Back in November, my friend Hannah and I traveled down to Alabama for a conference. In between presenting and attending panels, we took a lot of time to explore this amazing city. I’m dividing up the posts to keep it from being completely overwhelming (I’ll be following up with a food post and a post on The Civil Rights Institute), so the first post is dedicated to the amazing backdrops in the city.

I’m not sure how many times I blurted out “this city has such great walls!” But it’s so true! Around every corner was another mural, gorgeous building, or random statue.

We walked by the Birmingham Museum of Art several times during our visit. When we were on our “exploration time” we finally popped through the outdoor walkway and found this great spot. We came to the conclusion that this spot would make for a really cool wedding venue for someone interested in a less a traditional spot. The water was also really peaceful.

Across the street and up the hill from the art museum is the Jefferson County Courthouse. I don’t often find courthouses very appealing, but we loved this mini Statue of Liberty that was right outside and next to the park.

Our ultimate destination was the Five-Points district (you’ll see why soon), which was a couple miles away from our hotel. It was a beautiful day, so we enjoyed the long walk and getting to explore more of Birmingham.

On our way, we passed another great mural of a robot and some monkeys. There’s no way we could pass up a photo op there! This mural, made by John Lytle Wilson, is on Morris Avenue. It’s next to a parking lot and some railroad tracks and is completely unexpected!

Ruffle-Sleeve Sweatshirt, Old Navy | 711 Skinny Ankle Jeans, Levi’s | Cut-Out Bootie, Universal Thread

As I was doing research on what sights to see in Birmingham, I stumbled across a description of a “satanic” fountain in Five Points. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a satanic fountain??

And the above face is definitely the one we both made when we arrived at the so-called “satanic” fountain. It was a small fountain with a bunch of animals sitting around listening to a story being read by a dude with a ram head. Also, it’s in front of a Methodist church. Definitely not what we were expecting! You can find “Ram-Man’s” story here if you’re interested in more info about this Birmingham landmark.

I wasn’t sure if any other landmarks would be quite as…interesting…as the “satanic” fountain, but more wonderful walls were waiting! We had a late flight out on Sunday, so since the conference was over, we spent the morning seeking out coffee and brunch with the ultimate goal of visiting the Kelly Ingram Park.

The weather was beautiful for mural-hunting, which made the Theatre District mural an even easier one to spot! This mural is by Andy Jordan and is a celebration of past and current artists of Birmingham. Strike a ballet pose as you stroll by!

Our next stop was the Winiger baseball mural which is a reference to the oldest baseball stadium in the world located in, you guessed it, Birmingham!

We finally stopped for brunch at Harvest Restaurant located in The Redmont Hotel. Both the restaurant and the hotel are beautiful in a building from 1925. I couldn’t pass up a photo next to the shimmery wall in the lobby.

Although we managed to spot quite a few of the great murals, sculptures, and buildings in Birmingham, we also missed quite a bit! We walked and rode by the Rotary Trail multiple times, and I think if we’d had more time, we both would’ve liked exploring that. If you’re interested in more of Birmingham’s murals, this is a great visual compilation!

We had to make a special trip to the store to pick up a “dongle” for our presentation, and I had to buy a coat because Birmingham was much colder than I expected! And therefore, I have to end with what was one of my favorite walls in Birmingham…the giant wall at Target!

Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for more information about my trip to Birmingham. You can’t miss the delicious food I’ll be showing you!

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