Last week I flew out to see one of my best girlfriends, Andee, who currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama. Andee moved to Birmingham from San Francisco roughly three years ago, since she was presented with an amazing work opportunity at Food & Wine (which I got to tour during my stay). Shortly after her move, she met her future husband and they bought a house together, which meant I was due for a visit!
During my visit to Birmingham, I received the full tour of their new home. The pair also showed me around their city and all their favorite food and beverage staples. In fact, on my first night in Birmingham, we went to Adios, which has been deemed one of the best tequila craft bars in the nation. I can confer with that statement, and I have tasted a lot of great margaritas in my life! In terms of good southern bbq food, I got to try Saw’s BBQ and ordered the sweet tea fried chicken sandwich, as well as Dreamland BBQ in which I ordered a baked potato with boneless rib tips and banana pudding. Of course, it wasn’t a visit to the south without seafood. I got to try hush puppies, as well as yeast bread, oysters, and fish and chips at Automatic Seafood. A lot of the food in the south can be on the heavier side, so I’m glad we also worked in açaí bowls and almond butter/avocado toast for breakfast at Farm bowl + Juice Co.
Beyond all the yummy food and drink spots we visited, we also spent some time window shopping around the Homewood area, adventuring with the pups around Red Mountain State Park, and frolicking around the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
Because Birmingham is geographically close to several other cities like Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, etc., we decided to spend a day exploring some of these other sites and attractions. We decided to drive to a city I had never visited before and one that has been on my bucket list for a long time. It is also home to country singer Dolly Parton. If you guessed correctly, this city was Nashville, TN!
Once in Nashville, we decided to fuel up with some brunch at Butcher & Bee. We enjoyed some mimosas and tasty Middle Eastern breakfast items. After we ate, we explored the city’s artsy murals. We began our mural walk at 12th South, where we also meandered through shops like Draper James, Stoney Clover, and Uncommon James, before making our way over to the Gulch. We snapped pictures and visited these murals in the following order: “I believe in Nashville” 2702 12th Ave, “Flowers” 2900 12th Ave, “Make Music, Not War” 2902 12th Ave; “What Lifts You” wings 302 11th Ave, and “HearThisNashville” 901 Gleaves St. This gave us enough time to walk around, with a pick-me-up coffee and donut at Five Daughters Bakery, before checking into our accommodation for the night, the Bobby Hotel. Next, after we freshened up, we hit the town for dinner and nightlife. As the South likes to put it, we were looking pretty as a peach! We ate dinner at Assembly Food Hall (lots of different Nashville eateries), then walked over to DT Broadway on Honky Tonk Row where we indulged in live music at places like Tootsies, Lucky Bastard Saloon, and more (but like Cinderella, we turned into bed by midnight, because this is 30).
The next day, as we made our way back to Birmingham, we stopped at a winery called Arrington Vineyards. I sipped on the semi-sweet flights and enjoyed every bit of sunshine out on the lawn. Fun fact, Arrington Vineyards is co-owned by country music artist Kix Brooks.
Because our time in Nashville was short-lived, we didn’t get to see everything. Next time I am there though, I would love to check out Santa’s Pub (a year-round Christmas themed bar, because who doesn’t love Christmas?), the Johnny Cash Museum, catch a country music show at the iconic Grand ole Opry, meander around Hillsboro Village and check out various murals, and try out food spots like Biscuit Love, Milk & Honey, Hampton Social, White Limozeen (a tribute to Dolly), and Liberty Common.
In summary, I had the best girls trip. Just in time to celebrate International Women’s Day! If the South isn’t on your travel list, it should be. Birmingham is highly underrated, but there is such an up-and-coming food scene there. It also offers that slower pace of life that makes vacationing relaxing and enjoyable. Nashville, on the other hand, has become quite the tourist attraction, especially for Bach parties, and I can see why. Nashville offers something for everyone, whether that’s shopping, music, site seeing, food/drink, etc. Hence, this is your sign to pack your favorite blue jeans and head to the South, y’all!
