First stop: Birmingham....Alabama
It feels a bit strange to write about Birmingham from the perspective of a “temporary citizen,” having lived nearly half my life and essentially the entirety of my adult life in this city. Since I moved there as a wee college freshman in 2004, the city has changed drastically. Trails have been blazed and paved, parks renovated, stadiums built, the food and craft beer scene exploded. I have raised two children into teenhood there. I have left it and returned. There are some challenging things about living in this region, to be sure, but there are things that draw you to it as well.
For me, it’s the fact that I can find a quiet bench by a stream or river, hike to a waterfall, and get a bird’s eye view of the city while also being surrounded by nature without driving more than 25 minutes. You can go camping less than 30 minutes from downtown and still feel like you are at a weekend away in the mountains…then drive into town to visit the nationally recognized Pepper Place Farmer’s Market before you catch a movie at an independent theater and snag James Beard award winning grub at multiple locations. It’s big enough to attract headlining acts, but small enough that it seems like everyone knows everyone (or at least their cousin). It’s too hot. It’s too cold. It’s too wet or too dry. I hate it. I love it.
It’s weirdly hard to write about it.
As I wrote previously, our initial launch into digital nomadism only sent us about 25 miles, from our 4bed/3.5 bath house in Hoover, AL, to a 1bed/1bath second floor condo in the Highlands Riviera complex in the Highland Park neighborhood in Birmingham, AL city limits.
For those non-local to Birmingham, Highland Park is a historic neighborhood with a variety of grand early 20th century through modern homes and apartment buildings. Like the majority of outer neighborhoods of the city and its suburbs, Highland Park is hilly and tree-covered, with sidewalks along the main drag (the aptly named Highland Avenue) and weaving around several lovely parks and through its many side streets.
My very first apartment in Birmingham was at the entrance to Highland Park, so it felt a bit like coming full circle by ending here. Our AirBnB was at the opposite end of Highland Park from that tiny 8th floor apartment and therefore walkable to a different slate of amenities (although many of the amenities I enjoyed walking to 20 years ago have since been demolished in favor of a new high rise construction).
One of these was Rushton Park — a blessedly easy 5–7 minute walk from the condo and equipped with not only a playground with a swing set, but also a community garden (looks only!), expansive grassy area, and a continuous parade of dogs. The playground is shaded virtually all day and was a much welcome respite from entertaining two under 4s in a second floor 400–500 sq ft condo with zero outdoor space.
About a 10-minute walk away, on the other side of Rushton Park, is Rojo, a long-standing Birmingham staple with, somehow, prices that seem to be unchanged since the early 2000s. We ate several family dinners out on the patio here, enjoying the flexibility of the little boys being able to move around a bit without annoying too many other diners while waiting for food.
The Highland Park area is also incredibly close to Forest Park, with some real gems for dining and shopping. One afternoon, the boys, Sissy, and I walked down to get some iced herbal tea and lavender lemonade and peruse the wares at General before popping in to Birmingham’s best knitting store, the aptly named Knit Bham.
General had not been on my radar at all while we were living in Hoover. I wish it had been around when Davy and Faolan were small, because with the kids’ seating area and playable dollhouse it would have definitely been a top spot. The lavender lemonade was exquisitely refreshing.
This was also my first visit to Knit Bham. I wish I had spent many more hours in this lovely shop since its opening in 2024 (ish?). I met the founder/shopkeeper, Isabel, and mentioned that I had to restrain myself because we were shortly to leave the country with very little luggage… but that I did want to make a memory blanket for our grand voyage.
She then pulled out a secret stash of yarn that she and the other artisans running the shop had hand dyed in an experiment that will hopefully lead to their own line of yarns. She let me buy a skein to represent Birmingham in our blanket. I let Ellum pick the color.
The variegated part of the blanket is actually a yarn that I handspun in 2024 after Ellum found my spindle and wanted to see it in action. I let him hand me whatever colors of wool roving he wanted and I spun it. It seemed fitting to start the blanket.
Also in Forest Park is The Rougaroux, which is perhaps the little boys’ favorite restaurant of all time, thus far. It’s a low-key Cajun eatery decorated in what can be described as “swamp gothic/horror.” Ellum is obsessed with the decor. Arlo is obsessed with the gravel. But the food is very much a highlight for the adults.
I grew up on the Alabama/Mississippi Gulf Coast from a Cajun lineage, and I will 100% vouch for the food here. Definitely a spot to hit if you can’t get it better where you live.
