Birmingham, Alabama ~ Things To Do!

Information provided by The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau
2200 9th Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35203 // (205) 458-8000 // 800-458-8085

Shopping

From the huge Riverchase Galleria to major malls such as Century Plaza, East- wood, Brookwood Village, and Western Hills to convenient strip shopping centers large and small, Birmingham is a great place to indulge a sense of style and a nose for bargains.

Major Malls

Riverchase Galleria
(Highways 31 and 150, at 1-459), anchored by Macy's, J.C. Penney, Parisian, Rich's and McRae's, is the largest enclosed shopping mall in the South with the longest skylight in the Western Hemisphere. Besides department stores it has an additional 200 specialty shops, restaurants, and a fast-food court. Adjoining the Galleria is the elegant Wynfrey Hotel, with 329 rooms and three restaurants. Other restaurants can be found at outparcels.
Century Plaza
(U.S. 78 and Oporto Road), anchored by Rich's, J.C. Penney, McRae's and Sears, is home to more than 100 stores, three restaurants and five fast-food places.
Brookwood Village
(Shades Creek Parkway at U.S. 280), bookended by Rich's and McRae's, is home to 71 stores, restaurants and a fast-food court. Top specialty shops are featured.
Eastwood Mall
(U.S. 78 and Oporto Road), anchored by Parisian, Yeilding, Service Merchandise and Books-A-Million, has 67 stores and four restaurants.
Western Hills Mall
(Bessemer Super Highway at Aaron Aronov Drive), anchored by J.C. Penney, McRae's and Yeilding, has 57 stores, a cafeteria and two fast-food restaurants.
In all, the Birmingham area is home to more than 50 shopping centers in excess of 100,000 square feet. Palisades, Eastwood Festival Centre, Wildwood Centre, The Shoppes of Colonnade, Flintridge Centre, Hoover Commons, Inverness Corners, and Grants Mill Station are all recent developments that feature anchor stores, specialty shops and, in many cases, multi-plex cinemas. Homewood, Mountain Brook, and the Southside of Birmingham boast many fine shopping streets.

More than 85 antique malls and galleries in the Birmingham area specialize in everything from furniture and accessories to jewelry, books, clothing, paintings, china and other collectibles -- American, French, English and Oriental -- of all periods. About 20 flea markets operate in the Birmingham area, the largest at the Alabama State Fairgrounds on Bessemer Road and at Tannehill Historical State Park.

Recreation

Whether you are a spectator or a weekend athlete, the city offers just about any form of recreation you could want, from softball to tennis to biking or hiking. The area is famous for its natural beauty, which makes Birmingham ideal for such outdoors pursuits as mountain biking, camping, and hiking. Off dry land, you can go swimming, canoeing, fishing, boating, and waterskiing on one of the metro area's many lakes and rivers. Golf is very popular here, and the mild climate turns it into a game you can play most of the year.

Golf

The city is famous for its beautifully designed golf courses. Shoal Creek has twice hosted the PGA Championship and the Greystone Golf Clubs hosts the Senior PGA at the Bruno's Memorial Classic each June. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail a collection of courses (Oxmoor Valley here in Birmingham) in Alabama created by the world-famous course designer.

Public Golf Courses

Tour Golf's Practice Tee (4880 Valleydale Rd., 995-2400), a part of Chuck Hogan Golf Schools, is a 35-acre world class instructional and practical golf center.

College Sports

College football dominates sports in Birmingham. UAB (the University of Alabama at Birmingham), which fields a major college basketball team, has also begun a college football program. The team plays at Legion Field. College athletics also play an important role on the campuses of Birmingham-Southern College, Samford University, and the University of Montevallo. The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team (many times a national champion) plays three games a year at Legion Field.

Professional Sports

In professional sports, the Class AA Birmingham Barons (988-3200) have one of the proudest traditions in baseball. The Birmingham Bulls (458-8833) play ice hockey at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Coliseum.

Tennis

The professional tennis world makes a stop at the Eddleman Pro Tennis Classic at Brook Highland. For the recreational player, there are many public courts from which to choose. Call the Birmingham Park & Recreation Board (254-2391) or the Highland Park Racquet Club (251-1965) may have a suggestion on a good place to play.

NASCAR Racing

For those who like less serene sports, the Talladega Super Speedway (362-2261) features two major NASCAR events, the DieHard 500 and the Winston 500.

Horse and Greyhound Racing

Other types of racing, greyhound and thoroughbred, can be found at the New Birmingham Race Course. Call 838-7500.

The Arts

Here's a brief list of some of the cultural opportunities you can enjoy during your stay in Birmingham. Aside from these groups, you'll find numerous community theater events, music concerts, and art galleries to suit every taste and budget.
Alabama Theatre for the Performing Arts
(251-0418). The Alabama is a restored movie palace from the 1920s and a showplace for film, live theater, and music.
Birmingham Art Association
(328-9127). Founded in 1907, it features gallery shows, music, and readings.
Birmingham Broadway Series
(328-8222). Broadway's biggest shows and stars come to Birmingham.
Birmingham Chamber Music Society
The group performs four chamber music concerts a year.
Birmingham Children's Theatre
(324-0470). Alabama's largest professional theatre troupe performs for young audiences.
Birmingham Festival of Arts
(252-7652). The festival celebrates the culture, arts, business, and society of a different foreign nation each spring.
Birmingham Festival Theatre
(322-5259). Community theater at its best featuring contemporary drama, comedy, and classics.
Birmingham Museum of Art
(254-2565). The largest municipally owned art museum in the Southeast.
Birmingham Music Club
(252-7548). Presents live performances from the world's greatest musical artists.
Birmingham Opera Theatre
(322-6737). This group stages classical operas.
City Stages
(251-1272). A major musica1 and cultural festival that draws national talent and 260,000 fans to downtown's Linn Park over three days in June.
Southern Danceworks
Alabama's only professional modern dance troupe.
Southside Repertory Theatre
(934-3237). This company produces challenging and varied theatrical works.
Summerfest
(934-5088). Summerfest produces three Broadway musicals with national and local talent each July and August.
Town & Gown Theater
(934-5088) This theater company produces award-winning drama.

Nightlife

From great restaurants to exciting night spots, Birmingham offers plenty to entertain visitors. The Comedy Club at the Stardome in Hoover (444-0008) brings in nationally known comedians for nights of terrific fun. There are country music clubs such as Midnight Rodeo (591-4885), jazz clubs (Larry's Place, 320-1770), rock clubs such as The Nick (252-3831) and 5 Points South Music Hall (322-2263), and sports bars such as Casey's (307-3050).
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