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These are just some recommendations compiled by local BlazerTalkers for any traveling fans coming to Bham. We'll have links to maps, restaurants, nightlife, family entertainment, shopping, hotels, attractions, concerts and just about anything else visiting fans or returning Blazer faithful could need.

HOTELS
--- If you want to be close to downtown Bham nightlife:

The Hotel Highland at Five Points South, in the heart of 5 Points South's restaurants and bars and steps from UAB... this historic hotel has been completely renovated and turned into the hippest place to stay downtown
http://www.thehotelhighland.com/

Cobb Lane Bed and Breakfast, just one block away from Highland Avenue and 5 Points; adjacent to historic Cobb Lane, this b & b is close to everything, but on a fairly quiet residential street in historic Southside.
http://www.cobblanebandb.com/

Hilton Doubletree, recently renovated and centrally located between Lakeview District, 5 Points, and all major interstate exits
http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/hotel...cn=BHMDTDT

Courtyard by Marriott, in the heart of UAB's medical district and one block from several new restaurants
http://marriott.com/property/propertypag...Code=BHMDW



Lakeshore/State Farm Parkway Hotel Mecca has restaurants within walking distance and is a few minutes south of UAB and Legion Field on I-65:
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/...cn=BHMLDGI

http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotel...cn=BHMLSHX

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bh...m-homewood

http://www.lq.com/lq/properties/property...D_Y%3D2007

Best Western Carlton Suites

Drury Inn & Suites

StudioPLUS Hotel

Marriott TownePlace Suites



My personal pick:
The Courtyard by Marriott in Homewood @ Lakeshore Drive & Hwy 31 ; Pleasing to the wallet, clean, and walking distance to Brookwood Village restaurants and shopping... also 5 minutes drive time to downtown Bham on 31 North
http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/BHMHW

If you want shopping and suburban Bham atmosphere:
The Wynfrey Hotel -- Its surrounded by shopping, attached to the largest mall in Alabama and 15 minutes from Legion Field.
http://www.wynfreyhotel.com








B'ham BBQ:

Here's a list of a few BBQ joints in B'ham, along with any links I could find:

Jim 'n' Nick's BBQ

Full Moon BBQ

Golden Rule BBQ

Dreamland BBQ

Moe's Original BBQ and Blues Review

Bonedaddy's

Tin Roof BBQ

http://www.bobsykes.com

Demitri's BBQ

Johnny Ray's BBQ


***Carlile's BBQ
3511 6th Ave S
Birmingham, AL 35222
***Per Smaug intel, Carlile's is smokin' again! Great news for the B'ham BBQ scene. ***

Miss Myra's Pit BBQ
3278 Cahaba Heights Rd
Cahaba Heights, AL 35243
(205) 967-6004

Jim Deerman's BBQ
1644 Forestdale Blvd
Birmingham, AL 35214
(205) 798-3565

Costas BBQ
Trussville and Lakeshore Pkwy

T J's BBQ
3608 5th Ave S
Birmingham, AL 35222
(205) 595-0723

Ball Diamond BBQ
1813 27th Ave. South
Homewood, AL 35209
(205) 870-7788

Broadway BBQ
1008 Oxmoor Rd
Homewood, AL 35209
(205) 879-1937

Local B'ham Dining you shouldn't miss:


Milo's -- this burger joint got its start downtown and is now famous for its burger sauce, seasoned fries, and sweet tea so good its sold by the gallon next to the milk.
http://www.miloshamburgers.com/
http://www.milostea.com/

The Fish Market, downtown -- The best, reasonably priced seafood you'll find anywhere this far inland from the Gulf. The Sarris family, owners of this and other B'ham restaurants, are B'ham icons and add a touch of their Greek heritage into everything they make.
http://www.birminghammenus.com/thefishmarket/

Highlands Bar & Grill (reservations req.) -- The crown jewel of B'ham dining; Highlands was named by Gourmet Magazine as #5 in the list of 'The 50 Best American Restaurants.' Bon Appetit Magazine named Highlands owner and chef Frank Stitt as one of the culinary 'Legends of the Decade.'
http://www.highlandsbarandgrill.com/

