Birmingham

Atop Red Mountain stands the largest cast-iron statue in the world: Vulcan, the Roman god of the forge and a symbol of the city's steel-making past. A trip to Birmingham takes you to one of Alabama's largest cities, which confronts its painful civil rights history while surprising visitors with creative cuisine and green spaces.

The Magic City and "Bombingham"

Birmingham was founded in 1871 at the exact spot where iron ore, coal, and limestone lay close together, the ideal raw materials for steel production. The city grew so fast that it was nicknamed the "Magic City," and it took its name from the English industrial center. In the 1950s and 1960s, numerous racist bombings earned it the bitter nickname "Bombingham." In 1963, a Ku Klux Klan attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church killed four girls; that same year, images of police dogs and water cannons turned on demonstrating children went around the world. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail" here.

Sights in Birmingham

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the 16th Street Baptist Church, and Kelly Ingram Park with its sculptures form the heart of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. The Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, a decommissioned blast furnace plant, tells the story of the city's industrial history and doubles as a concert venue. From Vulcan Park and Museum, you get views over downtown. The Birmingham Museum of Art holds a significant collection of works from Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is considered the largest motorcycle collection in the world. Railroad Park connects downtown with lawns, ponds, and jogging paths.

Eating and Going Out in Birmingham

Birmingham has developed into one of the most exciting restaurant destinations in the South; local chefs have won prestigious awards several times. Besides barbecue with ribs and pulled pork, you'll find the regional white barbecue sauce, fried green tomatoes, and hot dogs with chili sauce, a tradition with Greek roots. Bars and breweries are found in the Lakeview District, in Avondale, and downtown; the Southside neighborhood near the UAB campus is popular with students.

Sports and Neighborhoods in Birmingham

Birmingham is also a sports town. The UAB football team plays at Protective Stadium downtown, and at Rickwood Field, the oldest surviving professional baseball stadium in the U.S., Negro League legends such as Willie Mays once took the field. The Five Points South neighborhood with its fountain is popular with students, as is Avondale with its breweries and concerts in the park. Homewood and Mountain Brook, south of Red Mountain, are home to the city's affluent side. In late summer, the Sidewalk Film Festival screens independent films in historic downtown theaters.

Getting Around Birmingham and the Best Time to Visit

Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, named after civil rights leader Fred Shuttlesworth, is just a few kilometers northeast of downtown. Buses run within the city, but you'll need a car for excursions. The best times to visit are spring and fall; summers are hot and humid. In Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve and Red Mountain Park, you can hike through forests and old mining sites. Farther afield are Oak Mountain State Park, Montgomery with more sites of the civil rights movement, and Talladega Superspeedway.