Our three-week stint in the ‘ham ended with the Birmingham FolkFest, for which Beadle played a contra and helped lead an Irish session.
Real Life Stuff
Living in a small 1 bed condo with two small kids is hard, especially if you didn’t set the place up yourself. For multiple boring reasons, we all ended up sleeping in the king-sized bed in the bedroom, which also doubled as Beadle’s office. Your three year olds sonar pitched scream for any perception of being wronged in the world will sound like it is 100000000 decibels in a space this size, and even worse for feeling like you need to protect the ears of your very close neighbors as well. Also, there were no potholders??? So I knitted one and left it there for future inhabitants. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture.
We did lots and lots of art and sometimes had midday baths, especially if it was raining. We hit any close playground daily to try to keep things quieter for Beadle (gotta love those noise cancelling AirPods, I GUESS) and our downstairs neighbor, who sometimes banged on the ceiling at really random times (honestly not sure it was related to us because it happened a lot when we weren’t moving around or being noisy).
We’ll be back again—different AirBnB—for one more week in late July to collect the big kids before we head overseas. I wonder if it will already feel nostalgic after two months away or if we’ll just be even more ready for our big launch.
Local Favorites
Playgrounds/parks
-If you’re staying in Highland Park and can walk to it, Rushton Park is great. If you are willing to walk a bit farther or drive, Triangle Park is a big hit with the kiddos (plus has a massive mulberry tree that is great for both climbing and foraging if you hit it in the right season)
-Homewood Central Park-Just “over the mountain” from Birmingham, you can find the charming Hamlet hamleof Homewood. The Central Park boasts an enclosed play area, newly renovated with some fun stuff for the big kids or grown ups who fancy themselves future American Ninja Warriors. Little stream that you technically aren’t supposed to enter, but has great rock hopping upstream.
-The playground at City Walk- bring your sunscreen, but this place is amazing. You can also meander the City Walk itself (SHADED alllll the way) to the other end and find the skate park and a skating rink. There are also a dog park and pickleball courts.
-Railroad Park-Don’t go for the playground because it’s old and not that great anymore. But the kiddos can watch trains, birds, and fish here. There’s a wetlands/stream area that is lovely and some kind of concrete rock climbing dome that I have never understood but that the kids love.
-There are an abundance of others a bit farther afield- Discover Playground in Hoover is a blast (and also has a splash pad).
Walks/Hikes/Natural areas
-Ruffner Mountain- a nature preserve in the city that was previously used for mining. It has an excellent visitor’s center and boasts an incredible overlook. Paid parking but worth the trip.
-Red Mountain Park- another nature preserve/archaeological site with an extensive multiuse trail system and fun “treehouses.” The little kid in me goes absolutely nuts for hunting artifacts here (a bit more rare now that the park has been open quite a while). Maybe 25 minutes drive from the city.
-Moss Rock Nature Preserve- in Hoover with multiple entrances. There is a huge boulder field that is popular with climbers. Several waterfalls. A favorite with the kiddos.
-Oak Mountain State Park- camp, swim, hike, bike, golf, horseback ride. You can do it all. Day use passes are available.
-Rickwood Caverns- a little farther north close to Warrior, AL, but still easily accessible. Easy camping and adorable cave tour. In the summer, they fill the pool with water that is piped in from a natural spring in the cave. In the winter, they have Christmas lights in the cave.
-Birmingham Botanical Gardens- free, really quite lovely with multiple paved paths and walking trails. Kids love the Japanese Garden with a bridge over a fish pond and bamboo forest. For the homeschooling or world schooling crowd, you can find excellent one off classes during weekdays and the weekends for kids and adults.
Kid attractions: -McWane Science Center- good for a day, or once a week if you have an ASTC membership. Camps and classes available depending on the time of year.
-Birmingham Museum of Art- AC, enclosed kids area, FREE entrance and FREE parking! It’s great. Check out their class/camp schedule as well!
-The Birmingham Zoo: Honestly, IMO, skip. It cost $40 for me + 3yo + 1yo and I just don’t think it’s worth it unless you have a membership and go all the time just to have something to do. You can fight me about it, but why spend your time like that when you could be planning your amazing trip to Birmingham?
See below, the lack of enthusiasm for the zoo. He’s pointing at a giraffe, but he is full of ennui about it.
On the other hand, it is hard to resist watching other primates clean each other’s armpits…
