By the grace of our Lord, the world is getting back to normal!
So, everyone longs to break the chains and look beyond the windowpanes. Therefore, bloggers are busy suggesting top-rated destinations for travel enthusiasts. But you can’t generalize the leisure tourists.
“Different strokes for different folks.”
Some travel to unravel concealed facts, while others praise the natural preserves. Then, there are valentines led by their love for food, photography, or sports.
People overlook sports fans because they expect them on the edge of their seats. However, there’s nothing more exciting than boarding a flight for a multi-sport event.
But non-sports fans are muggles of the Harry Potter world. So they won’t understand this magic!
What’s a better place to harness it other than the Magic City? Birmingham, the largest and the most populous city of Sweet Home Alabama, is the paradise of sports maniacs.
Since you won’t be swayed by Disneyland or Floridian beaches, the host of the 2022 World Games will update your bucket list.
Below are listed six reasons why you should visit Birmingham, Alabama, once in a lifetime.
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame has captured some iconic moments
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is the Taj Mahal of the sporting realm.
It occupies a massive 33,000 square feet of space at the heart of Birmingham, Alabama. This triplex building was established in 1967 to preserve the state’s colorful athletic history and honor those who made it possible.
Today, it displays a landmark collection of more than 5000 artifacts. They pay perpetual tribute to homegrown figures as well as the Olympic greats.
Few of the renowned inductees include Hank Aaron, Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, and Alice Coachman. Besides the museum, the facility also hosts Bryant-Jordan Theatre.
A tour to Jefferson Convention Complex is not up for compromise
Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) is the mighty neighbor of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Together, they make Druid Hills an emerging tourist hotspot.
Of course, the surrounding pizza joints and Brazilian steakhouses are a loadstone too. Whether you travel in quest of history or love of art, we all have a foodie inside!
Express your love of games with taste buds – Enjoy beef chili at Paramount dining and craft beer at On Tap Sports Café while tempting your fortune on arcade games.
Speaking of the mysterious world of BJCC, it satisfies people of all tastes.
The Legacy Arena is one of the nation’s largest sports venues with 18,000 seating capacity. It has hosted Tennis premier tournaments such as Davis and Fed Cups. In addition, there is a beautiful concert hall and an opera theatre along with numerous ballrooms and banquets.
Meanwhile, entering the complex can get you a pleasant day off almost any time of the year!
Behold the glory of Birmingham CrossPlex
If you think Jefferson Convention Centre is the end of sports-related attractions, think again!
Take a 10-minute drive to Bessemer Road, and your eyes would open up to another wonder – Birmingham Crossplex. It is a world-class athletic and meeting facility spanning over 750,000 square feet.
Who are the true sports fans?
When adrenaline rushes with scorecard and heart pumps with buzz-beating, it symptomizes an incurable sports enthusiasm! If you can relate to this situation, breathing the last without visiting Crossplex is a greater tragedy than Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Its indoor track features 60-meters sprinting lanes and one of the world’s ten Mondo-surface hydraulic tracks. However, it is just the tip of the iceberg!!
The complex boasts an Olympic-size natatorium and multipurpose halls capable of hosting international gymnastics and ball games.
Barber Motorsports Park is a heaven for high-speed aficionados
What’s all the fuss about motorsports racing?
You can’t grasp the concept unless you love when knees kiss the ground and chequered flags meet the eye. It’s about thrill and sensation – an unexplainable passion!
For those entrapped in motocross love, the eastern fringes of Birmingham invite you to Barber Motorsports Park.
The park contains a 3.8 km racing course having 17 sharp turns under its 880-acre lap. It is famous for delivering asphalt for the Indy Grand Prix, AMA Superbike Championship, and Pirelli World Challenge.
This motorsports park is also unique due to its seating arrangement. Spectators have to view from the adjacent multilevel paddock or temporary grandstands.
You’d be surprised to know that this whole property is the legacy of George Barber. He, a former Porsche car driver turned real estate developer, built this park and an incredible museum that sneaked into the Guinness World Records.
Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum presents a stunning compilation of rare motorcycles. It includes 1600 restored models collected from every corner of this world.
Well, one can hardly equate Barber’s passion. But getting goosebumps at such marvelous sight is the best experience in all of the Cotton State.
Wave at memorabilia of Afro-American baseball history
Baseball is worth a great deal here.
Even the nation’s oldest surviving baseball diamond sits in Birmingham, Alabama. The owner of Birmingham Barons founded Rickwood Field in 1910. This century-old park blows away baseball fanatics, but there’s more!
Where the civil rights struggle of black Americans is preserved at several places, it’s unthinkable that sports won’t shade this resilience.
Visit Negro Southern League Museum at 16th Street South. It showcases first-hand baseball artifacts from the Negro League that ironworkers and coalminers brought forward in the late 19th century.
In case your spirit is intertwined with minor leagues, you’d marvel at the uniform and hologram of Satchel Paige. Also, the oldest trophy would take you back in time.
Indeed, a round trip to the museum and on-site research center is a worthwhile educational project.
Unleash your hidden athlete at Railroad Park
Birmingham doesn’t only provide legendary players an audience, but it also forges them!
There are plenty of green spaces and hiking trails that you can embark on. However, Railroad Park lies en route to the iconic baseball museum.
It was opened in 2010, and Alabamians have used its grovel paths as a quick escape from humming city life ever since. Now, it’s a designated “Birmingham’s Living Room.”
Locals cite this park as a perfect spot for jogging and cycling while travelers admire the long queues of aromatic flowers.
Don’t repress your sportsman in search of a gymnasium. And if you get lucky, you might catch your favorite pop star here as well– live and stereo!
Anyways, sprinting against a speedy train and stepping into a rainbow-lit tunnel have another chill.
Golf fanatics don’t need to return hopeless. The Magic City has something for everyone – In the case of golfers, it’s too much! Pick an Uber for far south, and address the ball at the magnificent golf course of Highland Park or The Country Club.
Farewell Tip
You can also shape a fun getaway from the base of Mountain Brook.
Visit nearby attractions of Birmingham Botanical Gardens and the Zoo. And don’t return without seeing the “Iron Man of Birmingham” at the Vulcan Park and Museum.