Jim’s Beer Trail Guide

If you take a notion to try some local brews, this trail’s for you. Travel along with your imaginary host, Jammin’ Jim, to some of his favorite taprooms and watering holes.  Jim loves nothing more than a cold snort of craft beer.  Come follow his trail.  And remember to Uber when you drink.  It’s the smart and safe thing to do.

 

Good People Brewing Company
114 14th Street South   35233
Located in Birmingham’s burgeoning Parkside District, Good People has some of the highest rated beers in the Southeast.  And with interesting names.  Jim advises trying Snake Handler or The Muchacho. Named Best Craft Brewery in Alabama by Eat This, Not That!

 

Avondale Brewing Company
201 41st Street South   35222
Avondale Brewing is housed in an historic building in the heart of the Avondale entertainment district.  Stop by for beers in the taproom and watch them craft delicious brews.  Try samples of the latest and greatest.  Here, you can learn the story of the famous beer-swilling elephant, Miss Fancy.

Trim Tab Brewing Company
2721 5th Avenue South   35233
Voted among the country’s best breweries by Thrillist and Forbes, this small craft operation serves up big taste.  Their Tasting Gallery also serves as a music venue and an art gallery for local artists.  Jim’s tab here is seldom trim.

Cahaba Brewing Company
4500 5th Avenue South   35222
Jump into this spacious taproom named for the Cahaba River that flows nearby. The brewery is open seven days a week for your thirst-quenching pleasure.  With more than 26 taps, this is one of Birmingham’s favorite gathering spots, serving up staples like Blonde, Oka Uba, Pale Ale, and Lager.

Ghost Train Brewing Company
2616 3rd Avenue South   35233
Jim says there’s no need to fear.  Blondes, ciders, hoppy, darks and more are on the menu at Ghost Train.  For those looking for something other than beer, the brewery also serves margaritas and other cocktails to tempt taste buds.

Birmingham District Brewing Company
2201 2nd Avenue South   35233
With more than 20 years of brewing expertise, the brewers here are dedicated to creating better and bolder beer.  While keeping up with beer trends, they also strive to produce unusual brews that keep Jim and other patrons returning time and again.

Back Forty Beer Company
3201 1st Avenue North   35222
This innovative brew team offers a variety of American and European craft beer styles, all brewed on-site and served fresh.  With as many as 25 different options on tap, the brewery also serves a creative menu of gourmet pub foods.

True Story Brewing Company
5510 Crestwood Blvd.   35212
Live music accompanies the pleasures of beer on draft at this friendly neighborhood brewery.  Interesting beers are brewed in-house with additional rotating guest taps.  They also have a good menu of pub foods.  What Jim likes is their beer served up alongside pinball, billiards, foosball, and board games.

Slag Heap Brewing Company
227 Main Street, Trussville   35173
Jim loves the beer descriptions here—especially the Left on 11 Double IPA, said to calm your road rage.  He also recommends the Q’s Moneypenny, an English style pub ale, low hop bitterness, low ABV, very malt forward.

Ferus Artisan Ales
101 Beech St., Trussville   35173
It’s well worth it to venture out from the city to the community of Trussville to explore this brewpub and restaurant.  As their name suggests, they take pride in their wild and unusual sour beers, along with crisp pilsners, flavored stouts, and barrel aged beers.  Jim likes to hop forward with their IPAs. There’s also a great adjoining area to catch some free live concerts and movies on the big screen while you sip.

The Grocery Brewpub
2823 Central Avenue, Homewood   35209
Good food and great brews are the attraction at this brewpub in the Birmingham suburb of Homewood.  Taco Tuesdays pack the house, and a beautiful lineup of drafts on tap are enjoyed along with frequent live music.

Monday Night Brewing
14 12th Street South   35233
Monday Night Social Club serves more than 25 brews on tap, including house-made beers, small batch IPAs, barrel-aged and sour beers, and guest taps from other local breweries.  Had your fill of beer?  They also have a full bar with wine and cocktails.  Jim goes there for the Fast & Furious references.

