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…
Must see attractions in Alabama
- Top ChoiceSloss Furnaces
- Top ChoiceBirmingham Civil Rights Institute
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…
- NTop ChoiceNational Memorial for Peace & Justice
Stark and harrowing in its simplicity, this memorial stands in honor of 4400 African American victims of lynching. Great rectangular steel slabs, each the…
- Top ChoiceSplinter Hill Bog
Blankets of white-topped pitcher plants can be found here, a 2100 acre plot of land owned and protected by the non-profit Nature Conservancy. Walk into…
- Top ChoiceUS Space & Rocket Center
If you ever entertained dreams of playing Major Tom to someone's ground control, head here. This Smithsonian-affiliated museum boasts one of the world's…
- DTop ChoiceDismals Canyon Conservatory
In many other states, Dismals would be a headlining tourist attraction. In North Alabama, it quietly persists as just an amazing place to visit. This…
- DTop ChoiceDexter Avenue Parsonage
The home of Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King has been frozen in time, a snapshot of a mid-century home complete with Mad Men–era furniture,…
- Top ChoiceBon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
Centuries ago, salt-lashed oak forest, inundated coastal prairie and great quilts of sawgrass covered the Gulf Coast. Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge…
- Moundville Archaeological Park
One of the largest and best-preserved sites of the pre-Columbian Mississippian civilization sits outside of modern Moundville, about 17 miles south of…
- Little River Canyon
Occupying an exceptionally beautiful stretch of the Southern Appalachians, the Little River flows much of its course over Lookout Mountain, which marks…
- Audubon Bird Sanctuary – Dauphin Island
A 3-mile trail wends through 137 acres of maritime forest, sand dunes and wetlands, marking a small space that's a big deal to the world's bird population…
- Legacy Museum
This museum, a companion to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, artfully explains the roots of institutionalized racism in the USA, and…
- GGee's Bend Quilt Collective
The African American quilt makers of Gee's Bend – officially, Boykin, AL – are the inheritors of a tradition that has been recognized as one of the nation…
- CCivil Rights Memorial Center
With its circular design crafted by Maya Lin, this haunting memorial focuses on 40 martyrs of the Civil Rights movement. Some cases remain unsolved…
- VVulcan Park
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…
- BBirmingham Museum of Art
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,…
- Kelly Ingram Park
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…
- Dexter Avenue King Memorial Church
Martin Luther King Jr had only recently presided over the congregation at this church when he was chosen to lead the Montgomery bus boycott – precisely…
- Monte Sano State Park
Spanish for 'Mountains of Health,' Monte Sano is a forested upland breath of fresh air located just east of Huntsville. There are some 20 miles of hiking…
- Lake Guntersville State Park
Where much of North Alabama feels a step removed from pure wilderness, Lake Guntersville State Park provides an interesting counterpoint. This park has…