If you have an idea to visit Birmingham, we’ll tell you the most attractive places in Birmingham and the most interesting things you can do there. Birmingham used to be an industrial center. But today, it is a cultural center with a rich history. Also, Birmingham is home to many important Civil Rights landmarks. Then let’s start our visit to Birmingham.
1. Sixteenth Street Church
Ku Klux Klan bombed the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on the 15th of September 1963. The Church was destroyed and girls had to die due to this attack. The church was reopened in 1964. Donations come from around the world to restore this building. Today, it has become a major tourist attraction place in Birmingham. This bomb attack also played a big part in the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
You can learn how important Birmingham played in the fight for equality and desegregation by visiting Birmingham’s Civil Rights landmarks. Besides the Sixteenth Street Church, you can also visit Kelly Ingram Park and Boutwell Auditorium. There are knowledgeable guides and you can learn the city’s Civil Rights story.
- Visit- 1530 Sixteenth Avenue North, Birmingham, Alabama
2. Civil Rights Institute
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute promotes human and civil rights worldwide through education. It also provides a deeper insight into the different barriers that African Americans faced in the past, as well as today. This Institute is located at the junction of Sixth Avenue North and Sixteenth Street. They held permanent exhibitions, guiding visitors to tourists, through events with multi-media presentations. They focus on 4 main topics. They are the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century, the broader scope of human rights, segregation, and confrontations. The museum has galleries that feature special temporary exhibitions also.
- Visit- 520 16th Street North, Birmingham, Alabama
- Official website– www.bcri.org
3. McWane Science Center
If you like to get an experience of the world through interactive exhibits and science adventures, McWane Science Center in Birmingham is a place that you must visit. This is one of the most attractive places in Birmingham that most local and foreign tourists visit. You can get the experience of many Science topics from dinosaurs to space exploration from there. It doesn’t matter whether you are a kid, younger or older person, you can see many exciting things like hands-on displays feature motions, and light and sound, here.
The McWane Science center’s top level features special events and they exhibit the relationship between art and technology. The center’s lower level features an interactive aquarium exhibit. If you visit there, you can check out salt marsh creatures, make waves on an eroding shoreline, and explore the story of water and what it means. The McWane Science center has an IMAX theater and it shows a variety of films daily.
- Visit- 200 19th Street North, Birmingham, Alabama
- Official website– www.mcwane.org
4. The Museum of Art
The Birmingham Museum of Art is one of the most attractive places in Birmingham, which has a collection of more than 20,000 items. That collection consists of not only ancient items but also contemporary items. They originate from all parts of the world. Nearly half of the items are European decorative arts. Also, more than 2,000 items are American decorative arts. Both European and American collection includes many items like vases and vessels, textiles, furniture, porcelain, and metalwork like fine silver.
More than 4,000 items are Asian decorative arts which include items from ancient bronzes and earthenware to works on paper and in multimedia. The African collection consists of nearly 2,000 items and that includes headdresses, furniture, vessels, figures, and beadwork.
The collections also consist of European, American, and contemporary arts. You can see art from notable artists like Pissarro, Dali, and van Rijn. The Birmingham Museum of Art’s ground, Charles W Ireland Sculpture Garden is a multi-level area that features the Upper Plaza, Lower Gallery, and the Red Mountain Garden.
- Visit- 2000 Rev Abraham Woods, Jr. Boulevard, Birmingham, Alabama
- Official website– www.artsbma.org
5. Vintage Motorsports Museum
George Barber was a race driver and he founded Vintage Motorsports Museum as a result of his passion for cars and motorcycles in 1995. When it was opened, it only has an assortment of vintage motorcycles. But, after that, several vehicles were lent to the Guggenheim Museum. They exhibit those items in the “The Art of the Motorcycle”. Due to this reason, the vintage collection gained notoriety.
Barber continued to develop his collection and made a large complex. Now it is a home for a proving ground and a 2.38-mile racetrack. Major auto manufacturers like Porsche and Mercedes-Benz used this area for their commercials, product reveals, and testing. This area is open to the public and you can see demonstrations, Porsche Driving School, and more activities in there.
