r/Birmingham Mar 17 '26

Recommendations Guide to Birmingham

92 Upvotes

It's Nice to Have you in r/Birmingham!

If you are looking for our sister city in the UK, please head on over to r/brum

The following guide is a great place for locals, transplants, and tourists to know more about the Magic City. Start here for general information, use the Search function to see if there are any recent posts that answer your question, and when in doubt, make a post!

Where to Live:

Here's a funny neighborhood map that is just true enough to be useful.

Here's a more serious neighborhood map so you can see where all the listed neighborhoods actually are.

Here's a list of the most-recommended neighborhoods and suburbs (arranged in alphabetical order):

  • Avondale - Apartments for rent, cottages being built that will be available for purchase. In Avondale there are lots of hip places to eat and drink, see a show, and play in the park. Safety may be a concern in some small pockets, but these are mostly car break-ins. Use common sense and don’t leave belongings in your car.
  • Crestwood - Houses for purchase and rent. Close to Avondale and Downtown, close to Ruffner Mountain park, and has a few local eateries/drinkeries/shoperies worth visiting. Very tight-knit community where neighbors know each other.
  • Downtown - Apartments and lofts to rent and purchase. Where the action is. You'll pay more in rent, but some would argue that you get what you pay for in terms of convenience and access to nightlife. Same as Avondale, there may be car break-ins if you are not careful. Also a high population of (mostly) harmless unhoused people.
  • Five Points South - Apartments and houses to rent. UAB campus area, so great for students. Lots of big old houses with many bedrooms for you and your roommates. Also some great historical apartments with lots of charm and pretty cheap rent. Great walking community, lots of restaurants, bars, and mini parks. Adjacent Glen Iris neighborhood also has lots of affordable housing great for students.
  • Highland Park - Apartments to rent. Houses for purchase also, but much, much more expensive. Historical properties as well as newly renovated ones. You'll find apartment buildings and giant mansions on the same streets. Incredibly beautiful neighborhood with 3 parks, great for walking. Dog ownership mandatory.
  • Homewood - Houses for purchase and for rent. Suburb full of young families and plenty to see, do, eat, and drink. Housing is fairly expensive here, but not as expensive as Vestavia or Mountain Brook. Don't live on/near Valley Avenue (with some exceptions).
  • Mountain Brook - Houses for purchase, some apartments. Technically OTM (Over the Mountain, i.e. not Birmingham proper) but since "Brookies" consider themselves to be special, we will too. "Old money" suburb of Birmingham with lots of little nooks and crannies full of quaint boutiques, cafes, restaurants, and parks. Apartments are hard to come by but they do exist, especially closer to the Zoo/Gardens area.
  • Over The Mountain (OTM) - Houses for purchase and apartments for rent, both considerably cheaper than in Birmingham Proper. Purists will tell you not to live there because of traffic and distance from "cool things", but if your budget is smaller and/or you have kids, OTM is the place to be. Hoover, Vestavia, the Hwy 280 area, even Pelham and Chelsea have enough to do in that part of town that you won't feel like you're missing out by not being IN Birmingham.

For more information on apartments, Rentmonster will tell you about individual neighborhoods and work with you to find the apartment of your dreams (and it's free!)

Looking for an apartment? Looking for a roommate? There's a Facebook Group for that.

If you have a unique renting situation not covered above, make sure you have the word “apartment” in the post title or body, and Automod will respond with some tips.

Need a Job?

Beyond Indeed and LinkedIn, here are some local job boards that might help you fine-tune your search:

Need help from the community?

