20 Free Things To Do in Birmingham, Alabama

Free is my absolute favorite price! How about you? I lived in Birmingham, Alabama with my parents when I was a baby, but a lot has changed since then. Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama and thanks to some recent revitalization projects, it is a great place to visit. And you don’t have to spend a lot either. There are lots of free cultural, educational, and historical things to see and do.

Here are my top 20 FREE things to do in Birmingham, Alabama:

1. Birmingham Museum of Art
This is one of my favorites, so I am listing it first and including several pictures I took when I last visited. Hard to believe but yes, the BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART actually has free admission and free parking! Honestly I did not expect it to be so nice. When you walk in you are immediately greeted by friendly and knowledgeable staff who enthusiastically explain all there is to see and how to navigate the huge building. They even give you a free map. The layout is well done and easy to navigate with art inside and outside the two story building with several themed rooms and exhibit areas. There are 25,000 drawings, paintings, prints, sculptures and decorative pieces from all over the world as well as special traveling exhibits at select times. It is both art and history. There is even a hands-on area for kids.

2. Civil Rights District
This whole area is full of important history. You can walk around the district to the sites where actual headlines were made. There are signs and monuments explaining what took place at the different locations. There is also a free audio tour if you dial a certain number on your phone and punch in the number of each sign. Be sure to visit KELLY INGRAM PARK. There are statues depicting different scenes from the civil rights struggles.

For more on this see my post: Celebrate MLK Day in the Birmingham Civil Rights District

3. Birmingham Botanical Gardens
This place is beautiful! Great place for photographs, so bring your camera. BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS are Alabama’s largest living museum. There are more than 12,000 plants, 30+ sculptures, two rose gardens, and more. This is Alabama’s most visited free attraction and is open daily.

4. Railroad Park
RAILROAD PARK  is a 19 acre green space in downtown Birmingham that celebrates the industrial and artistic heritage of the city. The park is located along 1st Avenue South, between 14th and 18th Streets and has been called “Birmingham’s Living Room.” It connects Birmingham’s downtown area with Southside and UAB’s campus. The park has playgrounds, an outdoor gym, ponds, a wetlands area, and a walking track. A cool thing to do in the summer is to attend the SYMPHONY IN THE SUMMER free concert series. The park also has exercise classes and free family-friendly performances.

5. Eternal World Television Network Tours
If you have an interest in the Catholic faith the ETERNAL WORLD TELEVISION NETWORK has free tours during the week where you can walk around and see the studios and control rooms. The network provides shows to more than 150 million TV households worldwide and is called the world’s largest religious media operation.

6. Sloss Furnaces
There are free public guided tours on weekends at the SLOSS FURNACES, which is a National Historical Landmark. In the past the Sloss Furnaces were used for iron production. Now there are two 400-ton blast furnaces and about forty other buildings. The tours last about an hour and it is best to call ahead to ensure availability. There are also free self-guided tours throughout the week.

7. Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve
THE RUFFNER MOUNTAIN NATURE PRESERVE is just a few minutes from downtown and worth visiting if you like the outdoors. There are trails, geocaching, and scenic overlooks. You can print off a trail map from their website. It is free, but they have a suggested donation.

8. Mountain Brook
Unless you want to spend money on the upscale shopping and dining in the shopping and entertainment villages, Mountain Brook is a great area to walk around or just drive through. This beautiful hilly area is actually one of America’s most wealthy communities. The streets are lined with large wooden estates in pristine condition. We went to a movie and dinner there one night. Great place to window shop!

9. Heaviest Corner Of The World
THE HEAVIEST CORNER OF THE WORLD is the name given to the corner of 20th Street and 1st Avenue North. The corner was given this name when the four tallest buildings in the South were built there simultaneously. It is a great photo opportunity.

10. Statue of Liberty
Wait, isn’t that in New York? Well, maybe. But you can visit an awesome replica of the STATUE OF LIBERTY in Alabama! It is one fifth the size of the real Statue of Liberty and is located in Liberty Park. The flame is lit by natural gas and is said to have only gone out twice.

11. Golden Flake Factory Tour
Do you love the salty crunchy wonderfulness of a really good potato chip? Well your dream has come true. You can take a free GOLDEN FLAKE FACTORY TOUR to see how Golden Flake Chips are made. How cool is that? You’ll get to see all of the steps from potato to crunchy snack.

13. Aldridge Gardens
ALDRIDGE GARDENS is a beautiful 30-acre garden with hydrangeas, a gallery, a lake, and a walking trail. In the summer there is as summer concert series, classes and seminars, and activities like bird walks, fishing days, and nature talks.

14. Moss Rock Preserve
Another great place with walking trails is MOSS ROCK PRESERVE where you can walk in a unique ecosystem called sandstone glade with rare plants, waterfalls, wildlife and flowers. It is actually located in Hoover, AL just outside of Birmingham.

14. Karl C. Harrison Museum of George Washington
Are you a history buff? There are artifacts and art from the Colonial Period to 1865 in the MUSEUM OF GEORGE WASHINGTON . You can see Martha Washington’s Prayer Book, an original 1787 Samuel Vaughn sketch of the Mt. Vernon grounds, and writing instruments and tools from George Washington’ s survey case.

15. The Heart Of Dixie Railroad Museum
Every Saturday at THE HEART OF DIXIE RAILROAD MUSEUM, you can see all of the collections of railway equipment and home of the Polar Express. Entrance to the museum is free, but there is a charge for Train Rides.

16. What’s On Second
Check out the quaint antique shop called WHAT’S ON SECOND and see all of the cool knickknacks they have. They are known for having fun and unique items!

17. Pepper Place Market
PEPPER PLACE MARKET is Birmingham’s largest Farmer’s Market where you can find food, clothes, pottery, and gifts each Saturday.

18. Jemison Trail
Walk JEMISON TRAIL and check out the HISTORIC OLD MILL. The easy trail is 3 miles long and is good for all skill levels.

19. Tour Churches
The CATHEDRAL OF SAINT PAUL is one of the most famous Catholic Churches in the South. It is an interesting building if you like architecture. You can also visit the CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF THE ADVENT.

20. Color Tunnel
I did not get a chance to see this, but I would like to. I’ve seen pictures, and it looks really cool. The COLOR TUNNEL is located on 14th street under the railroad tracks. It is a huge network of LEDs installed in the tunnel.

So there are twenty fun things to do in Birmingham that won’t cost you a cent! Can you think of more? Leave your comments below.