 

 

Download Jim’s Beer Trail Guide

 

Source: https://www.birminghamal.org/

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The Top 5 Reasons Birmingham is in Travel + Leisure’s “Top 50 Places to Visit in 2021″

Birmingham used to be a well-kept secret. But, fact is, over the last few years, more and more publications like Travel + Leisure have discovered her charms, making our fair city one of the top destinations for people looking for something different. In Kelsey Ogletree’s write up of Birmingham in Travel Leisure’s “Top 50 Places to Visit in 2021,” she puts it this way: “The modern scene in The Magic City is a great example of what can happen when Alabama kids head off to the big city to hone their skills, then return home to do their thing — in a really high-quality way.” She goes on to describe Birmingham as a city “where contemporary charm and old Southern hospitality mingle on a big scale.” Amen, Kelsey! We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

Now, you may be asking yourself, “What on Earth does Kelsey Ogletree see in a southern city like Birmingham, Alabama.” To which we answer, come see for yourself! In fact, spring break is just around the corner and, despite the fact that we’ve come into 2021 carrying the pandemic of 2020 on our backs, you’ll find Birmingham more than accommodating when it comes to safely enjoying a trip to someplace special. Have a look at just a handful of the attractions that have garnered attention from the likes of Travel + Leisure, and make Birmingham so desirable.

 

Architectural Photography by Michael Baxter, Baxter Imaging LLC 

1. Links. No, not web links… golf links. We’ve got them and they are absolutely stunning. So, if you’re looking for fairer fairways, look no further. From the courses of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail to a number of other public and semi-private courses, Birmingham’s rolling terrain and emerald greens offer up a siren call to the duffer and low-handicapper alike. And if your round gets rained out, you can take those clubs indoors at Topgolf.

 

Landscape Photography by Ted Tucker, Ted Tucker Photography

2. Room to breathe. We’ve got all the social distancing you want with hundreds of acres of parks and miles and miles of trails. So, if you’re tired of being cooped up but still want to avoid the plague, we’ve got you covered (or uncovered as the case may be). Get your hike and history in with a visit either to Red Mountain Park or to Ruffner Mountain where much of Birmingham’s iron mining history comes to life. Or, head just south of the city and check out Oak Mountain State Park with its pristine lakes, and miles of trails. Or, hey, stop by one of our world-class restaurants and pick up a to-go lunch and spend the day relaxing and soaking up the sun at Railroad Park. Which brings us to our next point. Eats.

 

3. It’s certainly no secret that Birmingham is a foodie town (they don’t call us The Dinner Table of the South for nothin’). Here, the range of dining experiences separate us from the pack with everything from James Beard Award-winning white tablecloth fare, to authentic soul food, to some of the world’s finest barbecue. More importantly, our restaurants have come up with some super clever ways of keeping guests separate from one another. Let’s hear it for safe dining out!

 

4. Drinks. Birmingham took to mixology and beer brewing like biscuits to gravy. From brewpubs to hip little cocktail joints, Birmingham has all kinds of options for wetting one’s whistle. And if the pandemic has you skittish, not to worry. Birmingham’s bars have celebrated social distancing with some excellent outdoor seating options (Now, that’s what we’d call a breath of fresh air.)

 

5. Wide open indoor spaces. From the Birmingham Museum of Art (trust us when we say you’ll be surprised at the sophistication and depth of the exhibits to be found there), to the largest collection of motorcycles in the world and the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, to Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, Birmingham offers a wealth of indoor spaces and activities that observe proper social distancing and provide excellent experiences.

For the weekend or for the week (did we mention spring break was coming up?), or even for a night if you happen to be just passing through, when you’re ready to travel we’re ready to welcome you with open arms and plenty to do in one of the top 50 places to visit this year. Come on down, there’s a seat at the table for you.

Source: https://www.birminghamal.org/
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Birmingham’s Sports Legacy: what you might know and what you might not

Birmingham’s sports legacy is an interesting mix of things a lot of people know about and things that are familiar to very few. For instance, everyone knows about the intense rivalry between the University of Alabama and Auburn University. But, not everybody knows that the very first “Iron Bowl,” (though it wasn’t known as such then) took place in a field that would be at the corner of 31st Street South and Clairmont Avenue today, were it not for the BBVA Compass building that occupies that space now.

HERE ARE A FEW OTHER SPORTS DESTINATIONS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT…

Rickwood Field

Rickwood Field, our country’s oldest ballpark, can trace its roots back to the days of Babe Ruth. Built originally as the home of the Coal Barons, Rickwood opened on August 18, 1910, an event so significant the entire city shut down. In addition to Babe Ruth, a number of other legendary players graced the Rickwood diamond including: Shoeless Joe Jackson, Pie Traynor, and Dizzy Dean. The Birmingham Black Barons also played there, and, in fact Rickwood is where another familiar baseball great got his start in 1948 – none other than the “Say Hey Kid,” Willie Mays.

