Springtime in the South is beautiful. It’s a time when everything blooms and sweet flower fragrances fill the air! It’s a time for us to enjoy sunny days and take advantage of outside activities while temperatures are not too hot. I can think of no better way to enjoy spring than a walking tour.
The Alabama Tourism Department is offering April walking tours every Saturday beginning this weekend until April 28. These guided one-hour walking tours give participants the opportunity to explore small towns and cities across Alabama.
Some interesting cities on the April walking tour list include: Bayou La Batre, Enterprise, Eufaula, Elkmont Fairhope, Mooresville, Moulton Selma, Sheffield and Tuscumbia. For a full list of participating towns, click here.
The tours are being coordinated by Brian Jones with the Alabama Tourism Department.
“Alabama is the only state in the nation to hold statewide, simultaneous walking tours. These walking tours are a great way to get out and enjoy the spring weather and find out about the history of our state. More than 35,000 people have participated in the walking tours since the beginning of the program 15 years ago and the tours keep increasing in popularity every year,” Jones said.
In addition to these tours, Vulcan Park and Museum is hosting three guided historical walking tours through neighborhoods in the Birmingham area. The first tour, of Birmingham’s Historic Loft District, was March 24. It was designed to explore the historic loft district in downtown which has the largest and most complete grouping of 19th and early 20th century buildings in the city. Over the past several decades, their conversion into living spaces has been a substantial economic boost while transforming downtown after dark. I personally took the tour which was guided by David Fleming of REV Birmingham.
There is so much history about the city of Birmingham, and even though I am a native, I learned fascinating facts about the city that I love on this tour. For instance, I had no idea that the City of Birmingham hosted President Benjamin Harrison at the former Caldwell Hotel, a building that is located on First Ave., North in 1891. That tour ended at the Naquette Building project on Second Ave. North where we able to tour the historic building’s renovation. It will become a hip, mix-use space for the already vibrant Second Ave. North district. The views from inside of the building were amazing, and the architect was careful to maintain the integrity of the structure.
There are two more in-depth historical two-hour walking tours hosted by Vulcan Park and Museum this Spring. On April 14, the tour will take participants to the Redmont Park neighborhood. Redmont Park follows the ridge of Red Mountain with grand homes in classic styles overlooking downtown Birmingham. Built by some of the city’s most prominent families, these homes mirror the history of the city.
The third and final tour of the season, on May 5, is of the Woodlawn neighborhood. Participants in this walking tour will learn how the people of Woodlawn cultivated partnerships that improved their housing options, academics, health services, green spaces, healthy foods and retail shopping. The Woodlawn neighborhood transformation now serves as a national model to help communities improve their quality of life by working. Space is limited for the last two tours so you must hurry to secure your spot.
I highly recommend any tour that helps bring the South’s history to life, especially when it features a town’s history that you thought you knew.
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