hi. we are 2 people from norway, who is going south, start the trip in nyc, and fly down to nashville where we stay 3-4 nights, and then we have planed to drive down to birmingham,alabama.(is that a long trip??)the plan is to take 3-4 days there, before we go to south carolina..where shall we stay, is downtown ok?? we have no plans what to do, so we just want to see the town, eat well, have some beers, and fun.about where to stay, also thinking about safety, is there some areas we shall avoid?? we are going in august. thanks for all the help.

Why Birmingham??

I'm wondering why you are heading to Birmingham, too. Is there something in particular you want to see? The drive will be several hours, and Birmingham in August will be hot, hot, and hotter. That being said, do not stay in downtown Birmingham. I'd recommend the Embassy Suites in Homewood. Close to the zoo and botanical gardens, easy access. Downtown has a wonderful museum of art you can drive to for the day. Downtown is not a place to be at night.
If your timing is right, I highly recommend attending a minor league baseball game at the Hoover Met (the Birmingham Barons).
There is an area south of downtown called Five Points that has lots of youth-oriented resturants.
Below is a website that should help you.

www.bcvb.org/ttd-attractions-list.asp

Since you are driving from Nashville to B'ham (3.5-4 hours) will be taking I-65. If you take I-565 for 12 miles from its intersection with I-65 (Decatur, AL) will be in Huntsville, the Rocket City. It has the largest space museum in US (they claim) the only vertical Saturn V rocket (replica)and an actual Saturn V (horizontal) an actual shuttle used for testing purposes with external tank and solid rocket boosters attached, an SR-71 Blackbird and is home to Space Camp. If you want to make a side trip coming down to Birmingham could stop off in Lynchburg, TN home of Jack Daniels Distillery and Jim Beam Distillery. Both offer free tours. Even if you don't drink it is interesting to see how it is made. Lynchburg is still a small country town. If you want to meet people from all over for a meal make reservations at Mary Bobo's Boarding House (can be found on web) They offer lunch two times a day made from locally grown produce. They seat you with other folks and a host who keeps the conversations going. It always sells out far in advance so make your reservations now. Kind of pricy but will have a great time.

before I drove 4 hours to Birmingham, I would drive to Chattanooga. Their is a great Aquarium and Lookout Mountain is fun. We always stay at the Choo-Choo. I live in Birmingham and can't think of anything to do in August but stay out of the heat! Most days are around 100F and HUMID!

hi. thanks for all the info.we are driveing to savannah in south carolina, but we dont want to try to do trip in 1 day, so that why we want to stop in birmingham, but after reading what you are saying, maybe we shall try another city in alabama??, we have ok time to do this trip, and we dont want to rush anything, and since we are south, we want to see some of alabama to, a trip to lynchburg, to see the home of jack daniels, and jim beam sounds ok to me, but will 2-3 days there be to much???.
thanks for all the help.

Birmingham is rich with history, not all pleasant but worth a trip. I hope the iron man Vulcan is back atop Red Mtn when you come. He was taken down a couple of years ago for repairs. Try the civil rights museum to soak up Birmingham history. Awsome stuff here. On a lighter note, the sports museum is very interesting. both are downtown and easy to do in a day. Don't stay or eat downtown. Bham is rich with great restaurants. Brio's at Brookwood Mall is wonderful. Maccaroni Grill or PF Chang's are great Italian and Chinese dinners. These are at the Summit shopping center. If you want steak, the most expensive is Ruth Chris's but I like the OUtback at Wildwood shopping center. If you want to walk around or cool off in the lake, Oak mtn state park is about 35mins south off I-65. A very easy drive. We have Vision land, an Amusement/Water park if you like that. There are lots of places to shop but nothing special in my opinion. Bham is the best place midway to savannah unless you travel on to Atlanta. Atlanta is another 21/2 hour drive on I-20 east. If you visit Atlanta, see Stone mtn, The coca cola museum and Zoo Atlanta. Bham has a small zoo too.

I have lived in and around Birmingham most of my life and would like to offer some suggestions based on what I would show visitors. In my opinion, Birmingham does not have any noteworthy hotels. Therefore, I would simply look for a good value in the Homewood area. This would put you close to downtown, Southside and also Mountain Brook. For breakfast I would recommend Bogue's on the Southside at 3028 Clairmont Ave. Lots of local flavor here, food and patrons. Next, I would recommend a visit to the Civil Rights Institute. Not something we are proud of but a unique part of history. For lunch I would go to the Smokehouse Restaurant at 348 Finley Ave. It is next door to the Farmers Market. Great fresh veggies and other food made from scratch each day by the same Greek family who have owned it for years. I recently read a review by a New York food critic who listed it as one of his favorite meals of all time. After lunch I would travel to Mountain Brook for some village type shopping or just looking at the wonderful houses in the neighborhood there. Remember that it will be extremely hot and humid. In Mountain Brook you could also visit the Botanical Gardens. The Zoo is there, also, but, it is small and not very well done. For dinner I would go back to Southside to eat at Highland's Bar and Grill at 2011 11th Ave. South. The Southside is also the place to look for night life. I believe these types of places would give you a better taste of
Birmingham. If you just have to have a taste of surburbia go to the Galleria in Hoover and sit in the Food Court for some great people watching. Unless you are heavily in to Wedgewood I would skip the Museum of Art. If you were bringing children I would highly recommend the McWayne Center. If you decide to visit Birmingham you will find the people to be very charming and friendly-except while driving. Whatever you decide I hope that you have a wonderful trip.

I live in Birmingham also and I love it here. But I think you need to look at your maps again. There is a better and more direct way to get to Savannah from Nashville. You should probably drive through Chattanooga and Atlanta. Both are great cities with lots of local flavor, history and scenery. If you still want to come to Birmingham, there are lots of good recommendations already posted. Enjoy your trip!