Birmingham

[PrincessSuzanne]

I really need some help, Dh and I are going to Birmingham on Friday to take my rabbit to the vet. I haven't been there in over 8 years. We aren't planning to stay, except for the day and of course, we really won't be able to do much of anything, except fast food, since I won't leave my furbaby in a hot vehicle.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I would like something besides your typical McDonalds or BK. Any suggestions of places we can go to see from our vehicle or that might be pet friendly. We live about 2.5 to 3 hours southwest and would like to make this more than just about the furbaby.

Suzanne

 

[tiffsix]

I have only been to Birmingham about 6 times so i really can't help but i just wanted to say...ROLL TIDE

 

[dawn1620]

If at all possible I would just let them board the bunny for the day - I'm sure it won't cost that much and enjoy the day out. It is so hot these days you won't be able to leave an animal in a car even for a quick meal - the temp in the car will rise too quickly.

The Birmingham Museum of Art is always great and it's free!

There is a farmer's market on the southside of Birmingham - just google Pepper Place Farmers Market and you'll be able to pull up the website.

Go to one of the state parks around town - Oak Mountain (near Pelham, AL - about 15 minutes from downtown Birmingham) is good, there are canoes to rent, you can do horseback riding, there is a petting zoo and an animal rehabilitation center to visit.

The Riverchase Galleria is a huge mall but not really spectacular, just a mall.

McWane Center in downtown Birimingham is a cool place - lots of science exhibits, they have an IMAX theater and usually some special exhibits but it can get pricey when you start figuring in all these things. Google this one and you should be able to pull it up to check it out.

There is usually some sort of outside concert or art shows going on - I would just search the internet for happings around Birmingham and you should be able to pull up what is going on.

 

[MNFootballMommy]

Dreamland Ribs

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I have only been to Birmingham about 6 times so i really can't help but i just wanted to say...ROLL TIDE

You just had to come here and do that didn't you? If I felt better, I might really laugh, but right now my heart just isn't in it.

If at all possible I would just let them board the bunny for the day - I'm sure it won't cost that much and enjoy the day out. It is so hot these days you won't be able to leave an animal in a car even for a quick meal - the temp in the car will rise too quickly.

The Birmingham Museum of Art is always great and it's free!

There is a farmer's market on the southside of Birmingham - just google Pepper Place Farmers Market and you'll be able to pull up the website.

Go to one of the state parks around town - Oak Mountain (near Pelham, AL - about 15 minutes from downtown Birmingham) is good, there are canoes to rent, you can do horseback riding, there is a petting zoo and an animal rehabilitation center to visit.

The Riverchase Galleria is a huge mall but not really spectacular, just a mall.

McWane Center in downtown Birimingham is a cool place - lots of science exhibits, they have an IMAX theater and usually some special exhibits but it can get pricey when you start figuring in all these things. Google this one and you should be able to pull it up to check it out.

There is usually some sort of outside concert or art shows going on - I would just search the internet for happings around Birmingham and you should be able to pull up what is going on.

I am thinking about seeing if they will board them for the afternoon (I would never leave them in a hot vehicle for any reason), they are very heat sensitive. I am bringing both of them, since one will have problems if the other is gone for any length of time and this ride might be stressful anyway.

Oak Mtn park sounds nice. I'm gonna check out the Farmer's Market site. We have been to the Galleria, I might run in the Disney store . I was thinking aobut visiting the zoo. I guess we will take it as it comes.

Thank you very much for the info.

Suzanne

 

[fiveforall]

At the Summit, you've got the yummy Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Macaroni Grill, and a beautiful shopping complex. The Bright Star in Bessemer is pretty popular as is the Fish Market downtown. We live in Tuscaloosa and go to Birmingham quite often. Some of our favorite activities include:

Alabama Adventure (love the waterpark!)
Birmingham Zoo (I just hate going in the hot weather!)
Birmingham Museum of Art
Civil Rights Museum
McWane Center
Iceskating at Pelham Civic Center
Barons Baseball
shopping at the Summitt, Patton Creek, and Galeria
movie at the Rave at Patton Creek

 

[momof1princess]

if you're going to be anywhere near UAB, jim and nicks bbq is right around in there (sorry, i forget the street) and it's AWESOME. i second the mcwane center-interesting place. you might check out vulcan park or oak mountain. oak mtn has lots of restaurants outside the entrance if you get hungry. we usually do some sort of shopping while we're there, b/c we live in a small city (NE alabama) so we usually hit a sam's club, disney store and build-a-bear at the galleria, maybe toys r us (across from the galleria) and home depot. there is also a GREAT thrift store over in roebuck-america's thrift store {1125 Huffman Road, Birmingham, AL 35215. (205) 856-6774}. i looooove going there. sorry, didn't mean to write a book, LOL. hope your bunny is ok

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

May I suggest you take an ice chest in the car with ice and ice water, towels you can wet down if need be, and maybe a battery operated fan. Last week we were on vacation and my daughter kept my dog. On our way home, we picked up the dog and as we left Dallas, my dog got very overheated. Fortunately I had crushed ice chips and unsweetened tea that he was willing to drink (wouldn't drink his water). I wet down a towel for him to lie on, poured cold water down his stomach, chest, inside his legs, etc. (he's a long haired yorkie). I held him in front of the AC vents which helped to cool him down. The AC on high speed was just not cooling him down fast enough. During the drive home we got stuck in traffic several times, once for over 30 minutes during road construction. Even with the AC on high speed, it was still difficult keeping him cool enough. At one point our thermometer outside was reading 109* while sitting stuck in traffic during the construction. I was almost in a panic, worrying about him getting too hot. I kept worrying that our truck might overheat from having to sit for so long, stuck in traffic, with the AC running on high. I kept thinking about the little bulldog someone here on the Dis had who died from heat stroke recently on a routine trip to the vet. I had an ice chest that I could have soaked him in if need be, but fortunately it never came to that.

