Visitors to Birmingham will enjoy the variety of parks throughout the city, including the 90-acre Highland Park with its modern sports complex and golf course; Roebuck Park, known for its beautiful golf course and wooded grounds; Avondale, with an amphitheater, duck pond, and formal rose garden; East Lake, with more than 50 acres of fresh water; and Magnolia, known for its flowing fountains. Birmingham's Vulcan Park features a towering statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and the forge, the city's symbol. Said to be the largest iron figure ever cast, it rises 55 feet above its pedestal to reach a total of 179 feet. This monument, a tribute to the iron industry in Birmingham, is unique in that it honors an industry rather than a person or event. A glass enclosed elevator takes visitors to the statue's climate controlled observation deck for an aerial view of the city.
One of the largest zoos in the Southeast, the Birmingham Zoo exhibits mammals, birds, and reptiles in near-natural surroundings within a 100-acre compound. Rare species such as Siberian tigers, white rhinoceroses, gorillas, and polar bears join exhibits of specimens from nations around the globe. The Social Animals Building is the latest example of a leading-edge zoo concept that groups animals in exhibits according to lifestyle characteristics rather than species. In 2005, the zoo will celebrate its 50th year with the addition of a $15 million exhibit devoted to the urban, rural and wild animals and environment of Alabama. Across the street from the zoo are Birmingham's internationally known Botanical Gardens, which offer the visitor both indoor and outdoor plant displays of common and rare plants. Among its more than 67 acres of flowers and plants from all over the world are an authentic Japanese garden and a rose garden featuring more than two thousand blooming plants.
Birmingham's early history is preserved at the Arlington Antebellum Home and Gardens, a Greek Revival mansion built between 1845 and 1850, now restored to its original splendor and filled with period pieces. The home also hosts craft demonstrations and a variety of social functions.
At Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, a 1,000-acre nature preserve just five miles from the heart of the city center, 11 miles of hiking trails allow visitors to explore the nation's largest urban wilderness. The environmental education center offers a variety of changing exhibits and a gift shop. Free admission and free and fee-based programs are available for all ages. Thirty minutes south of the city, Oak Mountain State Park is Alabama's largest state park and offers 10,000 acres of mountains, forest land and lakes with space for camping, hiking biking, fishing and horseback riding.
Birmingham is fast becoming a leading center for the arts in the Southeast, providing superb facilities, emphasizing arts education, and showcasing numerous performances and exhibits. The pride of Birmingham is the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, which occupies a seven-square-block area in the heart of the city. Presenting more than 600 events a year, the complex hosts meetings, conventions, sporting events, ballets, operas, plays, concerts, shows, and lectures. The complex's concert hall, called one of the finest facilities in the world, seats 3,000 people in an acoustically superior auditorium. Its theater seats more than 1,000 people and features a stage that can change from a proscenium opening to three other forms, depending on the performance. The theater plays host to the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, which showcases both classical and pops performances. For young people interested in drama, the Birmingham Children's Theatre, which performs at the theater, has gained a national reputation.
The non-profit Birmingham Music Cooperative is comprised of four member organizations and is dedicated to scheduling, fundraising, education, community outreach and marketing efforts on behalf of its members, who include: the Birmingham Art Music Alliance, which features new music by local composers, community members, students and professionals; the Birmingham Chamber Music Society, which performs in and around Birmingham; the Birmingham Music Club, which offers specialty performances by world-class performers and a strong outreach program; and Opera Birmingham, which stages full operas and recitals. The Birmingham Metropolitan Orchestra made its debut in 1996.
Birmingham is home to the Alabama Ballet, which performs on tour and in the city. The Alabama School of Fine Arts is famous for the quality of its young dancers. Southern Danceworks operates as Alabama's only modern dance company. The Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the Birmingham Festival Theatre, and the Terrific New Theatre (TNT) also stage dramatic offerings. The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame has a permanent home downtown in the Art Deco Carver Theatre and jazz is also performed by the Birmingham Heritage Band. The Alabama Theatre, a restored 1920s movie palace with a classic Wurlitzer organ, features concerts, plays, and recitals.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham hosts many cultural events; the city expanded its offerings in 1997 when the $17 million Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center opened its doors. That facility is part of a complex that includes a recital hall, a "black box" theater for student productions, and the Sirote Theater, where performances of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival are scheduled.
Birmingham's museums and galleries reflect its history, as well as the diverse interests of its residents. Located in the expanded Convention Complex, The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum displays a host of articles relating to the sports history of the state, including plaques, trophies, uniforms, recordings, and films. Memorabilia such as Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's cap and Pat Sullivan's Heisman trophy are housed in the museum.
The Birmingham Museum of Art celebrated a 50-year anniversary in 2001 and holds a collection of 21,000 works of art. Said to be the largest municipally supported museum in the South, the Museum features paintings and sculptures from many cultures and periods, including Pre-Colombian, Indian, and African. It is also noted for its collections of Wedgwood ceramics, Remington bronzes, and Oriental Art. The BMA completed a $17 million renovation in 1992; additions included a sculpture garden, 7,000 more feet of gallery space, a 350-seat auditorium, and a restaurant.
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute houses exhibits that depict historical events pertaining to race relations from post-World War I to the present. The institute promotes research and discussion through its education program services. It was constructed across from the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, where it is the focal point of a Civil Rights District that includes the church, an African American commercial neighborhood, the Fourth Avenue Business District, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and Kelly Ingram Park, site of many 1960s civil rights marches.
