Fun and learning never end at McWane Science Center, a nonprofit, hands-on museum and IMAX® Dome Theater. Four floors of interactive exhibits celebrate science and wonder — from an amazing collection of dinosaurs to innovative environmental showcases, imaginative early childhood playgrounds, and an awe-inspiring aquarium. The energy and excitement of discovery spring to life through an extensive lineup of science demonstrations performed daily by talented educators. The adventure intensifies in the IMAX® DomeTheater, where wide-eyed visitors experience the sights and sounds of breathtaking films on a 5-story-tall screen surrounded by 3 tons of high-intensity speakers.

It all began when a circus owner’s misfortune at a game of cards bestowed the city of Avondale with a great gift. His prize attraction, Miss Fancy the Elephant, would inadvertently become the city’s greatest spokesperson. Known as the Queen of Avondale, Miss Fancy performed a wonder of tricks at her home in Avondale Zoo. During prohibition, City Hall kept a special Miss Fancy reserve on hand at all time in order to treat her stomach aliment. When her stomach starting acting up, Mr. Todd would call the prohibition officers down to the zoo for a little hooch action.

Miss Fancy’s Tripel is a strong Belgian golden ale rich in flavor and alcohol. The use of malts, traditional hops, a proprietary yeast blend and Belgian candi sugar creates a very special beer named after a very special elephant. Miss Fancy’s Tripel is remarkably smooth and refreshing for such a high ABV beer. CAUTION! Miss Fancy’s Tripel is brewed for humans but strong enough for elephants.

For more than forty years, the building which now houses The Filling Station Pizza Cafe & Bar in the Crestwood neighborhood of Birmingham, was a full-service gas station – the kind where they actually pumped your gas for you and cleaned your windshield.

Starting in 2015, the chef and his staff at The Filling Station now pump out a broad range of appetizers, handmade pizzas and calzones, pasta dishes and sandwiches that are sure to satisfy any craving you have. The old service bays are now filled with tables and a bar. Behind the bar is an intricate system of taps that deliver cold locally and internationally brewed beers without any temperature loss from the keg.

The Filling Station is perfect to visit anytime of the year, but when the weather is mild, the garage doors are open and patrons enjoy the expansive patio.

Sports fans appreciate the multitude of HDTV screens to keep them in tune with their favorite teams. In case you are the nostalgic type, there is even a vintage gas station pump—but the only fuel you get here now is the fantastic food, fine drinks and fun folks.

If diversity were a place, it would be Birmingham.  People who visit here get a taste of that variety—in entertainment, cuisine, the arts, nightlife, the great outdoors—that brings them back time and again.

Birmingham was born out of iron and steel.  Remnants of these early beginnings are preserved in places such as Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark.  The city is also well-known for its prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.  A visit to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute gives visitors an in-depth look at that important era.

The area’s antique shops are becoming places of legend in upscale lifestyle magazines around the country.  Trendy malls have taken root all over the area, bringing tony, high-end shops to the state’s retail giant. Dozens of new art galleries surprise enthusiasts and collectors with a wide variety of paintings, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, fine and funk art.

Should you have us pigeonholed as serving only barbeque and fried pies, just remember that Birmingham is home to “the Oscars of dining” with James Beard Foundation Award winners and nominees.  Anyone visiting the city should take in the beauty of down-home cooking as well.  And visitors with an appetite for live music will find that it is the city’s signature entertainment.

So it is diversity that is this city’s greatest strength and strongest appeal.  We are a spectrum of attitudes and cultures that are all a part of the charm and intrigue that is Birmingham.

Have you considered how exquisite a motorcycle is in its styling, mechanics, and capabilities? Their artistry is what Birmingham native George Barber saw when he began collecting motorcycles in 1988. Six years later, he established the Barber Museum as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Today, it is home to the largest collection of motorcycles in the world.

ABOUT NORTH ALABAMA

North Alabama, also known as the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, formed in 1964 with the express purpose of developing North Alabama’s travel industry and marketing the region to the traveling public.  We now serve sixteen counties with an ever-expanding membership base representing progressive travel-regulated businesses and associations as well as various levels of government. 

Our hope is to expand on, and not duplicate, the objectives or efforts of local associations and organizations that represent specific industry components.  

We all prosper by working together in a unified effort to promote the sixteen-county region’s natural, historic and man-made attractions.

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To join us as a member, you must be located within our 16 counties. If you have questions please email Sandra@northalabama.org.