You’re here, you’re road-weary, and you’re hungry. But, not for long. Your first stop will be at Blueprint on 3rd, a polished-casual brasserie with a deep and abiding love for regional cuisines. You’ll want to make reservations. And, if the weather’s nice, ask to sit out back.
If you’re still feeling energetic, we recommend a night cap. A visit to Paper Doll is bound to satisfy even the most discerning aficionado of the mixologist’s craft.
Rub elbows with the locals at Demetri’s Barbecue for breakfast. Yes, barbecue. But, don’t be put off, Demetri’s breakfast offers up standard breakfast fare (along with a few BBQ-related dishes) in a cozy, down-home environment. For a treat, ask for toasted biscuits and honey.
Now that you’ve eaten, it’s time to see the town. And there’s no better place to do that than from the iron man’s perch high on Red Mountain. No trip to Birmingham is complete without a visit to Vulcan Park and Museum.
A short jaunt over to the picturesque little village of Mountain Brook makes for a long trip back in time as you lunch at Gilchrist Drug. Enjoy a sandwich and milkshake or homemade limeade from this exquisite little throwback pharmacy/soda fountain.
While you’re here in Mountain Brook, we recommend walking off that Hot Beef sandwich. Tony little boutiques are the order of the day, here. Or you can take a short drive up to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, where you will encounter 69 acres of gorgeous tended gardens.
Dinner tonight will be at Bottega Restaurant. Exceptional farm-to-table fare is the hallmark of this James Beard Award-winning restaurant.
After dinner, we recommend checking out Sidewalk Cinema. Born out of the extremely popular Sidewalk Film Festival, this hip indy film venue is just the ticket for the cinephile and indy film initiate alike.
Start your day with something a little different on the brunch side with a visit to El Barrio. Here, brunch is handled with a distinctly latin flair – a wonderful and spicy way to start the day.
From El Barrio, you’re going to head out to Barber Motorsports Park and Museum for the biggest part of your day. With the largest collection of motorcycles in the world (some dating back more than a century), you can’t help but be blown away, regardless of how much you’re into motorcycles. If you’re feeling particularly frisky, check out the Porsche Driving Experience.
Saturday’s dinner will be freshly caught, masterfully prepared, and utterly delicious at Automatic Seafood and Oysters (recognized by Esquire Magazine as one of the “Best New Restaurants in America”). One of the beautiful things about Birmingham is being close enough to the Gulf to be able to enjoy fresh seafood. (By the way, Automatic does take reservations.)
A couple of options for your evening come to mind. Weather permitting, we recommend the Birmingham Ghost Walk, a fun – if campy – jaunt into the dark corners of the Magic City.
If camp’s not your style, we can also recommend any of our many theatre companies, Virginia Samford Theatre, Red Mountain Theatre, and Terrific New Theatre, are three that come to mind.
Before heading out, we recommend brunch at Chez Lulu. Located in English Village, this funky little European café feels like it was picked up from the Rive Gauche and dropped right here in Birmingham. If the weather is nice, enjoy brunch al fresco.
