cards accepted. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 71,YARDAGE: 6,509, RATING/SLOPE: 68.5/137, PRACTICE RANGE: no
Eagle Point Golf Club
4500 Eagle Point Drive, Birmingham, AL 35242; 205.991.9070 or www.eaglepointgolfclub.com 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 1 0 7
This course, created by architect Earl Stone, is located 15 miles from downtown Birmingham. Tee times can be made five days in advance. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 71, YARDAGE: 6,493, RATING/SLOPE: 70.1/119, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
FarmLinks Golf Club
2200 FarmLinks Blvd., Sylacauga, AL 35150; 205.403.4653 or www.farmlinksgolfclub.com FarmLinks is the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first research and demonstration course. The Hurdzan-Fry design offers a diverse layout with dramatic elevation changes and striking views of the mountains and lakes. Now you can Stay and Play in the Lodges at FarmLinks. Golfweek named FarmLinks in the top five public-access courses in Alabama. Tee times may be made up to 30 days in advance. American Express, Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Groups and outings welcome. Ask about our new Lodges and Stay and Play rates. Managed by Honours Golf. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 7,444 RATING/SLOPE: 73/134, PRACTICE RANGE: yes OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS: yes
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Frank House Municipal Golf Course
801 Golf Course Road, Bessemer, AL 35022; 205.424.9540 An economical course located 15 miles from downtown Birmingham. All major credit cards are accepted. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 6,346-4,926 RATING/SLOPE: 60/119, PRACTICE RANGE: no
Highland Park Golf Course
3300 Highland Ave. South, Birmingham, AL 35205; 205.322.1902 or www.highlandparkgolf.com Known as the oldest course in Alabama, Highland Park still sparkles from the 1998 restoration by renowned architect, Bob Cupp. It offers 18 enticing holes with uphill approach shots, heavily bunkered greens, lakes and beautiful vistas of the Birmingham skyline. Practice Range on-site. Tee times may be made up to five days in advance. American Express, Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Groups and outings welcome. Managed by Honours Golf. NO. OF HOLES: 18, Par: 70, YARDAGE: 5,801 RATING/SLOPE: 68.1/128, 66.1/123, 63.8/114 PRACTICE RANGE: yes PHOTOGRAPH: (TOP LEFT) LAWRENCE MICHAEL CLEMMER
Horse Creek Golf Course
1745 Highway 78, Dora, AL 35062; 205.648.1499 A beautiful, newer course whose diverse landscapes make for quite a challenging day on the links. Located about 23 miles from downtown Birmingham. Tee times can be made three days in advance. American Express, MasterCard and Visa are welcome. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 6,552, RATING/SLOPE: 71.1/124, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Visa and MasterCard are welcome. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 71, YARDAGE: 5,800 RATING/SLOPE: 70/113, PRACTICE RANGE: no
The Meadows Golf Course
#1 Plantation Drive, Harpersville, AL 35078; 205.672.7529 Open course featuring Bermuda greens and fairways about 25 miles from downtown
Limestone Springs Golf Course
3000 Colonial Drive, Oneonta, AL 35121; 205.274.4653 Located northeast of Birmingham in Oneonta, this Jerry Pate design stretches almost 7,000 yards throughout the Appalachian Mountains with strategically placed bunkers and numerous lakes. Rated number 64 in “America’s Greatest Public Golf Courses” by Golf Digest, it offers some of the most dramatic elevations and picturesque views in Alabama. Tee times may be made up to 7 days in advance. American Express, Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Groups and outings welcome. Golf cottage sleeps 8, and is available for rental. Managed by Honours Golf. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 6,987 RATING/SLOPE: 74/139, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Magnolia Hills Golf Course
315 Hwy 47 South, Columbiana, AL 35051; 205-670-0031 or www.magnoliahillsgc.com Magnolia Hills Golf Course is an executive length full-service 18-hole course playing at an inflated par 68 over an executive distance of 3,625 yards. With narrow fairways, exceptional placement of water and sand hazards, you can expect a fun and challenging day of golf for golfers of all ages and skill levels.
Marcum Country Club
9621 Bagley Road, Empire, AL 35063; 205.647.3377 The very picture of serenity, this older, countryside course–located 25 miles from downtown Birmingham—incorporates several bodies of water in its design to provide a challenging, yet relaxing, game of golf. No tee times required.
Limestone Springs Golf Club Limestone Springs Golf Club is situated in an 800-acre resort style golf community located 30 miles north of Birmingham, Alabama. This Birmingham golf club features an 18-hole Jerry Pate signature golf course which is currently rated the No. 1 Public Golf Course in Alabama by GolfWeek and named to America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses by Golf Digest. The 7,000 yard championship golf course is nestled throughout 225 acres of the Appalachian Mountains. Limestone Springs is known for its exceptional course conditions, pristine Crenshaw bent grass greens, diverse layout and picturesque views.
