Birmingham is the largest city in the state of Alabama, and is known
more for its troubled past with regards to civil rights than it is
for its current urbanity and diversity. Today Birmingham is a visitor
friendly city with a great deal to offer any traveler. There are museums,
performing arts and athletic events courtesy of the University of
Alabama (go Razorbacks!), as well as outdoor adventure both in a around
the city.
There are many fascinating attractions to enjoy in Birmingham Alabama.
The city’s struggle for (and against) equality and progress
can be examined at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, which has
audio, visual and interpretive exhibits on the subject. The Alabama
Jazz Hall of Fame pays tribute to musical legends like Dinah Washington,
Nat King Cole and Duke Ellington. A visit to Birmingham’s Vulcan
Park will bring visitors face to foot with the country’s 2nd
largest statue, that of the Roman god of the forge, the titular Vulcan.
A trip to this fiery deity’s crown provides great views of the
city from 180 feet above the park. An especially remarkable attraction
in Birmingham is the Ave Maria Grotto, where the late monk Brother
Joseph Zoetl reconstructed more than 125 famous and sacred buildings
in painstakingly detailed miniature on the grounds of Alabama’s
only Benedictine monastery. The replicas in this 4-acre park include
the tower of Pisa, St. Peter’s Basilica and the entire city
of Jerusalem.
Outdoor enthusiasts have an interesting variety of activities to choose
from in and around Birmingham Alabama. The Ruffner Mountain Nature
Center lies right in the heart of the city. Formerly the location
of some of the city’s major mines and quarries, this 1,000+-acre
nature center now provides visitors with 11 miles of hiking trails
and bird watching opportunities. Relatively nearby Oak State Park
is the largest State Park in Alabama. It has 131 campsites, hiking
and biking trail and a lake for boating and water sports. Desoto Caverns
Park is only 36 miles from Birmingham. The park has rides, games and
250 feet of climbing wall above, and a 12 story deep cave below that’s
wider than a football field and covered in 1,000’s of eye-popping
rock and mineral formations.
Some Native Americans used the Desoto Caverns near Birmingham Alabama
as a burial site. The remains of one of the men buried there suggested
he was over 7 feet tall.