The museum has an impressive collection of motorcycles and cars. You can see the collection of motorcycles which consists of more than 1400 items. Those items come from nearly two dozen countries and represent more than 200 manufacturers. You can see more than half of these items at any time. The car collection is included several Lotus and rare race cars.
- Visit- 6030 Barber Motorsports Parkway, Birmingham, Alabama
- Official website– www.barbermuseum.org
6. Botanical Gardens
Botanical Gardens are some most attractive places in Birmingham. They adorn a 67-acre park. When you come through the Queen’s Gates, the first thing you can see is the impressive glass conservatory. Most gardens are categorized by the plant’s name. Among them, the rose garden is one place that most tourists like. The garden that contains varieties of lilies, iris, and hostas is another dedicated garden. While the Gardens of Nature is home to native local plants, the Gardens of Culture focus on a wide variety of flora. It consists of many themes like a herb garden and a Japanese garden.
- Visit- 2612 Lane Park Road, Birmingham, Alabama
- Official website– www.bbgardens.org
7. Railroad Park
The Railroad Park is located in the middle of downtown Birmingham. It is an oasis of water features and green views. The 19 acres of Railroad park is home to many things like trees for shade, a variety of streams and ponds, flowers, plenty of lawn space, and a small lake. It also offers a three-quarter-mile Rail Trail and a few trails for walking or running. There are two playgrounds for younger kids and three skate bowls for teenagers. It features various cultural events, concerts, and family activities. The park has 24/7 security cameras and rangers. It also offers you dining facilities and restrooms.
Visit- At the western end of 1st Avenue South, Between 14th and 18th Streets, Birmingham Alabama
8. Birmingham Zoo
Birmingham Zoo is one of the most attractive places in Birmingham for families and kids of all ages. It is home to a variety of mammals, reptiles, and birds from around the world. Birmingham zoo features many events and shows like reptile feeding, sea lion training sessions, and sea lion show. Kids can get a ride on the Red Diamond Express, and a ride on the animal-themed carousel for a small fee. They have a chance to meet a giraffe up close also.
If you like to meet some of its residents or see the inner workings of the zoo, you can buy an animal encounter. It is available for Komodo dragons, American black bears, rhinos, and sea lions. You can see hundreds of butterflies from more than 20 species, that are native to Alabama from the botanical exhibit.
- Visit- 2630 Cahaba Road, Birmingham, Alabama
- Official website– www.birminghamzoo.com
9. The Sloss Furnaces
If you like to learn about the history of Birmingham, this is an ideal place for you. The Sloss Furnaces made pig iron for about 90 years since 1882. But today, it works as a museum. If you visit there, you can see the massive furnaces, tall smokestacks, and a web of pipes. This area is a landmark that represents the industrial history of the area.
You can pick up a self-guided tour book from the visitor center. It also offers short films and exhibits about the site’s history. If you like to have a guided tour, you can make a request or you would have to wait for the weekend. This area is ideal for photographs. But if you want to use professional photography equipment, you need to get permission before shooting. Otherwise, you won’t allow to use them.
- Visit- 20 32nd Street North, Birmingham, Alabama
- Official website– www.slossfurnaces.com
10. Ruffner Mountain Center
If you like hiking, watching birds, or outdoor enthusiast, Ruffner Mountain Nature Center is an ideal place for you. Also, there are many raptors, turtles, frogs, snakes, mammals, and salamanders living in this wildlife sanctuary. There were many iron ore mines in this area from the 1880s to the 1950s. You can still see some remains of them. You can see not only mining sites but also quarries, and mining equipment.
Red Mountain Park is another mining site-turned-park. It consists of a few historic iron ore mining sites. Also, it has a system of 15 miles of trails. This place is another excellent place, especially for hiking among the most attractive places in Birmingham. Further, you can get an experience of Mountain biking in this park. All of the trails in this park are allowed for mountain biking.
- Visit- 1214 81st Street South, Birmingham, Alabama
- Official site– http://ruffnermountain.org/
11. Vulcan Park and Museum
If you visit Birmingham, you can see the largest cast iron statue in the world. The statue of Vulcan, which is located at the top of Red Mountain, reminds the city’s early industrial roots. The height of the statue is 56-foot and it represents the Roman god of fire. The statue was built for an exhibit at the Palace of Metallurgy and Mines at the 1904 St.
