Birmingham Botanical Gardens – Birmingham, Alabama

It took me a couple of days to get this blog out there a I ended up having more photos I loved than thought. Even though we visited in March before things were coming into bloom the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Alabama still had a lot of beauty around the area.

The botanical gardens have a great layout to helping you find the way around the area. From the instant you step out of the car you know where to go.

The gardens are huge, so a map is at the entrance. A lot of people were here in the morning for exercise. This day was one of the best weather days I can remember so far, the other day being before this one.It was perfect for getting outside to explore.

These fountains were at the front of the gardens. It’s definitely one of the most unique fountains I’ve seen.

The Botanical Gardens celebrated 50 years in 2013. The gardens were established in 1963 by Birmingham Mayor, James W. Morgan. More can be read about the Botanical Gardens history in Carolyn Green Satterfield’s The Birmingham Botanical Society – A Brief History.

There are a lot of gardens to explore. They are divided up into Garden of Collections, Gardens of Nature, and Gardens of Culture. Other plants are around the gardens as well not fitting to the 3 categories. We started out by walking in the direction of the conservatory, rose, crape myrtle, herb, vegetable, camellia, bog and wildflower gardens. 

The conservatory sits on a hill as you pass it from the path below. The architectural design is prominent and spacious.

We kept walking till we came upon the roses. I decided to grab close up photos since most of the garden wasn’t bloom yet. The roses were a variety of beautiful colors in almost any you can imagine.

If you go further out on the path there are plenty of secluded spots with benches. Plenty of spots were around for resting. I can see why the area makes a great nearby place for working out.

Some of the gardens or plants planted are in memory of someone. A lizard sat on this memorial sign.

We visited as it was nearing the middle of the day so the lighting was becoming intense. I’ve also learned since this day sunscreen is a must. I loved how this area was coming into bloom though, and it provided a color pop welcoming the arrival of spring.

In one section arches led to an overlook at some of the surrounding gardens and parts of the conservatory. You could see volunteers as well preparing for the spring season.

The herb and vegetable gardens weren’t in bloom, but you could see overlooks of the work being done on them. I would love to visit when they are season.

Another one of my favorite spots was at this peaceful path going by a small pond. It was serene and in the shade.

We looped back around to the Japanese Gardens. This brought us around the Southern Living, iris, fern glade, lily and rhododendron garden. We didn’t stop in these all.

We were both excited to see the Japanese Gardens. It was to the far left of where we had walked in from. There is also an easy exit toward this side.

The trail leading to the gardens is long, but plenty of woods surround the area, and some of the plants were springing to life.

The vegetation and layout of the Japanese Gardens is beautiful. Even with winter still in effect the place is serene. We spent the most time exploring here.

There are several bridges to cross. This one goes all the way from one side of the pond to the other.

From the bridge we could spot these turtles basking in the sun. They all had their heads raised to the sky. There were also a lot of fish in the water as well.

Another bridge crosses over as well. I loved the color of the bridge making the surroundings pop.

A tree also stood in the gardens symbolic of Hitachi memory of visiting Birmingham. The delegation from Hitachi city planted the Zelkova in October 9, 1990. It is a symbolic tree of Hitachi. I plan on visiting Birmingham again, and I hope to see this tree in bloom.

The gardens are worth visiting all times of the year. It is relaxing and a bit of a getaway from the nearby city. The Japanese Garden had beauty all throughout the area The layout also kept me wanting to explore more.

There are plenty of decorative items in the garden too that add to the vibe of the surroundings.

You’ll see this as you wander into the Japanese Garden and out. I’m not going to lie for some reason I was excited about looping around to walk back under this. It was stoic among it’s surroundings.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens also has a gift shop and they host many events. They had a book signing from author of Water For Elephants, Sara Gruen earlier in 2015.

