Steel City South

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. It is pretty much a center point for the state and is where Interstates 59, 20 and 65 meet.

Being founded after the Civil War, the cities impact on history really comes in the modern era. First, it had major economic impact as a source of steel in the early 1900's. The industry flourished here in Birmingham with several competing furnaces and steel mills in the city. During the Depression, this city was one of the first to bounce back as the steel was needed to make artillery for World War II.

Birmingham's second impact on U.S. history came in the 1960's as this city was a center point for the struggle for civil rights. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used Birmingham as an area to advance the struggle for African American equality. Along with Memphis, Atlanta, and Montgomery, Birmingham led the way in advancing the civil rights movement.

Also, as a major economic center, the city has a diverse selection of cultural activities. There is a zoo, a botanical garden, a museum of natural history, an art museum, several other historical museums and many theaters for the preforming arts. Finally, Birmingham is the state's best example of nightlife.

I had the opportunity to spend a weekend in Birmingham. I got to see most of the downtown attractions and museums, but I missed all those outside of the cities center. I am going to be visiting the area again in August and will be able to elaborate on other activities then. You could easily spend a full week's vacation here, but you can see most of the major attractions in four days.

Quick Tips:

I recommend a trip to Birmingham, AL for most adults. The city offers a wide range of activities from cultural museums to historical museums, an amusement park to city parks. Nightlife is pretty good here, so young adults will have plenty to do at night. Thrill junkies will enjoy the amusement park, but it doesn't compare to others around the country, so this wouldn't be an ideal vacation for them. Also, I don't really recommend this trip for parents with young children; the museum of natural history, the zoo and the amusement park are all geared toward children, but that won't take more then a day. Everything else unique to the city is more adult oriented and children will not enjoy it.

One final note, before examining the individual attractions of this area, remember that if you are traveling to Birmingham on your free time, you should spend it doing things that you enjoy. Whether you are on vacation or traveling through your retirement, you should do things that you like, not necessarily what I or any reviewer says is fun. If you enjoy golfing, you should spend a day of your vacation golfing on one of the courses; everyone enjoys a different course now and then. If you like shopping, you should take in some of the local shops; there is an excellent mall at Riverchase as well as a huge outlet center. Anyway, spend some time doing the things that you enjoy the most and you will get more out of your experience to this (or any) area.

Best Way To Get Around:

It is absolutely imperative to have a car to get around the city. It you stay downtown, you will find the museums down there are only a couple of miles apart, it is possible to walk between them if you have the energy to walk about ten miles, but you will miss the other attractions in the city. The shopping centers are all outside of town, the zoo / botanical gardens are way up on the mountain, and the amusement park is clear to the other side of the suburbs. The public transportation system runs to infrequently to be a reliable alternative.

When I look for a place to stay when I'm traveling I always look at two things. First, I look at the location of the hotel; I want to stay close to the attractions, but not in a bad neighborhood. Second, I look at the price compared to others in the area. Pickwick is a winner on both standards.

First, Pickwick is in the heart of the downtown area. It is in an area called Five Points South, which is Birmingham's entertainment district. This area represents the cities more reputable night clubs, bars and restaurants. If you are interested in meeting other people and enjoying a night out, this is were you will be going in Birmingham. Staying at the Pickwick is nice as you can take advantage of the nightlife and not have to worry about driving home; it literally is surrounded by the clubs. It is within a few miles on all sides by the local museums, Vulcan Park and the zoo / botanical gardens. Except for those attractions in the suburbs of town, you will find the Pickwick Hotel in a great location. Additionally, the hotels parking lot is gated and for guests only; this is nice since it is so hard to find a parking spot in the Five Points South area on a Friday or Saturday night.

Second, compared to other hotels in the area, the Pickwick is a bargain. Other hotels in the immediate neighborhood were $15 to $20 higher. Of course, there were some considerably cheaper outside of the downtown area, but the location makes up for the difference in the price.

The room itself was clean and the staff was helpful; neither were exceptional, but they were adequate. It's not a very large hotel (something like 75 rooms) so the service was quick.

Also, every room is equipped with high speed Internet service, which is nice if you are travelling on business. Also, there is a small fitness center for hotel guests only.

A couple of down points should also be mentioned. First, the continental breakfast was not very good; it was cereal and bagels. I ate out both mornings. Second, there is no pool. Especially if you are traveling with children, this exclusion might warrant considering another location.

I recommend this hotel for adults visiting Birmingham, Alabama, strictly due to its location and proximity to the entertainment district. Families with children might look elsewhere, as the nightlife will not be a draw for children and there is no pool in the hotel.

Website: http://www.pickwickhotel.com/

It's a wonder to me that a state as small as Alabama has produced as many world-class athletes as this state has.

Of course, everyone knows that there is one real sport in Alabama, and that is football. There is no professional team in this state, so college football rules the airwaves. The two big teams here are the University of Alabama and Auburn. As such, the legendary coaches of these schools were the first inductees to this hall of fame; Bear and Shug led there teams to numerous championships and have earned a spot in the state's sports history.

