Rachael Ray magazine features Alabama Civil Rights Trail in top 8 U.S. road trips

Rachael Ray in Season magazine listed Birmingham as a favorite, must-see location. Take a look.

The List

There is so much history that runs through Birmingham and Alabama.

Described as the birthplace of the American Civil Rights movement, Birmingham has a lot to offer out-of-towners interested in learning more about one of the most significant social movements in our lifetime.

Here’s what Rachael Ray in Season had to say about the places featured in “The Great American Road Trip” list:

Our country is full of national treasures—wild places, diverse communities with deep histories, birthplaces of culture and the arts. And they’re all just a drive away! We’ve chosen a handful of our favorite routes to inspire your next journey. Pick a trip or trace your own path. Just remember to look, listen, and go slowly.

Rachael Ray in Season magazine

It is great to see that Birmingham is being recognized as a destination in a national magazine. There is so much beauty and history here.

Interested in exploring more Civil Rights around Birmingham? We’ve got your covered:

• The New York Times and the Smithsonian Institute will offer tours of Alabama’s civil rights landmarks
• Alabama remembers the Freedom Rides that happened 60 years ago this month

Birmingham in Alabama Civil Rights Landmarks

Alabama is home to several Civil Rights museums and monuments. In Birmingham, we pass historic landmarks everyday on our way to work and school, like the 16th Street Baptist Church, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Kelly Ingram Park.

Here’s the list of places the magazine recommended, which include historical monuments throughout the state:

• Downtown’s Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
• Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
• The Gaston Motel
• The Carver Theatre
• Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (opening summer 2021)
• Anniston Freedom Riders National Monument
• Tuskegee Airmen Airfield Museum
• Selma to Montgomery National Scenic Byway
• Martin Luther King’s Parsonage Museum
• Rosa Parks Museum
• National Memorial for Peace and Justice

While you’re on your road trip throughout the state, check out the newly renovated Selma’s St. James Hotel. Here’s a link to our website where you can learn more.

Many of the locations shed light on the history of inequality, discrimination, murder and hate crimes in the state.

Although it may sound heavy to some, it is an important part of our history that we should never forget.

“Visitors learn how ordinary people have the power to affect their realities, inspire others to change, and transform the world.”

Barry McNeely, in an interview with Rachael Ray for Season

Want to see who else made Rachael Ray’s magazine list of must-see places in the U.S.? Check out the rest of the story here.

Birmingham Making the News

Rachael Ray isn’t the only publication that has highlighted the Magic City over the past few years. Here is a portfolio of stories that have featured our community.

• Travel + Leisure – “Travel + Leisure names Birmingham “Best Places to Travel in 2021”
• Forbes – Birmingham named one of the top job markets for the 1st quarter of 2020 by Forbes
• fDi Magazine – Birmingham named among top 10 Mid-Sized American Cities of the Future by international publication
• Thrillist – Thrillist does a deep dive into Birmingham. Says it should be on everyone’s radar
• BBC –Birmingham, Alabama: A city using theatres to reinvent itself
• 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
• Stadium Talk –Regions Field named one of the Best Minor League Ballparks in America by Stadium Talk
• Dallas Morning News – The “good buzz” continues…Birmingham featured in the Dallas Morning News
• New York Times – Big News! Birmingham Museum of Art’s Third Space featured in New York Times Best Art of 2017
• Wine Enthusiasts – National publication Wine Enthusiast features Birmingham’s “top tier” drinking and dining hot spots
• Vogue Magazine – “The South’s Magic City”

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