A Walking Tour of Birmingham, Alabama (Look Up, America!)

Each of the 4 walking tours in LOOK UP, ALABAMA! describe a mix of A quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on America's streets is included. . The cities in this volume are Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery.
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Things to Do in Birmingham, AL - Birmingham Attractions

You can buy voltage convertors, but these tend to be heavy — my advice would be just to pick up a cheap version of whatever it is you need in the country from somewhere like Walmart. Something like this would be good. Internet access is relatively easy to find in the US. WiFi networks can be found at most bars, restaurants, cafes and hotels, and there are also free networks in some public areas.


  1. Top Tours in Birmingham, AL.
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If you need to be permanently online with data on your phone, you have a number of options. First, check if your cellphone provider has some form of overseas roaming policy. I use and love! So I can just roam without worry on my unlimited data package. If the prices are unreasonable, you have a number of other options. First, if your phone is unlocked, you can pick up a SIM card locally. There are lots of other PAYG options to choose from, see an overview here. They have SIM cards, SIM stickers and mobile hotspot solutions that can get you online nearly everywhere in the world, and most countries have a fixed daily price for unlimited data.

This is a really easy to use option that saves you time, although is a little more expensive than some of the above options.

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If your phone is locked though, then a mobile hotspot is going to be your best option. Find out more about KnowRoaming, and sign up, here. I cannot stress the importance of good travel insurance enough that will cover your medical fees if the worst should happen. Depending on where you live in the world there are numerous travel insurance companies, so do shop around for a good policy. One that is often recommended for travellers, wherever they come from, is the World Nomads travel insurance , which offers great coverage for trips of varying duration.

The USA is a safe country to travel in for the most part, however, sensible precautions should apply.

Take advantage of the safe in your hotel or motel. Be aware of your surroundings, particularly if travelling alone or in an unfamiliar neighbourhood.

Birmingham weather essentials

Check with locals, like your AirBnB host, if there are neighbourhoods to avoid. Finally, take a look at your governments travel advice page for the latest information that may apply to you — for example, the UK Foreign Office has some helpful information for travellers to the USA here , which applies to both UK and non UK nationals.

They are all the same size, with only the number and illustration being different, so they can be a little hard to get used to at first. Credit cards are widely accepted, and are usually the easiest way to pay. One thing to be aware of — prices in the USA are usually displayed without sales tax or tip included. This is something to keep in mind, especially in restaurants, as everything on the menu will be a bit more expensive than indicated once tax is added.

Tipping is also a part of the culture in the USA, especially in the service industry. You can either add the tip to the credit card, or leave cash. For an idea of how much to budget for a road trip like this, see our guide to how much it costs to travel in the USA. Driving in the USA is quite easy — the roads are large, well-signed and the vehicles are usually automatic which gives you less to worry about. Otherwise, take a look at car rental prices here to compare the best deals from a number of providers and get yourself booked for your adventure! Have you ever done a trip like this?


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    • Let us know in the comments below! As a Mississippian who grew up in Long Beach next to Biloxi and living in North Carolina let me complement you on your excellent choices. You nailed Charleston and Savannah, two of my favorite towns. For ship watchers, Savannah is one of the busiest ports in the United States, part of a railroad corridor that stretches across the U. Montgomery has live music on the weekends and a Baseball park built on top of an old confederate barracks. Dauphin Island is near Mobile and it has miles of white sand beaches.

    If you are a seafood lover btw, I would try our oysters on the the Gulf Coast, in my very prejudiced opinion, some of best tasting anywhere. They can be fried, in a broth, or you can have them char-broiled, cooking in the half-shell with garlic. I grew up two blocks from the beach, even moved back after Camille, and love the Gulf Coast beaches, where you can get a sunrise and a sunset!

    On the Coast we have a small town vibe but we have visitors year round, and there are two big military bases in Gulfport and Biloxi that contribute to the big net we cast. Thanks for the great article! Come back when you can! We spent two weeks driving from California to visit the deep south. We drove the backroads through deep Georgia and it was amazing! The people in the deep south are straight out of a character novel. They are warm and friendly and some of them say the quirkiest things!

    The food is phenomenal!! I gained 5 pounds over our trip and I do not regret one bite! We visited in July and the humidity definitely takes some getting used to but after about 3 days, my skin seemed to love it. The architecture, history, plantations, and culture are beautiful and fascinating.

    The cicadas and the sounds of the insects were truly magical and the lightning bugs!! Seeing the lightning bugs was definitely on my bucket list! So beautiful, like little twinkling fairies. We originally made the trip because we were considering moving out there in 2 years. After the trip, we pushed up our move to next year. We completely fell in love with the deep south.