The Birmingham Negro Southern League Museum

Formed in 1920 by a group of African-American businessmen, 27 years before Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball race barrier, the Negro Southern League served as a feeder league to the Negro American League and the Negro National League. The Birmingham Negro Southern League Museum honors those pioneers with the largest collection of baseball artifacts from the negro leagues in the country. With 1,500 original signed baseballs, a beautiful collection of artifacts from the early days of baseball, and an on-site research center, The Birmingham Negro Southern League Museum is a must visit. And, while a ticket to a game at neighboring Regions Field might run you a ten spot or more, admission to The Birmingham Negro Southern League Museum is free! Visit birminghamnslm.org for more information.

Barber Motorsports Museum

If baseball is just a tad too tame for you, maybe you should try motorcycles. Opened in 2003, Barber Motorsports Museum is home to more than 1,400 motorcycles spanning more than a century of production. At any one time, you’ll find more than 650 pristine motorcycles on display representing more than 200 manufacturers from 20 countries. You’ll also find a few very special cars at Barber including an extensive Lotus collection, and the 1964 Ferrari F-158, in which John Surtees won the 1964 Formula 1 Driver’s World Championship. Complementing the museum is a first-class research library housing more than 8,000 books, parts catalogs, service manuals, photographs, videos, and back issues of more than 380 different vehicle magazines. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for kids between 4 and 12, and free for kids under 3. And if you call yourself an aficionado and would like to visit more regularly, you can become a member for as low as $60 / year. Visit barbermuseum.org for more information.

Alabama Sports Hall of Fame

All 33,000 square feet of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame are chock full of artifacts celebrating Alabama’s rich sports history. Launched in 1967, the facility houses more than 5,000 artifacts, celebrating distinguished Alabama athletes. Since its inception, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame has inducted 344 people. Mark your calendar for May 3, 2017 if you’d like to see the next class inducted. Plan to spend a day if you decide to visit, and you’ll need no more than $5/.00 per person (adults) to get in. Oh, and there’s no need to pack a lunch, you’ll find excellent fare just a short walk over to Uptown.

That’s Birmingham for you. It’s some of what you know, and a heck of lot of what you don’t.

HERE ARE A FEW OTHER SPORTS-RELATED SITES YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT NEXT TIME YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY:

SEC Headquarters
No, not the Securities and Exchange Commission, we’re talking about THE premier college sports conference- the Southeastern Conference.

Birmingham CrossPlex
An impressive indoor sports facility located in the western part of Birmingham

Regions Field
A beautiful urban baseball park that is the home of the Birmingham Barons

 

Source https://www.birminghamal.org/

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This Alabama fire chief has blazed a trail to the top

Last year, LeAnn Tacon retired after a 33-year career with the Mobile Fire Department, but her retirement was short-lived. Eight months later, she was named fire chief for the Daphne Fire Department just across the bay. “I wasn’t through,” she says. “I love being part of a fire department.”

Since January, she has occupied a spacious corner office at Daphne’s Fire Station No. 2 – but she only spends about half of her time there, taking care of her administrative tasks. The rest of the time, she’s in her element, either going on calls or visiting the three other fire stations under her supervision. (In June, the newest station will open, bringing the total in Daphne to five.)

When she was offered the position, LeAnn was “ecstatic,” she says. Before she was officially on the payroll, she went around to each station to introduce herself to the 60 or so firefighters working there. Recently, one of them gave her a tremendous compliment when he told her, “I knew you were a firefighter in a chief’s shirt.”

Chief LeAnn Tacon

When she retired from the Mobile Fire Department, her coworkers presented her this plaque commemorating all the “firsts” in her 33-year career there. (Photo by Michelle Matthews)

That description sums up what LeAnn is all about. She never set out to be the first of anything, but a plaque in her office given to her upon her retirement commemorates a series of “firsts” in Mobile, where she was the fire department’s first female firefighter, driver, captain and district chief. And now she’s serving as Daphne’s first female fire chief.

“I just love the job of firefighting,” she says.