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Birmingham.
NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 6,823 RATING/SLOPE: 71.6/122, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Mountain View Golf Course
3200 Mountain View Drive Graysville, AL 35073; 205.674.8362 This course-–and its commanding view–is located only 20 miles from downtown Birmingham. Tee times are required. Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted. NO. OF HOLES: 27, PAR: 71, 72, YARDAGE: 5,946 RATING/SLOPE: 67.5/111, 68.4/114, 69.3/114 PRACTICE RANGE: no
Oak Mountain Golf Course
Oak Mountain State Park Road Pelham, AL 35137; 205.620.2522 Located 17 miles south of downtown Birmingham in Oak Mountain State Park. Pre-noon tee times must be made five days in advance. American Express, Visa and MasterCard are welcome. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 6,748-5,615, RATING/SLOPE: 71.5 / 127, 69.8 / 124, 66.7 / 117, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa
4000 Grand Avenue, Birmingham, AL 35226; 205.949-3085, 800-949-4444 or www.rtjgolf.com/courses/ross_bridge/ A big, muscle-bound course, its 18 holes sprawling over 330 acres and stretching almost 8,200 yards from the back tees, Ross Bridge is big and brawny, yet inviting to golfers of all skill levels. Perfect for everyone from the casual golfer to the tournament player, it promises to be the premier course on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. The Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, opened in August 2005, is home to an incredible 12,000-square-foot full-service spa and salon. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 8,191 RATING/SLOPE: 78.5/135, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Oxmoor Valley
100 Sunbelt Parkway, Birmingham, AL 35211; 205.942.1177 or 800.949.4444 www.rtjgolf.com/courses/oxmoor_valley/ One of nine state-spanning courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, the Oxmoor Valley course offers three sets of links to challenge the golfer on the go, as well as the putter with time on his hands. ROBERT TRENT JONES – OXMOOR VALLEY SHORT COURSE NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 54, YARDAGE: 3,360, RATING/SLOPE: n/a, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
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PHOTOGRAPH: (BOTTOM LEFT) TED TUCKER
Tee time policies and green fees vary throughout the year, so be sure to call ahead. All major credit cards are accepted. ROBERT TRENT JONES – OXMOOR VALLEY RIDGE COURSE NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 7,055-4,974 RATING/SLOPE: 72/136, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Tee time policies and green fees vary throughout the year, so be sure to call ahead. All major credit cards are accepted.
ROBERT TRENT JONES – OXMOOR VALLEY VALLEY COURSE NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 7,055-4,974 RATING/SLOPE: 71/129, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Tee time policies and green fees vary throughout the year, so be sure to call ahead. All major credit cards are accepted.
NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 72, YARDAGE: 6,773, RATING/SLOPE: 72.3/126, PRACTICE RANGE: yes
Timberline Golf Club
Trussville Country Club
300 Timberline Trail, Calera, AL 35040; 205.668.7888 or www.timberlinegc.com A beautiful course located 30 miles south of Birmingham. Tee times can be made up to seven days in advance. All major credit cards are accepted.
7905 Roper Road, Trussville, AL 35173; 205.655.2095 or www.trussvillecountryclub.com This is a beautiful sculpted and challenging Par 71 course surrounded by the Cahaba River. NO. OF HOLES: 18, PAR: 71, YARDAGE: 6,024 RATING/SLOPE: 67.9/116, 66.9/113, 70.3/119 8 0 0 . 4 5 8 . 8 0 8 5 | W W W. I N B I R M I N G H A M . O RG | 1 1 1
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TOURIST INFORMATION PUBLIC PARKING
The information in this guide has been published in good faith on the basis of information supplied to the Bureau and its agents. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all information contained in this guide at the time of publishing, the Bureau and its agents cannot guarantee its accuracy and accepts no responsibility for any error, omission or misrepresentation.
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OVER 70 OUTLETS. FIND YOURS. From Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Tommy Hilfiger and LOFT Outlet to Brooks Brothers Factory Store, Le Creuset, Nike Factory Store and many more, come discover Birminghamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best shopping destination. VIP Grand Advantage Coupon Book for Groups and Visitors Full Service Concierge Hotel and Shopping Packages Group Tour Program Special AAA, AARP, Student and Military Discounts. For information and a calendar of sales and events visit: shopsofgrandriver.com 6200 Grand River Boulevard East, Leeds, AL 35094 P: 205.699.3700