We all know one of the most stressful things about the holidays is entertaining family when they come into town. Not only do you have to make sure your house is clean and the sleeping situation is ideal for everyone (sorry cousin Bobby, you’re on the couch again), but you also have to keep your guests busy and entertained. No fear—we have the perfect guide full of activities for entertaining every out-of-towner who comes to stay—even your hard to please in-laws! Our suggestions not only give a good feel for what Birmingham has to offer, but, more importantly, they’ll keep your guests occupied, happy, and impressed. Who knows? They might be having so much fun that you’ll be able to sneak away and get a much-needed moment to yourself.
FOR THE YOUNG AT HEART
Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition? Take the post-Thanksgiving backyard football game up a notch with these group activities that give strong nods to childhood classics. Favorite games get an upgrade (like giant Pac-Man) and adults will love the fact that most of these activities also can be served with a side of alcohol.
1. Take a Swing - You don’t have to be a golfer to enjoy Topgolf. This three-story entertainment complex offers bays for rent (6 people per bay), where you play different golf-type games. The signature game is the company’s namesake, where players score points by hitting balls into targets on a large putting green below the bays.
2. Game On - The Woolworth has something for everyone. With duckpin bowling (a smaller version of normal bowling), the “World’s Biggest” Pac-Man, pool, foosball, pinball, and more, the family can spend hours in this bar/restaurant/arcade. As a bonus, the Woolworth offers a menu of elevated Mediterranean cuisine that’s anything but your average bar food. (Important to note: The Woolworth is for those over 21 after 8 p.m.)
3. Plan Your Escape - Nothing says family bonding like being locked in a room together for an hour. You’ll either come out feeling accomplished after working together to solve the clues, or you’ll have just spent an hour yelling at each other. Let’s hope it’s the former. Either way, there are plenty of options for different themed rooms, including Breakout Games Birmingham in Homewood and Locked In in Lakeview.
4. Play Around - Get a breath of fresh air by taking your relatives to Railroad Park, because let’s be honest, it’s normally pleasant enough to be outside in November and December. Take a walk or run around the track, burn some calories on the outdoor exercise equipment, or take a Frisbee and throw it around on the large lawn area. Plus, Railroad Park sets up an ice skating rink November 23–January 6, which is the perfect activity to get you in the holiday mood.
5. Bury the Hatchet - Get out some of that built-up holiday-season tension by throwing axes. Seriously. The new “hot” activity, axe throwing is offered in two places around Birmingham: Civil Axe Throwing near Lakeview and Autobahn Axe Throwing in Bessemer. Channel your inner lumberjack as you literally chuck axes at a wooden target.
FOR THE ADVENTUROUS
Get your family’s adrenaline pumping with these activities for the adventure junkies. Bonus: They may be so worn out when they get home that you won’t have to plan any evening activities.
6. Cross the Finish Line - Autobahn Indoor Speedway in Bessemer offers high-speed, indoor go-karting that will get your adrenaline going. The electric go-karts can reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour on the Grand Prix-style track. Just refrain from ramming into particularly annoying relatives—it’s not bumper cars, and you will get a slap on the wrist from track referees.
7. Going in Cycles - For a different type of biking, head to Oak Mountain State Park for the best mountain biking in town. The cyclists in your family can spend all day riding the trails, including the 22-mile “Red Trail,” the most popular path.
8. Zip It - There are two zip line options at Red Mountain Park: the Zip Trip and the Mega Zip. The Zip Trip is a series of connecting zip lines, while the Mega Zip is a heart-stopping, 1,000-foot zip line that drops you down from 80-feet high. There’s also the Hugh Kaul Beanstalk Forest, which is a treetop obstacle course, and the Kaul Adventure Tower climbing tower.
9. Need for Speed - For the motorcycle lovers in the family, the museum at Barber Motorsports Park boasts the world’s largest motorcycle collection. The park also has a couple of track days in November where you can bring your own bike and race on the 16-turn, 2.38-mile track. For your rich uncle, Barber is home to the only official Porsche driving school in North America, where you can learn high-performance driving techniques and practice them on five types of Porsches.
FOR A FAMILY AFFAIR
If you’ve got a lot of little ones in the family, Birmingham has plenty of activities that they’ll love and adults will enjoy, too.
10. Jump Around - Wear out the little ones at a trampoline park, where they can jump to their hearts’ content. With multiple runway trampolines, foam pits, dodgeball courts, and more, the trampoline parks in town are a favorite of parents with high-energy kids. Try out Urban Air in Homewood, Sky Zone in Hoover, or Steel City Jump Park in Crestwood.