Niki's West -- B'ham's ultimate "Meat & 3" and so much more. Read the reviews from B'hamDining.com and RoadFood.com:
http://www.bhamdining.com/meat-and-three...-west.html
http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup....&RefID=222

***Farewell OT's... hope your doors will reopen soon!***

John's Diner -- A downtown icon for years, John's is famous for its slaw (John's Slaw dressing is sold in most B'ham grocery stores).
http://www.birminghammenus.com/johns

Pete's Famous Hot Dogs -- There is a hot dog sub-culture that runs through downtown B'ham. Ask folks where to get a good hot dog and you could get 15 different answers. Regardless, most will tell you the true, B'ham hot dog experience begins and ends with Pete's Famous.
http://www.hollyeats.com/PetesFamous.htm
http://www.southernfoodways.com/projects...mous.shtml -- Full History of Pete's


The J. Clyde -- http://www.jclyde.com/

Jackson's Bar & Bistro -- http://www.sohosquare.info/Jackson.php


Favorite Dives of UAB students/alumni:


Marty's -- this place is living history... http://www.martysbar.com/

Al's Deli & Grill -- Nowhere else on any college campus in the world can you get a chicken kabob, cheese fries, ribeye steak, baklava, grilled cheese, chocolate milk, loaded bbq baked potato, or a grilled Mahi-Mahi sandwich 24 hours a day-7 days a week-365 days a year... Al should have his own statue in UAB's Mini-Park... http://alsdeliandgrill.com

Fat Sam's Sub Station, 1154 11th Avenue S. - #2 on the health department and UAB cardiology unit's hit list... the only restauranteur with his very own song (actually, the song came first (1947), but Sam is still an original and a Blazer fan to boot)...

The Garage - You better ask a local for directions... better yet, you better get a local to take you there, because you won't find it without GPS navigation... apparently GQ and Esquire writers found it just fine, though.

Oasis - Slinkie and Schard were there when Taylor Hicks, in the middle of his weekly performance at Oasis, announced that he was auditioning for American Idol... they laughed along with everyone else at Oasis that night... and have eaten crow along with everyone at Oasis that fateful night. SOUL PATROL!!!

Twist & Shout Dueling Piano Bar -- Once Dugan's and briefly Fletcher's, Twist & Shout has quickly become one of the most popular night spots in B'ham.
Here's what their site has to say: The dueling pianos is a sing along, all request show THURS.,FRI.,& SAT.from 9pm. until 2am. The kitchen is wide open THURS @ 8pm, FRI & SAT 7pm - 1:30am, featuring pizzas, apps., dogs, sandwiches and burgers. Attire is business casual... You can reserve tables from 7-7:45pm FRI&SAT and there is no cover charge from 7-8pm. Please call at least a day in advance. You must be 21 years old to enter with proper I.D. Thurs is 19+. TWIST & SHOUT: FOOD, DRINK, MUSIC & MAYHEM well into the AM.




Shopping:

Riverchase Galleria (one of the largest indoor malls in the SE)
http://www.riverchasegalleria.com/html/index4.asp

The Summit (upscale outdoor shopping)
http://www.thesummitonline.com/birmingham/index.html

Brookwood Village
http://www.colonialbrookwoodvillage.com

SoHo Square/Downtown Homewood -- small downtown sidewalk shopping and restaurants 1/2 mile south of Vulcan Park
http://www.sohosquare.info/

Area Attractions

Barber Motorsports Park & Museum -- Home to the largest collection of vintage and limited edition motorcycles in the world.
http://www.barbermotorsports.com
http://www.barbermuseum.org/

Vulcan Park & Museum -- Vulcan "God of the Forge" towers above downtown B'ham as the world's largest cast iron statue and second largest in the US. Visit the museum and follow the birth of Birmingham's iron and steel industry. Take the elevator up to the foot of Vulcan and see the best view of B'ham.
www.VulcanPark.org

Birmingham Civil Rights District and Institute --
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Website
Kelly Ingram Park Walking Tour Info
16th Street Baptist Church

Rickwood Field -- Check out America's oldest baseball park
www.RickwoodField.com

Alabama Adventure --
www.AlabamaAdventure.com

McWane Science Center --
www.McWane.org

Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark -- Visit and tour a unique landmark from B'ham's industrial past... one of the coolest and creepiest places you'll ever visit
www.SlossFurnaces.com

