Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
16th Street Baptist Church
CHURCH
(
www.16thstreetbaptist.org
;
cnr 16th St & 6th Ave N; donation $5; ministry tours 10am-4pm Tue-
Fri, to 1pm Sat)
This church became a gathering place for organizational meetings and a
launch pad for protests in the 1950s and '60s. During a massive desegregation campaign
directed at downtown merchants in 1963, Ku Klux Klan members bombed the church
during Sunday school, killing four little girls. Today the rebuilt church is a memorial and
a house of worship (services 10:45am Sunday).
Vulcan Park
PARK
(
www.visitvulcan.com
;
1701 Valley View Dr; observation tower adult/child $6/4; 7am-10pm, ob-
servation tower 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, from 1pm Sun)
Visible from all over the city thanks to the
world's largest cast-iron statue, the park offers fantastic views for free, and an
observa-
tion tower
.
Birmingham Museum of Art
GALLERY
(
www.artsbma.org
; 2000 Rev Abraham Woods Jr Blvd; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, noon-5pm Sun)
Collects work from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. Don't miss the work
of Rodin, Botero and Dalí in the sculpture garden.
Birmingham Civil Rights Memorial Trail
WALKING TOUR
(
www.bcri.org
;
520 16th St N; )
Seven blocks long, a poignant walk perfect for the whole
family, and installed in 2013 for the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights campaign, the
walk depicts 22 moving scenes with statues and photography, and peels back yet another
layer of the sweat and blood behind a campaign that changed America.
For instance, you'll learn that Martin Luther King Jr's strategy was to flood the city
jails, but to spare families from losing their bread winners, they recruited high-school
students who became known as 'foot soldiers' within the movement.
Sleeping
Aloft
HOTEL$$$
(
205-874-8055;
www.aloftbirminghamsohosquare.com
;
1903 29th Ave S; r from $129;
)
Yes, it's a chain, but this W-conceived kid sister in the Homewood area is a steal with
new, modern interiors, king beds and high ceilings, up-to-the-minute electronics, ample
light, and luscious bathrooms and linens. There's a fun bar with a pool table and a news
ticker in the groovy lobby.