Louis World’s Fair and 100,000 pounds of iron has used for building this statue. If you visit there, you can experience amazing views of Birmingham city from the observation deck. You can also visit a good history museum and learn about the city and the statue’s history. If you like to picnic on the grounds, you can visit Vulcan Park.
- Address- 1701 Valley View Drive, Birmingham, Alabama
- Official site- http://visitvulcan.com/
12. Museum of Flight
This is another place among the most attractive places in Birmingham. This place is home to many historic aircraft and exhibits. The indoor section of the museum shows many things that relate to the history of aviation in the military by using life-size dioramas. You can see the MiG-15 and F-86 Sabre, the two most infamous fighter jets of the era. Also, you can see the Vietnam War Helicopters exhibit, the recovered Lake Murray B-25, and the WWII era with the Tuskegee Airmen exhibit.
The kids can enjoy it by visiting the Little Pilots Playroom. You can also visit the Experimental Aviation Association Classroom where aspiring engineers try their ideas using Kinex, Mega Blox, and Legos. The older kids will love this place. Kids who are ages 12 and up can experience fully functional flight simulators. Also, you can walk among the planes like an A-12 Blackbird, a Stealth bomber and an early-model commercial plane once used by Delta Air Lines. If you like to watch aviation art, photographs, and murals, you can visit the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame.
- Visit- 4343 73rd Street North, Birmingham, Alabama
- Official site– www.southernmuseumofflight.org
13. Kelly Ingram Park
Kelly Ingram Park also called West Park is an important landmark of Civil Rights History. In 1963, the police assaulted peaceful protesters with police dogs and fire hoses. It brought international attention to the American Civil Rights movement. And this is the place where this incident happened. This incident is a special landmark of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. You can see statues including attacks on children that represent this incident in this park.
- Visit- Fifth Avenue N & 16th Street, Birmingham, Alabama
14. Pepper Place Market
Every Saturday morning more than a hundred vendors gather at Pepper Place. The market lets sellers offer their best produce and local food products, animal products, baked goods, specialty foods like chocolate, preserves, and handmade local goods. If you visit there, you can buy a variety of things from jewelry to crafts and artwork from there. The paper place market is open from 7 am to noon. You can visit there even in the winter season. Because they held the market during inclement weather and the winter season.
- Visit- 2829 2nd Ave S, Birmingham, Alabama
- Official web site– www.pepperplacemarket.com
15. Theaters
If you like to watch live performances, there are many venues available in Birmingham. Alabama Theater on Third Avenue North is one of the excellent places among most attractive places in Birmingham. It was built in 1927 as a movie house. Now, this building has been listed in the National Register for Historic Places. It hosts major events like Mickey Mouse Club and the Miss Alabama Pageant. Alabama Theater is the home of the Performing Arts. You can enjoy classic films, theatrical and dance performances, and live music by visiting there.
The Virginia Samford Theatre at Caldwell Park on 26th Street South is another great place to enjoy live performances. This well-preserved Art Deco venue was built in 1927. Now it hosts, many theatrical, musical, and dance performances that feature local professionals. You can throughout the year. Birmingham Children’s Theatre which is located at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex is especially for young audiences. It hosts a variety of performances throughout the year.
Those are the most attractive places in Birmingham. If you plan to tour Birmingham, don’t forget to visit these places. You will be able to get an amazing experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fame of Birmingham, USA?
The oldest and biggest Veterans Day celebrations in the country are held in Birmingham, which is recognized as the city that first recognized Veterans Day. The presence of coal, iron ore, and limestone within a ten-mile radius is unique to Birmingham and is not found anywhere else in the world.
Is Birmingham, USA, a suitable area to live?
One of the top 100 places to live in the United States is Birmingham, Alabama, and for good reason. Those who call this city “home” enjoy this best-kept secret of the South, which has recently seen a growth in dining options, entertainment, sports, music, and career prospects.
Where is Birmingham, United States?
Birmingham, the biggest city in Alabama, is situated in the state’s north-central region. It is one of the South’s major industrial centers.