Travel + Leisure took a road trip through Birmingham and Alabama. See what they found.

Birmingham
View of City of Birmingham from from The Club. Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now

This month, Travel + Leisure, one of  America’s most popular travel publications, has  published a long-form story exploring Alabama and the city of Birmingham.

Titled – “A Road Trip Through Alabama, Where Creatives are Grappling With the Past and Building a Brighter Future,” T+L author Kevin West describes a August 2018 road trip traveling from Muscle Shoals to Orange Beach.

Many of Birmingham’s most famous residents and places are featured in the story, including Mayor Randall Woodfin, Highlands Bar and Grill’s Frank Stitt, his wife Pardis, and Highlands pastry chef and James Beard winner Dolester Miles.  The author also visited the Avondale neighborhood and landmarks such as SAWS BBQ and Post Office Pies. He wraps up the Birmingham portion of the story discussing Birmingham Civil Rights history and a visit to the Birmingham Ciivil Rights Institute.

Birmingham
Randall Woodfin, Inauguration Ceremony, November 28, 2017. Photo Courtesy of Michael Anderson.

Along with Birmingham, the article describes the Muscle Shoals music and fabric arts scene, Montgomery and the Black Belt’s history and visit to Orange Beach and the state’s beaches.

With an international readership of over 4.8 million, Travel + Leisure’s April 2019 story is a great primer for tourists seeking to take a visit to Birmingham and Alabama. The story is also very timely, as we celebrate Alabama’s bicentennial as a state.

Additional stories

Birmingham Alabama
View of Railroad Park from on top of the Elyton Hotel by Pat Byington for Bham Now.

Bham Now continues to catalog stories profiling Birmingham.  Checkout our growing list:

Conde Nast – Conde Nast declares Birmingham has arrived
Trip Advisor – Birmingham named ‘up and coming foodie city’
Inc. – Birmingham ranks 37 on Inc. 50 Best Places in America for Starting a Business
Wine Enthusiasts – National publication Wine Enthusiast features Birmingham’s “top tier” drinking and dining hot spots
Nylon Magazine – Birmingham sparks attention
Vogue Magazine’s  “the South’s Magic City”
Outside Magazine”s 25 Best Towns of 2017 edition.
The New York Times –“Birmingham is ready to surprise you.”
Washington Post – “best vacation destinations you’ve never considered” series.
CNN – “15 charming cities in the American South you may have overlooked.”

Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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