The largest city in Alabama played a central role in the Civil Rights Movement and has grown into a medical research hub with a thriving downtown restaurant scene.
Birmingham, Alabama's second-largest city, has grown beyond its industrial roots. You can walk through the 7-acre Japanese garden at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, climb to the 56-foot Vulcan statue on Red Mountain, or spend an afternoon at the McWane Science Center conducting hands-on experiments. Downtown, you'll find art collections at the Birmingham Museum of Art, while hiking trails wind through the surrounding mountains.
Parks and Natural Areas
Red Mountain Park's 15-mile trail network leads you past three mining sites from the 1800s, two treehouse-style overlooks, and views of the city's skyline. At the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, 30 themed gardens include a Japanese garden with wooden bridges and a traditional tea house. Railroad Park in downtown includes a lake, concrete ramps for skateboarding, and outdoor exercise stations. The observation deck at Vulcan Park gives you visibility up to 65 miles on clear days.
Arts and Museums
The Birmingham Museum of Art holds 27,000 works, from Renaissance paintings to contemporary sculptures. Two 1920s theaters anchor the performing arts scene: the Alabama Theatre, where you can hear concerts on its original Wurlitzer organ under gold-leaf ceilings, and the Lyric Theatre, with its restored vaudeville-era interior. Each August, the Sidewalk Film Festival brings more than 250 independent films to multiple downtown venues.
University Districts
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) brings 18,000 students to its urban campus, many studying at its medical school. The university focuses on medical, engineering, and computer science research. Students from UAB, Samford University, and Miles College gather in Five Points South and Lakeview, where you'll find coffee shops, music venues, and casual restaurants.
Civil Rights Sites
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute documents the Civil Rights Movement with photographs, documents, and personal items from the 1950s and 60s. Kelly Ingram Park's walking path takes you past sculptures depicting the 1963 demonstrations and Children's Crusade. Next door, the 16th Street Baptist Church, built in 1911, stands with its twin towers as part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. These three locations preserve the actual sites where activists worked to change American history.
Getting Around Birmingham
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is 5 miles from downtown. The city connects to Atlanta, Nashville, and other major cities via I-20, I-59, I-65, and I-459. Most residents drive, with peak traffic during morning (7-9 AM) and evening (4-6 PM) rush hours. You can park in downtown garages or street spaces throughout the day.
