Happy Wednesday! After looking at goals for the new year, traveling is always on the top of my list and I realized I’ve yet to share one of our last road trips with you…
Roadtrip Reality: Weekend Travel Guide To Birmingham, AL
Traveling is one of my favorite things to do but I always find myself dreaming about more exotic travels instead of traveling locally. Ever since my little man came along I haven’t been able to plan as many international trips so I’ve really made a point to embrace the great destinations we can reach by car over a of couple days or a quick flight for a long weekend.
A couple months ago we took a road trip to Birmingham, Alabama and it was my first time to the Heart of Dixie! My other half, Kevin, has an uncle there that we got to visit and we also made it to Tuscaloosa for a little college looking for Kevin’s son.
I went in with little expectation and I was surprised at how much I loved Birmingham! I’m a southern girl through and through so I knew there would be a certain comfort level, but I had no idea how awesome the food scene is, the outdoor living atmosphere as well as the design and architecture!
The college town of Tuscaloosa was idyllic, downtown Birmingham was hip and fun and the surrounding burrows were vibrant and laid back at the same time. We were able to explore the campus and experience an Alabama football game, against LSU nonetheless!
We got to hit the farmers market on the south side, enjoy lots of restaurants and house stalk some beautiful homes in Mountainbrook. And the weather couldn’t have been more perfect either! Mid-70’s and 80’s in November! Yes, please!
Here are our recommendations for a weekend in Birmingham.
Things To Do:
1. Stroll through Railroad Park. We could walk here from where we were staying and it was so nice to enjoy the outdoor space, see the trains and also be able to walk right downtown.
2. Check out the Pepper Place Market. This farmer’s market was one of the highlights of our trip even in the fall/winter. I can’t imagine how awesome it is in the summer! There were so many vendors, foods to try and even kombucha on tap.
3. Explore downtown. Get coffee at Pizitz Food Hall, catch a show at the Alabama Theater, rent a bike and cruise the shops. Birmingham definitely has an up and coming city scene!
4. Head over to Mountain Brook for cute cafes, coffee shops and house stalking! We went to a great little French bakery then walked through the winding streets of this quaint little town with coffee in hand. However the houses weren’t so quaint – seriously gorgeous mansions everywhere!
5. Tour the Alabama campus and attend a football game (if you dare!). The fraternity and sorority houses are something else too! #RollTide
6. Shop local. We found a great little boutique Winslet & Rhys Mercantile, a French antique shop and a woodworking shop that were so cool but there are SO many fun places to stop in for a little afternoon shopping.
Alabama Sawyer
Winslet & Rhys
Where to eat:
1. Brick & Tin. This restaurant was one of my favorites! We ate at the Mountain Brook location and loved everything we ordered, especially the brussel sprouts!
2. El Barrio. It’s so hard to pick because now I’m thinking about El Barrio and it might be my fave! A delicious spin on traditional Mexican dishes and it was so cute on the inside too!
4. Feast & Forest. We did not get to eat here but we popped our heads in and heard that it’s a great brunch spot!
6. The Continental Bakery @ Chez LuLu. This was the cutest little bakery cafe and we grabbed a few chicken salad sandwiches and some kombucha for the drive home.
5. Oven Bird. This is another one we didn’t get to truly enjoy but we heard great things and the menu looks deliciously fancy! The reason I had to include it is because it has the most awesome outdoor seating and the design is impeccable! And it’s right next to the Pepper Place market.
3. Hotbox. This place is a must try! Unfortunately it’s an adults only place, no kids allowed in the bar and we had a teenager with us, so we couldn’t stay and eat but it was absolutely so cool! I mean who doesn’t want to order their food out of an airstream???
{Image via Hotbox’s website}
Where to stay:
As I mentioned we didn’t have to stay in a hotel as we were visiting Kevin’s uncle but I did some research and the Redmont in downtown Birmingham would have been our first choice or an Airbnb near the Pepper Place market and Railroad park. The Redmont is a beautifully renovated building and the oldest hotel in Birmingham. It even has a rooftop bar!
And I just had to share the inside of Kevin’s uncle’s cozy loft! Seriously loved it. He is the one who introduced us to Alabama Sawyer and actually built his dining table, kitchen island and the small table in the kitchen!
Well that’s a wrap folks. I hope you enjoyed this travel guide and please leave comments below of anything we need to do or try next time as I’m confident we’ll be returning! And definitely let us know if you have any Birmingham-related questions!
Cheers!
Birmingham is a city that I love most. I have spend so many years on of my childhood there.
Thanks for your amazing travel guide on Birmingham.
The photos were really attractive.
Thank you so much! We loved it too!
Glad you enjoyed your visit in Birmingham. Your photos shows happiness and excitement during your trip in the city. Hope you’ll visit again.
Thanks so much Sadie! We loved it!
So glad you liked visiting the ‘ham!! We live in Helena which is south of Birmingham and not to far from T-town. Roll Tide!!! Birmingham has a lot to offer in a lot of areas in the twenty five years we have lived here (used to live in Jacksonville, Fl). We do have all seasons which include a lovely fall. Remember Birmingham also is where the magazine, Southern Living is produced. We in the South are warm and friendly people! and after meeting with you, offer you a glass of sweet tea and a place to sit a spell and chat. If you are allergy prone, this town can create problems for you. All the pollen rolls down the Appalachians to our bowl in Birmingham. We have to have a lot of wind and rain to blow it out at times! Next time try to visit our outstanding Civil Rights Museum as well as the Vulcan. Ovenbird is not to be missed. Excellent food and ambiance!!.
That’s so cool Penny! We absolutely LOVED Birmingham! I can’t wait to go back and explore some more. I’ll definitely check out the Civil Rights Museum and Ovenbird is on my list! I did not know that about the pollen lol :) Thanks for reading!