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Birmingham (Alabama) Travel Guide

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Birmingham [1] is the largest city in the state of Alabama in the South of the United States of America. With more than 1.1 million people in the metropolitan area, Birmingham is the cultural and economic heart of Alabama.


Contents

Understand

Birmingham is an urban city. Although the state of Alabama has a reputation of being very rural, this is not true for the Birmingham metro area.

History

The City of Birmingham is relatively young. The city was founded in 1871 at the crossing of two railroad lines. It soon became the South's industrial center. Named for Endland's industrial giant city, Birmingham became a commercial hub.

"The Magic City" became known as such because of a thriving and quickly growing community in what was a "poor, insignificant Southern village."

The Civil Rights era left a lasting impression on the national and international view of the Southeastern United States and Birmingham in particular. Under a national spotlight, there was an era of police dogs, fire hoses turned on those protesting, and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and places of reflections such as Kelly Ingram Park have helped the city in the healing process from within and hopefully will cast a much different picture of what truly is a changed city.

Today, Birmingham is thought of as a banking and medical center. The University of Alabama at Birmingham and associated hospitals are nationally renowned for their medical programs, research, and services.

Climate

Birmingham Neighborhoods

  • Southside
  • Downtown Loft District
  • Homewood
  • Mountain Brook
  • Vestavia Hills
  • Hoover
  • Trussville
  • Roebuck
  • Leeds
  • Irondale

Get in

By plane

Served by American Airlines, Continenteal Airlines, Northwest Airlines, US Airways, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Express.

By train

  • Birmingham is served by Amtrak's Crescent train, which runs daily and serves New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans (and vice-versa).

For more information:

By car

Birmingham is linked to the rest of the US by the interstate highway network. The principal interstates and highways serving the city are:

  • Interstate 459
  • Interstate 65
  • Interstate 20
  • Interstate 59
  • Interstate 22 (completion expected in 2011)
  • US Higway 31
  • US Highway 280

Please note traffic, as in most metro areas, is fairly terrible at rush hour - which can last from 7-9am and 4-6pm. In particular, the interchange of I-59 and I-65 downtown (malfunction junction) and Highway 280 East are especially problematic.

By bus

  • Greyhound Bus Lines provide bus service to Atlanta from many locations throughout the US.

For more information:


Get around

By foot

Within the downtown areas of Birmingham (notably separated by railroad tracks into a "north" and "south" side, walking is a reasonable way to get around within each section; but not from getting to one from the other. Also, keep in mind summer temperatures and heat indices can reach 100°F and 110°F respectively.

By bus

Do not expect to use public transportation reliably... If you are staying in the city, the Dart/Bus system may work fine for you, but otherwise you'll be spending a lot of time waiting and coordinating.

  • DART Bus Trolley
  • MAX Bus System

For more information:

By car

Your best bet is to rent a car, or drive your own. However, please note traffic, as in most metro areas, is terrible at rush hour - which can last from 6-9am and 4-6pm. In particular, the interchange of I-59 and I-65 downtown (malfunction junction) and Highway 280 East are especially problematic.

See

Do

  • Hear national acts perform in the three day City Stages Music Festival (early summer)
  • Enjoy independent films in historic venues during the three day Sidewalk Film Festival (late September)
  • Stroll through the Loft District viewing works by hundreds of local artists during Birmingham ArtWalk (early September)
  • Magic City Art Festival (end of April)
  • Doo dah Day (end of April)
  • Southern disComfort (Scooter Rally) (beginning of November)
  • Birmingham Bowl (mid December)

Learn

Higher Learning

  • The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
  • Birmingham Southern College
  • Samford University

Educational Sites

  • Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
  • Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
  • Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
  • The McWane Center
  • Birmingham Museum of Art

Work

Buy

Shopping Malls

Eat

Budget

  • Safari Cup Coffee

Mid-range

  • Jim 'N Nicks BBQ
  • Purple Onion
  • Qdoba

Splurge

Drink

Sleep

Budget

  • Motel 6, 151 Vulcan Road, +1 205 942-9414, Fax: +1 942 942-9499, [2].
  • Microtel Inns & Suites Birmingham, 251 Summit Parkway, Tel: (205) 945-5550,[3].

Mid-range

  • America's Best Inn & Suites, 9225 Roebuck Parkway East, +1 205 836-5400, Fax: +1 205 833-4561, [4].
  • AmeriSuites Inverness, 4686 Highway 280 East, +1 205 995-9242, [5].
  • AmeriSuites Riverchase, 2980 John Hawkins Pkwy, +1 205 988-8444, [6].
  • Best Western Carlton Suites, 140 State Farm Pkwy, +1 205 940-9990, Toll-free: +1 800 213-0079, Fax: +1 205 940-9930, [7].
  • Best Western Rime Garden Inn & Suites, 5320 Beacon Drive, +1 205 951-1200, Toll-free: +1 888 828-1768, Fax: +1 205 951-1692, [8].
  • Birmingham Microtel Inn, 251 Summit Parkway, +1 205 945-5550, Fax: +1 205 945-8823, [9].
  • Candlewood Suites, 600 Corporate Ridge Drive, +1 205 991-0272, [10].
  • Courtyard Birmingham Colonnade, 4300 Colonnade Parkway, +1 205 967-4466, Fax: +1 205 967-2499, [11].
  • Courtyard Birmingham Downtown UAB, 1820 5th Avenue South, +1 205 254-0004, Fax: +1 205 254-8001, [12].
  • Fairfield Inn Birmingham Inverness, 707 Key Drive, +1 205 991-1055, Fax: +1 205 991-2066, [13].
  • Holiday Inn, 5000 Richard Arrington Blvd., +1 205 591-6900, [14].
  • Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 156 Resource Center Pkwy., +1 205 776-6370, [15].
  • Residence Inn Birmingham Homewood, 50 State Farm Parkway, +1 205 943-0044, Fax: +1 205 943-0668, [16].
  • Residence Inn Birmingham Inverness, 3 Greenhill Pkwy, at US Hwy280, +1 205 991-8686, Fax: +1 205 991-8729, [17].
  • TownePlace Suites Birmingham Homewood, 500 Wildwood Circle, +1 205 943-0114, Fax: +1 205 943-0115, [18].

Splurge

  • Birmingham Marriott, 3590 Grandview Parkway, +1 205 968-3775, Fax: +1 205 968-3742, [19].

Contact

Stay safe

Common sense rules should apply for most of the city center, i.e. travel in groups - especially late at night, don't look like a tourist, avoid dark alleyways, etc.

However, it should be noted that Birmingham's historic Five Points South area is one of the most popular night/weekend spots. The areas wonderful restaurants, pubs, and dance clubs are among a few of the attractions you'll find there. Sadly, there has been a marked increase of armed robberies on some of the sidestreets of the Five Points South area and particular caution should always be paid when out in this part of town.

Cope

Get out

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