ONE city may become a new US hub for tourists – and it’s located right in the deep South.
The location features plenty of history, food, museums, and stadiums – one of which has undergone a $750,000 renovation.
Millions in renovations have happened to the city in recent years[/caption]
The Civil Rights District is one of the city’s most notable places[/caption]
The US city is known as the “Magic City” due to rapid growth and development[/caption]
Birmingham, Alabama is known for its rich Southern culture, and has plenty of places for visitors to check out.
Known as the “Magic City” due to its rapid growth and development, Birmingham may be the next place to add to your list of places to visit.
The city, with a population of almost 200,000, has a deep history in the Civil Rights movement.
Memorials, statues, and museums span Birmingham, commemorating the city’s role in ending racial segregation in the United States.
An area known as the Civil Rights District gives tourists a view into the fight for rights in the 1900s, including locations like the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
Museum-goers can see a rendition of a 1950s segregated city, a Freedom Riders bus replica, and a part of the jail cell that Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his famous note, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” according to the Civil Rights Trail.
In the district, visitors can also visit 16th St. Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park, and Bethel Baptist Church– all monumental places where people organized during the movement.
Birmingham’s Carver Theatre is visited by tourists around the globe.
Once a place for Black audiences to watch movies, it has been reimagined into a performance center that also holds the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
It regularly hosts performances and has iconic memorabilia from jazz culture, such as Ella Fitzgerald’s dress and Ray Charles’ piano.
The hall also recently received a multi-million dollar renovation.
Legion Field, a stadium in Birmingham, also just got an upgrade.
Alongside a $750,000 investment to the facility in 2021, Mayor Randall Woodfin has envisioned a “sportsplex” for the surrounding area.
When to visit
Many recommend visiting Birmingham during certain times of the year to avoid things like high tourist numbers or bad weather. Experts suggest going spring and fall, or March to May and September to November. Summers can be hot and humid, with average temperatures in the 90s. It can also be a popular time of the year for tourism. Winters in the city are typically mild, with high temperatures usually sitting in the 50s.
“You have a current football stadium on this site and you have all this ample parking that you can go vertical with basketball courts, baseball fields, soccer fields etcetera,” the mayor said in January, according to AL.com.
“You can have a sportsplex in the middle of it that attracts so many things. That doesn’t take away from the actual Legion Field Football Field. Just build around it.”
Another major landmark in the city is the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, which has the world’s largest collection of motorcycles.
Once a project from car racer George Barber, the institute has more than 1,000 motorcycles.
Racing events can also be caught at the museum.
Known as “Birmingham’s Living Room,” Railroad Park may be one of the best places to see the city’s culture.
Special events and concerts are regularly held at the park, which also has jogging trails, skating areas, playgrounds, and an outdoor gym.
It got its nickname due to it becoming somewhat of a social club for the city.
Visitors who are more interested in the arts can go to the Birmingham Museum of Art, which is free to guests.
The museum has a collection of over 20,000 works of art for guests to see.
Birmingham has a long history in mining, too.
One place that gives a look into the town’s expansive old mining operation was Red Mountain Park, which spans over 1,500 acres, has two scenic overlooks, and 15 miles of trails.
Miners once worked in the area to extract iron.
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute pays homage to the city’s deep roots in the movement[/caption]
The view from Railroad Park offers a view of the city’s skyline[/caption]
