Birmingham

 

Starting the day was the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum. Relive the golden age of railroading at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, where you can ride a historic passenger train consisting of early 20th-century cars pulled by first-generation diesel electric locomotives. The train operates between Calera and Shelby, and refreshments are available. A steam-operated train is also available to ride, operating on a half-mile of track.

The geographical center of Alabama is just that: the very center of the state. Visit the center of Alabama, which just happens to be in the center of a cemetery.

The Eddie Kendrick Memorial park is dedicated to the Temptations singer Eddie Kendricks where they have a bronze sculpture of the singer.   






And then onto Kelly Ingram Park, where they tell the story of Ground Zero of the Civil Rights Movement.

 It was a very emotional walk through this time ....










Birmingham's most visible landmark is the towering statue of Vulcan, the mythical god of metalworking, which stands atop Red Mountain. Second in size only to the Statue of Liberty, the statue is the centerpiece of a 10-acre urban green space and was Birmingham's entry in the 1904 World's Fair, where it took top honors.  There is an elevator to the platform ($6.60)

 There was not enough time to visit the Birmingham Botanical Garden or the Zoo, so onward ..

 
Frank Fleming's The Story Teller - The Storyteller will look a little odd at first glance. The animalistic features of the person holding a book in one hand and a staff in the other is definitely a conversation starter.

Not founded until after the Civil War, Birmingham has a single pre-civil War mansion, Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens. Built between 1845 and 1850, the restored two-story Greek Revival mansion served as headquarters for Union troops who later burned the University of Alabama, some 50 miles southwest in Tuscaloosa.






Sometimes I wish I knew if something was really worth the drive to see it .....






The African Village in America is a jumble of junk combined into glorious masterpieces that represent the struggle and trials of the African American people.

Stan the Muffler Man hangs out in Birmingham, Alabama in front of the GCR Tire Shop. He is one of many muffler men in America, and does his other muffler man brothers justice, with his hands held out, waiting to grab onto a muffler.

 Unfortunately, this is all that is left of The Wagon Ho Pioneer Giant - a massive man sitting on a wagon and waiting to explore the land like a true pioneer.

The Statue of Liberty in Alabama is obviously not the original, but there truly are several replicas of lovely Lady Liberty all over the world.  (There was just no way to get a picture from the front ...)


The Peach Water Tower will make you feel reminiscent of James & The Giant Peach, however, there are no spiders or adorable little boys hiding inside of this water tower.








I saw another golf course.  It was not as ugly as the first, but still in pretty bad shape.

I stopped for lunch at the Dreamland BBQ restaurant, which is famous for it's ribs.  While I was waiting for my food, the waitress set a plate on the table which contained 3 slices of plain white sandwich bread and a cup of BBQ sauce.  When I asked what it was for, she said it was my "appetizer, like chips and salsa."  I thought that was pretty funny .....

While stopped for gas, I started a conversation with a guy at the next pump and asked if it snows here.  He said rarely, but when it does, the whole state shuts down and people pray they have food in the house.  ha.  He also told me the humidity, oh man, is so bad in the summer you have to take your shirt off and wring it out every hour so you don't drown.

I hit rush hour traffic on the way home.  I have forgotten what that was like.

It was a good day .... long, about 11 hours, but very pleasant.

Saturday is Day 2 in Montgomery and then onto Selma next week .....

And, since my next stop is Nashville, and you can't go to Nashville without going to the Grand Ol' Oprey .... I got a ticket for one of the nights I am in the area.  Clint Black is the performer, but they warn that these are subject to change without warning.