11. Mad Scientist - Four floors of interactive, hands-on science activities at McWane Science Center can keep the kiddos amused for hours. Bubble rooms, a touch tank, and rotating traveling exhibits are always highlights. Plus, McWane also features an IMAX theater showing popular movies and nature documentaries.
12. Ice Them Out - Hockey isn’t huge in the South, but it’s trying to happen, so support the efforts by heading to a Birmingham Bulls game at the Pelham Civic Center. Part of the Southern Professional Hockey League, the team has 10 home games through November and December, so there are several opportunities to go.
13. It’s a Zoo Out There - The zoo is always a favorite, and the Birmingham Zoo is wonderful. With daily zookeeper talks and the opportunity to see most of the animals up close, it’s an enriching experience for all. In December, the zoo lights up at night for ZooLight Safari.
14. Veg Out - The Alabama Theatre starts its holiday film series in early December, and it’s one of the most popular events of the season. The historic theater shows classic Christmas movies several times throughout the week, with an organ-led Christmas sing-along before each showing. Be sure to get tickets early though, as they’re known to quickly sell out.
15. Top the Trip - Visit everyone’s favorite iron man, Vulcan. The park expanded earlier this year with an extended walking trail, so in addition to taking in the view from the top of Vulcan, you also can walk the ridge for more skyline views. Stick around until nighttime to see his new light show, as well.
FOR THE INTELLECTUALS
There is plenty of intellectual stimulation available in the city, for everyone from the history buff to the fine-art connoisseur.
16. Heat It Up - Learn about the furnace that forged Birmingham on a free guided tour of Sloss Furnaces. The tours start at 1 p.m. on most Saturdays and Sundays, but you also can do a self-guided tour during normal operating hours. Other special activities to participate in include casting, blacksmithing, and welding classes.
17. Mesmerized by Museums - Head out on a museum tour of the city. Start with the Civil Rights Museum, an important preservation of our city’s history. Be sure also to check out the free audio tour in Kelly Ingram Park outside of the museum. Next, hit up the Birmingham Museum of Art—it’s free and it’s got an amazing collection of more than 24,000 pieces. Finally, visit the Southern Museum of Flight, a historical airplane and flight museum home to more than 100 aircrafts, as well as other artifacts and photographs.
18. Story Sharing - Live storytelling events have become popular all over the U.S., and Birmingham has its own version via Arc Stories. The monthly events feature different storytellers speaking on one particular theme. They’re funny, cringeworthy, heartbreaking, and heartwarming—just like the holidays can be.
19. Get Your Gallery On - Birmingham has some hidden-gem art galleries that mostly display local artists’ work. Not only do they show off the city’s talent, but they’re also a great place to buy a unique souvenir. Some of our favorite galleries include Space One Eleven, Canary Gallery, Naked Art Gallery, dk2 gallery, and gallery 1930.
FOR THE FOODIES
Everyone knows that Birmingham is a food city, so chances are out-of-towners will want to get a good feel for the dining scene here. Take this chance to avoid having to cook for a crowd, and secure some dinner reservations in advance of their arrival.
20. Show Off the Best - For a true taste of the city, take your relatives to some of the best restaurants in Birmingham, as voted by our readers in our annual Best of Birmingham poll. Those include Saw’s BBQ for best barbecue, Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint for the best burger, Gianmarco’s for the best Italian food, Niki’s West for the best meat-and-three, El Barrio for the best Mexican food, and Slice Pizza for the best pizza.
21. Taste the World - For adventurous eaters, head to Green Springs Highway and Valley Avenue to find all kinds of ethnic foods and markets. Get Mexican street food from Mi Pueblo supermarket; try pho at Pho Que Huong and Korean at Seoul; sample Peruvian at Sabor Latino; head to Great Wall or Red Pearl for authentic Chinese cuisine; and buy halal meat at Halal Supermarket, where you also can eat Ethiopian food at the attached restaurant called Red Sea.
22. Hit Up the High-end - The holidays are a time to splurge a bit—on both your diet and your budget. Treat yourself and your relatives to at least one fancy meal while they’re here—and you might just find they treat you for hosting them. Some suggestions: Highlands Bar & Grill (make reservations a month in advance), Café Dupont, Hot and Hot Fish Club, and Ovenbird.
