In town for a concert at BJCC...

I%26#39;m coming in town with a friend on April 26th for a concert and am looking for things to do or see in Birmingham. I also need a place to stay so any recommendations would be great! I%26#39;m not really interested in the Civil Rights Museum or chain shopping so something local would be great!

Thanks for your help

In town for a concert at BJCC...

Depending on your budget, the Sheraton which is attached to BJCC is a good hotel. I just stayed there for a convention. It is a medium upscale hotel. Plan to eat all the way downstairs in PanGeos or outside at the Subway. Everything else is expensive. There is a 25 cent trolley that takes you from there over to the Five Points area where there are more restaurants more reasonable priced. If something is going on at the Alabama Theatre, don%26#39;t miss it. A fantastic place for whatever show is there -- completely restored 1927 Movie Palace and it IS a palace. The Sheraton and the Redmont which is several blocks away are the only two hotels I%26#39;ve used in Birmingham. DO NOT walk around in downtown Birmingham at night, especially in the area of the BJCC. Parking is $7 a day ($1/hr max $7) in the deck. Easy access to the hotel and to the BJCC.

In town for a concert at BJCC...

The Zoo and the Botanical Gardens are nice.

A couple more options would be Vulcan Park and the Barber Motorsports Park.

I agree about not walking around downtown. I would recommend staying in the Hoover area - lots of restaurants and shopping - either on Highway 280 or near the Galleria. For local shops, check out downtown Homewood and Five Points South.

Not sure about hotels...but, make sure you check out south side...Jim-n-Nicks has great food and a full bar....located right by everything else.....enjoy!

The Tutweiler Hotel is AWESOME - but pricey. The Fish Market on the Southside is a great place to eat. It%26#39;s on like 21st Street South(Richard Arrington Blvd) and about 6th or 7th avenue.

One thing I do suggest is DO NOT stay at any of the hotels listed near the airport.

The Tutwiler is a great and newly renovated place to stay. This hotel also has a fabulous restaurant in house called Icon.

http://www.thetutwilerhotel.com/

There%26#39;s another historic hotel, The Redmont which is only a few blocks from the Tutwiler. http://www.theredmont.com/

Then there is Embassy Suites Hotel which is just outside of the downtown area but it%26#39;s adjacent to Red Mountain Expressway which would put you in downtown in 3-4 minutes. …hilton.com/en_US/…index.do

The Hilton Garden Inn which is also in Homewood, Alabama. This hotel is close to I-65. When you travel I-65 from Homewood to Birmingham as long as traffic is not heavy will take you approx. 3 minutes.

…hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml…

Courtyard Birmingham Downtown at UAB

marriott.com/hotels/…

The Courtyard by Marriott marriott.com/hotels/… across the street from Brookwood Mall would be a great choice for you. It is a central location for a lot of things to do. Close to downtown, close to The Summit Mall on Hwy. 280, fairly close to the Galleria and Patton Creek malls in Hoover. Approx. 2 miles from the Vestavia shopping area with numerous restaurants and of course only minutes from downtown Birmingham. It%26#39;s also only a few miles from the Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Other sites to see are Vulcan Park, Sloss Furnaces,

There are numerous places to eat in and around 5 Points South as well as places to stay. Check out Hotel Highlands.

http://www.thehotelhighland.com/

I agree with the previous posters, do not walk around northern downtown at night. Southside is a little safer but always be catious at night.

Check out this link to give you a full list of things to do around Burmingham and surrounding areas.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g30375-i636-k13865…

Thanks for all of the suggestions! We%26#39;re staying at the Redmont and I%26#39;ll let you know how it goes!

If you are looking for good food while you%26#39;re there, the little restaurant in the lobby is nice but simple. Great atmosphere as you can sit outside if the temperature is nice after your concert for a night cap or some nosh. Also, if you are looking for a nice meal before or after the gig, check out John%26#39;s steak house. It%26#39;s right down the road about 3 blocks and is top notch! It looks like a diner and not that fancy but the food is really quite good. I loved the prime rib and the mashed yams are to die for if you%26#39;re not watching your waistline.

If you have a car, don%26#39;t valet like we did. The parking lot is right across the street and is much cheaper, in fact I think it%26#39;s free but I can%26#39;t recall.

Have a great time.

~Christine