Birmingham Walking Tour: How the Magic City became a Commercial Juggernaut

(13 reviews)

Birmingham, Alabama audio tour: Birmingham Walking Tour: How the Magic City became a Commercial Juggernaut

This is a 2.7mi walking tour

It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.

Birmingham, Alabama

The United States

$14.99

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About the Tour

Find out how the Magic City got its name on this walking tour around Birmingham’s downtown core.

You’ll start this walk at Rotary Trail Birmingham, which runs underneath the street grid. From there, you’ll learn about the explosive beginnings of this planned city, some quirky facts, and its rich and sometimes dark history, like the tragic children’s crusade that shifted the tide of the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout this circular tour, you’ll see skyscrapers including Thomas Jefferson Tower with its mooring mast for blimps to land on, Civil Rights memorials, haunted hotels, and the fan-favorite LED Rainbow tunnels. I’ll show you some unusual sites, including the heaviest corner on earth, Goodyear Shoe Hospital, and Jim Reed Books, the whimsical store that houses the Museum of Fond Memories. I’ll also point out the Redmont Hotel, which is famously haunted by the ghost of musician Hank Williams Sr.

On this tour, you’ll hear about:

The best places to grab a bite to eat including the Pizitz Food Hall, and Paramount Bar which serves Alabama hummus
The Cochran Firm which has famously represented Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, P. Diddy, Snoop Dogg and OJ Simpson in various legal cases
Birmingham’s Cathedral of Saint Paul which, despite it’s beautiful appearance, is linked to a couple of tragic stories
The Ku Klux Klan and some of their activity within the city
Several impressive places to enjoy the city’s cultural highlights like the Birmingham Museum of Art, Lyric Theatre, Alabama Theatre, Carver Theatre & Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Boutwell Auditorium, and the McWane Science Center
The backstory behind the monuments in Kelly Ingram Park

Along the way, you’ll also hear the answers to questions like:

Where did the Veteran’s Day Parade begin?
Why did Birmingham make international news headlines during the Civil Rights Movement?
When did this city experience its largest economic boom?
How was the largest cast iron statue in the world constructed?
What are Steel City Pops and where can they be found?
Which is the most haunted hotel in Birmingham, Redmont Hotel or Tutwiler Hotel?

By the time you reach Railway Park Playground at the end of our two-hour stroll, you’ll be more informed than the average Alabamian! Just kidding. While this tour covers most of downtown’s attractions, there are many other spots outside the urban core. I’ll make suggestions on where to go next, so your exploring, learning and walking doesn’t have to end with this tour. Join me on this tour to discover the true magic of B’ham city!

Tour Producer

Phil Biedron

17 tours

Hello I'm Phil. A Chicagoan by way of Los Angeles and now in Atlanta. In addition to hosting tours, I am also a working actor; probably on some shows you have seen!

Preview Location

Location 33

16th Street Baptist Church

Across the street from where you are is the historic 16th Street Baptist church. Stop here please.

On September 15, 1963, four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted 19 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the steps on the east side of the church. That morn... Across the street from where you are is the historic 16th Street Baptist church. Stop here please.

On September 15, 1963, four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted 19 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the steps on the east side of the church. That morning, an anonymous caller phoned the church and stated ominously "three minutes." After less than one minute, the dynamite exploded, killing 4 young girls and injuring over a dozen more.

Martin Luther King Jr. called the attack "one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity."

What is even more tragic is the delay of justice. All four of the suspects were known Klansmen and segregationists. It would be 14 years until one of the bombers was convicted, but not until 2001 and 2002 were two others involved in the bombing were found guilty. A fourth suspect, died in 1994 before he could be brought to trial.

Why the long wait? In fact, it was later revealed that the FBI had information concerning the identity of the bombers by 1965 and did nothing. It's difficult to give the full context in a two-hour walking tour. Imagine being a white judge or lawyer in the most racially discriminatory and segregated cities in America. Are you prepared to rule on this case? Not everyone in Alabama was allied with the Civil Rights movement; opposition wasn't only from radical terrorist groups, but possibly your neighbor who is reluctant to be a juror. Reputations were on the line and it could cost you your job or even your life. Remember Pastor James Coyle?

While this tour barely scratches the surface of the racial zeitgeist of Birmingham in the 1960s, there are better resources to learn from. Across from the church is the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute which gives a thorough account of the Civil Rights movement from this city's perspective. The 16th street Baptist church is open to the public and they provide tours as well.

When you're ready, turn around and continue clockwise to the next memorial. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Rotary Trail Birmingham
Rainbow LED Tunnel
The Museum of Fond Memories
Tutwiler
Jefferson County Probate Court
Birmingham Fire Department Station # 1
Heaviest Corner On Earth
Jim Reed Books / The Museum of Fond Memories
The Cathedral of Saint Paul
Redmont Hotel Birmingham
Birmingham Museum of Art
Boutwell Auditorium
Birmingham City Hall
Kelly Ingram Park
Carver Theatre for the Performing Arts
Eddie Kendrick Memorial Park
Lyric Theatre
Alabama Theatre
McWane Science Center
The Pizitz Food Hall
Railroad Park Playground

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
2098 1st Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
Total distance

4km
Final location
Birmingham, AL 35203, USA
Distance back to start location

336.12m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins at the corner of 1st and 20th street in front of the massive Rotary Trail Birmingham sign. There is parking nearby and we end up two blocks away from the starting location of the tour.

Keep in mind it's totally ok to break up the tour in sections and finish it off hours or days later if you'd like!

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Feeling peckish? There's lots of food options at Pititz Hall, Paramount, or food trucks. Outside the route you can visit Sloss furnances or Barber Motorsports park. Railroad Park deserves more than a cursory glance, and there are many fine breweries adjacent to it as well for a nice craft local beer.

Best time of day

Anytime of day would be fine, though most of the museums close at 5pm. This might also limit you peaking into churches and bookstores as well. If you go at night, it's better to view the Rainbow Tunnels, but difficult to make out how amazing Railroad Park is!

Precautions

As with any major city; exercise caution. There are homeless people who might ask you for change, which I suggest you politely decline. The tunnels might harbor some individuals inside, please be mindful of that as well.

Bring some quarters to play games at the arcade and bring an appetite as well; there's tons of restaurants along the way.

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“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”