    It was everything that I had hoped it would be! I am so pleased that you had a wonderful time. And you are so right about the people. Love that you are moving there a year early too — I hope it all goes well for you! Hey Vanessa — are you thinking of flying from New York or driving?

    If you come this far, also visit Gulf Shores on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico — one of the secrets we keep from beach lovers so it stays pretty and white. Wow this is awesome! I work in the school system So unfortunately summer is the only time my boys and I can travel. We live in Charlotte so we will hit the road this summer. We will have about 3 weeks! Thank you for sharing!

    My pleasure, and thanks Stephanie. You can see more in this section of the post: Thank you so much for this really informative itinerary! I live in Hawaii, but doing a Road Trip around the South is on my bucket list. Thank you so much for the info and suggestions. There are so many of my favourite deep South destinations on it.

    Your email address will not be published. Let me know when there's a reply to my comment just replies to your comment, no other e-mails, we promise! Send me a monthly update of the best blog posts so I don't miss out! We only ask for your name and e-mail so we can verify you are human and if requested notify you of a reply. To do this, we store the data as outlined in our privacy policy. Finding the Universe contains affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

    Why not share it! You might also like: Comments As a Mississippian who grew up in Long Beach next to Biloxi and living in North Carolina let me complement you on your excellent choices. Hey Misty, I am so pleased that you had a wonderful time. Have a great journey Laurence.

    Such generous sharing thank you. From New York where would you start your road trip please. Just wondering how many days total did you spend on this trip: Look around and you will see four buildings that were finished within a few years of each other: From 20th and 1st Avenue, walk north up 20th Street to 3rd Avenue and turn left. Continue west on 3rd Avenue and you will see a large Alabama sign. You are now in the Theatre District of Birmingham. The historic Alabama Theatre 3rd Ave. Nearby is the Lyric Theatre on the corner of 3rd Avenue and 18th Street that has not yet been restored.

    It will be easy to find because you will hear Temptations music playing. You are now in the 4th Avenue North Historic District, a place that was once the black business district. They will be happy to provide you with the history of the district. Be sure to inquire about the one-hour tour of the area. Be sure to go upstairs and look through the window facing the Masonic Temple building where great jazz performers once played. King, kneeling in prayer.

    The four-acre park you are now walking in was the staging ground for large-scale demonstrations during the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham. Bronze statues depict the historic events.

    At the opposite corner of the park, you will find a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Walk inside the church and ask when the next tour starts. There are no tours on Sunday, but the congregation welcomes you to worship with them. Go inside to see the cell where Dr. From this area, walk three blocks east on 6th Avenue North to the corner of 19th Street North. Walk east on Park Place where you will quickly see Linn Park.

    Walk diagonally through the park to the Birmingham Museum of Art Rev. Considered one of the finest regional museums in the United States, you can spend half a day touring. If you have only one hour to visit, the museum has a list of the top 12 works of art that are a must-see. From the Museum of Art, take the brick-lined pedestrian path between the museum and Boutwell Auditorium. As you exit the pedestrian walkway, you will see the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex directly in front of you.

    Turn right and walk one block to the Sheraton Hotel. Turn left and walk along the sidewalk of Richard Arrington Jr. The street and sidewalk will bend to your right. Displayed inside are over 5, sports artifacts. From Uptown, return to the corner with Alabama Sports Hall of Fame on the opposite side of the street. You are at Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North and 22nd Street North. Go inside for tourist information. Walk back through Linn Park, this time along the east side.

    There are many statues in the park, but along this route you will find a miniature Statue of Liberty, a statue of Thomas Jefferson and a marble statue honoring teacher Mary Cahalan just outside the entrance to the Linn-Henley Research Library. In case you need to rest from your walking tour, the Tutwiler Hotel is directly across the street and the Redmont is one block way, south on Richard Arrington Jr.

    The cost is only a quarter. There are also two other trolley circle routes, a red and green line, that operate in downtown Birmingham. Rich in history, Birmingham is known for its industrial past and for its role in the Civil Rights Movement. Today, Birmingham is a center for the arts, entertainment, dining and shopping.

    Birmingham: Taking It to the Streets, Downtown - Alabama Road Trips - leondumoulin.nl

    Alabama Road Trip No. This is an approximately four-mile daytime walk and a one- or two-day experience, depending on the time you spend at each stop. Only major restaurants and night-life establishments are open after 5 p. Discover Birmingham's Oldest Churches The Tutwiler and Redmont are located a block apart, close enough that in many of the rooms you can look out your window and see the other hotel.