Just for the Fun of It
If your weekend getaway leaves you with limited time to explore this fun-filled city, let us break it down for you just a bit.
One of the highlights of visiting the Birmingham area is a tour through Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum. Here, bike enthusiast find the world’s largest collection of vintage and contemporary motorcycles. You’ll see real treasures, from a 1912 Indian board track racer to a collection of Lotus race cars. Everything on all five levels is in pristine condition.
After a few fascinating hours there, take in the sunset from the observation deck at Vulcan Park and Museum. Patterned after the mythical god of the fire and forge, the statue is a tribute to the city’s industrial beginnings in iron and steel manufacturing. Vulcan is also the largest—-yes, we have lots of superlatives—cast iron statue in the world.
It’s the cocktail hour now, and if fun is indeed your thing, stop in at The Atomic Lounge. This much-written-about bar is funked out with mid-century furnishings and the occasional shower of bubbles. Husband and wife owners Feizal Valli and Rachael Roberts will make you feel right at home and concoct some of the best cocktails to be found anywhere. If you’re daring, try the Sex Panther and get the coveted temporary tattoo.
There’s a reason Birmingham is known as the “Dinner Table of the South,” and you’re about to find out why. If you haven’t made dinner reservations at Bottega Restaurant, get a seat at Chez Fonfon. (No, it’s not at all fussy like the name sounds.)
Both restaurants are owned and tended by internationally renowned chef and Alabama guy, Frank Stitt.
Start your next morning with breakfast at Bogue’s, a Birmingham breakfast tradition since 1938. (They’re so well established they don’t even bother with a website.) The waitresses will call you “honey,” and the coffee will jumpstart your heart. Eat your grits.
Now it’s time for a powerful history lesson. Head over to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and plan to spend a minimum of a couple of hours there. Across the street, historic Kelly Ingram Park has a free audio tour, via your cell phone, to guide visitors through the events of 1963. On the corner across from the park is Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, site of the 1963 bombing that killed four little girls.
For lunch, search out The Garage, a bistro like no other anywhere. Not only are the sandwiches ample but you can eat them in the wisteria-covered courtyard surrounded by garage stalls from the 1930s. Each stall is filled with collectibles the former owner brought from Europe. Nothing but the food and drink is for sale. Order at the bar. Bring cash or use their ATM machine.
Now it’s time for some more group fun. Make your way over to Topgolf Birmingham for an afternoon of playful practice. Scratch golfers and novices alike enjoy the climate-controlled bays with full bar and menu service.
Dinner tonight is at El Barrio, where people swear by the grilled chorizo meatloaf. A nice selection of tequilas and their homemade guac will make you very happy. On the same avenue are other good dining options such as Bamboo on 2nd, a favorite with the sushi crowd.
We hate to see you go, so stick around another day or two if you can. If not, take these memories with you, and come back to see us soon.