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens is one of the more extravagant gardens I’ve been too. There isn’t one inch of the 62 acres  thought and care were absent from. Some construction and work for the spring was going on when I was there, so I would love to see what that accomplished when blooming season was in full swing. The Birmingham Zoo is also right across from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The gardens are free to visit. The gardens are managed by a partnership between the City of Birmingham and Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Tour at Avondale Brewing Company – Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham exceeded with their beer scene. Avondale Brewing Company is located in the Avondale section of Birmingham, Alabama, and they are keeping the history alive at their location and are helping rebuild their surrounding community. The day we had planned for a tour there was also an event going on for St. Patrick’s Day, so it was quite hopping. With plenty of room outdoors and inside there the place never feels too congested.  Tours that day didn’t seem to be routinely happening, but once asking we were found a volunteer at the brewery to show us around. Instead of being in a crowd of 12 – 20 it was just us and the tour guide.

The tour guide was great and highly informative above the history and beer at Avondale. He began with where the mascot for the company, an elephant, originated. Miss Fancy, the elephant was a famous animal at the Avondale Park in the early days of the city. Mr. Todd, her owner trained her to do tricks including one trick where she was taught to drink beer. The hashtag and company motto “Trucks Up” came from her trick. The Avondale Park eventually transitioned into what is now the Birmingham Zoo. Many of the beers at the brewery sport names after Miss Fancy. (Learn more)

Next we went inside one of the rooms where the beer is kept. The layout of the area was roomy and the tour guide did a great job of explaining the function for what he was walking us through.

Avondale Cave is in the area and drew early settlers to the spring. Avondale was established years later and the street the brewery sits on is called Spring Street after the spring. The street also goes by 41st Street now as well. Many of the beers are named for history of the Avondale area including Spring Street.

One of the things I always find fascinating when touring breweries is in the photo above. Carbonation occurs as the beer is sitting and it releases into this bucket. the bucket will eventually be full.

We got up close with the ingredients put into beer as well like hops and malts. We also got a whiff of what they smell like.

This was a pile of bags of malt ready to go. This place was organized and it was easy to pinpoint the layout of the space.

This is the canning room. As you can see to the side there are cans ready to go. It would be interesting to see one of these operating.

To the side of this machine you can see where it each beer is labeled they carry. They have quite the variety. They have flagships and seasonals. There flagships are Battlefield IPA, Spring Street Saison, Pachyderm Pale Wheat, and Vanillaphant Porter Ale with Vanilla. They have a huge range of seasonals like Miss Fancy’s Triple, Long Branch Scottish Ale, No Joka Mocha, Mr. Todd’s Double IPA, Cold-Blooded Pumpkin Ale, Meredith Marzen Oktoberfest, and one only available on tap Strawberry Kolsch.

This was one of the flagships, Battlefield IPA ready to go. Avondale does have history in the Civil War. Avondale Park became the site for Union soldiers there, and they one day clashed with Confederate Home Guards. Shots fired around the house of Mr. Killough, the town sheriff. A bullet hit his wife in the chest, but she did live.

There were kegs ready to go, and there were kegs back from being emptied and ready to be cleaned. As we were touring kegs were rolling in.

The tour ended back in the the tap room. We toured the event area before this where an event for Saturday night was being prepared. After arriving back at the building we learned all this building has seen. A firehouse, Engine House No. 10, popped up in the area and provided volunteer fire rescue, They traveled by a horse carried fire hose system. The booming area would also be the first to get a streetcar. No. 41 streetcar would carry people to and from the area. As far as the brewery it was also a hosts to many types of people, businesses, and services. A firehouse, bank, and even a saloon.

The saloon, Long Branch Saloon, may sound familiar as it was mentioned earlier as one of the beer names. The saloon was a bar that also had an upstairs brothel.  They say the Madame now haunts the place, and they refer to her as Meredith. They’ve also named their Oktoberfest after her.

Avondale Brewing Company provided a great tour and a lot of history of the area and the building. I definitely admired how passionate the people involved seemed about preserving the history.

Avondale Brewing Company’s tour was $15 and you receive a glass, t-shirt, and a pint of beer. They give tours on Saturdays at the top of the hour from 12 p.m. till 2 p.m. Wednesdays they do tours at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.  A max of 10 are allowed on tours at a time.You can also purchase a flight of their flagship beers or a pint. The beer is sold at grocery and liquor stores in the area as well if you’re looking to take it home. We enjoyed our tour so much we came back here on our next to last day in Alabama for the evening to enjoy another glass.

