This medium-sized city (Alabama's largest) is set in the rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It is home to an impressive range of cultural offerings and several universities, including the prestigious University of Alabama Medical Center at Birmingham.
The city projects a composed atmosphere today, but things were not always so tranquil: Birmingham came to the world's attention in 1963, when images of sit-ins, civil-rights protests and the brutal response of its police chief, "Bull" Connor, were broadcast on the evening news. Thanks in part to the sympathy provoked by those images, civic leaders were forced to negotiate with the protestors, and Birmingham became the site of one of the first big victories of the Civil Rights movement.
Because of its central location, many visitors use Birmingham as a base from which to tour other attractions. Some of the more popular day trips are to Tuscaloosa, Huntsville and Cullman. Cullman is a farming and light-manufacturing town that's the home of the Ave Maria Grotto (also called Jerusalem in Miniature), a fantasy landscape of more than 125 miniature churches, shrines and famous buildings constructed on a 4-acre/1.5-hectare hillside. It was the life's work of a Benedictine monk (phone 256-734-4110. http://www.avemariagrotto.com). Another potential day trip is to DeSoto Caverns (40 mi/65 km southeast, near Childersburg). This complex of onyx caves, originally inhabited by the Creek Nation, became a popular speakeasy during Prohibition. The highlight is the Great Onyx Chamber, which is larger than a football field. Phone 800-933-2283. http://www.desotocavernspark.com.
About 25 minutes from downtown, Alabama's largest state park, Oak Mountain, offers golfing, camping, hiking and fishing. Lake Logan Martin in Pell City (35 mi/55 km east of downtown) was formed between two dams on the Coosa River. Tannehill Historic State Park (located 30 minutes from downtown) also highlights the beginning of the steel industry in the area: Tour the Iron and Steel Museum to learn about Alabama and steel during the 19th century. Phone 205-477-5711. http://www.tannehill.org.
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