Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

Culture

Birmingham is the cultural and entertainment capital of Alabama with its numerous art galleries in the area and home to Birmingham Museum of Art, the largest art museum in the state. Birmingham is also home to the state's major ballet, opera, and symphony orchestra companies such the Alabama Ballet, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Ballet, and Opera Birmingham.

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• The historic Alabama Theatre hosts film screenings, concerts and performances.
• The Alys Stephens Center for the Performing Arts is home to Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Opera Birmingham as well as several series of concerts and lectures. It is located on the UAB campus in the Southside community.
• The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC), houses a theater, concert hall, exhibition halls, and a sports and concert arena. The BJCC is home to the Alabama Ballet and hosts major concert tours and sporting events.
• Boutwell Auditorium (formerly Municipal Auditorium) is located at Lynn Park.
• The Verizon Wireless Music Center, formerly Oak Mountain Amphitheater, is a large outdoor venue with two stages.

Other entertainment venues in the area include:

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• Fair Park Arena, on the west side of town, hosts sporting events, local concerts and community programs.
• WorkPlay, located in Southside, is a multi-purpose facility with offices, audio and film production space, a lounge, and a theater and concert stage for visiting artists and film screenings.
• The Wright Center Concert Hall at Samford University is home to the Birmingham Ballet

Birmingham's nightlife is primarily clustered around Five Points South and Lakeview.

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Museums

• The Birmingham Museum of Art is the Southeast's largest municipal art museum with over 20,000+ artworks. Important collections include the largest Wedgwood collection outside England, the premier collection of German decorative cast iron, and important collections of Asian and European decorative arts. European and American painting and sculpture from every period are well-represented. This museum was renovated and expanded in 1993.
• McWane Center, located downtown, is a regional science museum with hands-on science exhibits, temporary exhibitions, and guided demonstrations. The building has a 42,000 square foot (3,900 m²) IMAX dome theater with science-related programming. The center also houses a major collection of fossil specimens for use by researchers.
• The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute houses a detailed and emotionally-charged narrative exhibit putting Birmingham's history into the context of the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the contemporary Human rights struggle around the world. It is located on Kelly Ingram Park adjacent to the 16th Street Baptist Church. the Institute also houses archival and research materials for public use and gallery space for temporary exhibitions.
• The Barber Museum of Motorsports, located in a large motorsports complex in the suburb of Leeds, displays one of the most important collections of motorcycles in the world. The museum includes an extensive reference library and restoration workshop, as well as views over Barber's 2.3-mile race course.
• Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark offers tours of one of Birmingham's signature blast furnaces. The site is also used for cultural programs and houses a nationally recognized metal arts program.
• The Southern Museum of Flight, located near the Birmingham Airport, has a large collection of aircraft and aviation models and memorabilia.
• The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, located in the lobby of the Carver Theatre for the Performing Arts downtown, exhibits material relating to the history of Jazz in Alabama and hosts frequent concerts.
• The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, located in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex downtown, showcases the disproportional contribution of Alabamians to the world of athletics.
• The Bessemer Hall of History, housed in a 1916 railroad depot in the nearby industrial city of Bessemer, has a diverse collection of artifacts, including a modern mummy and Adolf Hitler's typewriter.
• The Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences, located on the UAB campus, houses a collection of medical instruments, artifacts and specimens dating to the 16th century.