Blog

April 20 Diana Krall returns to the Alys Stephens Center to perform her latest album, Wallflower, a collaborative work that puts the jazz pianist and vocalist in a new light. The five-time Grammy winner is respected universally as a recording and performing artist and has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist of […]

Golfers staying at the Hyatt Regency-The Wynfrey Hotel can now get a round of golf in thanks to a new partnership between the hotel and the Riverchase Country Club. Tennis players can also use the club’s courts. Rounds of golf for $50 include cart, tax and transportation to the club. www.wynfrey.regency.hyatt.com

Watch this month as public television replays its most popular program, Antiques Roadshow, from its visit to Birmingham. Host Mark Walberg tours the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to examine artifacts related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Rare finds during the show include Andy Warhol lithographs, a pair of Southern-made dolls and a Frederic Remington […]

Alabama’s longest-running Earth Day celebration becomes a two-day event this year at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The gardens will celebrate veterans as it spotlights the Victory Garden of World War II. On April 22, the attraction will host a USO Tribute Show, and an event of April 25 will include archival displays and educational activities. […]

The smoked meat that rules so many restaurants in the Birmingham area is finally having its place in the sun. The Alabama Tourism Department recently announced that 2015 is the “Year of Alabama Barbecue.” That announcement and the publicity it brings is expected to attract even more culinary tourists to plot their travels to sample […]

Internationally acclaimed conductor Carlos Izcaray has been appointed Music Director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. The Venezuelan-born conductor, currently based in Berlin, will assume his position in Birmingham in September. Born in Caracas into a family of artistic generations, Izcaray was enrolled in Venezuela’s renowned public system of youth orchestras at three years old, when […]

No, it’s not the Ave Maria Grotto, but it’s just as interesting. Spring will bring the opening of the new $5 million Itty Bitty Magic City learning project at McWane Science Center. The early learning center will have a Birmingham and Alabama theme and will include Main Street, with a grocery store, fire station, auto […]

While we wait for Itty Bitty Magic City to open, McWane Science Center is keeping us entertained with the Mindbender Mansion. It’s an eclectic place of puzzles and interactive challenges guaranteed to test the brain power of young and old alike. Even the most experienced puzzlers may be stumped by the brain teasers and group […]

In nearby Vance, the Mercedes-Benz auto plant has a newly redesigned Visitors Center that looks as smooth as the ML Coupe. The $3 million project was unveiled last month, replacing the old center that opened in 1997. The Visitors Center takes guests through the 128-year history of Mercedes, which includes the automaker’s two decades in […]

High End Hamburger A burger by any other name than Hamburger Fonfon just doesn’t smell as sweet. So says the food and travel website Thrillist.com that chose Chez Fonfon’s burger as Alabama’s star in their recent list of “The Best Burger in Every State in America.” Thrillist says Birmingham chef Frank Stitt loses any pretense […]