Things To Do
Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa
For those not wanting to travel, Ross Bridge Resort itself has plenty to offer including indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, and a golf course. The hotel also offers multiple on-site restaurants including Brock's Restaurant, The Clubhouse Restaurant, JT's Lounge, and Cafe MacRae's. There is also a retail center with a variety of shops and businesses at the entrance of the Ross Bridge neighborhood near the resort including restaurants, grocery store, and a nail salon.
Local Restaurants with Michelin Recognition
If you're struggling to choose a place to eat, 11 Birmingham restaurants have received Michelin recognition in their Michelin Guide to American South. This recognition comes on the heels of national spotlights from The New York Times, Southern Living and Food & Wine, and Birmingham’s growing list of more than 60 James Beard Award winners and nominees. It also follows the success of the 2025 Southbound Food Festival, recently named the No. 3 Best New Festival in the U.S. by USA Today, another testament to the city’s flourishing food culture. Bib Gourmand Distinction: recognizes eateries for great food at a great value – Bayonet – La Fête – OvenBird – Pizza Grace American South's 2025 Recommended Restaurants – Automatic Seafood & Oysters – Bottega – Chez Fonfon – Current Charcoal Grill – Helen – Hot and Hot Fish Club – Rêve
The Summit
The Summit is a premier, open-air lifestyle center in Birmingham, AL, featuring a wide selection of upscale and specialty stores, diverse dining options, and entertainment venues like an AMC theater. Located at the intersection of US Highway 280 and Interstate 459, it is a 1 million-square-foot destination known for its beautiful landscaping, and it serves as a major shopping hub for the region. The center was one of the first "lifestyle centers" in the U.S. and is considered a flagship property of its developer.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Located in the heart of Birmingham, Alabama—in one of the most biodiverse areas in the United States—this urban oasis encompasses 67 acres featuring more than two dozen garden spaces that reflect the region’s rich and varied terrain and showcase the many plants that thrive in Southern gardens. Each year, the Gardens welcomes more than 330,000 visitors from across the region and around the world, providing both a meaningful connection to nature and a vibrant source of plant, gardening, wellness, and environmental education. This was also the location of our engagement photos!
Birmingham Zoo
One of the state’s most popular attractions, the Birmingham Zoo, is an ever-evolving adventure. Guests come from around the Southeast to see animals such as red pandas, lion, giraffes, orangutans, rhinos, bears, elephants, zebras, a jaguar, and many more. From Trails of Africa to the Children’s Zoo and everything in-between, the Birmingham Zoo features animals from all over the world, with signage highlighting the Zoo’s amazing animal care, conservation initiatives, and Species Survival Plans. With approximately 550 animals of 180 species and endangered species from 6 continents, the Birmingham Zoo’s 122-acre site is the perfect place to visit any time of the year.
Birmingham Museum of Art
The Birmingham Museum of Art, one of the finest regional museums in the United States, houses a diverse collection of more than 29,000 paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, and decorative arts dating from ancient to modern times. The collection presents a rich panorama of cultures, featuring the Museum’s extensive holdings of Asian, European, American, African, Ancient American, and Native American art.