They are open Monday through Wednesday 4 p.m. till 10 p.m., Thursday 4 p.m. till 11 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. till 12:30 a.m., Saturday 12 p.m. till 12: 30 a.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. till 10 p.m. 

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute – Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) was a blog I had long been debating when to do because I was intimidated by the thought of writing it. Of the experiences we had in Alabama this was one of the most emotionally moving. The thought of trying to capture the environment inside through words seemed difficult to convey as well. There are a lot of emotions when being presented with the view of the days America has seen regarding racism, and perhaps even thinking some people may not realize even how deeply rooted in that type of hate. This museum carries you through the history of particularly the Civil Rights Movement in the 60’s.

We couldn’t take photographs inside, so what I took to make up the blog are sights around the building. There are some photos around the area I still want to go back and take at another time. The Civil Rights Institute was  dedicated in November 1992. Since then it’s been informing people from all over the country and world of many of the historical events taking place around the Civil Rights Movement. The day we were there a group of students from California were going through the tour with us.

I should’ve gotten this photo before going in, because by the time were leaving they were closing. After entering this building we went into a room where a movie is shown on a screen. The movie is around 10 to 15 minutes long. It’s a way to begin the tour as it goes over pivotal figures and events of the movement. After the movie ends the movie screen rises into the air, and you’re then invited to move behind the screen to the start of the tour. This museum has one of the most innovative layouts I’ve experienced.

Walking behind the screen you begin to see a story unfold as you’re walking. It goes over the structure of segregation and how everything was divided between being black and white. It conveys also facilities for African Americans being in generally worse shape. Even the classrooms varied drastically in appearance. As you continue through the tour the years go up.

We continued exploring until arriving at a replica of an inside of a church. A man stood inside the area and brought it to life by speaking as our group gathered inside to listen. The lesson was a bit on the faith and importance of church to the community and lives of African Americans. It was situated with older pews as well.

The museum goes over many people involved in the movement as well. People you might be familiar with and not. There were all sorts of people involved of all races and sexes, and this museum does a powerful job of showing a community of people coming together.

One of the tragic occurrences of the movement in the 60’s were bombings targeted toward those standing for equal rights. Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, who is photoed above, was one of the targets of the bombs when his house was bombed. He was also the organizer behind the Freedom Riders, encouraging those to challenge segregated buses in Birmingham. He also established the Alabama Christian Movement for Civil Rights.  (Learn more)

Brandon also found the history of John Lewis’ involvement fascinating. He is now a U.S Representative in Georgia. His part in the Civil Rights Movement was prominent. He was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders and he was apart of the Big Six. who were leaders of varying civil rights organizations and were important in the March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. This group was made up of Martin Luther King Jr. James Farmer, Whitney Young, Roy Wilkins, and A. Philip Randolph as well. (Learn more)

The exhibits are interactive  in the museum. You can press buttons to here different quotes from figures. Some of the exhibits even come to life more than in just speaking. There is also many women mentioned in the museum who played roles. Rosa Parks has a fascinating section that casts a mood showing the shockingly bad treatment she encountered for refusing to give up a seat on a bus for a white person. Many sections throughout, including one on Martin Luther King Jr., bring the atmosphere of those fighting for civil rights to life. In one part as you’re walking through there is music, and a part of King’s speech playing. Through many of the sections there is video footage capturing much of the protests for rights, including a man who was beaten apart of the Freedom Riders.

Another woman who is mentioned in the museum is Eleanor Roosevelt’s contribution to civil rights. She was an advocate and often spoke of her support for Martin Luther King Jr. She tried to make her voice heard politically as well by addressing the democratic parties and writing to newspapers in hopes of progression. (Learn more)

In front of the museum is a park, and around the city, are markers spotlighting important moments in the Civil Rights Movement. They are divided in different districts. I hope to tour this in the future, but only when it’s a guided tour with an instructor, which sometimes is offered in correlation with the museum.

