Birmingham At a Glance

Best Time to Go
The good news is that there are no bad times to visit Birmingham. Spring and fall, certainly, offer the most moderate temperatures, but trying to predict beginning and ending dates to those seasons can be tricky.

Average Weather
Weather is mostly moderate in Birmingham where the average temperature is 62 degrees; the average rainfall, 52.16 inches and the average snowfall, 2.1 inches.

January is typically the coldest month with an average temperature of 42.4 degrees; July most years is the hottest month with an average temperature of 80.3 degrees, but don't be surprised if the temperature climbs mercilessly into the high 90s and maybe even steps over briefly into the low 100s.

Transportation
Eleven major airlines deliver 170 daily flights in and out of the city, and nonstop flights shuttle daily to 23 airports nationwide. With direct service to 50 cities, Birmingham International Airport (205-595-0533) is served by American, Comair, Continental, Delta/Swissair, Northwest/KLM, Southwest, TW Express, United and U.S Airways Express.

Amtrak operates daily passenger service aboard the Southern Crescent which runs from New York to New Orleans. Greyhound operates out of a downtown station.

Local bus service is available but not generally suited to the needs of tourists. A mini-bus system (DART) serves the central business district, darting between downtown stops and Five Points South.

Interstates 65, 20, 59 and 459 converge in metropolitan Birmingham, which also is crisscrossed by a number of major U.S. highways including 78, 280, 31 and 11.

In-Season Costs
Because of its mild year-round climate, Birmingham has no high or low season. For meeting planners, the best deals might come in winter months. But, for the most part, rates at hotel and restaurants are unchanged by the temperatures outdoors.

Costs at some properties creep up a bit in the fall when the University of Alabama football team plays or when races are run, in spring and fall, at Talladega Superspeedway, 55 miles east of Birmingham via I-20.

Day Trips
Sixteen miles southwest of Birmingham, Bessemer offers the state's first theme park, VisionLand, known best for its wooden roller coaster and seasonally-opened Steel Waters water park, an ideal spot for cooling off on steamy days. Season passes offer the best rates for those who think they may be in the city for an extended time. Bessemer also has outlet shopping at Watermark Place with anchor stores such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Westpoint Stevens, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi's/Dockers, Liz Claiborne, and the Gap. While in Bessemer, check out the Bessemer Hall of History, housed in a restored depot and with reminders of the area's early years.

Thirty minutes south of Birmingham in Montevallo, American Village lets you journey into the nation's Colonial past and play-act to understand the roots of citizenship.

Head west down Interstate 20/59 to Vance to the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Visitors Center. The adjacent plant turns out the popular M-Class All-Activity vehicle. You may also tour the plant, but call first because there are some restrictions on ages and attire, and space is limited.

One hour east of Birmingham along I-20, Anniston offers the Anniston Museum of Natural History (a favorite with kids), Berman Museum (with rare personal treasures of world leaders), and the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, which dates to 1890.

DeSoto Caverns Park, one hour from Birmingham via US 280, has a huge cave with laser light show plus a dozen outdoor activities (such as a giant maze and gem-stone panning) and abundant picnic tables, some covered.

South of Birmingham, you can golf, swim, fish, boat, horseback ride, mountain bike and hike at the state's largest state park at Oak Mountain.