Alabama

Valerie Thomas:
Birmingham has this really cool name called “The Magic City,” and there’s a very interesting story about that: It was discovered that all the ingredients to make pig iron could be dug out of the dirt. And, all of a sudden, everyone was here, working, building and trading steel. And they call it “The Magic City” because it really appeared in the middle of nowhere overnight.
The Vulcan Park & Museum is a really cool place to check out the statue of our Vulcan built in 1904. They carted this huge statue to the St. Louis World’s Fair so they could show off and let everyone know what they were capable of. It was quite an awesome feat at the time. We have this amazing view of the city from that point.
Another gem would have to be Gip’s. It’s the oldest roadhouse in the country, and it’s one of those spots where you can hear blues all night long. You have to hit it on a Saturday night, and it’s a really fine night.
The Alabama Peanut Company is quite the cool place on Morris Avenue. You can get a pound – or 5 pounds if you like – of peanuts. Every day, they change the flavors. They take great pride in putting together a concoction for these boiled peanuts, and they’re very popular.
The craziest thing you can do in this city – I haven’t done it because I’m chicken – but we have the Barber Motorsports here. They have a little over 2-mile track with all kinds of elevations, lots of intricate curves, where you can take a Porsche and you can put that Porsche on a track and ride up to 200-plus miles per hour.
My very favorite thing to do in Birmingham is eat. All caps. Bottega is one of the best restaurants. They have great food, the menu changes seasonally, and they’re always coming up with something new.
We have Avondale Brewery. Not only do they have some of the best beers in town, they have great events like their crawfish boil. You don’t want to miss it.
Welcome to Birmingham, Alabama! Come and see us!
Judy Hood:
Muscle Shoals means everything. The music here is part of what makes us magical, and it’s definitely what makes us a global entity. A friend of mine says, “If Nashville and Memphis had a baby, it would be Muscle Shoals,” because our music – it’s a soulful sound, it’s a funky sound.
There were hundreds of hit records that just came out of this studio. There’s Aretha Franklin, there’s Rod Stewart, there’s the Rolling Stones, there’s Paul Simon – and the list just goes on and on and on. FAME and Muscle Shoals Sound – they’re just two iconic studios. One of the craziest things you can do is come stand in the room where Mick Jagger recorded “Brown Sugar.”
Our rivers and lakes here are just beautiful. On any given day, you’re going to see people out bass fishing, you’re going to see pleasure boats out, you’re going to see some families out enjoying some time on a pontoon boat. It’s a magnificent place for people to get to experience the joy of being on the water. It defines who we are in so many ways.
Exploring the Frank Lloyd Wright home in Florence is just a pleasure. It’s the only one in the state of Alabama. And I think what strikes me the most is how simplistic yet sophisticated his architecture was.
Odette is one of the best restaurants I’ve even eaten in. Everything has such an amazing twist. The things they can do, the flavors they can produce, are just mouthwatering. Their hospitality is as delicious as their cuisine, really.
People are always very surprised and thrilled about the diversity of our music in Alabama. Well, let’s face it: Music is the universal language. That’s one thing that can bring us together all over the world, and it’s something that we all agree on.