One of the most memorable and toughest part of the museum for me was near the end. g 16th Street Baptist Church adjacent to the museum was bombed in 1963. The bombing left 4 girls, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise McNair, dead. Inside the museum they still have pieces from the bombing including some of the clothing and accessories the girls were wearing. It brings to reality many of the horrors and deep roots of how badly people hated the idea of desegregation. I don’t think you can truly realize what seems like minor today actions can be so hurtful when they might be rooted in this deep level type of hate. The bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church would work toward the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A statue titled, “Four Spirits”, now sits in Kelly Ingram Park to commemorate the bombing at the church. The park was also a prominent spot in the Civil Rights Movement. (Learn more)

The museum also has rotating exhibits. I was glad we had the opportunity to see Spider Martin‘s chronicle of the 60’s Civil Rights Movement through his lens. Selma To Montgomery: A March for the Right To Vote is documented through Martins eye for photography. Many photos of people protesting and being beaten are held in a gallery for the public. The exhibit is running from March 4 till June 28.  It was a great opportunity to see a famous photojournalistic coverage of the events happening in the era.

Other traveling exhibits that come through the museum are Elder Grace, Living In Limbo: Lesbian Families in the Deep South, Remembering 4 Little Girls: A Gallery of Creative Expressions, and Freedom Ride Photographs: The 1961 Burning of the Freedom Rider’s Bus.

The museum also features an entire section to civil rights movements around the world. I love how they incorporated so many factors like this to showcase how on a wide scale level these type of issues affect us and should unite us in a cause for equality.

This was a huge learning experience, and after we left we sat around the rest of the evening thinking about our experience here. Ticket prices are $15 for adults, seniors are $5, college students are $6, kids 4-12 are $3, and children 4-12 from Jackson County and those 3 and under are free. There are also discounts for groups, military, AAA, Smithsonian, and they are a member of Blue Star Museums Program, which offers free admission from Memorial Day to Labor to active military and their families. On Sundays admission for individuals and small groups are donation only. This makes a great place for field trips as well, and it was listed on Budget Travel’s list of 15 places children should visit before they are 15.

BCRI is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. till 5 p.m. 

The Vulcan Park and Museum – Birmingham, Alabama

The Vulcan Park and Museum was one of my favorite places to visit in Birmingham, Alabama, and maybe one of my favorite spots overall I’ve visited. Atop Red Mountain, the Vulcan is the largest cast iron statue. It sits atop an observation tower you can walk to the top to and see the city scape. I wish  had a place like this to relax at nearby. Arriving here after visiting The Civil Rights Institute, we had a lot on our minds and the atmosphere at the Vulcan made it a great place to sit and reflect as we’re overlooking the city. The Vulcan has been on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places since 1976. The Vulcan puts the magic back in Magic City, a nickname for Birmingham. 

We had about 30 minutes to browse the museum before it closed at 6 p.m. The museum covers the history of the time Birmingham thrived in iron and ore industry, and also gives the history behind the Vulcan. They also have recurring exhibits. The recent exhibit showing is La Storia: Birmingham’s Italian Community. It’s on Italians immigrating to the Birmingham, and their contributions and struggles in the community.

This is the wall you see first walking into the museum before walking into the exhibit rooms.

This is a mini version of the Vulcan and the tower. It gives a full scope of the layout of how it’s laid out.

The Vulcan was restored in 2004. The Vulcan has been around for almost 111 years, and the Vulcan is celebrating with a birthday event on June 7th. The statue was built in 1904.  The Vulcan was looking in bad shape before the park was shut down in 1999,  . The statue was a safety risk. Pieces were at risk of falling off, and lime had began to hang from the statue. He also had lost his original coloring. The other photo depicts the Vulcan near completion in 2004.

Imagine how scary having to climb up to repair this statue would have been? Robinson Iron of Alexander City, Alabama fixed it up though. They removed the concrete, painted the Vulcan more to it’s original color, added an internal stainless steel skeleton, recast pieces, and repaired the cracks. Lots of work to make it last longer in the future.

Inside the museum they have a replica of the Vulcan’s leg and foot true to size. To get an idea of how big the statue is Brandon stood beside the leg. Brandon is around 6’4, and the leg is still taller. The statue is 56 feet tall.

Vulcan is apart of Roman mythology as the god of fire (including volcanoes), metalworking, and the forge. The Commercial Club of Birmingham would commission the project. Italian, Giuseppe Moretti created the sculpture.  The Birmingham Steel and Iron Company would cast it in iron afterward.

