A plan for Birmingham

Birmingham (unlike the city in England, the "h" is not silent here) has a population of 200,000 in the city (2020) and 1.1 million in the metro area (2020).

History

Generally speaking, most of the modern-day big cities of the Southern United States got their start in the 18th or very early 19th century as frontier forts or trading posts (or, in the case of coastal cities like Charleston or Norfolk, as seaports), then grew through the antebellum period into administrative centers where folks from the surrounding areas would come to conduct government business and/or market towns where they came to sell their agricultural goods. Birmingham's history is very different from that.

For one thing, it's a lot younger than most Southern cities: although white settlers began arriving in the area in the 1810s or so, until after the Civil War there was nothing inside the modern-day city limits but rural farmland dotted with a few small towns (notably Elyton, of which the Arlington Antebellum Home, Birmingham's only, is a remnant). For another thing, its economic raison d'être had a lot more in common with Northern Rust Belt cities like Pittsburgh and Buffalo than anywhere else in the South. It's important to understand that the Civil War wrought total devastation on the former Confederacy, not only in terms of loss of life and physical destruction but also in terms of the structure of society. In the antebellum years, the Southern economy was based almost entirely around agriculture — specifically enormous plantations of cotton and other labor-intensive crops — and a rigid class system with rich white landowners at the top, black slaves at the bottom, and poor white subsistence farmers just a notch or two above the slaves, with little hope of upward mobility for either of the latter two groups. But the postwar abolition of slavery made that paradigm untenable.

History

The bulk of Birmingham's most famous tourist attractions revolve around the city's role in the Civil Rights Movement.

1 Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, 520 16th St N, ☏ +1 205-328-9696, toll-free: +1-866-328-9696, fax: +1 205 251-6104, bcri@bcri.org. Tue-Sat 10AM-5PM. Interpretive museum and research center, where you can learn about the struggle for civil rights through such engaging exhibits as a mocked-up 1950s-era segregated city, a replica of a Freedom Riders bus from Mississippi, and even the actual door from the cell in Birmingham Jail where Dr. Martin Luther King was held (see below). Researchers have at their disposal an expansive archive of documents and recordings. Adults $15, seniors 65+ $13, college students, children grades 4-12 $13, children grades 3 and under free.. (updated Apr 2025)

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is immediately adjacent to:

2 Kelly Ingram Park (bounded by 5th and 6th Aves N and 16th and 17th Sts W). This four-acre park was named for a local World War I hero, but is best known as the place where the climactic confrontation between the attack dog- and firehose-wielding Birmingham police and fire departments, led by Public Works Commissioner "Bull" Connor, and the student demonstrators from the SCLC, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, took place. The park was rededicated in 1992 as a "place of revolution and reconciliation" in commemoration of these pivotal events, and now contains a number of sculptural exhibits. Notable among those is Four Spirits, unveiled in 2013 as a memorial to the young victims of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing (read on). (updated Aug 2019)

In addition to standard activities, Birmingham also has tons of outdoor adventures such as paintballing, four-wheeling and hunting, during season.

1 Alabama Theatre, 1811 3rd Ave N, ☏ +1 205-252-2262. Numerous performances including concerts, comedians and movies take place at this 2,200-seat, exquisitely preserved old vaudeville and movie palace built by Paramount in 1927.

2 The Virginia Samford Theatre, 1116 26th St S, ☏ +1 205-251-1228, fax: +1 205 328-7677, boxoffice@virginiasamfordtheatre.org. Offers Broadway type productions in an intimate setting throughout the year.

3 WorkPlay, 500 23rd St S, ☏ +1 205-879-4773, info@workplay.com. Multipurpose complex for music concerts and film events.

Spectator sports

Birmingham doesn't field teams in any of North America's big four pro sports leagues, but no matter — if you just want to take in a nice baseball or soccer game without paying through the nose for tickets or dealing with enormous crowds and hoopla, here's your chance.

Birmingham Barons, 1401 1st Ave S, ☏ +1 205-988-3200. Birmingham's minor-league team is the heir to one of the oldest baseball traditions in the country, dating back to 1885. Today, the Barons are the Chicago White Sox's Double-A farm team in the Southern League, and are perhaps most famous for having had basketball legend Michael Jordan on its roster during his first retirement from that sport in 1994. All home games are played at 4 Regions Field downtown, with one exception: the annual Rickwood Classic held in late May or early June, where the Barons return to historic 5 Rickwood Field, their home from 1910 through 1987. It is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States.

Birmingham Legion FC, ☏ +1 205-600-3872, tickets@bhmlegion.com. Men's soccer team that started play in the second-level USL Championship in 2019. Since 2022, home matches have been played at Protective Stadium at the downtown convention center, best known as the current home of UAB football.

In Birmingham, a bigger draw by far than pro sports are the University of Alabama at Birmingham's (UAB) college teams.

Most visitors are pleasantly surprised at the large dining scene in Birmingham, a city which has numerous well-known restaurants with famous chefs. Ask locals about best "meat and 3" places for soul food.

Budget

1 Gordos, 433 Valley Ave (at Valley Avenue Plaza), ☏ +1 205-739-2500. Daily 8AM-9PM. Real Mexican food, great taste! You will enjoy all that they offer if Mexican is what you are looking for. Huarache, fresh and good! Burrito really good as well. They have a bakery, try the peach tres leches, fresh and very distinct. (updated Oct 2018)

2 Green Acres, 1705 4th Ave N, ☏ +1 205-251-3875. Mon-Wed 9AM-9:45PM, Thu-Sat 9AM-10:45PM. A take-out haven for all breaded soul foods. The fried chicken, catfish and okra are fresh and delicious and the location is a fun slice of local life.