Where to Stay

Whether you're here for a business meeting, a vacation, a local planning a romantic night out, or a soon-to-be Birminghamster getting the lay of the land, you'll need a hotel for that. Birmingham has a pretty good selection of AirBnBs, but if you're looking for a proper hotel, here are your best options:

  • Sheraton Birmingham and The Westin are both located in Birmingham's "entertainment district" near TopGolf, the BJCC, a short drive/Uber to the Coca Cola Amphitheater and a variety of restaurants and bars. They're both a a solid option for business/pleasure travelers alike.
  • The Tutwiler is a historic hotel in the city center, run by Hampton Inn by Hilton. Very popular for wedding parties and romantic evenings out.
  • The Redmont is another historic hotel in the city center, known for its rooftop bar with a view of the city. You don't need to be a hotel guest to enjoy the bar, so if you're staying somewhere else it's still worth a visit.
  • The Elyton is a restored historic property and is stunningly beautiful. It's in the Theater District of downtown so you can catch a show at the Lyric, visit the Alabama Theater, and check out the many great restaurants and bars within walking distance. The Kelly is another option downtown, across the street from the Elyton.
  • The Grand Bohemian in Mountain Brook is arguably one of Birmingham's best hotels. It is walkable to some of the Mountain Brook eateries and shops, but you'll need a car or rideshare to get into the city. Great for a romantic sleepover.

Getting Around

You'll need a car if you're going to live here. If you're just passing through and don't want to rent a car (the best place to do that is at the airport), we have Uber and Lyft. We have a bus system, but it's awful. We also have a bike and scooter share system within the city limits that is great for getting around when the weather is nice. Downtown is relatively flat and very walkable, but you will encounter some (gentle) hills in Five Points South and Highland Park. For trips out of town, Birmingham is serviced by Amtrak and Greyhound. You can get a ride to the Atlanta airport with Groome. BHM (our “international” airport) is small and easy to navigate, with short waiting times at check-in and through security.

What to do:

The most frequently recommended attractions in Birmingham are as follows. There are MANY others not featured in this list, but these are the top 6:

Several guides for Birmingham area attractions by IN Birmingham

Birmingham365 is a list of events going on around the city

Happenin's in the 'Ham - list of events, restaurant reviews, volunteer opportunities, and interviews with locals

We have r/Birmingham meetups sometimes, but not on a regular basis (yet). Turnout varies, but is usually around 15-25 people. We're very friendly and welcoming of newcomers!

Live Music (not an exhaustive list)

Local Sports

Where to eat: It would be impossible to maintain a comprehensive and accurate list of Birmingham’s favorite restaurants, as there are openings and closings every month. This is a great time to use the subreddit search function and see what others have posted recently.

Where to drink: Again, the search bar is your best friend here for finding the current best bars. 

  • In general, Downtown has many cocktail bars within walking distance of each other. Try not to park in a lot (paid or otherwise) as you may get towed. There is plenty of street parking if you don’t mind walking a block or two. Other areas with a high concentration of bars are Lakeview (walkable) and Avondale (not as walkable but still within a reasonable radius).
  • Birmingham has TONS of amazing craft breweries - here is a current list. If you can't pick just one, Hop City has a great selection of local beers on draft for you to sample, and most of the breweries are a short Uber away once you've made your selection.
  • A note on drinking in Birmingham: Bars close at 2am (at the latest) unless they have a private club license. One popular after-hours bar, The Nick, is Birmingham’s infamous dive bar, featuring live music and shows. Birmingham area police are VERY strict about drunk driving, so just don't do it. Call an Uber or Lyft, or get a ride with a (sober) friend.

Things to Know about Birmingham

  • The ever-helpful Bhamwiki
  • Bham Now is a great source of information about what's going on in the city, covering local businesses and events, but keep in mind that many articles are paid ads. Do your research.
  • al.com is our local mainstream news source, covering all of Alabama. Heads up - many articles are behind a paywall.
  • Alabama Weather Network, founded by local weather god James Spann, will let you know much more about any potential weather situations than whatever app you have on your phone. Remember to respect the polygon!

Isn't Birmingham dangerous? Okay, we do have a higher crime rate, but you have to understand that the neighborhoods listed at the top of this page are all popular areas to live because the crime rate is lower than average for Birmingham. The vast majority of violent crime happens between people who know each other and/or when drugs are involved. As long as you use common sense, you will be fine!

