Sports and Leisure in Birmingham
Attractions
Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort
Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort was named by www.ForbesTraveler.com, an arm of Forbes business magazine, as one of the Top 10 spots for bachelor weekends in the country. The report said “the 10 resorts are perfect spots for a guy’s night out, bachelor parties and relaxing weekends.” The Birmingham News, December 8, 2006.
Renaissance Ross Bridge and the Porsche Driving Experience
Birmingham’s Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa and Porsche Driving Experience made this luxury lifestyle publication’s list as a destination on a par with Antigua and the Californian coastline. The two Birmingham attractions were included as part of its Frontrunners column on the “best, latest and most inspired destinations.” It noted the hotel’s 12,000 square foot spa and fleet of Cayennes as courtesy vehicles. The Robb Report, March, 2006
The Arts
Birmingham Museum of Art
The Birmingham Museum of Art is the largest city-owned museum in the Southeast, housing the most comprehensive permanent collection of art in the Southeast.
Sidewalk Moving Pictures Festival
Birmingham’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival was named one of "ten fantastic film festival vacations" along with New Orleans, Austin and San Diego. Film Festival Today, Spring, 2003.
Fine dining
Gourmet Destination
From a headline article: “Birmingham: An unlikely gourmet destination. The restaurant scene has flourished, garnering raves from leading food magazines and food lovers from around the country.” The Week, February 2, 2007
Up-and-Coming Food Cities
Eat, Drink, Manhattan, the foodie page in the New York Times Sunday Magazine (September 10, 2006) interviewing celebrity restauranteur Danny Meyer “ … Birmingham is one of the up-and-coming food cities.”
Hot and Hot Fish Club
“Who wouldn’t want to try a place called the Hot & Hot Fish Club?” asked Shaila Dewan in The New York Times, January, 2007
Highlands Bar and Grill
Highlands Bar and Grill, was ranked by Gourmet Magazine as the No. 5 restaurant in America. October, 2001.
Great Neighborhood Restaurant in the South
Hot and Hot Fish Club was named "Great Neighborhood Restaurant in the South" in the September, 2002 issue of Bon Appetit.
Sports
SWAC Athletic Conference
Birmingham is headquarters for the Southwestern Athletic Conferences.
SEC Athletic Conference
Birmingham is headquarters for the Southeastern Athletic Conferences.
Michael Jordan
In 1994, when Michael Jordan first retired from the Chicago Bulls to join the Birmingham Barons, Fleer made his baseball card. But they weren’t happy with his photo, so they destroyed the 90,000 cards printed –except for the dozen or so kept by Fleer employees. Only 3 have surfaced in the past decade, making his Birmingham Barons card one of the most valuable baseball cards of recent vintage, with a current pricetag of $1,200. Sports Illustrated, July 11, 2005
999 holes of golf
There are 999 holes of golf in the Birmingham region.
Lakeshore Foundation
Lakeshore Foundation is one of only six designated training sites for the Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
Rickwood Field
Birmingham is home to the nation’s oldest existing baseball park, Rickwood Field which opened in August, 1910. Among those who played there: Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Satchel Paige. Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Josh Gibson, Reggie Jackson, Pie Traynor, Vida Blue, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson, Dizzy Dean, José Canseco, Rollie Fingers and Bo Jackson.
Babe Ruth played at Rickwood Field
Most notable stories of baseball: Babe Ruth played at Rickwood Field as a stopover when the Yankees came through Birmingham on the way to/from Florida spring training. Dizzy Dean pitched in the most famous baseball game ever in Birmingham, the Dixie Series, Birmingham vs. Houston which Birmingham won 1-0. Willie Mayes got his start at Rickwood Field.
Rickwood Field, Rickwood Classic - Top 100 Sporting Events
ESPN came out with a list of the top 100 sporting events (worldwide) and Rickwood made the list at No. 78. Birmingham proved that if you save it, they will come as well. When the minor league Barons moved out, the city carefully preserved the historic field where Willie Mays got his start in the Negro Leagues. The Barons play once a year here in the annual Rickwood Classic ESPN Story, and if you squint, you can practically see Mays running down a fly ball."
First Nationally Televised Night College Football Game
The first nationally televised night college football game was at Legion Field in 1969. University of Alabama 33, University of Mississippi 32.
Abracadabra
Abracadabra was the name famed Birmingham surgeon Jim Andrews gave his yacht in the 2000 America’s Cup races in Auckland, New Zealand
Bayer Advanced
Birmingham's Bayer Advanced has entered Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses Parade for the past 5 years; spent $170,000 on their 2002 entry. Previously they have won the coveted Fantasy Trophy (twice), the Queen's Trophy and the Animation Trophy over the past four years. The Birmingham News, December 30, 2004
3rd Longest Golf Course in the World
The 3rd longest golf course in the world is right in Hoover at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa on the Robert Trent Jones Golf trail at 8,191 yards long. Golf Digest calls it “one of the top-50 trips in the world.” It was designed specifically for PGA tournament play and has been named the home for the Regions Charity Classic.
Largest Collection of Vintage Motorcycles
The largest collection of vintage motorcycles and automobiles (850 pieces) in the world is housed at the four-story Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham. Portions of the Barber collection have recently been on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York and Bilbao, Spain, as well as at Chicago's Field Museum. The Barber Motorcycle Racing team success on the racing circuit includes seven national championships over the past 10 years. Many racing legends have already made a pilgrimage to this motorcycle Mecca, and it is fair to say that Barber's collection is far more renowned outside the state than within.