Bordered by the foothills of the enchanting Appalachian Mountains, Birmingham is Alabama's largest city and the regional hub of cultural activity. Containing many picturesque community parks including: Vulcan Park, Oak Mountain State Park and the TanneHill Park, Vulcan Park is perhaps the city's most famous. Its towering statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of metalworking, is a well-known symbol of the once-industrial city. Founded in 1871 as a steel-making center, it exploded onto the map almost overnight, quickly growing into Alabama's largest city and thus earning the nickname of "The Magic City." A key site in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the city offers a vast selection of tourism attractions including the Alabama Sports Hall of fame, the Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Southern Museum of Flight, Vulcan Park, McWane Center, Alabama Adventure Theme Park and the Birmingham Zoo, the state's largest. Birmingham's association with both historical legacy and modern culture is apparent in the range of festivals that take place throughout the year, from the eclectic Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival to the Southern Heritage Festival which takes great pride in community traditions.
In the 1950s, a team of scientists designed and tested the rockets that eventually put man on the moon. Today, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center is one of Alabama's top attractions. Visitors can see an actual Apollo spacecraft and a towering 363-foot Saturn V rocket.
If arts and entertainment are to your liking, then a trip to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery should be on your itinerary. It's the sixth-largest Shakespeare Theater in the world, with more than 200,000 visitors annually, hosting a variety of classical and contemporary theatrical productions year-round.
After touring the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, visit Rickwood Field, the world's oldest ballpark, and view America's largest motorcycle collection at Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. The AMA Superbike Championship in April and the Grand American Rolex Series in July occur at the adjacent Barber Motorsports Park. Next travel to Talladega, where NASCAR offers thrilling racing adventures at the Talladega Superspeedway.
No matter where you go in Alabama, there’s no shortage of local art. That's why we are celebrating in 2007 with The Year of Alabama Arts. Southern folk art abounds in communities of all sizes. And, if you’re so inclined, you can visit the actual places made famous by books and movies such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Inherit the Wind.
Today, Birmingham is a medical and financial center, as well as a cultural and heritage destination. Its skyline is dominated by buildings for banks, hotels, hospitals, university (UAB), utilities, etc. Over the years, Birmingham has become economically diverse and maintains one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state. Don’t miss the chance to see a city that is always evolving. Visit Birmingham!!!
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