3 Irondale Cafe, 1906 1st Ave N, Irondale, ☏ +1 205-956-5258. Sun-Fri 11AM-2:30PM. Remember the novel Fried Green Tomatoes, later turned into a movie starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy? Well, this is the original "Whistle Stop Cafe" whose rendition of the namesake Southern-fried specialty inspired local novelist Fannie Flagg. Anything you ask for on the menu of will be delicious, but of course you must order the tomatoes. To drink is Coca-Cola straight out of the vintage bottle, or have an ice-cold glass of Southern sweet tea.

4 Pop's Neighborhood Grill, 1207 20th St S, ☏ +1 205-930-8002. Mon-Fri 6AM-3PM. The staff are super friendly, good proportion for what you pay. A real mom and pop type of restaurant. (updated Oct 2018)

1 Avondale Brewery, 201 41st St S, ☏ +1 205-777-5456. Mon-Wed noon-10PM, Thu noon-11PM, Fri Sat noon-midnight, Sun 1-10PM. Awesome local brewery with some great beers. Large outdoor area and a cool event space on the second level.

2 Dave's Pub, 1128 20th St S, ☏ +1 205-933-4030. Daily 3PM-2AM. Classic American bar in Five Points South.

3 The Garage, 2304 10th Terrace S, ☏ +1 205-322-3220. Tue-Sat 11AM-2AM, Sun 3PM-midnight. Very low key, locals spot. The Garage is an old antique store converted into a bar. The bar has a very unique back porch/beer garden. The garden is filled with antique stone tables and statues; a great place to go when the weather is nice. It is a low key, hard to find place but that is the way everybody wants it.

4 Innisfree, 710 29th St S, ☏ +1 205-252-4252. Mon Tue 7PM-2AM, Wed 4PM-3AM, Thu Fri 4PM-4AM, Sat 6PM-2AM. Popular bar/Irish pub in the Lakeview district. If you want to relive your college years with weak pours for high prices all while getting knocked around by an overcrowd of croakie wearers, even though it's midnight and the sun's been down for hours, this is the place for you.

5 The Nick, 2514 10th Ave S, ☏ +1 205-252-3831. Daily 2PM-4AM. "Birmingham's Dirty Little Secret" is a grungy out-of-the-way dive bar famous for hosting late night rock shows.

6 Oasis Bar, 2807 7th Ave S, ☏ +1 205-323-5538. Mon-Thu & Sat 3PM-2AM, Fri 3PM-3AM, Sun 2-8PM. Cool blues bar in Lakeview.

7 The Upper Deck, 449 Valley Ave (behind Valley Avenue Plaza), ☏ +1 205-942-3289. Daily 11AM-5AM. Like the song says, "sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name" — and if that describes the kind of bar experience you're looking for, find your escape from the tyranny of trendiness at the Upper Deck, where reasonably priced drinks, pool tables, a jukebox, and unpretentious camaraderie await. (updated Aug 2019)

By car

This is by far the easiest and most reliable way to get around town — with the notable exception of rush hour, which can last from 6AM-9AM and 4-6PM. In particular, I-59, I-65, and Highway 280 in and around downtown are to be avoided at these times. Aside from that, though, getting around on four wheels is a breeze, and so is parking, even downtown: metered on-street parking is plentiful and reasonably priced, and usually free in the evening and on weekends.

By bus

Public transit is available in Birmingham and the surrounding area, though it's not what you'd call convenient, especially on weekends or in areas far outside the central core. The Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority runs both the MAX Bus System and the DART Bus Trolley, which operate M-Th from 10AM-10PM, F Sa until midnight and Su until 9PM.

Birmingham On-Demand is the city's MAX Transit system's microtransit service. Rides can be ordered via an app and the service offers shared rides within city-defined service areas.

By bike

There's a bike rental system called Veo BikeShare, with bike stations around the city. You can use the bike for 45 minutes a time for a price of $3, if you keep the bike for a longer time, there's an overtime charge of $2 for the first 30 minutes, and $4 for each additional 30 minutes.

If you have one of the passes with unlimited rides for a day, three days or a month, you will still have to return the bike to a station within 45 minutes to avoid paying overtime fees (but you can immediately start using the bike again after returning it).

On foot

The downtown areas of Birmingham (notably separated by railroad tracks into a "north" and "south" side) are quite compact, so walking is a reasonable way to get from place to place within the central district. However, walking from downtown to further-flung neighborhoods such as Avondale or Woodlawn is not a viable option: aside from the distance and the lack of consistently available sidewalks or other pedestrian infrastructure, depending on the time of year even avid walkers might have to contend with summer temperatures that reach 100°F (40°C) regularly, and heat indices higher still.

Common-sense rules apply for most of the city center, e.g. travel in groups at night, don't look like a tourist, avoid dark alleyways, etc. While the city has a reputation for crime, dangerous areas are generally far away from anywhere of interest to tourists. Avoid the areas north of the civic center and west of I-65.

By contrast, downtown is very well patrolled, and other than common sense against normal big city stuff (e.g. beggars asking for money), there is not much to worry about. The same is true of the Five Points South neighborhood, so if you're headed to one of the swanky restaurants, pubs, or dance clubs over there, there's no need to fear.

The downtown area has a supplemental bike patrol called CAP (City Action Partnership) to deter crime and assist visitors. ☏ +1 205-251-0111 for a free security escort, directions, assistance with a dead car battery, etc.