City Guide

Arts…Attractions…Beer…Coffee...Festivals…Food & Drink…
Health…Music…Outdoors…Theatre…Sports…Schools…Shops…Portfolio

Arts

The Birmingham Museum of Art, (artsbma.org) one of the finest regional museums in the United States, houses a diverse collection of more than 27,000 paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, and decorative arts dating from ancient to modern times. The collection presents a rich panorama of cultures, featuring the Museum’s extensive holdings of Asian, European, American, African, Pre-Columbian, and Native American art.

But that is just the beginning of the city’s robust arts community, from film to painting and sculpture you can find great art almost anywhere you look.

Clockwise from top left: Graham Boettcher, head of the Birmingham Museum of Art; Chloe Cook manages the city’s Sidewalk Film Festival; Artist Michael Swann owns Vox Gallery in Tarrant; a couple enjoys the museum’s Art on the Rocks; Eileen and Alex Kunzman run the Magic City Art Connection and the Moss Rock Festival.

Attractions

From sports to wildlife, from music to civil rights, Birmingham has a wide variety of attractions to delight travelers and residents alike. The Civil Rights District which includes the 16th Street Baptist Church, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Kelly Ingram Park celebrates some of the most seminal events of the struggle for civil rights in 1960s America.

Clockwise from top left: The 16th Street Baptist Church, a giraffe at The Birmingham Zoo, and the entrance to McWane Science Center.

From the earliest days of the city’s Free the Hops movement championing the cause of craft beer, Birmingham has been enamored with beer. Not surprising. Shortly after the city’s late 19th century founding, breweries were among the most plentiful of businesses.

That history is being replayed with the love affair city residents have with craft beer and the local breweries creating it.

Beer

Lists and Links

Breweries

Avondale Brewing Company
www.avondalebrewing.com
Back Forty Beer Company
www.backfortybeer.com
Birmingham District Brewing
birminghamdistrictbrewing.com
Cahaba Brewing Company
www.cahababrewing.com
Ghost Train Brewing Company
www.ghosttrainbrewing.com
Good People Brewing Co.
www.goodpeoplebrewing.com
Grocery Brew Pub
www.thegrocerybrewpub.com
Trim Tab Brewing Company
www.trimtabbrewing.com
Slag Heap Brewing Company
www.slagheapbrewing.com

Great Beer Bars

5 Point Public House
www.5pointpublichouse.com
Carrigan’s Public House
www.carriganspub.com
Hop City Craft Beer and Wine
www.hopcitybeer.com
On Tap Sports Cafe
www.ontapsportscafe.com
Todd English P.U.B.
www.toddenglishpub.com
Mugshots
www.mugshotsgrillandbar.com
Paramount
paramountbirmingham.com
Slice Pizza & Brew
www.slicebirmingham.com
The Beer Hog
www.thebeerhogal.com

Coffee

The famous third space created by the coffee shop is a more welcoming place than ever, and the city has plenty of options for wireless, cappucino or anything else your favorite barista can cook up.

Festivals

At top: an artist showcases his work at the Magic City Art Connection; At left: a festive attendee at the annual Dia de Los Muertos, a festival celebrating the Mexican day of the dead.

Food & Drink

James Beard award-winning restaurants and chefs. Food from every corner of the globe. An appreciation of the effort chefs put into the plates they serve. And a city populace that loves to eat.

Those are the ingredients of a great food town, and Birmingham has an abundance of riches when it come to its food culture. A generation of great chefs have grown up under the mentorship of Frank Stitt and top chefs like Chris Hastings to in turn create the places we’ll be talking about and eating at tomorrow.

Local restaurants have had a mighty struggle during the Covid crisis with many turning to take-out only and other other strategies to remain viable.

This column, Clockwise from top left: The new Hot and Hot at Pepper Place; a churros appetizer at El Zunzun in Cahaba Heights; a barbecue sandwich at Saw’s.

This side top left: Norwegian salmon at Ocean; top right: the grilled pork chop at Cayo Coco Rum Bar. Left: Laura Newman mixes a drink at Queen’s Park;

Health

From the global struggle to find a vaccine for the novel corona virus to exciting new developments in the battle against cancer and cardiovascular disease, Birmingham’s healthcare community is among the nation’s finest. With both community and research hospitals serving patients, the city’s doctors, nurses and researchers are hard at work in the struggle to make us well.