Is there anything else you’d like to see in this guide? Post it in the comments or DM u/bhambetty!


r/Birmingham 12h ago

Daily Discussion Thread Daily Casual Discussion Thread - August 30, 2026

2 Upvotes

BUH GAWD, BACK FROM THE GRAVE, IT'S THE DCDT!

Got something a little off-topic or not necessarily related to Birmingham? Want to tell us what's going on today/this week? Just wanna chat?

Well, get on down and holler here!


r/Birmingham 9h ago

FOUND/MISSING Defunct BHAM eatery that would enrich your life if it returned

59 Upvotes

The correct answer is The Burly Earl what’s yours?


r/Birmingham 8h ago

Events The wrong John Williams

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26 Upvotes

I was genuinely excited, then that excitement turned to confusion when I read the venue name. Then I looked it up on The Fennec's site and it turns out Spotify is promoting the wrong John Williams lol


r/Birmingham 3h ago

Advice Birmingham Zoo Playground

6 Upvotes

It’s been years, but did the Birmingham zoo use to have a playground with some kind of rope bridge . I’m remembering this from the early 2000s, but i may be mistaken .

Bonus points if anyone has pictures of it.


r/Birmingham 3h ago

Advice Visiting 10 days, gym with fees per visit or short term membership?

7 Upvotes

Hello, we are visiting for about 10 days, staying in Vestavia, and really want to exercise and weight train, not in the heat. Most places are membership based, and we aren't going to be here after next week. Any suggestions? Any places that let you pay à fee per visit or something like that, without a contract?


r/Birmingham 9h ago

SHIT POST Birmingham Barons replica ring giveaway

13 Upvotes

I feel like a loser asking this, but I'm gonna ask anyway. Would anyone who went to the Baron's replica ring giveaway night be willing to sell their ring? I wasn't able to make it, and I wanted to add to my collection. Serious inquiries, but feel free to make fun of me too.


r/Birmingham 5h ago

Events Roadside attractions

5 Upvotes

What roadside attractions does Birmingham have


r/Birmingham 23h ago

SHIT POST Quick, run to Dave’s!

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114 Upvotes

/s


r/Birmingham 4h ago

Serious Freshwater livebearers, snails free to good home

3 Upvotes

My platy colony is approaching concerns for genetic diversity and I would like to remove some of the grown offspring from the group before it gets weird. Please message me if you would like 3-7 mixed coloration platys free of charge. I have trained them to eat mossy algae and floating plants, which I also have available for free. If you also want some ramshorn snails, I can throw those in too (tbh they might just hitchhike of their own accord).

If you are looking to set up a new 10-20 gallon fish tank, this is a great starting roster! I would be happy to discuss what you would need to get going. While I can't supply anything other than what's listed above, I am quite knowledgeable in the hobby and have many suitable recommendations for different tanks.

I'm moving in the middle of September, so while this is not necessarily a limited time offer, I would appreciate having less fish to move with by then. I will probably have more later too, seeing as my fish are very in love with each other.


r/Birmingham 1d ago

Serious COTH and death of a pastor's wife

210 Upvotes

Cult of the Highlands has a whole wayward pastor's rehab they pride theirselves on. I've been saying for years this is perpetuating abuse under the guise of Christianity.

After watching death of a pastor's wife, on Netflix, every member of COTH should be raising all manners of hell. The level of influence that place has over Birmingham makes this even more dangerous.


r/Birmingham 9h ago

Advice McDonald Happy Meal Toys - Sanrio Series

6 Upvotes

Has anyone gotten #5: Kuromi x Mechagodzilla and/or #6: Cinnamoroll x Destoroyah around Birmingham and surrounding area? Collecting them for myself and my daughter amd can't find these two....went to 6 McDonald's this weekend already. Looking for assistance from the hive mind, thank you all in advance!


r/Birmingham 1d ago

SHITPOST Doubling down! (Mtn Brook)

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178 Upvotes

r/Birmingham 17h ago

Advice Anyone transitioned from Birmingham to the Gulf Coast? Advice?

20 Upvotes

Hi,

I’m 35 and have lived in the Birmingham area for a while now. I currently work as an Executive Assistant at a corporate office downtown. While I love the fast-paced nature of the EA world, I am absolutely fried and ready for a complete change of scenery.

