Summer Fun BIRMINGHAM PARENT’S
WHAT TO DO IN & AROUND BIRMINGHAM – ALL SUMMER LONG It’s summertime, and the kids are bored! What to do? Plenty! Birmingham is full of great attractions, some of which are free of charge. Get out of the house and into a whole new world with these great attractions. As always, check with each attraction for hours, admission, events and more before you go. Free sunscreen, drinks and parking! This family-owned attraction is back and better than ever. www.alabamasplash.com ALABAMA SPORTS HALL OF FAME Located in Birmingham’s Uptown District, this museum has more than 5,000 sports artifacts displayed in a 33,000 square foot building and surrounded by a three-story atrium. It’s the place to see all things sports. www.ashof.org. BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS
ALDRIDGE BOTANICAL GARDENS This 30-acre botanical garden in Hoover opened in 2002. It showcases hydrangeas and much more. The gardens also feature an outdoor pavilion, a five-acre lake and a half-mile walking trail. The gardens host many special events, from fishing days to bird walks to classes. www.aldridgegardens. com. ALABAMA SPLASH ADVENTURE AMUSEMENT PARK & SPLASH ADVENTURE WATER PARK This park is located where I-20/59 and I-459 meet, and one admission price gets you fun in the sun all day long! Choose the great water park attractions or all the fun rides.
ALABAMA WILDLIFE CENTER The AWC is located within Oak Mountain State Park and is the state’s oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation facility. It cares for more than 2,000 wild bird patients from more than 100 species each year, and thousands more native wild animals. It also offers special events, education programming and much more to the public. www.awrc.org. AMERICAN VILLAGE The American Village in Montevallo is an American history and civics education center. Located next to the Alabama National Cemetery, it also is dedicated to honoring America’s veterans and their service and sacrifice as a Veterans Living Legacy. It also is open to the public for tours. www. americanvillage.org.
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BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK & MUSEUM This 2.38-mile racing track and a 230,000 square foot museum was built by Alabama native George W. Barber. The racing facility hosts many national and international events, including the IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Alabama. It also includes the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum, with a huge collection of motorcycles, automobiles and more. https:// barberracingevents.com. BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS A 67.5-acre park adjacent to Lane Park at the foot of Red Mountain, the gardens have long been a favorite destination. Among its many gardens includes the internationally-known Japanese Gardens, Wildflower Garden, Fern Glade and Southern Living Garden. It has a café, classes, special events and more. Its website includes maps of the gardens and walking trails. https://bbgardens.org. BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE/CIVIL RIGHTS DISTRICT BCRI is an interpretive museum and research center that depicts the struggles of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The institute also is a part of the city’s Civil Rights District, which includes Kelly
Ingram Park, Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and the Fourth Avenue Business District. www.bcri.org. The entire district also is part of the larger Alabama Civil Rights Trail, which highlights several sites across the state that played a key role in the movement. www.bcri.org. BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART BMA is one of the finest regional museums in the U.S., housing a collection of more than 27,000 paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings and decorative arts that range from ancient to modern times. The museum also features traveling exhibits and activities for families. https://artsbma.org. BIRMINGHAM ZOO The zoo is one of the state’s most popular attractions, with about 700 animals of 200 species and endangered species from six continents. The 122-acre zoo features a children’s zoo, Trails of Africa and much more. The zoo also offers daily and special events. www.birminghamzoo.com. HEART OF DIXIE RAILROAD MUSEUM This museum in the heart of Shelby County is the official state railroad museum of Alabama, dedicated to preserv-