Birmingham’s rich history and vibrant cultural scene have earned the city a spot on Fodor’s “top 14 places to go this fall” list alongside tourist hotspots like Chicago, Miami, Montreal, and Paris.
Fodor is one of the country’s top travel sites, “providing the insights and tools you need to experience the trips you want.”
“Visit the city as it honors the 50th anniversary of Civil Rights milestones like Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legendary Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Fordor writes in its “why go” section. “In September (1st – 7th), a concurrent Jazz Festival and Civil Rights Film Festival will bring artists from across the state and country to Birmingham. Later that month, photographer Dawoud Bey will debut an exhibition dedicated to 1963’s 16th Street Baptist Church bombing at the Birmingham Museum of Art (September 8 – December 2).”
Fodor says the Magic City’s brand new Westin hotel offers some of the best accommodations in town, with “294 sleek guest rooms and a Todd English restaurant.”
In what Fodor calls an “insider tip,” the site encourages visitors to “reflect on the city’s legacy at Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve. With more than 1,000 acres of greenery, it is one of the largest urban parks in the country. The summit of the Red Mountain overpass has broad views of downtown Birmingham.”
Even Birmingham’s beleaguered downtown area is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance recently, anchored by Regions Field, the 8,500 seat home of the Birmingham Barons, which was recently named Ballpark of the Year. The new $25 million, 19-acre Railroad park, which is adjacent to the stadium, features an an amphitheater and enough space for many families to enjoy a picnic on the green.
The Birmingham Zoo, Vulcan Park and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens are also family favorites.
Birmingham’s population may have fallen by 38% over the past fifty years, but the Magic City’s standing as a tourist destination appears to be on the rise.
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