Why Birmingham, Alabama is America’s next great cultural hub

Birmingham, Alabama sits against the striking Appalachian Mountains, but besides its peaks and parks, it has a bit of everything, from next-level restaurants and historical landmarks to world-class motorsports, museums and more. AFAR even named it one of its top 24 places to travel in 2026, while UK travellers have another reason to visit thanks to its partnership with Birmingham City FC, bringing the two cities together through football. So with that in mind, here’s where to go and what to do on a trip to The Magic City.

One bit of advice for anyone travelling to Birmingham: come hungry, because food is one of the biggest reasons to make the city more than just a fly-in, fly-out destination. It has built a serious reputation for its dining, and it has no plans to slow down any time soon, with more than sixty James Beard honourees and nominees linked to its restaurants, as well as eleven Birmingham restaurants currently recognised by the MICHELIN Guide. It’s great for variety, too, whether you fancy white tablecloths or just want a really good, no-frills favourite.

Automatic Seafood & Oysters serves fish sourced mainly from the Gulf of Mexico, and oysters plucked from waters along the Southern and Eastern coasts. For those who j’adore French fare, there’s Chez Fonfon and La Fête, two neighbourhood bistros serving Michelin-recognised French classics, or head to Bottega for a taste of Italian la dolce vita.

Helen in downtown Birmingham is the place to go for Michelin-level Southern cooking, with dishes like warm angel biscuits served with whipped syrup butter and food cooked over hardwood coals.

Then, of course, there’s barbecue – it’s the South, after all – and Birmingham puts its own zhuzh on meat and Alabama’s famous white sauce. You could spend a year trying them all, but Saw’s BBQ and Miss Myra’s Pit Bar B Q are two good places to start if you want to get your hands messy.

If tequila is more your thing, Adiós is well worth popping by for a drink or two, stocked to the nines with Mexican spirits in a plant-filled space covered in Oaxacan art.

Yes, you can visit for the food alone, and nobody would blame you, but you’d be missing out if you didn’t dive into the history here, too. The city played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement, and its Historic Civil Rights District is one of the places you really shouldn’t miss.

Start at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, where exhibitions explore the fight for equality and the stories of those who lived through it. Just across the road is Kelly Ingram Park, where children and young people marched against segregation in 1963.

The 16th Street Baptist Church nearby is one of Birmingham’s most important landmarks, where four young girls were killed when the church was bombed in 1963 – an attack that became a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. Inside the church is the Wales Window, a stained-glass memorial created by Welsh artist John Petts after the bombing, with people across Wales donating money to fund it. It was installed in 1965, and it is a constant reminder of the solidarity shown from across the Atlantic.

Petrolheads would be silly not to visit the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, home to one of the world’s largest motorcycle collections. It’s also located inside the massive Barber Motorsports Park, an 880-acre site with a 17-turn racing circuit, where you can catch races and events throughout the year.

For views from above, head up to Vulcan Park and Museum, home to the enormous Vulcan statue, which depicts blacksmithing and the Roman god of fire, serving as a fitting reminder of Birmingham’s industrial heritage. It’s also the largest cast-iron statue in the world, and if you can drag yourself up the 159 steps to the top of the observation tower, you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of the city and its sweeping landscape.

Jazz is also a pretty big deal in Birmingham, and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame is a very good place to dig into why. The city was home to trumpeter Erskine Hawkins, who wrote the jazz classic “Tuxedo Junction”, and to Sun Ra, a big name in experimental jazz.

Fresh air is also easy to come by here, with Red Mountain Park just minutes from downtown, spanning more than 1,500 acres along the Red Mountain Ridge. With 18 miles of hiking and biking trails, treehouses and even a sensory trail, it’s a wonderful place to escape the city skyscrapers for a few hours.

Birmingham, Alabama, has plenty to discover. Start planning your trip and see why this up-and-coming Southern city should be on your US travel list.