Top 8 Family Friendly Things to do in Birmingham Alabama

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Birmingham, Alabama is gorgeous and full of amazing views and history. James has had a few classes in Hoover, Alabama which is right outside Birmingham. The first time the girls and I took a spontaneous road trip to visit him and had a blast. The next time he had class there we planned for a longer visit. These are our Top 8 Family Friendly Things to do in Birmingham Alabama. I also included a list of things to do the next time we visit Birmingham, Alabama.

Top 8 Family Friendly Things to do in Birmingham Alabama

1. Moss Rock Preserve – Take a hike on almost 12 miles of trails at this 349 acre preserve. Visit Boulder Field for some rock climbing. Or check out the streams and waterfalls. We hiked over 8 miles with the girls (ages 1 & 3 at the time) and did some rock climbing too.
2. Aldridge Botanical Gardens – Take a walk around the gorgeous 30 acre Aldridge Gardens. This place has is all! Beautiful scenery with picturesque landscapes and fun art, wildlife, a fairy garden for kids to build in, and lovely trails to stroll on. When we visited in the spring we saw baby ducks and geese.
3. McWane Science Center – 4 levels of hands-on fun! The lower level features and aquarium and touch tank. Level 1 features lots of active participation science. Level 2 features Alabama nature and dinosaurs. While level 3 has a traveling exhibit.
4. Red Mountain Park – Take a hike on over 15 miles of trails where you can see old mines and 3 different tree houses. Don’t forget to take in one of the two amazing views of Birmingham. There is also a zip line, adventure tower, and dog park! We loved see the old mine shafts they have such cool breezes coming from them! We also faced a little fear and walked out on a rope and plank bridge to see one of the tree houses. The girls were 2 & 4 at the time of this hike.
5. Birmingham Botanical Gardens – Take a stroll around the 67.5 acre gardens featuring a Japanese and Wildflower gardens among others.
6. Birmingham Museum of Art – Is home to more than 27,000 pieces of artwork and has a hands-on art area for kids. We had fun exploring the museum and creating art in the both of Bart the Art Bat’s ArtVenture areas.
7. Vulcan Park and Museum – Stop and look at the giant statue of Vulcan Roman God of fire and forge. Tour the museum and take in some spectacular views of Birmingham. The girls (ages 1 & 3 at the time) loved seeing the giant statue.
8. Birmingham Zoo – The Birmingham Zoo is a nice 122 acre zoo with around 950 animals. Some of our favorite animals that we saw while there are the giant river otters, great horned owl, and the southern white rhinoceros.

Bonus!

These additional parks on our list to explore the next time we visit Birmingham.

1. Oak Mountain State Park – At 9,940 acres Oak Mountain State Park is the largest state park in Alabama. Containing over 50 miles of trails for hiking and biking along with fishing lakes and swimming areas it is definitely on our list to visit the next time we are in Birmingham.
2. Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve – 1,040 acre urban nature preserve with over 14 miles of trails containing mining sites, overlooks, quarry, and nature center. We can’t wait to explore it.
3. Sloss Furnaces – This National Historic Landmark was the longest running blast furnace in Birmingham. Now a museum where you can learn about the materials, the process, the products, and the people who ran the furnaces and built Birmingham. This seems like such a cool way to learn about some of the history in Birmingham.
4. Birmingham Civil Rights Institute & Kelly Ingram Park – Both are excellent places to learn about civil rights movements. Kelly Ingram Park features a guided audio tour through your mobile phones. While Birmingham Civil Rights Institute features galleries like Human Rights and Confrontation among others.

These are our Top 8 Family Friendly Things to do in Birmingham Alabama with 4 bonus places we want to visit the next time we are there.

Have you been to Birmingham, AL? What’s your family’s favorite thing to do there?

Have a great day!

Brandi

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