In addition to the two coaches, the state has been the home to many of the NFL's biggest stars, including John Heisman, Bart Starr, "Broadway" Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler, Kevin Greene, Derrick Thomas, and Al Del Greco. Alright, Al Del Greco was a joke, but he is a member of this hall of fame anyway.

This is not to mention the greatest athlete to ever play professional sports, Bo Jackson. Bo knows football.. Bo knows baseball.. Bo knows sports.. and Bo is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame as he is from Bessemer, just outside of Birmingham.

Of course, Alabama is known as a football state, but it has produced its share of other athletes. Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Don Sutton, and Ozzie Smith are all great baseball players from Alabama and members of this hall of fame.

Charles Barkley was a great basketball player as well as an Olympic gold medalist who was inducted into this hall of fame. Carl Lewis and Jesse Owens are well renowned for their physical skills; both were originally from Alabama.

The hall of fame also inducts members from the smaller sports. Davie and Bobbie Allison from NASCAR fame are both members. Joe Louis the former heavyweight champion of the world is a member of this hall of fame.

The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame contains thousands of artifacts from its members including Heisman awards, World Series trophies and Super Bowl awards. There are jerseys, awards, news clippings, and photos for all the athletes that are members of this hall of fame.

Besides the athletic memorabilia, there is a short film that tells the story of Alabama's rich heritage in sports. To this state, these athletes are the best representation of the people that live here.

I recommend this attraction for anyone traveling through the area. Children of all ages will enjoy this site.

Website: http://www.ashof.org/.

Wow! I was really impressed with the first two botanical gardens that I went to: the one in San Antonio, TX, and the one in Huntsville, AL. Compared to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, both of the other two pale in comparison; San Antonio's is much smaller and Huntsville's is not on the same level artistically.

Needless to say, I am very impressed with the botanical gardens here in Birmingham. Everywhere I looked was absolutely beautiful.

There are several different gardens to this attraction. The first is the rose garden, which is patterned and separated by color. This results in a view that resembles a sea of colors.

Next is the lily pond. By itself it is beautiful. With the sculpture and the stairs leading to the terrace that overlooks it, this is incredible.

The greenhouse is split into sections. You literally walk from the rainforest to the desert just by changing rooms. There is a large variety in each of the rooms representing the different climates.

The vegetable garden is nice. This area is good for an educational environment for kids. Many of those from the city will not know about growing plants for food.

In addition to the individual gardens in the area, the area is full of natural Alabama wildlife. Some of the trails lead you through area that is pretty much untouched by man's hands, so you see Alabama at its natural self.

The last exhibit that you will see is the Japanese garden. Complete with a tea house and Zen Garden, this area is well manicured, and every bush sits exactly as it is intended to sit. With its bright red bridges crossing the streams, this area is the best kept area in the park.

I can use a dozen adjectives to describe these gardens, but it would be better served to say this place is beautiful; you should visit it. I recommend this attraction for anyone traveling to the area. Families with small children might lose interest quickly, but admission is free, so the value is infinite.

Website: www.bbgardens.org

To date, this is the biggest and most extensive art museum that I have ever seen. Having said that (and it really is impressive how much this museum holds), I just didn't enjoy my visit here.

Unlike the other art museums that I've seen, this one is not tied to a specific theme. For example, I've been to an art museum, where the entire museum contained Audobon's paintings, or Japanese block prints, or a particular artist. When judging these museums, I consider how well the pieces tie together and how the atmosphere contributes to the overall mood of the art.

The Birmingham Museum is collected in a dozen different exhibits, including 19th-century English, 19th-century French, Japanese, Native American, etc. The collections include a vast array of art, from furniture, to clothing, to jewelry, to paintings, to models. There is so much to see here that you will really go into information overload. Thinking back, I am hard-pressed to remember more then a dozen that stick out in my mind only a week after I saw them.

There are some big pluses to the museum, too. First, it is absolutely free. If you have extra time on your visit to Birmingham, you can stop by the museum for a short time and will enjoy the time you spent here.

Conversely, the museum is so big and all the pieces in the museum are its property (not part of traveling exhibits), there is stuff here that you will never see anywhere else. Some of the more exotic exhibits, such as the Native American, the Japanese, and the Chinese contain art exhibits that show the culture of these people.

If you are looking for a traditional art museum, this is not going to be for you. If you are looking for a museum that highlights some of the cultures around the world and the artistic history of these cultures, you could spend days looking at all the exhibits here.

I recommend this attraction for anyone interested in cultural history or art history. It's not a typical art museum, but with no admission and thousands of exhibits, you will find at least one exhibit here that will make the visit worth your time.

Website: www.artsbma.org

The Birmingham Zoo is Southeast's largest zoo. At any given time, about 800 animals of more than 200 species make their homes at the zoo, including 80 species of birds, 80 reptiles, and 60 mammals.

The zoo has most of the usual zoo attractions, such as a bird house, a reptile exhibit, a butterfly pen, and a primate house. There are large Pachyderms, including an elephant, a black rhinoceros, and a couple of hippos. The Savannah exhibit includes a lion, zebras, ostriches, and some giraffe that you can touch and feed.