23. Eat it All - Can’t decide on just one place to eat? Take the fam on a food tour instead with Birmingham Taste Tours, which offers a taste of five different restaurants on a walking tour through downtown. There’s a dinner tour on Thursdays and a brunch tour on Saturdays.
FOR THE NIGHTLIFE LOVERS
If you’re lucky enough to have a night away from the kids (or don’t have any young kids in the family), the bar scene in Birmingham is bustling around the holiday season with friends who are home for the holidays and adult “kids” wanting to get out of the house.
24. Cocktail Connoisseur - For the cocktail elitists, there are plenty of bars that know how to make a fine cocktail. The Atomic, which was up for a James Beard this year, has an ever-changing cocktail menu and costumes for patrons to wear. The Collins Bar is a great place to show off to visitors since they custom make craft cocktails based on what you’re feeling (even if you tell them, “I need something because my in-laws are in town”). Carrigan’s has great cocktails in a space ideal for large groups, and Tavern on 1st has honed their cocktail game with homemade syrups and shrubs.
25. Tour de Brew - Birmingham’s brewery scene is booming with seven breweries that all have taprooms to accommodate crowds. Order flights at each to get a taste of what they offer—from IPAs to lagers. For the more specialized palate, visit the Sour Room in Avondale (offering sour beers) and Interstellar Ginger Beer and Exploration Company in Alabaster.
26. Share the Secret - Show your cool cousins how in-the-know you are by taking them to some of Birmingham’s “hidden” bars. Pilcrow, down an alley off Morris Avenue, is a recently opened tequila and mezcal bar. Marble Ring is Birmingham’s only speakeasy, and you can find it through a TARDIS inside a hot dog shop in Avondale. Mom’s Basement literally is a basement in the back of a strip mall in Avondale and is complete with floral-patterned couches, wood-paneled walls, and canned beer and wine.
27. Dive In - Some people just don’t want all the frills associated with the craft bars of today. Take that set of relatives to the dive bars in town, including Marty’s, The Nick, The Garage Café, Brown Derby, and Red Lion Lounge. Marty’s and The Nick normally have live music, and Brown Derby has karaoke on the weekends.
28. Wine About It - Don’t whine about your relatives, drink wine instead! Some of the popular wine bars in town include Freddy’s Wine Bar in Highland Park, Wine Loft downtown, and Vino in Mountain Brook. All three of them also have a food menu.
29. Will Bike for Booze - Round up your relatives with a party streak for a night out with Birmingham Pedal Tours. These pedal taverns allow you to BYOB while biking around on a bar crawl through different areas of town. Visit downtown bars, breweries, and Avondale nightlife spots on the two-hour tour.
FOR THE SHOPAHOLICS
Chances are, there is going to be at least one person who wants to hit up the Black Friday deals and another who hasn’t completed their Christmas shopping yet. Luckily, there are plenty of shops in Birmingham that offer unique gifts or a little something nice for yourself.
30. Family Friendly - Downtown Homewood has shops that cater to all members of the family, even the furry ones! Ladies will love shopping at Soca and Theadora, men can visit Shaia’s, kids will love Homewood Toy and Hobby, and The Whole Dog Market is perfect for pets. Be sure also to visit Alabama Goods for some Alabama-made souvenirs.
31. Village Vibes - The Mountain Brook villages offer fashionable boutiques, jewelry stores, and candy and ice cream shops. In Mountain Brook Village, visit Etc. for clothes, Table Matters for home goods, and Bromberg’s for jewelry. In English village, Monkee’s has long been a favorite women’s boutique, and in Crestline, you can find cute Christmas décor at Lamb’s Ear and fashionable clothing at the Pants Store.
32. Shop Local - For Birmingham-centric goods, head downtown to Square One Goods (on Morris Ave.), offering cute gifts and Birmingham-made items, and Yellowhammer Creative (in Pizitz Food Hall), known for their screen-printed apparel and posters. While you’re downtown, be sure to check out Forstall Art for art supplies and Charm for funky jewelry and accessories.
33. Shopper’s Paradise - Of course, The Summit is the best outdoor mall to satisfy all shopping needs. It has a mix of local and national stores, and many are high-end, which makes it even more impressive to shopaholics. Be sure to visit Gus Mayer to get your Birmingham fashion on, Lush cosmetics to pamper yourself, and Paper Source to get some holiday gift wrap.
This story appears in Birmingham magazine’s November 2018 issue. Subscribe today!