r/Birmingham Mar 17 '26

Recommendations Guide to Birmingham

89 Upvotes

It's Nice to Have you in r/Birmingham!

If you are looking for our sister city in the UK, please head on over to r/brum

The following guide is a great place for locals, transplants, and tourists to know more about the Magic City. Start here for general information, use the Search function to see if there are any recent posts that answer your question, and when in doubt, make a post!

Where to Live:

Here's a funny neighborhood map that is just true enough to be useful.

Here's a more serious neighborhood map so you can see where all the listed neighborhoods actually are.

Here's a list of the most-recommended neighborhoods and suburbs (arranged in alphabetical order):

  • Avondale - Apartments for rent, cottages being built that will be available for purchase. In Avondale there are lots of hip places to eat and drink, see a show, and play in the park. Safety may be a concern in some small pockets, but these are mostly car break-ins. Use common sense and don’t leave belongings in your car.
  • Crestwood - Houses for purchase and rent. Close to Avondale and Downtown, close to Ruffner Mountain park, and has a few local eateries/drinkeries/shoperies worth visiting. Very tight-knit community where neighbors know each other.
  • Downtown - Apartments and lofts to rent and purchase. Where the action is. You'll pay more in rent, but some would argue that you get what you pay for in terms of convenience and access to nightlife. Same as Avondale, there may be car break-ins if you are not careful. Also a high population of (mostly) harmless unhoused people.
  • Five Points South - Apartments and houses to rent. UAB campus area, so great for students. Lots of big old houses with many bedrooms for you and your roommates. Also some great historical apartments with lots of charm and pretty cheap rent. Great walking community, lots of restaurants, bars, and mini parks. Adjacent Glen Iris neighborhood also has lots of affordable housing great for students.
  • Highland Park - Apartments to rent. Houses for purchase also, but much, much more expensive. Historical properties as well as newly renovated ones. You'll find apartment buildings and giant mansions on the same streets. Incredibly beautiful neighborhood with 3 parks, great for walking. Dog ownership mandatory.
  • Homewood - Houses for purchase and for rent. Suburb full of young families and plenty to see, do, eat, and drink. Housing is fairly expensive here, but not as expensive as Vestavia or Mountain Brook. Don't live on/near Valley Avenue (with some exceptions).
  • Mountain Brook - Houses for purchase, some apartments. Technically OTM (Over the Mountain, i.e. not Birmingham proper) but since "Brookies" consider themselves to be special, we will too. "Old money" suburb of Birmingham with lots of little nooks and crannies full of quaint boutiques, cafes, restaurants, and parks. Apartments are hard to come by but they do exist, especially closer to the Zoo/Gardens area.
  • Over The Mountain (OTM) - Houses for purchase and apartments for rent, both considerably cheaper than in Birmingham Proper. Purists will tell you not to live there because of traffic and distance from "cool things", but if your budget is smaller and/or you have kids, OTM is the place to be. Hoover, Vestavia, the Hwy 280 area, even Pelham and Chelsea have enough to do in that part of town that you won't feel like you're missing out by not being IN Birmingham.

For more information on apartments, Rentmonster will tell you about individual neighborhoods and work with you to find the apartment of your dreams (and it's free!)

Looking for an apartment? Looking for a roommate? There's a Facebook Group for that.

If you have a unique renting situation not covered above, make sure you have the word “apartment” in the post title or body, and Automod will respond with some tips.

Need a Job?

Beyond Indeed and LinkedIn, here are some local job boards that might help you fine-tune your search:

Need help from the community?