No one could be prouder of her than her former coworkers – several of whom she trained – at the Central Fire Station in downtown Mobile. They still miss working with her and say she had a tremendous impact on the department. District Chief Jim Cox, who was promoted into her position as district chief, has known her for 20 years and says the fire station “took on her personality a bit” and that he “kind of adopted” her problem-solving skills.

To illustrate how organized she was, he pulls out a binder she made with every detail about how to plan an annual EMS Week cookout, set for May. “There’s stuff she left for us all over because she knew we’d need it,” he says.

“She’s a good person all around,” says Capt. Charles Biggs.

Capt. Mack Weaver says LeAnn has been known to spend her off days mentoring her fellow firefighters to help them prepare for promotions. “She has changed a lot of lives,” he says. “Within our culture, if you get the respect of the men, you’ve done something. She is well respected.”’

‘I want to do that’

Born in Mobile, LeAnn was raised in Montgomery and returned to Mobile, where she attended Murphy High School. She went to EMT school and worked for an ambulance company, where “we would stand by at fires,” she says. During the 1980s, an arsonist was setting fires in downtown Mobile, and LeAnn remembers watching the firefighters “marching in like it was nothing, and they all seemed happy about it.”

One night, as a building burned, she turned to a fellow EMT and said, “I want to do that. Those people love their job. You can just see it.”

She took Mobile Fire Department’s written test and was one of 20 out of 1,000 applicants hired – and she never looked back. “I belonged on a fire truck,” she says. When she retired last May, “I was just as happy on my last day as I was on my first day. It’s the best job in the world.”

Though she was the only woman in the fire department when she was hired in 1987, she insists she was never treated differently. “It was like I had 500 big brothers,” she says. She truly blazed a trail, whether she intended to or not. Mobile Fire Department now counts 23 female firefighters among its ranks.

There were more firsts to come when she was promoted to driver, then almost immediately to captain, then to district chief. LeAnn was the first female to hold any of those positions. “Even when I became district chief,” she says, “I still loved to turn the lights on and go on calls. I still love to do it now.”

Working at a fire station feels like being part of a family. “Firefighters live together every third day, cook, pray and eat together, train together,” she says. “We see some of the worst of humanity and the best at the same time.”

She considers herself to be an empathetic person, which has served her well over three decades of working for a fire department. “We weren’t meant to go through the world alone,” she says. “When someone calls 911, it could be their worst day ever.”

Recently, she received an email from a woman who said the Daphne Fire Department saved her husband’s life. “I sent it to the entire department,” LeAnn says. “Things that seem routine to us aren’t at all.”

And even though she’s in charge, she doesn’t believe in operating with an iron fist, she says. “I want these guys to know someone has their back. I want to inspire and motivate people.”

Among the memorabilia in her office is an American flag made of old hoses from Truck 3, as well as some original bricks and roof tiles from her beloved Central Fire Station in downtown Mobile. There’s also a section of bricks still mortared together, the only thing remaining of a building after a fire she helped fight.

Chief LeAnn Tacon

In her spacious office, Chief LeAnn Tacon displays some bricks and roof tiles that have a meaningful story behind them. (Photo by Michelle Matthews)

Mack, her former co-worker, retrieved the bricks for her as a souvenir of her courage. “She did her job, she was brave, and she won the respect of an old-timer,” he says – someone who, after seeing her in action, realized she was just as strong and capable as any male doing the same job.

“She was always knowledgeable, fair and positive,” he says. “The biggest fire I ever fought, at the Masonic Lodge, was with her as captain. She’s a real aggressive firefighter.”

Chief LeAnn Tacon

One of the sentimental objects in Chief Tacon’s office is this crayon drawing by her daughter, Bayleigh, who’s now a student at the University of Alabama. (Photo by Michelle Matthews)

Jim, now serving in her former position as district chief, says that, as devoted as LeAnn was to firefighting, everyone knew that the most important thing in her world was her daughter, Bayleigh, now a first-year student at the University of Alabama.

“Her goal when she retired was to buy Bayleigh a vehicle,” he says. “She bought her a nice, four-door Jeep to go off to college in.”

When she was growing up, Bayleigh was considered “the fire department’s daughter,” recalls Mack. “Everybody yelled her name when she walked into the station.”

She once drew a picture of her mom putting out a raging fire, with assistance from a tiny firefighter – Bayleigh – both with big smiles on their faces. The drawing is framed in LeAnn’s office where, years later, she’s still smiling about her career, which she considers to be much more than a job.

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