We would be lying’ if we said that we weren’t all that interested in visiting AL, MS and AR but we knew we needed to visit and pay tribute to the amazing souls who were beaten, lynched and jailed fighting for the most basic civil rights…rights to vote, rights to an education, rights to fair wages, rights to live in an integrated community, rights to housing, rights to love and marry freely. So we ventured into Alabama without much expectation as to the city’s highlights. Birmingham significantly OVERDELIVERED. Amazing state park, seriously delicious BBQ and desserts, beautiful botanical gardens, well documented and preserved historic district. We had a great time!
First the park….Oak Mountain State Park!! Great trails….we did two hikes which were both lovely and the park itself has fishing, swimming, bike trails, tons of hiking, archery, a golf course, horse stables, restaurant and big sites with great amenities. About 20 minutes from downtown Birmingham…perfect!
Second, the Civil Rights historic trail. We walked by the 16th Street Church where Denise McNair 11, Carole Robertson 14, Addie Mae Collins 14, and Cynthia Wesley 14 were murdered by a bomb while getting ready for the Sunday service. Then passed the Gaston Motel, which was black owned and served as HQ for much of the planning associated with the marches in Birmingham, past several of the 4th district black owned establishments and the monument to the Temptations. Last stop was through Kelly Ingram park where police attacked children protesters by using fire hoses and attack dogs. This was one of the first police attacks captured by national news which showed the horrible treatment of the peaceful protesters. The statue of the little girls, in the same poses as when they were killed was very moving….
Next was SAWS BBQ for the famous fried chicken sandwich which was the best we have ever had. No lying. That honor had been given earlier to the Amsterdam Brewhouse in Toronto ( which was still really good) but SAWS beat it out. The baked beans were killer too. Something about the white sauce on the sandwich that put it over the edge. Then we went to the Botanical gardens, which even though we were there in January, were still wonderful. Great greenhouses, a stunning Japanese garden, and serene trail leading all through the grounds. BONUS: the gift shop, Leaf and Petal, was full of wonderful treats and we got the hot tip to not miss Bottega, one of Frank Stitt’s award winning restaurants very close to the gardens. Birmingham has these little neighborhoods ( or villages as they call them) which are divine…great homes, cool walkable shopping, etc… We stopped into Bottega for an afternoon snack…(in our defense we had split the aforementioned chicken sandwich and walked quite a bit in the gardens, so you know, a snack was called for!) We tried the spinach arancini, homemade chips and onion dip and a few cocktails. We capped it off with the best semifreddo we have ever had ( lemon and raspberry with pitachio) and another hot tip not to miss Big Spoon creamery which custom makes all their ice cream. We met two delightful local women who were out for one of their birthdays and laughed a ton…explaining our journey, exchanging travel tips and enjoying the afternoon! WONDERFUL, unexpected day in Birmingham….
The next day we hiked a great little trail to Maggies Glen and then went back into the city for a few grocery items. Somehow we found our way to another SAWS BBQ and to the Big Spoon Creamery which was The. Best. Ice. Cream. Ever. We each had a small cup and took two ice cream sandwiches back to ZsaZsa for another day. Tim…chocolate with whip cream and graham crumble. Dee…split cup with Peppermint Patty and Lemon Custard/Earl Grey combo. I’m not kidding…amazing. I am looking into shipping into SLC when we get back. Stay tuned….I’ll have a party if I can figure out how to get it!!
Dee’s not pictured because I ate it before I realized we were documenting this part of the day….:)