"Vacationing" in Birmingham, AL in a couple of weeks.......

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Lifer
Oct 19, 2000
17,860
4
81
I have an aunt that lives just north of Birmingham in Hoover, AL, and to save a little money, the fiance and I have decided to stay with her for a few days. After ok'ing it with her, she is more than happy to accomdate us. Now I'm looking for stuff to do.

Some ideas I've come up with is a trip to the Galleria (which I haven't been to in years), a trip to have my first iMAX experience at the McWane Center, and possibly a trip to the underwhelming looking Visionland.. Also, a trip to the zoo is not counted out.

I'm mainly looking for stuff to do that I haven't experienced before, and be able to relax. The past couple of months have been a bit stressful at work, so I'm ready to get away for a week and a half.

Thanks guys.
 
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Evander

Golden Member
Jun 18, 2001
1,159
0
76
I used to live in Huntsvillle, I think 1.5 hours north of birm by car. There are some good nature spots there for hiking (such at Montesano Mountain). But you could probably found something closer. Go to a large bookstore- in travelling sections, they should have books specific to each state- and of course that's AL for you. Also just buy a map of the city and look for any potentially interesting geographical features (lakes, mtns, rivers, whatever floats your boat). City halls usually pass out free info as well- maybe if you write/email ahead of time, they'll send you some stuff
 
StageLeft

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
Actually Hoover is just below birmingham, though you can hardly tell where one ends and the other starts :)

I should say that Mill has lived here longer than I have, so PM him, though he may not be super responsive at the moment. aves2k and ohtwell also live here, as do some others, but less visible people.

I have not been to the mcwane center :(

The zoo is not bad! Some people say it sucks but I thought it was not bad for a city of this size. The galleria is a decent mall, if you're into those :) Also do take a trip over to the http://www.thesummitonline.com, which is classier and less crowded, though it's more of a strip mall than a mall...well it's one of those new-fangled classy strip malls (like patton creek, which is next to the galleria).

I haven't been to visionland ever because it looks very crowded, but Mill works/worked there, so he knows all about it.

There is skip barber motorsports close by, if you're into watching that stuff. Also, though I've not done it, there is the mercedes plant tour that you can do.

Hmm, I can't think of much else. Not a super thrilling place..:) While you're at the zoo, very close by is the public gardens (can probably search for it), which are not bad and make for a nice walk.

If you decide to go to a movie go to http://www.ravemotionpictures.com/, which is at patton creek and in hoover. It's much better than the old junky theater at the galleria.

Havefun!

When are you going, btw?

Oh yes lastly there is the civil rights museum, but I've not been to that either.
 
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Lifer
Oct 19, 2000
17,860
4
81
Awesome, thanks for the info. We actually are planning on going to the Summit, as my fiance is definitely into the whole outlet store thing. Hopefully that will be towards the end of the trip so she doesn't spend all of our money. :)

I saw the info on the Skip Barber motorsports place, but I didn't know it was something you could watch. Might be cool to check out if it's even somewhat interesting.

As far as when I'll be down, I'll probably leave the morning of July 5th. My aunt mentioned the nice fireworks show downtown, but my fiance wants to work on July 4th, as she makes doule-time and a half for 8 hours. I had thought of coming to see that, but most likely not now. I don't have to be back to work until that following Tuesday, so we'll probably leave when we get bored.

Thanks for the info Skoorb! :D
 
Gibsons

Gibsons

Lifer
Aug 14, 2001
12,530
35
91
You can check out 5 points in southside it has shops/food/bars/weirdos. The Vulcan statue is fairly cool. Oak Mountain state park is okay, nothing spectacular.

If you're into loud rock bands go to The Nick. Great little dive bar, depending on who's playing that night.
 
ZOXXO

ZOXXO

Golden Member
Feb 1, 2003
1,281
0
76
Originally posted by: blurredvision
I have an aunt that lives just north of Birmingham in Hoover, AL, and to save a little money, the fiance and I have decided to stay with her for a few days. After ok'ing it with her, she is more than happy to accomdate us. Now I'm looking for stuff to do.

Some ideas I've come up with is a trip to the Galleria (which I haven't been to in years), a trip to have my first iMAX experience at the McWane Center, and possibly a trip to the underwhelming looking Visionland.. Also, a trip to the zoo is not counted out.