The reason the Vulcan was chosen as the statue was to represent Birmingham, Alabama’s growing industrial industry at St. Louis’s World’s Fair. (Learn More)

I was a tad nervous about heading to the top because I have bad vertigo. This is still a photo from the bottom of the tower in front of the museum. We were already on a mountain and heading further up.

Finally here are some photos from the top of the tower. We took the elevator up to the top. This is looking straight from the front of the tower over the city.

Here’s an overlook off to the side a bit. You can see Sloss Furnaces vaguely in the distance. It’s another important national landmark showing the prominence the industrial industry had in Birmingham. It’s also said to be haunted. Sadly, I didn’t get to visit it this time, but it’s on the itinerary for my next visit.  You can also see the outlines of mountains to the back of the city.

This photo was snapped further to the side away from the harsh sun.  It was beautiful this time of the day.

Farther to the other side you could also look downward to the museum. At the bottom you might see the top of a sign, and then the pavement, which is painted to represent the small photo on the sign. The whole pavement wasn’t in the photo. Anyways, on the sign it is showing how geologic deposits are distributed throughout five counties, Jackson, Shelby, Bibb, Walker, and Tuscaloosa. Millions of years ago iron ore, coal, and limestone were pushed up by continental collisions in the area. These deposits were used in the popular industrial time and to build the Vulcan.

 The Vulcan is the “butt” of many jokes we learned. While not noticeable in this photo the rear is free to the wind.

This is a great priced attraction. We bought our tickets before 6 p.m. to enter the museum and go to the top of the tower for $6. If you enter the park after the museum is closed at 6 p.m. then the tickets are only $4 to go to the top of the tower. Your tickets last the entire day to go to the tower till it closes at 10 p.m. We came back after leaving to go to the top of the tower again at night, and see the city scape lit up.

The Vulcan Park and Museum is a must stop in Birmingham. The beautiful scenery and places to sit and relax make it a great spot. There are plenty of chairs and tables to also sit and have lunch or talk around the tower and museum as well.

The observation tower is open from 10 a.m till 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sunday from 12 p.m. till 10 p.m. The museum is open from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. till 6 p.m. If there is bad weather they close the tower for safety.

Good People Brewing Company – Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, or “Beermingham,” as it is nicknamed has many hopping breweries, figuratively and literally that is. The oldest brewery in the area, Good People Brewing Company, is also making a lot of buzz in it’s hometown and nationwide. It’s in a current competition  naming the best beer in America, and it is listed as one of the best southern breweries. My experience exceeded expectations.

Once arriving we signed up and paid for our tour. The tour is $10, and included is a pint glass with a glass of beer. You receive your glass at the end of the tour, and start out with another cup with your beer. I got a Brown Ale on draft, and Brandon got an Coffee Oatmeal Stout on draft. They were both great.

This was the full list of what was on draft when we went. The Hitchhiker, an IPA, was named as the best beer in Alabama, it is seasonal, but is currently available to try.

Before we our tour began we waited and hung out. The property is currently undergoing some renovations. The atmosphere itself is great, and it’s located right across from Railroad Park and near Regions Field.

Not long after arriving we started our tour. We began with the tanks. I find it awesome that with each brewery tour I’ve been on they all have individual vibes. This tour is informative and straight to the point. You will walk out having learned something.

We also got a look at the canning process. We were shown how it goes through the machine, and then has the top popped on. The cans start out with open tops. Good People Brewing Company only sells their beer in cans or on draft. Cans protect the beer the best from light. 

We also walked past beer aging in barrels and other cans containing beer. I don’t remember if we found out what was aging in the barrels. 

Here were many cans ready to go out. If you are in the Birmingham, Alabama area, checking out Good People Brewing Company, and the beer scene is a must. The tour at Good People was a learning experience, and the glass of beer was one of the best Brown Ales I’ve tried. They are open everyday of the week. 3-10 pm Monday through Friday, 1-10 pm on Saturday, and 1-6 pm on Sunday. Tours run on Saturday from 2 – 4 pm, at the top of each hour. 15 maximum are allowed on each tour.