Birmingham, Alabama is a thriving metropolis featuring big-city attractions and convenience mixed with a distinctly southern sensibility. From five-star restaurants to down-home cooking and soul food, and from Saks Fifth Avenue to the Bessemer flea market, Birmingham's got it all.
And as a Stonegate resident, all that Birmingham has to offer is at your fingertips. All of the attractions in Birmingham are located nearby, so you're never too far away from all of the great things to do in Birmingham, Alabama.
Attractions in Birmingham
Birmingham Dining
Nightlife in Birmingham
Fascinating Exhibits
Birmingham Alabama Shopping
Birmingham Sports
For fine dining, Birmingham is the place to be. Head on over to Birmingham Dining for reviews of the Birmingham restaurants. On this site you can also search for Birmingham restaurants by any criteria: cuisine, location, price, ect.
There are two main centers of Birmingham nightlife. First there's Five Points South, a funky little area near UAB that serves as home to some of Birmingham's most popular nighttime destinations. These include the casual Bailey's Irish Pub, Garage Cafe and J. Clyde. The latter offers tons of beers on tap and by the bottle from all over the world. There are also a few more upscale evening entertainment options in the area, notably Basecamp, Blue Monkey and Dave's Pub. To get your groove on, head on over to Bell Bottoms, one of Birmingham's favorite nightclubs. 12.2 miles Directions
The other popular area for Birmingham merriment is the Lakeview District. There you can find tons of beers on tap and the game on the big screen at none other than On Tap. If you're in need of a Guinness in something that resembles its natural habitat, pop into Innisfree Pub and sit a spell. The Barking Kudu is a great place to hear live local music. 12.8 miles Directions
Birmingham Museum of Art
Birmingham offers incredible opportunities to see limited-run art exhibits such as the art recovered from the lost city of Pompeii. The Dead Sea Scrolls also made a stop in Birmingham. Even Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks were on display at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Its permanent collection is also impressive. 12.6 miles Directions
The Alabama Theatre
The Paramount Studios opened the Alabama Theatre to showcase Paramount movies in 1927. Because the films were silent then, the Alabama features a massive, four-keyboard "Mighty Wurlitzer" theatre organ. Over the next 55 years, stars such as John Barrymore, Roy Rogers, and Tallulah Bankhead appeared on the stage. In late 1981, the theatre closed its doors and by 1987 the owners of the facility had declared bankruptcy. Later that year, Birmingham Landmarks Inc., a non-profit created to save the Alabama Theater, purchased it and turned it into a Performing Arts Centre. Since its complete restoration in 1998, the Alabama Theatre for the Performing Arts now hosts Broadway shows, ballet, opera, concerts, parties, weddings, fashion shows, beauty pageants and classic films. 12.1 miles Directions
BJCC
The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex offers every type of show and performance. From sports such as Professional Bull Riding and the Davis Cup to music with the ASO presents an Evening with Judy Collins, the ASO Presents The Incomparable Chris Botti, Celtic Woman and Death Cab For Cutie. The BJCC hosts comedians such as Robin Williams and Meet The Browns of Stand Up Comedy. You can even shop there at the Home And Garden Show and Alabama Gun Collectors. There are tons of shows for the kids such as Playhouse Disney Live! On Tour, Walking With Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular, Thomas And Friends and Dora The Explorer Live! Shows for adults include Wicked and Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy. 13.1 miles Directions
Alys Stephens Center
The Alys Stephens Center is a beautiful venue that attracts big names from all over. You can see writers such as David Sedaris and Garrison Keillor there. Or check out comedians such as Queen Latifa and Wanda Sykes. There are also lots of musical acts that perform at the Alys Stephens Center, such as Ravi Shankar, Lyle Lovett, the Blind Boys of Alabama and kd lang. 10.6 miles Directions
McWane Science Center
McWane Science Center is a kid-oriented science museum filled with hands-on, interactive exhibits, dinosaurs, a playground, an aquarium, daily science demonstrations and an IMAX® Dome Theater. 11.7 miles Directions
Riverchase Galleria
There's a reason the Riverchase Galleria is one of Alabama's top tourist destinations. Among the 200 stores shoppers can peruse under a nine-story glass atrium with the world's largest skylight are hard-to-find favorites such as Brighton, Godiva Chocolatier and Jessica McClintock. Specialty stores are mixed among staples such as Macy's, Sears and JCPenny. Even the refreshments are out of the ordinary, such as trendy Koko Bubble Tea. 11.6 miles Directions
The Summit
For an outdoor shopping and dining experience, The Summit is one of Birmingham's most popular options. The Summit is an outdoor shopping center with world-class stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and BCBG Max Azria. Other perennial favorites for clothing include Anthropologie, Coldwater Creek, J. Crew, Lucky Brand Jeans, Tommy Bahama and Urban Outfitters. For high-end household items, the Summit features Williams Sonoma, Restoration Hardware and Smith & Hawken. For accessories and other goods you can find Vera Bradley, Mountain High Outfitters, Bromberg's Fine Jewelry, Sephora, and Apple at The Summit. 12.9 miles Directions
Birmingham Nature Park
Oak Mountain State Park
Stonegate is located very close to Alabama's largest state park. Oak Mountain State Park has 10,000 acres of golf, hiking trails, the nation's finest mountain bike trails and a lakeside beach. There nature lovers can enjoy horseback riding, hiking and camping, along with swimming, fishing and boating. The Treetop Nature Trail, a beautiful, elevated walkway, takes you to Alabama's oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation center. The petting zoo is a great place to take kids. Another place to see animals up close is the Alabama Wildlife Center. It features non-releasable hawks and owls in the woods in a natural setting with paths throughout so visitors can see these birds up close. 17.8 miles Directions
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail - Ross Bridge
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is 432 holes of the best public golf in America scattered throughout Alabama on 11 courses. Famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones designed each hole around Alabama's spectacular topography. Most courses on the trail can be played for about $40 a round and "may be the biggest bargain in the country," according to the Wall Street Journal. Voted the world's best value and in the top ten best quality by Golf Digest, the championship courses that make up the largest golf project in the world. 3.8 miles Directions
Regions Park and the Birmingham Barons
If you're a baseball fan, you'll enjoy watching the Birmingham Barons, the minor-league club Michael Jordan played for in 1994 after he first retired from the NBA. April through September the Birmingham Barons host Thirsty Thursdays, where you can get one-dollar beers and 25-cent wings. Regions Park 11.4 miles Directions
Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
If your tastes run toward a faster sport, don't miss the largest collection of motorcycles in North American, and possibly the world, at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. At any time there are more than five hundred motorcycles on display out of more than 900 in the Barber Vintage Motorsports collection. Established to preserve motorcycle history in the United States, the museum showcases motorcycles dating from 1904 to the present that otherwise could only be seen in books and magazines. There are 71 Harleys currently in the collection, as well as motorcycles from 17 countries that represent 125 manufacturers. The museum is also home to a substantial collection of Lotus and other racecars.
But the best part of visiting the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is the home of the "Porsche Driving Experience," named one of the top vacations for men in the world. Here you can drive a Porsche around a world-class 2.3 mile road course, built to FIA and FIM standards. In addition, the Barber Motorsports Park hosts numerous motorsport races, including Grand-Am and Vintage Racing Series events. On October 12, 2007, the IRL's IndyCar Series conducted an open test at Barber. 29.1 miles Directions