Oak Mountain State Park --
Oak Mtn State Park Website

Ruffner Mountain Nature Center --
www.RuffnerMountain.org

The Birmingham Zoo -- http://www.birminghamzoo.com/

Birmingham Botanical Gardens -- http://www.bbgardens.org/

The Peanut Depot -- Since 1907 this Birmingham landmark has been roasting peanuts on Morris Avenue for stadiums and arenas across the Southeast... http://www.kinetic.com/peanutdepot.html


Links to more info:
The Black & White -- http://www.bwcitypaper.com/ -- What's going on around B'ham
Birmingham Dining -- http://www.bhamdining.com -- B'ham restaurant list with prices and reviews

Around UAB campus - semi college dives that haven't changed a bit in 20 years

Da Vinci's Pizza in Homewood

The Burly Earl

The Pita Stop

Is the Steak & Egg on 10th still there?

If you go to Burly Earl's, try the chicken fingers.

Greasy as hell, but a .good kind of greasy.

Funniest thing I ever read on a men's room wall was above a urinal at Burly's: "Please don't throw toothpicks into the urinal. The crabs have learned to pole vault."

lmfao

That's funny. I always loved that beer-battered, deep-fried sandwich they had. I think it was called a Dagwood. I haven't been there in years. Their fried mushrooms were good, too.

Of course, you can deep-fry just about anything and improve its flavor.

That's hilarious. You can't beat the burgers or onion rings at Burly's. Those onion rings are like funnel cakes almost. So good they should be reserved for dessert!

I would also like to throw out Mr. P's Deli close to Bluff Park for some of the best sandwiches around

Is Davenport's Pizza still open in Mountain Brook? and is it still as good?

It's still open, it's still great food, and if you went there anytime from the mid 1970's on it has the same decor, although the dust bunnies are a bit bigger.

Mr. P's also has some great steaks for grilling or tailgating.

How about a section on some tourist attractions?

• Vulcan
• Bham Botannical Gardens
• Sloss Furnace
• Oak Mountain State Park
• etc...
  

I'm working on updating the BlazerTalk Guide... let me know if there's anything that you'd like to see added.

FYI: The Burly Earl repainted the place green and gold and has a lot of UAB pennants and banners around. It looks amazing and tastes just as good.

Yes, it is. My son, dad and I ate there three weeks ago. As good as always. Best pizza ever, imo.

For a dive, how about Club South.
Penny beer was the best.

I did not know it was possible to paint grease. Their walls are made of grease, right?

It takes a lot of determination but the main ingredient is love.

I ate there recently, after the city went smoke-free. It was different in a way I couldn't put my finger on until I was almost finished eating. I had finally realized that I could see from on end of the place to the other.

I think you can still smoke in the gameroom, provided you sign a waiver or something. Of course, the smoke from the kitchen will always be with us.

Actually they have a sign above the gameroom entrance stating that they take a hit of five points to keep their place a smoking restaurant. But the kicker is that they still have a 94 from the Health Dept. even after those points are knocked off. I seriously have no idea how they have such a high score in that old place.

Upscale restaurants: Oceans, Hot & Hot Fish Club, Bottega's, Satterfields in Cahaba Heights, La Dolce Vita Italian,

Pizza:

New York Pizza, Homewood
Davenports, near lots of high end shops, Mtn. Brook
Rocky's Pizza, Southside

Southside Breakfast Spots:

Original Pancake House, 5 Points South
Bogues Restaurant
Ted's Cafeteria, great meat & three lunch spot also (Cash Only)
Vincent's Market, near Silvertron Cafe
Grumps, serves good lunch also

Lunch:

Update The Garage to say the best lunch sandwiches ever (Cash Only)
Newks, great food always packed
La Cocina, Mexican

I just realized you missed Mr. P's. Sandwiches that melt in your mouth.

Visiting fans, please post any questions and we will be happy to help.

Any suggestion on bars near the Courtyard by Marriott - Downtown/UAB? I heard about the 5 points area, are there any places to sit down and drink some brews close by (as in walking distance).