Princeton Baptist
Medical Center
brookwoodbaptisthealth.com
St. Vincent’s
Birmingham
www.stvhs.com/birmingham
Saint Vincent’s Blount
www.stvhs.com/blount
St. Vincent’s East
www.stvhs.com/east
St. Vincent’s St. Clair
www.stvhs.com/stclair
Shelby Baptist
Medical Center
brookwoodbaptisthealth.com
UAB Hospital
www.uabmedicine.org
UAB Hospital – Highlands
www.uabmedicine.org
Walker Baptist
Medical Center
brookwoodbaptisthealth.com

Music

Birmingham has grown a reputation as a great town for live music in recent years, with many talented musicians gracing stages and bandstands throughout the city. While the scourge of the corona virus has shut down the stages of the city, musicians continue to ply their craft through virtual performances while we all await the reopening of the metro’s music venues.

Local music venues are some of the hardest hit businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outdoors

A city blessed with breathtaking natural beauty, Birmingham provides every reason imaginable for getting outside, great climate, unbelieveable hiking and nature trails, and parks built for relaxation. Take a deep breath and enjoy everything the great outdoors should be.

Above: the zip line at Red Mountain Park; the replica of the original Magic City sign marks the entrance to the Rotary Trail downtown.

Local theatre and dance organizations have undergone great disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Theatre

The performing arts have always been among the city’s greatest assets. Red Mountain Theatre is bulding a new arts campus in Parkside. Sidewalk Film Festival created a cinema in the basement of the Pizitz. Virginia Samford remains a great community space. Even with the shadow of Covid, many great things lay ahead for the Birmingham performing arts community.

Above: a Red Mountain Theatre performance.
Below: TNT director Tam Debolt.

Homewood Theatre
www.homewoodtheatre.com
Opera Birmingham
www.operabirmingham.org
Red Mountain
Theatre Company
www.redmountaintheatre.org
South City Theatre
www.southcitytheatre.com
Terrific New Theatre
www.terrificnewtheatre.com
Theatre Downtown
www.theatredowntown.org
Virginia Samford Theatre
www.virginiasamfordtheatre.org

Sports

Disrupted and in some cases cancelled seasons have been the story of the past year in Birmingham sports, though UAB has begun playing football and Birmingham Legion have remained in play throughout 2020. The city loves its sports and is waiting anxiously for a full return.

Above: the Birmingham Legion takes a shot on goal and Barons baseball; below: UAB cheerleaders.

Lists and Links

Professional

Birmingham Barons
www.barons.com
Birmingham Bulls
www.bullshockey.net
Birmingham Legion
www.bhmlegion.com

College

UAB
www.uab.edu
Samford University
www.samford.edu
Birmingham-Southern College
www.bsc.edu
Miles College
www.miles.edu
University of Montevallo
www.montevallo.edu

Above: Dance at the Alabama School of Fine Arts.
Below: a night view of UAB and Birmingham-Southern campus.

Schools

With some of the state’s and the South’s best institutions of higher learning, Birmingham is a great place to learn. A magnet for students in the health and science field, as well as law, business and the liberal arts, the city has developed a network of private and public schools to assist young people in developing the skills and careers of the future.

Lists and Links

Private Schools

Advent Episcopal School
adventepiscopalschool.org
The Altamont School
www.altamontschool.org
Briarwood Christian School
briarwoodchristianschool.org
Catholic Schools, Diocese of Birmingham
www.bhmcatholicschools.com
Cornerstone Schools of Alabama
www.csalabama.org
Creative Montessori School
www.cmskids.org
Evangel Classical
Christian School
www.evangelclassical.org
Highlands School
www.highlandsschool.org
Hilltop Montessori
www.hilltopmontessori.com
Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic
www.hfcristorey.org
Indian Springs School
www.indiansprings.org
Jefferson Christian Academy
www.jcaweb.net
Islamic Academy of Alabama
www.iaak12.org
John Carroll Catholic High School
www.jcchs.org
Joseph S. Bruno
Montessori Academy
www.jbma.education
N.E. Miles Jewish
Day School
www.nemjds.org
Southminster Day School
www.southminsterpcusa.org
Spring Valley School
www.springvalleyschool.org
Westminster School at Oak Mountain
www.westminsterknights.org