I'm mainly looking for stuff to do that I haven't experienced before, and be able to relax. The past couple of months have been a bit stressful at work, so I'm ready to get away for a week and a half.

Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Your Aunt Mary lives in Pinson now.;)

The Talladega NASCAR race was the highlight of my visit but a night of live theater and a racking horse show were two things I found my self retelling more.

The racking horse show was a completely new experience. A racking horse is similar to the Tennessee Walkers you may be more familiar with but has a different gait. The pageantry, fervor of the spectators barking pleas of favoritism to the judges and the close proximity to the participants made for a much more enjoyable experience than I had imagined possible.

Mary's beau is heavy into the racking horse scene. He could likely get you prime seating as he did us.

Check the schedule for the Samford Theater. We saw Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a three act play and I found myself wishing there had been six as we walked back to the car.

Your Aunt bemoaned the probable lack of interested parties for a future visit. Might make a nice thank you gesture.

We didn't make it to the McWane Center while visiting but it sounds good.

Vulcan Park, the Galleria, The Zoo and Botanical Gardens were less than spectacular but more than adequate for a few hours of leisurely sauntering about in vacation mode.

We wound up mostly eating at franchise restraunts but prior to our visit many opined a visit to Dreamland for BBQ is a must when in Birmingham.

Get in touch with me, If you are going to be near me before departing, I have some things you could deliver.

 
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Lifer
Oct 19, 2000
17,860
4
81
Originally posted by: ZOXXO
Your Aunt Mary lives in Pinson now.;)
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Damn, you're right. I was looking around at what to do on the internet before I posted this last night, and I must've seen something that was in Hoover. She does in fact live in Pinson. :eek:
 
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tm37

Lifer
Jan 24, 2001
12,436
1
0
OK if you are vacationing in birmingham I am guessing we like different things

Therefor my input would not help you ;)
 
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Phoenix15

Golden Member
Aug 9, 2001
1,587
3
81
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Actually Hoover is just below birmingham, though you can hardly tell where one ends and the other starts :)

I should say that Mill has lived here longer than I have, so PM him, though he may not be super responsive at the moment. aves2k and ohtwell also live here, as do some others, but less visible people.

I have not been to the mcwane center :(

The zoo is not bad! Some people say it sucks but I thought it was not bad for a city of this size. The galleria is a decent mall, if you're into those :) Also do take a trip over to the http://www.thesummitonline.com, which is classier and less crowded, though it's more of a strip mall than a mall...well it's one of those new-fangled classy strip malls (like patton creek, which is next to the galleria).

I haven't been to visionland ever because it looks very crowded, but Mill works/worked there, so he knows all about it.

There is skip barber motorsports close by, if you're into watching that stuff. Also, though I've not done it, there is the mercedes plant tour that you can do.

Hmm, I can't think of much else. Not a super thrilling place..:) While you're at the zoo, very close by is the public gardens (can probably search for it), which are not bad and make for a nice walk.

If you decide to go to a movie go to http://www.ravemotionpictures.com/, which is at patton creek and in hoover. It's much better than the old junky theater at the galleria.

Havefun!

When are you going, btw?

Oh yes lastly there is the civil rights museum, but I've not been to that either.
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I spend most of my weekends in B'Ham. I can definitely secod the summit, as well as the zoo. THey have done a lot to it in the last few years. Huntsville is not that far from there, and you can check out the space center. :)

 
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Parrotheader

Diamond Member
Dec 22, 1999
3,434
1
0
Longtime B'ham resident here. It's not the most exciting place to visit, but it's a great place to live.

When are the approximate dates you're going to be here? Unfortunately, May and early June is the busiest period for outdoor festivals, sporting events and activities as it gets rather hot after that. Heck, it's hot already.

Things you might want to check out (that I don't think I saw listed above):

-Mercedes-Benz plant tour.

-See if any good concerts are playing at the Alabama Theater, Oak Mountain amphitheater, of BJCC while you're here.

-Catch a SteelDogs (AFL2) or Barons (AA baseball) game.

-Go tubing/kayaking down the Cahaba River to cool off
 
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