Bordered by the foothills of the enchanting Appalachian Mountains, Birmingham is Alabama's largest city and the regional hub of cultural activity. Containing many picturesque community parks including: Vulcan Park, Oak Mountain State Park and the TanneHill Park, Vulcan Park is perhaps the city's most famous. Its towering statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of metalworking, is a well-known symbol of the once-industrial city. Founded in 1871 as a steel-making center, it exploded onto the map almost overnight, quickly growing into Alabama's largest city and thus earning the nickname of "The Magic City." A key site in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the city offers a vast selection of tourism attractions including the Alabama Sports Hall of fame, the Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Southern Museum of Flight, Vulcan Park, McWane Center, Alabama Adventure Theme Park and the Birmingham Zoo, the state's largest. Birmingham's association with both historical legacy and modern culture is apparent in the range of festivals that take place throughout the year, from the eclectic Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival to the Southern Heritage Festival which takes great pride in community traditions. In the 1950s, a team of scientists designed and tested the rockets that eventually put man on the moon. Today, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center is one of Alabama's top attractions. Visitors can see an actual Apollo spacecraft and a towering 363-foot Saturn V rocket. There's a reason so many great writers are from the South. Our unique culture breeds creativity. If arts and entertainment are to your liking, then a trip to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery should be on your itinerary. The sixth-largest Shakespeare festival in the world, Variety recently called it "an oasis of optimism and growth." If you're looking for more musical fare, catch some of America's hottest acts at huge concert venues in Birmingham, Montgomery or Orange Beach, to name a few. Or find the next Taylor Hicks at one of Alabama's hundreds of live music spots, where top upcoming talent is constantly on display. Looking for something to do this weekend? Consider doing a sports tour of our fabulous city. Tour the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, then visit Rickwood Field, the world's oldest ballpark, and view America's largest motorcycle collection at Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Next travel to Talladega, where NASCAR offers thrilling racing adventures at the Talladega Superspeedway. Today, Birmingham is a medical and financial center, as well as a cultural and heritage destination. Its skyline is dominated by buildings for banks, hotels, hospitals, university (UAB), utilities, etc. Over the years, Birmingham has become economically diverse and maintains one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state. Rediscover why so many people visit Birmingham every year and fall in love with ‘sweet home Alabama’ all over again!!!