1. Have A Story Read To You By The World’s Creepiest Fountain
The fountain sculpture of a man with the head of a ram sitting upright on a stone tree trunk reading a story to a group of other animals might not be a secret to Goth kids who gather around it for selfies.
But for everyone else, what has come to be known as the Satanic Fountain is located in Five Points, and no one really knows the story behind it.
It’s an odd choice for a sculpture in a city that is so heavily influenced with Baptist and religious heritage, which is what makes it such a unique spot. Rumors have circulated for years that the fountain was created based on dark urban legends from Birmingham, but all inquiries into the matter have led to dead ends—or have been denied by the artist.
2. Find A Bookstore With Even More Hidden Treasures Than Usual
Every once in a while you find a hidden gem in a big city that you can’t believe no one ever told you about because it’s so amazing, it almost seems impossible that it isn’t huge. Reed Book Store is that place in Birmingham.
Part bookstore, part antiques shop, part museum, Reed’s will undoubtedly suck up much more of your afternoon than you would expect. Everywhere you look, you’ll discover another hidden treasure – each of which could probably make up a list of their own. The owner makes the place an experience in its own, overflowing with Birmingham pride and reported to have memorized every book published within the last 90 years.
3. Get Off The Hook Food From A Truck That Lives Up To Its Name
You don’t always need a Michelin star to provide some of the best eats in a city. Apparently, you don’t even need four walls or a foundation. All you do need is a kitchen on wheels and a damn good chef. And that’s what you’ll find when you track down the Off The Hook Food Truck.
As an up-and-coming Birmingham food truck, you should check this one out fast before the word gets out and you’ve got lines like the Taco Truck on West Oxmoor. Off The Hook cooks up some of the tastiest seafood in the city on the go at unbeatable prices.
4. Birmingham: Proving That Size Doesn’t Matter
Who says you need to go to New York to see Lady Liberty? A large-scale State of Liberty can be found at the Urban Center off Interstate 459 in Birmingham. At one-fifth of the size of the iconic Lady Liberty monument, this replica is still bigger than the original model which resides in France.
While the city fights over whether or not their iconic and very bare-bottomed Vulcan statue should stay or go, Lady Liberty receives very few objections and attention. But she’s definitely worth paying homage to, representing the land of the free and the home of the bible belt.
5. Birmingham’s Claim To Zeppelin Fame
There’s nothing secretive about Leer Tower, considering that it literally towers over the city. But it’s what is located on the Leer’s roof that scores it a spot on this list: The once booming, now abandoned 350-room hotel has the last mooring mast for zeppelins.
Back in its heyday what was known as the Thomas Jefferson Hotel was a hot spot for celebrities and VIP visitors including the likes of Bear Bryant and Mickey Rooney. The hotel has been vacant since it was deemed uninhabitable by health inspectors in 1983, and all efforts to convert it into high end condominiums have fallen through.
But if a zeppelin happens to cross the city and needs a place to land, the mooring mast still remains.
6. Visit The Heaviest Corner On Earth
Birmingham likes their tomatoes fried and green, their Vulcans without pants, their tide rolling and their corner heavy. Wait, what?
Well, Birmingham has what is known as the Heaviest Corner On Earth on the intersection of 20th Street and 1st Avenue North. Of course there’s a story.
During the industrial boom of the early 20th century, Birmingham suddenly went from having simple two-story structures to having four remarkably tall buildings: The Empire, the Woodward, the Brown Marx, and the John Hand Building. All on the same part of town. They were known as the four tallest buildings in the entire South, and earned the spot on which they were located its rep as the Heaviest Corner on Earth.
7. Relive The Glamour Of The 1930s In A Cave
If you’re brave enough to go looking deep in the woods “Blair Witch Project”-style, you’ll find a cave that was once a booming Alabama speakeasy where orchestras echoed through the night air as patrons sipped champagne and blew rings of smoke into the night sky to mingle with the stars.
It’s hard to believe that the dilapidated and crumbling caves laced with graffiti were once such a glamorous hot spot, but in the 1930, Bangor Cave was the place to be. It was closed almost as fast as it started, though, due to numerous raids over its two-year popularity. You can tour the caves for yourself, and still find the bar and the dance floor of this Gatsby-esque speakeasy of legends.
8. Find The Underground Music By The Moonlight
If you’re underwhelmed with the variety of music played on the radio in Birmingham, there are still places where you can go to discover the best on the underground scene. This small venue makes for the perfectly intimate setting to get to know great musical acts from all over up close and personally.
Moonlight on the Mountain doesn’t serve food or drinks, which sounds a bit unfortunate until you realize that you can bring your own drinks, alcohol and snacks with you. Coupled with their incredibly cheap ticket and cover prices, a night at this club makes for a great night out with stellar music for super cheap.
9. Tour The African Village In America In Birmingham
Local artist Joe Minter has been creating one of the most unique art collections in Birmingham in his own yard since 1989. Filled with scrap-metal and homemade sculptures, memorials, tributes, and art, The African Village In America is approximately half an acre of amazing work influenced heavily by African American culture.
This art village is located on Minter’s private residence, but he is usually happy to show visitors around. You’ll be amazed to tour his political pieces and tributes including one to fallen foot soldiers and the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School, knowing that he created them all on his own, completely by hand.
10. What’s On Second? Everything
Find the most hidden treasures in one of Birmingham’s hidden treasures: What’s On Second. Every square inch of this place is packed from floor to ceiling with things like vinyl toys and vintage memorabilia that you probably assumed you’d never see again.
Don’t expect to make a quick stop here, though. The inventory can take up hours of your time just off the nostalgia factor alone. Tack on the amount of time spent investigating interesting things you never even knew existed along with chatting with the owner, who is essentially a human encyclopedia of knowledge, and the day will be gone before you know it.
11. Spin Right Round Like A Record, Baby
Music lovers who pine for the thrill of dropping needles onto shiny black, vinyl never have to venture far in Birmingham. Five Points has two of the best vintage record shops that you’ll find anywhere this side of 1989.
Charlemagne Records holds the crown as the longest running record store in Birmingham. It might appear tiny on the surface, but it’s packed with a massive amount of used and new records, cds, dvds, posters, and even cassette tapes. Yes, cassette tapes.
And at Renaissance Records you’ll find a ton of used gems along with a staff full of music knowledge and trivia, making the perfect record store experience. So, what are you waiting for? Damn the man and save the empire.
12. Remember Birmingham’s Roots And How Far It’s Grown
If you’re taking a stroll through Kelly Ingram Park and stumble upon a group of rabid-looking dogs ready to attack, don’t worry. It’s a sculpture, and it’s actually much more moving than terrifying.
Created by artist James Drake in 1992, the sculpture is a depiction of the brutality that civil rights marchers faced while fighting for their cause back when the city was known as “Bombingham.” The dog sculpture is located along the park’s walking tour, and serves as a moving memorial to mistakes that were made and how far society has come since.
13. A Philly Steak, T-Bone Style
Wondering where you can find the best cheesesteak without having to venture all the way up to Philly? Of course you have. But your search is over, now that you know about T-Bone’s.
Not only can you find the most authentic Philly cheesesteaks here, down to the Amoroso rolls, but you can also get the city’s famous hoagies, too. It’s 15 minutes from Birmingham’s downtown, but well worth the drive when you’re craving the real deal. It could quite possibly crack your top 10 eats in all of Birmingham.
Did we miss anything? Tell us your favorite secret spot in Birmingham in the comments below!
