Road Trip Guide - Page 47 - 5 must sees in Birmingham continued
Road Trip Guide
[06/16/2019] - Page 47
5 must sees in Birmingham continued
became
a national monument in 2017. The area on the edge of downtown was the
hub of the civil rights campaign of 1963. Police turned high-pressure
water hoses and attack dogs on demonstrators that year. For anyone who
has seen them, the images are indelible; they are also memorialized in
statues of snarling dogs in Kelly Ingram Park, where marchers
congregated.
The park sits across the street from the Birmingham Civil Rights
Institute, a museum that shines a light on the struggles of
African-Americans. One exhibit displays the bars of the cell in which
the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was held, along with a presentation of
his famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” written while he was
imprisoned there. The institute is sandwiched between the 16th Street
Baptist Church, bombed by members of the Ku Klux Klan, and the A.G.
Gaston Motel, where King planned the peaceful protests. (The motel is
awaiting renovation.)
The National Park Service’s brochure about the national monument notes
the key role the city played. As shocking images of the violence in
Birmingham spread throughout the country and beyond, “civil rights were
elevated from a Southern issue to a pressing national issue,” and
ensuing public pressure ensured the passage of the Civil Rights Act of
1964 (1-404-277-5217; nps.gov/bicr; the institute, 1-866-328-9696; bcri.org).
2. Vulcan Park and Museum
Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forge, presides over Birmingham atop
Red Mountain. The 50-ton statue represented Alabama at the 1904 St.
Louis World’s Fair, touting the city’s industrial might as a major
producer of iron and steel. A museum on the grounds explains that
natural deposits of iron ore, coal and limestone, essential ingredients
in iron, helped Birmingham grow so fast that it garnered the nickname
of Magic City. At its hilltop home, visitors can climb the 159 steps
inside the Vulcan or take an elevator to the observation platform for a
bird’s-eye view of Birmingham _ or a closeup look at the god’s behind
(1-205-933-1409; visitvulcan.com).
3. Sloss Furnaces
To see a blast furnace where iron was made for nearly 100 years, stop
by Sloss Furnaces. Now a National Historic Landmark, the machinery and
industrial buildings, which bear a ruddy patina, are home to an
expansive interpretive museum. The landmark also hosts concerts (think
Alabama Shakes) and classes such as blacksmithing and iron forging
(1-205-324-1911; slossfurnaces.com).
4. Birmingham Museum of Art
There are many reasons to visit the city-owned Birmingham Museum of
Art. One of the most compelling is its English Wedgwood; the museum’s
collection is the largest outside of Great Britain. Far beyond
dinnerware, the pieces include elaborate vases, cameos and a
neoclassical mantelpiece in white and light green decorated with a
small army of Greek figures and a clock framed by astronomical figures.
This quiet gem of a museum _ with free parking and no entrance fee
beyond a donation _ also showcases works by Alabama quilters and folk
artists (1-205-254-2565; artsbma.org).
5. Railroad Park
This park — a former industrial rail yard turned into a communal green
space — embodies Birmingham’s new energy and modern outlook. A
bio-filtration pond reflects the sky, streams cut across the grassy
fields, a skate park rises in curves. In a thoroughly contemporary
touch, repurposed and recycled bricks and other materials uncovered as
the park was built now form dividing walls and benches. The whole park
is ringed by a pathway, which leads to the ballpark for the
minor-league Birmingham Barons and offers views of the downtown skyline
beyond the railroad tracks. It makes for a great place to rent and ride
one of the city’s bike-share Zyp bikes (railroadpark.org).
Once you start cruising, there are so many places to go.