Get checked into your hotel, and head out for near year-round al fresco dining at Bottega. For drinks and dinner, make Chez Fonfon your choice. Both are owned and overseen by James Beard Foundation award-winning chef, Frank Stitt. Don’t stay out too late; you’ll want an early tee time on Saturday.
The early morning sun rising over the mountain at Oxmoor Valley on the famed Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a sight to behold, whether you choose to play the Ridge Course, the Valley Course of the Short Course. Each of the 54 holes equally as challenging as they are beautiful.
Once you finish 18, treat yourself to some Dreamland BBQ. World-famous for their smoked ribs and special sauce, Dreamland is about as authentically southern as you can get. Then head out to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and see the largest private motorcycle collection in the world. It also features some of the finest and rarest race cars ever built.
As evening rolls around, make your way downtown and if the Birmingham Barons are in town playing a home game, you don’t want to miss it. With lots of local food and drink offered inside Regions Field, you can even do dinner before the seventh inning stretch.
If the Barons aren’t playing, then drop by Good People Brewing Company. Grab a table outside, enjoy some local beer and maybe even a game or two of Cornhole. For dinner, try El Barrio on 2nd Avenue in the Downtown district.
As night falls, there’s usually no shortage of live music to be found all across town. Check the calendars for Workplay, Iron City and Saturn to see who’s playing where. Birmingham is fast becoming a hotbed for the hottest bands around so finding a venue that’s rocking late into the night is no problem.
After a draining Saturday and Saturday night, sleeping in might be just what the doctor ordered. But when you finally roll out of bed and get showered, go back over to Lakeview and have brunch at Babalu. It’s guaranteed to get you refueled for your next round of golf.
The course at Ross Bridge is another jewel on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and as one of the longest courses in the world, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s carved into the rolling terrain of the Shannon Valley and features considerable elevation change, water hazards and challenging pin placements.
When you finish your round, hit up the Ross Bridge spa. There’s a full spectrum of spa services available, but a massage is an ideal way to bring the afternoon to a close.
For dinner, don’t miss the chance to experience the Hot and Hot Fish Club. Chef and co-owner Chris Hastings is a James Beard Award winner and his menu is a modern approach to blending French, Southern and California-styles of cooking, served in an airy dining room perfect for recounting your day on the links and your weekend in Birmingham.
This weekend excursion is a great excuse to get together and share old stories. And it’s the perfect opportunity to create more than a few new ones.
