Condé Nast TravelerOct 12, 2026
1126 WELL: Birmingham
Industrious, unassuming Birmingham has overcome an at-times fraught and complicated past to develop food, music, and cultural scenes that show the world why it's called the Magic City.
24 things in this story
- HelenRestaurantmenu almost entirely cooked over a grill
- BottegaRestaurantclassic Italian place, 38 years in operation
- Highlands Bar & GrillRestaurantserved luxurious Southern and French food
- Chez FonfonRestaurantclassic French bistro with butter yellow walls
- Five Points SouthNeighborhoodneighborhood named for five streets that converge
- Market at Pepper PlaceMarketmajor destination with 10,000 visitors each Saturday
- The Son of a ButcherRestaurantsells local meats
- Back Forty Beer CompanyRestaurantmassive brewery with plenty of outdoor space
- Pizza GraceRestaurantserves perfectly charred fennel and mushroom pie
- Big Spoon CreameryIce cream shoplocally beloved ice cream joint with seasonal flavors
- Salud TaqueriaRestaurantuses fresh-ground masa for its Mexican menu
- BayonetRestaurantserves pristine raw bar dishes
- AlabamaSightIt borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to…
- Ground Floor ContemporaryGalleryartist-run collective with studios
- Old Bailey GallerySightcurator hosts visiting artists
- Studio by the TracksSightgrassroots space for artists with autism
- InTotoSightcreative arts forum provides programming
- African Village in AmericaPublic artworkart installation brings Black experience into focus
- Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA)Museumhosted "French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850–1950"
- Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual ArtsMuseumrenowned space for visual art
- GroundsCaféneighborhood café, retail, and community space
- Sloss FurnacesSightNational Historic Landmark with industrial history
- LyricTheatre
- CarverSight