Lists and Links

Public Schools

Alabama School
of Fine Arts
www.asfaschool.org
Birmingham Board of Ed.
www.bhamcityschools.org
Homewood Board of Ed.
www.homewood.k12.al.us
Hoover City School Board
www.hoovercityschools.net

Jefferson County Board
of Education
www.jefcoed.com
Mountain Brook Board
of Education
www.mtnbrook.k12.al.us
Shelby County Board
of Education
www.shelbyed.k12.al.us
Trussville City Schools
www.trussvillecityschools.com
Vestavia Hills Board of Ed.
www.vestavia.k12.al.us/

Colleges and Universities

Birmingham-Southern
www.bsc.edu
Birmingham School of Law
www.bsol.com
Jefferson State Community College
www.jeffersonstate.edu
Lawson State Community College
www.lawsonstate.edu
Miles College
www.miles.edu
Samford University
www.samford.edu
University of Alabama at Birmingham
www.uab.edu
University of Montevallo
www.montevallo.edu

Shops

From the sophisticated shops at The Summit to home-grown retail throughout the city’s neighborhoods, a craving for the shopping experience is easy to satisfy in Birmingham.

Portfolio

Above: a sign of the times in the Avondale entertainment district. Top Right: wearing a Chewbacca mask at Atomic Lounge. At Right: garden shop in Forest Park. At left: an aerial view of Railroad Park. Below left: Satellite coffee shop next to Saturn music venue. Below: Sloss Furnaces. Bottom Right: swings at Mt. Laurel. Bottom Left: a bookshelf at Church Street Coffee and Books in Crestline.

2020 Accounting
20-20 Accounting Solutions, LLC strives to support our clients with the profession’s most advanced technologies, ensuring your experience is convenient, cost-effective and client focused. Today’s fast paced, information-driven society demands it!
205-434-1CPA (1272), Birmingham
256-384-9CPA (9272), Athens AL
www.20-20accountingsolutions.com

Alabama School of Fine Arts
Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) is the only tuition-free school for the arts and sciences serving the entire state. ASFA is for students who strive for excellence in the arts and sciences in one of six specialty areas. Students can focus on creative writing, dance, math-science, music, theatre arts and visual arts. The school also offers comprehensive core academic classes. ASFA’s nationally acclaimed faculty provides unmatched preprofessional arts and college preparatory training.
1800 Reverend Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd.
Birmingham, 35203
(205) 252-9241
www.asfaschool.org

Bearden Design
Bearden Design et Boutique is the creation of local Interior Designer, Debbie Bearden Mouyal. Deb has been serving the greater Birmingham area for over 20 years. Deb’s dream has been achieved by bringing international fashion and cutting edge trends to women. Deb has merged her clothing boutique with husband Gil Mouyal’s hairsalon to create a unique experience for both of their customers.
2846 18th St. S, Homewood, 35209
(205) 502-7678
www.beardendesignetboutique.com

Children’s of Alabama
Since 1911, Children’s of Alabama has provided specialized medical care for ill and injured children. Ranked among the best pediatric medical centers in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s provided care for youngsters from every county in Alabama, 45 other states and six foreign countries last year.
1600 7th Avenue South, Birmingham AL 35205 205-638-9100
www.childrensal.org

Closets By Design
Welcome to Closets by Design Central Alabama, where they specialize in custom closets, garages, and home offices in Central Alabama and its surrounding areas. Closets by Design designs, builds, and installs an attractive storage space for any area of your home that needs organizing, from the closet, to the pantry, the garage and everywhere in between.
3806 1st Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35222
205-777-4000 www.closetsbydesign.com

Cookie Fix
Inspired by a Pillsbury Bake-Off Cookbook while at the grocery store with her mother, Amy Jason’s earliest baking memories are of sitting on the counter helping her mom make cookies and brownies. Years of perfecting cookie recipes led to dozens of variations, giving Cookie Fix over 60 flavors for their rotating menu, always with natural premium ingredients, baked daily and served fresh.
2854 18th Street S., Homewood 35209
205-582-2623 www.cookiefix.com