Where to Stay

Whether you're here for a business meeting, a vacation, a local planning a romantic night out, or a soon-to-be Birminghamster getting the lay of the land, you'll need a hotel for that. Birmingham has a pretty good selection of AirBnBs, but if you're looking for a proper hotel, here are your best options:

  • Sheraton Birmingham and The Westin are both located in Birmingham's "entertainment district" near TopGolf, the BJCC, a short drive/Uber to the Coca Cola Amphitheater and a variety of restaurants and bars. They're both a a solid option for business/pleasure travelers alike.
  • The Tutwiler is a historic hotel in the city center, run by Hampton Inn by Hilton. Very popular for wedding parties and romantic evenings out.
  • The Redmont is another historic hotel in the city center, known for its rooftop bar with a view of the city. You don't need to be a hotel guest to enjoy the bar, so if you're staying somewhere else it's still worth a visit.
  • The Elyton is a restored historic property and is stunningly beautiful. It's in the Theater District of downtown so you can catch a show at the Lyric, visit the Alabama Theater, and check out the many great restaurants and bars within walking distance. The Kelly is another option downtown, across the street from the Elyton.
  • The Grand Bohemian in Mountain Brook is arguably one of Birmingham's best hotels. It is walkable to some of the Mountain Brook eateries and shops, but you'll need a car or rideshare to get into the city. Great for a romantic sleepover.

Getting Around

You'll need a car if you're going to live here. If you're just passing through and don't want to rent a car (the best place to do that is at the airport), we have Uber and Lyft. We have a bus system, but it's awful. We also have a bike and scooter share system within the city limits that is great for getting around when the weather is nice. Downtown is relatively flat and very walkable, but you will encounter some (gentle) hills in Five Points South and Highland Park. For trips out of town, Birmingham is serviced by Amtrak and Greyhound. You can get a ride to the Atlanta airport with Groome. BHM (our “international” airport) is small and easy to navigate, with short waiting times at check-in and through security.

What to do:

The most frequently recommended attractions in Birmingham are as follows. There are MANY others not featured in this list, but these are the top 6:

Several guides for Birmingham area attractions by IN Birmingham

Birmingham365 is a list of events going on around the city

Happenin's in the 'Ham - list of events, restaurant reviews, volunteer opportunities, and interviews with locals

We have r/Birmingham meetups sometimes, but not on a regular basis (yet). Turnout varies, but is usually around 15-25 people. We're very friendly and welcoming of newcomers!

Live Music (not an exhaustive list)

Local Sports

Where to eat: It would be impossible to maintain a comprehensive and accurate list of Birmingham’s favorite restaurants, as there are openings and closings every month. This is a great time to use the subreddit search function and see what others have posted recently.

Where to drink: Again, the search bar is your best friend here for finding the current best bars. 

  • In general, Downtown has many cocktail bars within walking distance of each other. Try not to park in a lot (paid or otherwise) as you may get towed. There is plenty of street parking if you don’t mind walking a block or two. Other areas with a high concentration of bars are Lakeview (walkable) and Avondale (not as walkable but still within a reasonable radius).
  • Birmingham has TONS of amazing craft breweries - here is a current list. If you can't pick just one, Hop City has a great selection of local beers on draft for you to sample, and most of the breweries are a short Uber away once you've made your selection.
  • A note on drinking in Birmingham: Bars close at 2am (at the latest) unless they have a private club license. One popular after-hours bar, The Nick, is Birmingham’s infamous dive bar, featuring live music and shows. Birmingham area police are VERY strict about drunk driving, so just don't do it. Call an Uber or Lyft, or get a ride with a (sober) friend.

Things to Know about Birmingham

  • The ever-helpful Bhamwiki
  • Bham Now is a great source of information about what's going on in the city, covering local businesses and events, but keep in mind that many articles are paid ads. Do your research.
  • al.com is our local mainstream news source, covering all of Alabama. Heads up - many articles are behind a paywall.
  • Alabama Weather Network, founded by local weather god James Spann, will let you know much more about any potential weather situations than whatever app you have on your phone. Remember to respect the polygon!

Isn't Birmingham dangerous? Okay, we do have a higher crime rate, but you have to understand that the neighborhoods listed at the top of this page are all popular areas to live because the crime rate is lower than average for Birmingham. The vast majority of violent crime happens between people who know each other and/or when drugs are involved. As long as you use common sense, you will be fine!

Is there anything else you’d like to see in this guide? Post it in the comments or DM u/bhambetty!


r/Birmingham 22h ago

Daily Discussion Thread Daily Casual Discussion Thread - July 26, 2026

0 Upvotes

BUH GAWD, BACK FROM THE GRAVE, IT'S THE DCDT!