Other animals, such as tigers, buffaloes, alligators, etc., are represented here. The only noticeable animals not included are the larger primates (apes and baboons), bears, and some of the big cats ( leopards and cheetahs). It really is easier to name the animals that the park doesn't have then to list all those that it does.

One area in the zoo that makes it special is the Alabama Wilds, which features animals that are native to Alabama. The theme is frontier life in Alabama, which naturally starts with the farm. This is a petting zoo with pigs, goats, cows, llamas, and chickens. Kids will especially enjoy this part of the zoo. As you leave the farm and head into the wilderness, you will see Alabama's wildlife, including a bald eagle, a horned owl, a skunk, a raccoon, and a possum. At the lake, you will see otters, a beaver, and some of the local snakes. As you leave the Alabama Wilds, you will see PawPaw's Goat Pull, where children can ride a wagon pulled by a goat.

The Birmingham Zoo is also very interactive. In the Lorikeet Aviary, you can get some nectar and the lorikeets will land all over you to get to it. At the various exhibits in the zoo, the zookeepers will give presentations and answer questions about the animals in the exhibits. There is a sea-lion show. This is also the first zoo that I've been to where you could feed and touch the giraffes.

A couple of other attractions worth mentioning are geared specifically for the kids. First, the park has a wildlife carousel, on which your kids can ride their favorite animals from here at the zoo. Second, a train ride will take you on a 10-minute trip around the perimeter of the park. Next, there is a short show where the zookeepers introduce children to some of the parks animals from up close. Finally, there is a small section of the park with some fountains for the kids to play in.

I recommend a trip to the Birmingham Zoo for anyone traveling through the area, especially anyone interested in animals or biology. Families with small children will find this to be the highlight to a trip through this area.

Website: www.birminghamzoo.com

The McWane Science Center is Birmingham's museum of natural history. Unfortunately, it just can't compare with its counterparts in other cities.

One interesting thing about the McWane Center is the fact that the museum hosts a lot of changing exhibits. When I went to see it, they were featuring "Moneyville," which showed what different civilizations used for money and how it was used in their societies.

In addition to the changing exhibits, there are plenty of permanent features that demonstrate various points scientifically. There is also an aquarium downstairs.

The problem with the center is that they are geared specifically for kids. If you have children and are looking for a nice place to take them, you might have a different opinion of this place then I do. For an adult, there isn't much here to do. Certainly, for the price of admission, you will not find enough here to occupy your time.

Separate from the museum, there is an IMAX theater here. Admission is separate, but is comparable to other IMAXs. As with the museum, the theater is built for children, and I found it extremely uncomfortable to sit in even for the one hour show.

I recommend a trip to the McWane Science Center for families with young children, who have spare time between other activities. This is not a destination site.

Website: www.mcwane.org

High atop Red Mountain, the Roman god Vulcan stands overlooking the city of Birmingham. Vulcan was the ancient Romans god of fire and forges; he was worshipped by blacksmiths and metalworkers. Today Vulcan stands as a reminder of Birmingham's past.

In 1904, each state was allowed to send one exhibit to the World's Fair, which was being held in St. Louis. At that time, Birmingham was by far the largest city in Alabama with about 200,000 people; no other city in the state had 80,000. Established just years before in 1871, Birmingham was called the "Magic City" as had a population explosion in just thirty years, due to the large number of workers needed to mine the iron ore, limestone, and coal and to work the furnaces used to convert these natural resources into iron and steel. Birmingham became the iron and steel capital of the south and (behind Pittsburgh) the second largest producer of steel in the country.

Owing the city's success and a large part of the state's economy to the iron industry, it was easy to decide to produce an iron statue to send to the World's Fair. As an image of iron workers throughout history, Vulcan became the subject for the statue.

The statue was made of 100 percent Birmingham iron. It was made as a cast statue, where a mold is cut and iron is poured into the mold to form the pieces of the statue. Total height of the statue is 56 feet with a shoulder span of ten feet. The total weight of the statue is 100,000 pounds. It is the largest cast iron statue in the world and the second largest statue in the United States (behind the Statue of Liberty).

The statue stands on top of an observation tower. You can walk up to the base of the statue about 100 feet above the ground to the observation deck, which has a wonderful view of the city. In the last couple of years, they have even added an elevator for those unable to walk up the stairs to the observation center.

The museum shows the history of Birmingham. From its meager beginning after the Civil War to the population explosion when the iron industry ruled the area. It shows the building of the Vulcan statue. It tells how the iron industry held Birmingham together through the Depression and led to its recovery when iron was needed to support the war effort for World War II. It shows Birmingham's impact during the Civil Rights Movement. Finally, it shows how Birmingham has diversified into a major city here in the south.

I recommend a trip to Vulcan Park for anyone traveling through Birmingham. I especially recommend a trip to Vulcan Park for anyone interested in local history and families with children. This is a must see for all visitors to the area.

Website: www.vulcanpark.org