Chuck St John Photography

Birmingham's natural beauty, as well as the natural beauty provided by some of the most beautiful plants and flowers, shines brightly at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. You will be breathlessly enchanted by the gardens of roses, camellias, wildflowers, ferns that flourish in this truly serene and calming setting. Other highlights include a Japanese garden and teahouse as well as the largest greenhouse in the Southeast. Forget the stress of your day and come and breathe in the beauty of the floral attractions in bloom at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Twice a year NASCAR fans rev it up and go to the Talladega Superspeedway for some highly adrenalized excitement! Every spring and fall, the Talladega Superspeedway gives fans what they want in the form of the biggest, fastest, most competitive motorsports action in the world. This is where many records for speed and competition have been established. So be ready when the checkered flag goes up, as the action will be non-stop!

While the name may echo the classic television show Star Trek, there's nothing otherworldly about the Vulcan, the world's largest cast-iron sculpture. This visually compelling structure was created to pay tribute to the city's early iron industry. It weighs over 60 tons, stands over 55-feet-tall and was originally constructed for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Today the attraction stands next to an observation tower in the center of Vulcan Park that allows a somewhat closer look at this fascinating piece of history.