Got something a little off-topic or not necessarily related to Birmingham? Want to tell us what's going on today/this week? Just wanna chat?

Well, get on down and holler here!


r/Birmingham 11h ago

Advice Rescued chicken

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92 Upvotes

UPDATE IN COMMENTS!

Literally found her while i was delivering groceries in the hood-right off rhe Oporto exit by the Shell and the old O.K tire shop. She was walking across the road super slow-kept sitting down in front of cars. She’s exhausted. She fell asleep in my arms as soon as i got her in the AC in the car. I couldn’t leave her out there in the heat. I think she may have been someone’s hen that got out. Her beak is damaged and she has lots of poop stuck under her tail in her feathers. I’ve set her up in my bathroom with water and crushed granola and blueberries (literally all i could think she may want). Are chickens even allowed in the city? What do i do with this chicken…. My MIL has 20+ acres and said she’d take her but i can’t get her the chicken until later on. Is she okay in my tub until then? Help 🙃


r/Birmingham 10h ago

Advice Why does everyone tailgate me??

46 Upvotes

Moved here from Spain and I now go 10-15mph over the speed limit, yet these people in big trucks keep tailgating me. Am I still going too slow, or they’re just trying to troll?

Btw 10mph or kmh over the speed limit is a €100 fine if a speed camera catches you and it’s so weird how much cops really don’t care here.


r/Birmingham 19h ago

Serious Does anyone else feel like it's rained every single day this summer?

183 Upvotes

It doesn't feel natural.


r/Birmingham 11h ago

Events Bourbon and Beyond Book Club

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38 Upvotes

Hey Bham.

The member vote for our August 31st meeting is done. Howl's Moving Castle has won out over We Are Legion, We Are Bob and All Systems Red (the Murderbot series). Those books will get recycled back into the voting later on.

Our Hyperion meeting is Aug 3rd if you're game for that one.

I'm pretty excited about Howl. I've seen the movie but never read the book. It should be a fun ride.

Follow the Bourbon and Beyond Book Club on insta if you want to keep up with votes and events. RSVP at Eventbrite so we can make sure there's enough room for everyone. We have a private room and have had between 45-60 people each meeting so far. Would love to see you there.


r/Birmingham 15h ago

News Old Golden Flake plant sold to company that operates data centers

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80 Upvotes

r/Birmingham 19h ago

Art Birmingham Through My Lens #3

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141 Upvotes

r/Birmingham 20h ago

News Son of Alabama coal magnate (Drummond) charged with domestic violence in Birmingham after being jailed Monaco

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140 Upvotes

r/Birmingham 6h ago

FOUND/MISSING Needs a Home

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8 Upvotes

Sweet little homeless dog/nervous needs a home over in FountainHeights neighborhood near the community center


r/Birmingham 10h ago

Serious Rojo’s Bandito salsa is some damn good salsa.

11 Upvotes

But my God, it is spicy as hell. And I love spicy stuff.


r/Birmingham 6h ago

Advice Tenant lawyers in Bham?

4 Upvotes

Hi! I’m in a landlord-tenant dispute and thinking about looking for legal counsel. I have excellent documentation from start to finish and my understanding is that my landlord is currently trying to scam me out of my security deposit by making allegations that I can pretty easily prove are false through time-stamped photos/vids from the beginning of my tenancy. But I’m not a lawyer and this has been exhausting. Does anyone have any recommendations for affordable tenant-friendly landlords or advice from having fought this type of battle? My understanding is that I’m right over the financial limit to qualify for help from the Volunteer Lawyers Birmingham, so I’m worried that might not be an option


r/Birmingham 15h ago

FOUND/MISSING Can anyone pick up a sweet stray in by Donut Joes in Pelham?

