Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham; (c) Soul Of America

Birmingham

Birmingham represents the best of the New South in the upfront way it addresses a sordid past, while urging all to create a better future. Birmingham Civil Rights Institute gives an unparalleled view of our Civil Rights Movement heritage. The institute, 16th Street Baptist Church and Kelly Ingram Park alone are worth a family trip to or family reunion in Birmingham. If you are not into heritage travel, the Magic City thrives as a golf destination as well.

History
It may surprise you to learn that Birmingham never depended on slave labor. This atypical Southern beginning where the races never learned to mix was perhaps, the root of Birmingham’s intense racial problems … More

Cultural Sites
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park, Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Eddie Kendricks & The Temptations Memorial, Miles College and Onyx Agency Theatre lead the cultural scene … More

Restaurants
Birmingham has a handful of Barbecue joints and Soul Food restaurants and cafes to get your meat loaf, BBQ ribs, pot roast, fried fish and delicious side like fried corn, turnip greens, mac & cheese … More

Shops and Galleries
Although Birmingham is not known as a shopping city, there are some gems around town such as … More

Heritage Sites
Birmingham reads like a Who’s Who of Civil Rights Movement sites including 16th Street Baptist Church, A.G. Gaston Gardens, Kelly Ingram Park, Citizen’s Federal Savings Bank, Freedom Riders Debarkation Site, WENN Radio … More

Birmingham Civil Rights Movement
The late Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was the most important figure in the Alabama Civil Rights Movement. In the 1950s, he was pastor of Bethel Baptist Church … More

Fourth Avenue
This black business district formed in the 1890s. In a pattern characteristic of Southern cities found during Reconstruction, black businesses developed alongside those of whites near downtown … More

Alabama Jazz and Soul Music
Nat King Cole, Lionel Hampton, Erskine Hawkins, Clarence “Pinetop” Smith and Sonny Blount (Sun Ra) dotted the musical landscape as performing artists here. The many nightclubs on Fourth Avenue and Tuxedo Junction … More

Family Attractions
McWane Science Center combines two institutions of the recent past, Discovery Place and Red Mountain Museum, to create a stimulating interactive science museum and a depository of natural artifacts … More

General Attractions
Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is a popular destination for motorcycle enthusiasts, while Mercedes-Benz Visitors Center attracts the four-wheeled variety of driving fans … More

The Arts
Birmingham Museum of Art is a fine regional museum with a nationally- recognized collection of international distinguished art from ancient eras to modern times. Included are a sculpture garden, Asian art collection, contemporary art collection, 18th century French … More

Trivia, Radio Stations and Famous Residents
One-time home to Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Angela Y. Davis, Tom Joyner, Willie Mays, Charles Barkley, Richard Arrington, Eddie Kendrick, A.G. Gaston, Vonetta Flowers, Lionel Hampton, Nell Carter, Bo Jackson … More