Hanna Antiques
Hanna Antiques, Birmingham’s oldest and largest antiques mall, is open Monday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm. Come browse two floors and 27,000 square feet of American and European furniture, rugs, vintage linens, fabulous accessories, and 39 showcases of jewelry, silver and collectibles.
2424 7th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233
205-323-6036 www.hannaantiques.com

Issis & Sons
Over the last 30+ years Issis & Sons has grown from a 1,000 square-foot space to four stores equal to about 200,000 square feet. Issis & Sons offers everything from carpet and flooring to furniture and accessories. And with a global network of design professionals staying abreast of the latest trends in home design and furnishings from around the world, they are able to provide their customers with options beyond the ordinary.
Flooring Locations: 2858 Pelham Pkwy, Pelham, AL 35124, 205-663-2310
2815 Greystone Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35242, 205-981-2311
Furniture Locations:
1493 Montgomery Hwy S, Vestavia, AL 35216, 205-874-9586
250 Cahaba Valley Rd.,Pelham, AL 35214.
205-620-6926 IssisAndSons.com

Levys Fine Jewelry
A Birmingham tradition since 1922, Levys is famous for its customer service, estate jewelry, wedding rings, antique and vintage pieces, and watches.
2116 2nd Avenue N. Birmingham 35203
205-251-3381 www.levysfinejewelry.com

McWane Center
McWane Science Center’s mission is to “spark wonder and curiosity about our world though hands-on science.” To accomplish this, McWane combines its unique assets to create unique, hands-on, science-learning experiences parents and teachers value and kids love.
200 19th St N, Birmingham, AL 35203
205-714-8300 www.mcwane.org

Rousso Facial Plastic Surgery
Dr. Daniel E. Rousso would like to welcome you to his private practice in facial plastic surgery and hair replacement surgery. With over 25 years of experience serving the Birmingham area, Dr. Rousso continues the tradition of enhancing and enriching people’s lives with state-of-the-art techniques in facial plastic surgery and hair replacement and restoration.
2700 Highway 280 Suite 300 w, Birmingham, AL 35223
205-930-9595 www.drrousso.com

Ruth’s Chris Steak House
From its humble beginnings with a single restaurant in New Orleans in 1965 to its current position as the global steakhouse leader, Ruth’s Chris welcomes steak enthusiasts at more than 150 restaurants worldwide. Ruth’s Chris Steak House is proud to give back to local communities by donating money, time and service. Over the past ten years, they’ve donated nearly $150,000 from their franchise group to organizations in the local community.
Embassy Suites, 1304, 2300 Woodcrest Pl, Birmingham, AL 35209
205-879-9995
ruthschris.net/our-restaurants/birmingham-al/

Shay’s Jewelers
For years, Shay’s Jewelers has been one of the most trusted names in jewelry in Hoover. They are a well-established jewelry store that has grown with the community from a small store to a multi-brand jewelry retailer.
3301 Lorna Road, Hoover, AL 35216
(205) 978-5880 www.shaysjewelers.com

The Yak Shak
The Yak Shak is a kayak pro shop in Pelham that brings together outdoor enthusiasts and builds community around supporting and conserving our natural waterways. We carry fishing kayaks, tackle, apparel and offer kayak rentals year-round.
649 Pelham Parkway, Pelham 35124
(205) 767-3201 www.theyakshak.com

Vicki Lugar, ReMax Southern Homes
Vicki Lugar is an experienced Re/Max agent, who provides professional service and builds a relationship with each client. Vicki strives to provide a customized experience by creating a strategic marketing plan to sell your home as well as a personalized checklist to fulfill every desire for your new home.
Vicki Lugar ABR, GRI, CRS, ABR, E-Pro
(205) 563-3444 • www.vickilugar.com

Woodhouse Day Spa
The Woodhouse Day Spa is a tranquil, transformational environment that’s both memorable and healthful. From beginning to end, the dedicated spa team ensures that your visit enhances your well-being.
125 Summit Blvd. Birmingham, Alabama 35243 (205) 905-7676
www.woodhousespas.com