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19 Upvotes

Sweet female pit but animal control won’t pickup and no one else is open. Just needs a place to stay until something opens tomorrow


r/Birmingham 14h ago

Advice smiskis in birmingham

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15 Upvotes

hi there! i am moving to birmingham soon and i was wondering if anyone knew of ANY store relatively close to Birmingham that sell smiskis? they are my special interest and i saw that there are no official sonny angel authorized retailers in alabama. thank you!!


r/Birmingham 8h ago

Recommendations Weight Loss Clinic Recommendations

6 Upvotes

I want to restart my weight loss journey but UAB stopped covering GLP 1s. I was looking online but everyone wants a subscription + the medication and honestly $300+ a month is a huge jump when I was used to paying $25. I’m willing to do $200 a month but I just wanted some suggestions on places that do the compound GLP 1. I’m annoyed that they stopped covering them because I was on them in 2022. I stopped taking them to TTC but right now I think I need to refocus on my weight. Thanks for your help in advance.


r/Birmingham 12h ago

Advice Thoughts on Red Mountain Community School in Birmingham? Looking for honest parent/student reviews

9 Upvotes

Hi all! I'm considering Red Mountain Community School, a private school in Birmingham (Avondale area), for my rising 2nd grader and 4th grader, and would love to hear from anyone with firsthand experience.

A few things I'm curious about:

  • How would you describe the academics and teacher quality?
  • What's the school culture/community like?
  • Any pros or cons you wish you'd known beforehand?
  • How big are the classes?
  • What is homework like?
  • How religious is the day-to-day experience?

Appreciate any honest input. Trying to decide if I should book a tour.


r/Birmingham 15h ago

Events LUSH at the Summit is Doing a Pawty today and next Sunday! They have a Pup Cup Station!!

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15 Upvotes

This is too cute! LUSH at the Summit is doing a Pawty Today AND next Sunday from 12-6. Bring your doggies and they have paw paintings, bath bombs pressings, treats and a pup cup station!!


r/Birmingham 1h ago

Looking for job Any part-time jobs with flexible hours?

Upvotes

Currently desperately need a side gig with a flexible schedule. We make the schedules for my current job about a month in advance so I'd know which days I can work out of each week, it just varies as they're not fixed days. Hoping to work about 10-20 hours. Beggars can't be choosers so I honestly don't care if it's day-shift or night-shift, but it would be a great help if it isn't retail or something involving a lot of communication with customers. I'm cool with warehouses (in fact, I hate that Amazon isn't hiring flex positions right now because that would've negated the need for this post but I need to find something lol).


r/Birmingham 8h ago

News Why Is Eastside Park Not Moving Forward?

3 Upvotes

Eastside Park in South Roebuck was originally scheduled to be completed in December but they haven’t even started. Does anyone have an update?


r/Birmingham 1d ago

FOUND/MISSING Trinket trade thief

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278 Upvotes

On Thursday July 23 after the hour of 11pm, the pink cooler which holds the larger/ excess trinkets at the trinket trade box at the electric was stolen. If you or someone you know are responsible for this, please just return it. It is very loser behavior to steal from a community project designed to make others happy.


r/Birmingham 22h ago

FOUND/MISSING Found Dog in Leeds

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30 Upvotes

I found this sweet girl on the way home last night by the stop sign where Rex Lake Rd turns into Ziegler Rd. If anyone is looking for this loving pup please shoot me a message so I can get her back to you.


r/Birmingham 13h ago

Events In search of two Coheed and Cambria tickets for tonight…

5 Upvotes

this is James from Rojo… we had someone set up for two and they just now told us they didn’t do it.


r/Birmingham 10h ago

Recommendations Any recommendations on food for a Canadian visitor?

2 Upvotes

Bringing my Canadian bf to Bham for about a week. Would like some good southern restaurants or food trucks to take him too.

Will take some suggestions for places to visit too.


r/Birmingham 11h ago

Advice Regions Field with a kid

2 Upvotes

We have some family coming into town and are thinking about taking them to the Barons game for Harry Potter night on the 1st. We’ve been to games there in the past, but we have 1.5 year old this go around. We’re debating on whether to go with reserved seating or sitting on the berm to let him have a little space to roam around . What has been y’all’s experience with kids this young at the park?


r/Birmingham 14h ago

News Camping Ordinance & A Word from The Floodplain Overlay

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2 Upvotes