Study This: Educational & Entertaining Tours for Student Groups
Birmingham is a popular destination for youth groups of all interests.
Day #1
Head up Red Mountain to Vulcan Park and Museum to see a really big attraction. The world’s largest cast iron statue, Vulcan is the mythical god of the forge, a nod to Birmingham’s early beginnings in the iron and steel industry. An observation deck high up on the statue gives visitors a panoramic view of the surrounding area.
At Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, visitors get a deep look into the iron and steel industry that was responsible for the birth of Birmingham. This 32-acre blast furnace plant produced iron for nearly 100 years and typifies the technology that gave rise to America’s industrial dominance. Sloss is the only 20th century blast furnace in the country being preserved and interpreted as a museum.
From Sloss Furnaces go over to the Birmingham Civil Rights District, and begin your tour at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Richly detailed exhibits in the institute reveal slices of black and white life from the late 1800s to the present. A series of galleries tells the stories of daily life for African-Americans in Alabama and the nation, and how it differed dramatically from the lives white people of that era took for granted.
Find outdoor fun at Red Mountain Park, where adventures are designed for children and adults of all ages. Try a flight over the treetops on the Red Ore Zip Tour. Take the challenge of swaying bridges, tight ropes, wall climbing and more in the Hugh Kaul Beanstalk Forest. Or grab hold at the 80-foot-tall Kaul Adventure Tower, with eight lanes for rappelling and traditional rock climbing with hand-holds and vine climbs. Then there’s the Mega Zip which reaches speeds up to 30 mph.
Day #2
Start the day at the Birmingham Museum of Art. You’ll find really astounding collections of Asian, African, European Decorative, and Modern and Contemporary Art that span more than 4,000 years.
Other interesting and entertaining attractions to tour include the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, where visitors find tributes to major athletes with Alabama ties. Displays include memorabilia from Alabama Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, Olympic great Jesse Owens, “Hammering” Hank Aaron, baseball legend Willie Mays and boxing great Joe Louis.
Then go over to McWane Science Center. here visitors find four floors on interactive, hands-on exhibits suitable for entertaining and educating all ages. Changing exhibitions and adventures such as ScienceQuest provide hours of fun and challenge. Their gift shop is so chocked full of really cool stuff that they named it “Really Cool Stuff.”
Find sports history at the Negro Southern League Museum. The collection dates back to the late 1890s with the industrial teams of steel workers and miners in the area. The museum also details the history of the Birmingham Black Barons, who played at the city’s historic Rickwood Field, America’s oldest ballpark. The museum is open by appointment only during this time.
Church and youth groups find day-long fun at Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure. If you’re visiting in the late spring or summer, pack up the beach bag and sunscreen, and plan to spend the day here. The teens and tweens will want to ride the Rampage wooden roller coaster time and again. In the water park area, everyone loves Junior Bumper Boats and Neptune’s Plunge.
For additional information regarding hotels or step-on guide services, call our Tourism Division at 800-458-8085 or 205-458-8000.