Birmingham in a day: what to do when you have nothing to do

By: Krys Kromer, Vallo Vision News

MONTEVALLO – With over 200,000 people, Birmingham is a huge city. With it being in close proximity to Montevallo it’s easy for students to take a drive up and experience city-living for the day.

The only problem: money. Birmingham is not a cheap place, which is one of the reasons that some may not visit as often as they actually could.Some forms of entertainment can run on the expensive side.

There is a trick to Birmingham, and all that is needed is $10 and a day with no plans.

“I’ve lived downtown for about two years now,” says Marley Craft, Montevallo Alumni. “I love all of the parks. Birmingham has the highest amount of greenspace in a city in the country. We also have some of the best food in the country.”

SLOSS FURNACES (10:00 a.m.)

Sloss Furnaces is a national landmark in Birmingham. Some may know it as the haunted house during Halloween and others may know it as the place that heats up the iron the old fashioned way.

Sloss Furnaces brought the iron and steel industry into Birmingham. Constructed in 1881, the Sloss Furnaces “History” page states, “Sixty feet high and eighteen feet in diameter, Sloss’s new Whitwell stoves were the first of their type ever built in Birmingham and were comparable to similar equipment used in the North.”

The stoves and furnaces of Sloss rapidly improved iron production in Alabama. They are showcased to this day, and visitors can experience the way the stoves used to work on certain days based on their scheduling.

Visitors can take a self guided tour of Sloss Furnaces on Tuesday-Saturdays between 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Craft talks about the history of Sloss Furnaces. “I love Sloss Furnaces, I think it’s a great space all around. It’s a cool historical place and shows off the fact that Birmingham was an industrial place, which is how it got its name, ‘the Iron City’.”

THE BIRMINGHAM ART MUSEUM (1 p.m.)

Located on Reverend Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd, the Birmingham Museum of Art is a hub for those who want to relax and delve into the world of this museum’s wide collection.

“It has one of the greatest collections of Wedgewood ceramics,” says Craft, “they also do really cool traveling exhibits. I went to this traveling exhibit two weeks ago with Native American artifacts from Moundville.”

The website states that the museum carries over 27,000 art pieces from across the globe. Their mission statement is “to spark the creativity, imagination, and liveliness of Birmingham by connecting all its people to the experience, meaning, and joy of art.”

The Birmingham Museum of Art is open on Tuesday-Saturdays, 10 a.m-5 p.m, and on Sundays from 12 p.m-5 p.m.

The Garage (4 p.m.)

With The Garage, looks may be deceiving. The outside looks run-down, but the inside is like stepping into a whole new world to Craft.

“The Garage is one of my favorite places in Birmingham. It’s right next door to me. They have delicious sandwiches, good soups, and it’s kind of like all of the essence of Birmingham.” Craft says.

The magic of The Garage isn’t just in the $8.25 build-your-own-sandwich meal. It’s the view. The Garage is known for its forest of artifacts that the founder collected. While eating dinner, restaurant-goers are inside of a grotto filled with statues, old gas pumps, and wisteria.

““It’s a little old, a little funky, a little all over the place, but it’s nice, and pretty outside, and it captures how you feel when you’re in Birmingham.” Craft said.

The High Point (5 p.m.)

Before heading back to Montevallo, there’s one road that, according to Craft, must be taken. “I love seeing the skyline of Birmingham. This road lets me see all of it. I can look down and see this city and know each street. And I can see Vulcan. I love Vulcan.”

This street is hidden in a neighborhood in the Highlands of Birmingham, and takes viewers to the highest point to look down at the city.