Among Birmingham's other museums are the Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences, which contains items relating to the history of medicine; the Southern Museum of Flight, whose holdings include replicas of monoplanes and other items relating to the history of flight in Alabama; Meyer Planetarium, which gives programs on the stars and constellations; Bessemer Hall of History, which displays pioneer items, fossils, Civil War artifacts, and other unusual exhibits such as Adolph Hitler's typewriter; and the Sloss Furnaces National Historical Landmark, a combination museum and park where visitors can examine two blast furnaces and observe iron-making technology. The McWane Center in downtown Birmingham promotes scientific exploration for all ages. The 180,000 square foot Center features an IMAX Dome Theater, hands-on exhibits, educational programming and permanent and traveling exhibits.
Each April, the world-famous Birmingham International Festival, Birmingham's largest festival, salutes a different foreign country. During three days of activities devoted to film, dance, sculpture, music, fashion, food, and fun, more than 250,000 people attend events sponsored by civic organizations, schools, churches, museums, and ethnic groups. The International Festival runs in conjunction with the city's annual Magic City Art Connection, featuring more than 200 juried art exhibitors. Also in spring, the Birmingham International Educational Film Festival features outstanding educational films. June's City Stages Festival fills Linn Park with three days of performances by more than fifty top jazz, blues, rock and gospel musical acts. Birmingham Jam, held in the fall at Sloss Furnaces, brings jazz, blues, and gospel groups from around the country for three days of quality performances.
The young and growing Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in September offers four days of independent film viewing at venues in Birmingham's downtown theater district. At the Bluff Park Arts and Crafts Show each October, browsers can see and buy arts and crafts items and enjoy a barbecue. Fall is the season for the Alabama State Fair, held at the State Fairgrounds in Birmingham. Demonstrations, exhibitions, contests, and entertainment are presented along with items for display and for sale. Other major celebrations include the Greek Food Festival, Oktoberfest, the Juneteenth Culture Fest and the Lebanese Food and Cultural Festival.
Often called "The Football Capital of the South," Birmingham enjoys a rich sports history. The legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant and Ralph "Shug" Jordan both coached football teams for many years at Birmingham's Legion Field Stadium, where the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide played its games to capacity crowds. In 2004, structural issues to Legion Fields upper deck seating forced the Tide to move most of their games to the Bryant-Denny Stadium. Legion Field hosts the Magic City Classic, the annual clash between Alabama State and Alabama A & M, and is home to the university's Division IA football team. Baseball fans go to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium from April to September to watch the Birmingham Barons, a Double A farm club of the Chicago White Sox. The Barons' former home and oldest American ballpark, Rickwood Field, is enjoying restoration and offers visitors a glimpse into history with tours and games. Greyhounds race at the Birmingham Race Course, a track set on a 330-acre wooded site. The grandstand can accommodate 20,000 spectators who may also enjoy the clubhouse and private facilities. The University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers play at UAB Arena and the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex regularly hosts prestigious national basketball events and championships and is home to the Birmingham Steeldogs football team. Greystone Country Club hosts the Bruno's Memorial Classic Senior PGA tournament each May. It has become one of the most popular venues on the Senior Tour.
The Birmingham Park and Recreation Board operates 127 public recreational facilities, which host 2 public golf courses, 16 swimming pools, more than 120 tennis courts, and 23 softball fields. Suburban communities also boast fine recreational opportunities. Marathoners can test their endurance in the annual Mercedes Marathon, or the city's 10K Vulcan Run. A massive theme park in nearby Bessemer called VisionLand includes water sports, rides, auto racing, and skeet shooting. The Barber Vintage Motorsports Park opened in 2003. The $54 million racing facility and museum houses the Porsche Driving Experience school and hosts a variety of motorcycle and auto racing events. Built into the landscape, the state-of-the-art racetrack has no grandstands, with seating built into the surrounding hillside and offering good viewing vantage points from most locations. The Museum showcases nearly 900 motorcycles and 45 cars, most from businessman George W. Barber Jr.'s own collection.
Birmingham is famous for its beautiful golf courses. Its Oxmoor Valley Golf Course is one stop on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the largest golf course construction project ever attempted with a total of 378 holes over 18 courses throughout the state. According to Golf magazine, the course is "Alabama's equivalent of Disney World."
The most recent center to open is Colonial Promenade Tutwiler Farm shopping center, whose tenants will include Home Depot, SuperTarget, and Books-A-Million. The new Watermark Place Outlet Center features more than 30 outlet stores. The Summit, with just under 80 shops opened in November 1997 and includes stores never before seen in the state, including Williams-Sonoma. One of the most exciting shopping centers in the Southeast is the Riverchase Galleria, located at the interchange of I-459 and U.S. 31, thirteen miles south of downtown Birmingham and in the center of the Riverchase community. The mall boasts the luxurious Wynfrey Hotel, an office tower, a ten-foot statue of blue herons in flight, the largest skylight in the country, and more than 200 stores. Five Points South is an entertainment and shopping area on the south side that offers unique restaurants, bars and specialty shops; it is the scene of a variety of festivals. The sights, sounds, and scents of an old-fashioned farmer's market are available at two Birmingham locations, the Jefferson County Truck Growers Association and Pepper Place Market. The Jefferson County market is open daily, year-round. The Pepper Place Market in the Lakeview Design District operates on Saturdays and offers fresh vegetables and flowers, baked goods, local organic produce and cooking demonstrations by area chefs.
Magic City residents are proud of their tradition of sumptuous dining coupled with southern hospitality. More than 600 restaurants dot the Birmingham area, from fast-food outlets to establishments specializing in ethnic cuisine and those featuring traditional southern barbecue: meat cooked slowly over coals and basted with savory sauce.
Visitor Information: Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2200 Ninth Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203; telephone (205)458-8000. Visitor Information Centers are located on the lower level of the Birmingham International Airport, telephone (205)458-8002, and at 1201 University Boulevard, telephone (205)458-8001. For information on University of Alabama events, call 934-0553. For weather information, call (205)945-7000.