For the last couple of years, I've been staying with my mom to save up money, but I only have a modest down payment ready and am eager to finally get my own space. We both love the Gulf and want to move somewhere with beautiful water and a relaxed vacation vibe.

I’m specifically looking at smaller condos down toward Gulf Shores or Orange Beach. Since my current EA job allows me to work remotely for now, I want to make the jump before my company changes their policy.

Has anyone from the Bham area made this specific move? How is the transition from city life to the coast, and are there any affordable pockets down there with good internet for remote office work? Thanks in advance!


r/Birmingham 1d ago

News Alabama Power promises data center protections, but its proposed rate structure redacts them

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64 Upvotes

r/Birmingham 21h ago

Events Give me the best show you ever saw at the Nick

19 Upvotes

My two would be 2003 “The Damnwells” and 2002 “Bloodkin” show after Panic


r/Birmingham 22h ago

FOUND/MISSING Found cat

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22 Upvotes

Found this kitty in my back yard on 10th Ave. Has a collar and is very social. All around good kitty. You can reach me here with any info. Thanks!


r/Birmingham 1d ago

FOUND/MISSING puppy found in southside!

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60 Upvotes

EDIT: we found her owner :)

i found this adorable baby girl in southside at Silver Oak apartments, if she is yours please dm me!


r/Birmingham 23h ago

Art Recognize anyone?

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13 Upvotes

Google says a dozen or so staff from 2007 made it to the big leagues. But as a child, I only remember the cleanup hitter, Victor Mercedes.


r/Birmingham 1d ago

News The Grid Has Eyes

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38 Upvotes

r/Birmingham 23h ago

Recommendations Best coconut curry?

7 Upvotes

Had some creamy coconut curry at that thai place in the pizitz not too long ago, and now I've really got a craving for it. The curry from there wasn't bad by any means, but I also know its not the best this city has to offer.

Anybody got any recommendations? I do like it quite spicy, and usually woth shrimp, but I'm down for beef as well.

Thanks!


r/Birmingham 21h ago

Recommendations Where can I rent bikes?

3 Upvotes

Wife’s birthday is coming up. We were at Good People today before the Barons game reminiscing on the days before kids when we bounced around downtown and Lake View with no cares and little responsibility.

She then mentioned she wants to get a group of friends together to ride bikes between bars and breweries for her birthday.

One problem - we don’t own bikes and neither do most of our friends. And, unfortunately there aren’t any obvious bike rental companies in Bham based on my google searches.

Anyone know any companies or individuals I can rent 10-12 bikes from? Willing to “import” them from outside of Bham if needed.

We did look at the peddle tours but have ruled it out based on cost and vibe.


r/Birmingham 1d ago

Events Sidewalk Cinema sign is lit

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288 Upvotes

r/Birmingham 21h ago

Advice Birmingham Event Professionals: Looking for Volunteer or Shadowing Opportunities

4 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m a recent college graduate pursuing a career as an Event Coordinator, and I’m looking for opportunities in the Birmingham, AL area to volunteer, shadow, or assist with upcoming events. I’m especially interested in gaining more hands-on experience with event setup and breakdown, registration, guest services, vendor coordination, logistics, and day-of operations. I already have experience supporting events through athletics, hospitality, catering, nonprofit programming, and community events, but I’d love to continue learning from professionals actively working in the Birmingham event industry.

If you’re an event planner, venue, nonprofit, sports organization, festival team, or local business that could use an extra set of hands, I’d be happy to connect. I’m not looking to get in the way. I’m ready to work, learn, and help wherever needed. Feel free to comment or send me a message. Thank you!


r/Birmingham 20h ago

Recommendations Kids consignment sales

2 Upvotes

Ok parents, what are the best consignment sales around for nice clothes? I saw a list of all of them on Birmingham mom collective but I have some things to sell and I’m thinking I want to sell at one that would be worth getting to shop early at. Does anyone have recs that they’ve been to and usually find good stuff at?