Statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statue in Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham, Alabama, USA, North America across from the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. October 13, 2017.; Shutterstock ID 773710357

Shutterstock / Stan Reese

16th Street Baptist Church

Birmingham


This church became a gathering place for organizational meetings and a launchpad for protests in Birmingham in the 1950s and ’60s. During a massive desegregation campaign directed at downtown merchants in 1963, Ku Klux Klan members bombed the church during Sunday school, killing four little girls. Today the rebuilt church is a memorial and house of worship (services 11am Sunday).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Birmingham attractions

1. Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

0.04 MILES

A maze of moving audio, video and photography exhibits tell the story of racial segregation and the Civil Rights movement, with a focus on activities in…

2. Kelly Ingram Park

0.08 MILES

When Bull Conner was the sheriff, civil rights activists, led by Dr King, embarked on a desegregation campaign downtown. Their strategy was to flood the…

3. McWane Science Center

0.39 MILES

This science museum, full of all manner of interactive exhibits, is primarily set up for families; if you have kids in tow, it's one of the most…

4. Birmingham Museum of Art

0.45 MILES

This fine museum boasts an impressive collection, especially given Birmingham's status as a mid-sized city. Inside, you'll find works from Asia, Africa,…

5. Railroad Park

0.61 MILES

Credit where it's due: Birmingham's Railroad Park, which constitutes some 19 acres of downtown real estate, is a stroke of planning brilliance. As urban…

6. Sloss Furnaces

1.5 MILES

The Sloss Furnaces constitutes one of Birmingham's can't-miss sites. From 1882 to 1971, this was a pig iron–producing blast furnace and a cornerstone of…

7. Vulcan Park

2.09 MILES

Imagine Christ the Redeemer in Rio, but made of iron and depicting a beefcake Roman god of metalworking. Vulcan is visible from all over the city – this…

8. Moss Rock Preserve

9.45 MILES

You'll find about 12 miles of trails webbing across this 349-acre nature preserve, which is thick with streams, forests and dramatic rock outcroppings…