I've fixed a few issues with links and the hotel list and added a few more attractions.

When shopping at Brookwood Village or the Pinnacle in Trussville Five Guys Burgers & Fries, a not so fast food burger joint, is yum-o! When shopping at the Pinnacle, I often eat at Jim & Nick's BBQ...yum-o as well.

Hot & Hot Fish Club is pretty tasty, although I have never eaten fish there. They are pretty famous for their shrimp and grits. I wish they would cater another Green & Gold Room meal.

As far as hotels are concerned, you may want to mention the Redmont Hotel downtown. I stayed there last weekend while I was in town and found it surprisingly nice. Convenient to downtown, SS and the highway. Best of all... it was very affordable!

where did hooters move to? We used to stop on the east side of town heading home from dega but noticed it was shut down last year!

Trussville area

Edwards Lake Rd & US11 (Gadsden Hwy)
@ exit 32 I-459

We found a nice little dive not to far from campus called Oasais. It was not to bad, we humg there and had a few to many and they headed to watch the best ball game Ive seen in years!!!!

This is actually the first feedback we've received from a visiting fan about a place already listed on the guide. It's nice to know we're not steering folks in the wrong direction.

YET

Maybe next year we'll send the memphis trolls somewhere [not so] nice.

I didnt notice that barber was also in your guide. Their motorcycle musuem was worth the drive! The bartender at oasais made the place cool.

Now you're just fishing for reputation points

LOL nah just stating the facts. I like Birmingham as a town, it is nice to get out of memphis now and then and see something new. Ive came through b/ham for years on the way to talladega but never stopped. We had a great time down there and hope that next years game is on a saturday again so we can grow the group and come back!!!!I hope to see plenty of blazers up this way enjoying beale st in the coming weeks.

Update: Apparently Carlyle's didn't stay closed long. It's up and running, and has been for a while.

Sadly, though, it appears the Burly Earl is no longer with us, at least for lunch.

Just a quick update made re: Smaug's info, added SoHo info, and a couple restaurant changes.

Here's to hoping OT's can open it's doors once again.

So Burly Earl is open for dinner to late night only now? Only on the weekends or throughout the week?

Thanks

I don't know, really.

I just went there for lunch a few weeks ago and there was a sign on the door saying they were no longer open for lunch.

update.
ate lunch at LaCocina (upstairs) Wedenesday 9/17. Learned the Earle is closed for good, until/unless it is sold and new owner(s) reopens
as Burly Earle.

For the Memphis fans, just in time for the "haunted houses"...

Sloss Fright Furnace
http://www.frightfurnace.com

Atrox Factory
http://www.atroxfactory.com

This is the good link for the Sloss Furnace: http://www.frightfurnace.com/main.asp

I think this is the year Little Smaug is finally ready.

All those restaurants sound great but youre all forgetting the only one that really matters: Pete's Famous Hot Dogs. If youre downtown you cant leave without eating lunch there. Best hot dogs around

Absolutely correct! I don't know how I left it off the list.

Thanks for the tips to make it easier on visitors. I came in Thursday from Memphis for the Tiger/UAB game and stayed for the race on Sunday. I fully support your recommendations on the Fish Market and Milo's, but not Dreamland BBQ. Dreamland had great service and good beans, but the ribs were terrible. No meat falling off the bone there. Needed a good set of teeth to pull the meat off and they had to much fat on them. The sauce was different, but well made for what it was. Need to take them off your list of recommended places to eat.

Believe it or not the best food I had was a place called "Mexican Restaurant" in downtown Talladega. Very good tasting mexican food and drinks.

Locals know that it's always a crapshoot when it comes to the quality of ribs at Dreamland. For me personally, the safe bet for good ribs is Full Moon BBQ.

I'm wondering if anybody has ever heard of or been to Bogue's Restaurant or Chris Z's? I picked up a Green and Gold Bucks booklet and it included those to places two eat.

Is Bogue's still on Clairmont? Excellent meat and three. I know people who just go for the cornbread muffins and sweet rolls.

Bogue's is still open on Clairmont and has a new location at the old Florida Grill in Homewood.

I have heard nothing but good things about Chris Z's, but have never eaten there.

The best breakfast for your money downtown is Courtney's.