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Why go to Birmingham, Ala.? The city with a difficult past will surprise — and even delight

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — I am wandering inside the Pizitz Food Hall, past grand pillars, under a soaring ceiling, trying to decide what to have for lunch. I settle on Nepalese dumplings, which have won out over Israeli falafel, Ethiopian injera, Vietnamese banh mi and something a tad more traditional around here: Southern biscuits.

This dining experience, a collection of globally inspired food vendors in a repurposed 1923 department store, is not what I expected to find in downtown Birmingham.

I lived in this Southern city more than a decade ago, and back then, about the only dumplings in town were bready and came atop chicken stew. Downtown was sleepy, and the food scene leaned toward barbecue and meat-and-threes, cafeterias where patrons decide which trio of sides they'd like with their protein.

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The Pizitz Food Hall in Birmingham, Ala., features a collection of globally inspired food...
The Pizitz Food Hall in Birmingham, Ala., features a collection of globally inspired food vendors in a repurposed 1923 department store, plus a laid-back outdoor area. (Mindy Rohr / Pizitz Food Hall)
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When I moved to Birmingham from Washington, D.C., my friends in the nation's capital frequently asked, "Why are you going there?"

It's the same question I got from friends when I recently decided to spend a long weekend in this icon of the 1960s civil rights movement.

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My answer remains the same. Birmingham -- part Southern charm, part chilling past — strikes me as the perfect city for exploring the quintessential American South. Atlanta? Too sprawling. New Orleans reflects its own unique history. In Memphis, music dominates. But Birmingham strikes just the right notes, and it's evolving in surprising ways. Here are five must-sees:

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute shines a light on the struggles of blacks seeking...
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute shines a light on the struggles of blacks seeking equality and on the city's role in the civil rights movement. (Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau / Courtesy)

Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument

Everyone's first stop should be the Birmingham Civil Rights District, which became a national monument in 2017. The area on the edge of downtown was the hub of the civil rights campaign of 1963. Police turned high-pressure water hoses and attack dogs on demonstrators that year. For anyone who has seen them, the images are indelible; they are also memorialized in statues of snarling dogs in Kelly Ingram Park, where marchers congregated.

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The park sits across the street from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, a museum that shines a light on the struggles of African-Americans. One exhibit displays the bars of the cell in which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was held, along with a presentation of his famous "Letter From Birmingham Jail," written while he was imprisoned there.

Vulcan Park and Museum

Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forge, presides over Birmingham atop Red Mountain. The 50-ton statue represented Alabama at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, touting the city's industrial might as a major producer of iron and steel. A museum on the grounds explains that natural deposits of iron ore, coal and limestone, essential ingredients in iron, helped Birmingham grow so fast that it garnered the nickname of Magic City. At its hilltop home, visitors can climb the 159 steps inside the Vulcan or take an elevator to the observation platform for a bird's-eye view of Birmingham.

Iron was made for nearly 100 years at Sloss Furnaces. Now a National Historic Landmark, the...
Iron was made for nearly 100 years at Sloss Furnaces. Now a National Historic Landmark, the machinery and industrial buildings are home to an expansive interpretive museum. The landmark also hosts concerts (think Alabama Shakes) and classes such as blacksmithing and iron forging. (Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Sloss Furnaces

To see a blast furnace where iron was made for nearly 100 years, stop by Sloss Furnaces. Now a National Historic Landmark, the machinery and industrial buildings, which bear a ruddy patina, are home to an expansive interpretive museum. The landmark also hosts concerts and classes such as blacksmithing and iron forging.

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Birmingham Museum of Art

There are many reasons to visit the city-owned Birmingham Museum of Art. One of the most compelling is its English Wedgwood; the museum's collection is the largest outside of Great Britain. Far beyond dinnerware, the pieces include elaborate vases, cameos and a neoclassical mantelpiece in white and light green decorated with a small army of Greek figures and a clock framed by astronomical figures. This quiet gem of a museum, which has free parking and no entrance fee beyond a donation, also showcases works by Alabama quilters and folk artists.

Railroad Park is a former industrial rail yard turned into a communal green space that...
Railroad Park is a former industrial rail yard turned into a communal green space that embodies Birmingham's new energy and modern outlook. (Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Railroad Park

This park, a former industrial rail yard turned into a communal green space, embodies Birmingham's new energy and modern outlook. A bio-filtration pond reflects the sky, streams cut across the grassy fields, and a skate park rises in curves. In a contemporary touch, repurposed and recycled bricks and other materials uncovered as the park was built now form dividing walls and benches. The whole park is ringed by a pathway, which leads to the ballpark for the minor-league Birmingham Barons and offers views of the downtown skyline beyond the railroad tracks. It makes for a great place to rent and ride one of the city's bike-share Zyp bikes.