Sorry this is so long, but I just wanted to remind you to be prepared for extreme heat and stuff like road construction during your trip to the vet. I know how sensitive rabbits are to heat, and if it's as hot in Alabama as it is in Texas, WHEW!! It's really dangerous taking pets in cars in this heat. The past two times I have taken my little dog out in the car, he has gotten overheated, and we have a very cold AC in our truck. He will not be going on any more trips until this autumn when the temps cool down again. It's absolutely too hot for him to go anywhere in the car now.

I hope everything goes well for you and your rabbit. I hope the vet will be willing to board them for you so you can have a little fun while you're out of town. Good luck.

 

[Alice1386]

if you're going to be anywhere near UAB, jim and nicks bbq is right around in there (sorry, i forget the street)QUOTE]

11th avenue north. There are also several more around the surrounding area. Excellent bbq... My favorite!

Sigh... I miss Birmingham.

 

[darlak]

If you can board your bunnies for a few hours, I second (or maybe it's 3rd or 4th) McWane Center (my son works there as a projectionist). There's no better place to see the new Night at the Museum movie.

The Vulcan is another great place, especially if you haven't been in few years. The view is amazing since they re-did it.

Try going to AL.com and looking at the Birmingham news online. Their entertainment section will have all kinds of different thing listed that are currently going on.

If you decide on a downtown activity, I suggest lunch at The Fish Market at 612 22nd Street South. It's one of our best local seafood places with trucks running to the gulf daily.

Hope you bunny does well.

 

[leagirl12]

if you're going to be anywhere near UAB, jim and nicks bbq is right around in there (sorry, i forget the street)QUOTE]

11th avenue north. There are also several more around the surrounding area. Excellent bbq... My favorite!

Sigh... I miss Birmingham.

11th Avenue South....there are several good restaurants right around there. Surin (Thai food), Fire and Ice, Mellow Mushroom, Ruby Tuesday.

 

[rcraw45425]

Hey neighbor, another vote for Jim & Nicks (so much better than Country's) and ditto Dreamland, although it's pricey. We split two racks of ribs, (with loaf bread) and had 4 sodas and 1 side order of potato salad (not as good as Jim & NIcks PS) and it was right at $50 without tip. DOn't get me wrong, ribs and sauce are outstanding, just take plenty of $$$. Summit is great, Cheesecake Factory, if the Dcousin is coming there are lots of shopping opportunities for her (and you) like American Eagle, Hollister, A&F, Vera Bradley (a whole store!), Apple, etc. Jeff did residency there in the 90s and we loved it. The FIsh MArket is good (several locations and reasonable), and for Burgers (cheap) Milo's are great (bring rolaids) with their famous sweet tea, and Sneaky Petes are good hot dogs. At the Galleria you also have tons of options for shopping and dining, take your pick of most chains.

If you decide to stay over, this website is great for pet friendly hotels:

http://www.petvacations.com/Birmingham-pet-friendly-hotels.html

The Drury Inns have a full breakfast in the morning, free internet and "social hour" in the evening with drinks (hard and soft). ALso I think 1 hour of free long distance daily. Amy and I stayed at one in Atlanta for state chorus a few years back.

I'm thinking about you!

 

[EpcotSweetHrts0512]

I love going to the Summit (outside mall) because of the great restaraunts and stores. Brookwood is also nice, but small. What part of Birmingham are you going to be in??

 

[LuvN~Travel]

if you're going to be anywhere near UAB, jim and nicks bbq is right around in there (sorry, i forget the street) and it's AWESOME. i second the mcwane center-interesting place. you might check out vulcan park or oak mountain. oak mtn has lots of restaurants outside the entrance if you get hungry. we usually do some sort of shopping while we're there, b/c we live in a small city (NE alabama) so we usually hit a sam's club, disney store and build-a-bear at the galleria, maybe toys r us (across from the galleria) and home depot. there is also a GREAT thrift store over in roebuck-america's thrift store {1125 Huffman Road, Birmingham, AL 35215. (205) 856-6774}. i looooove going there. sorry, didn't mean to write a book, LOL. hope your bunny is ok

I second Jim and Nicks. Great place to eat, and I love their muffins! I was so glad when we got one here.

We've also done the McWane Center and Oak Mountain. I would definitely look into the 'rabbit daycare' and try to visit some of the things listed so far. Have fun while you are there, too.

Kim

 

[MomofKatie]

We lived in B'ham for 5 years, in the mid 90's. We loved all the BBQ available there- Jim & Nick's, Dreamland, etc.

To the current B'ham residents- is Johnny Ray's BBQ still around? We loved their 'cue and the icebox pies were to die for. I still crave their banana cream and coconut cream pies. We also really liked Golden Rule BBQ- the little one in Pelham (we lived in Pelham). They had the best spicy red slaw- mmm!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Thank you all so much. It will depend on what goes on at the vet that determines what we will do afterwards. I am going to print out all of this info and take it with us.

Robin, No way am I taking Dcousin, she wouldn't want to go with us old folks anyway, so it will just be Dh and I. He won't be happy that you told me about the Vera Bradley place, I could spend a whole day there alone. I love Country's, so I think we might try Jim and Nick's. We haven't decided to stay overnight, but we might, we just have so many things that we need to do at home on Saturday and I promised Dh we could cook out on our new grill (that was got last summer and never used).

BigBadWolf, I will definitely be taking our cooler and some frozen bottles of water that I can lay in their tote to stay cool, plus fresh drinking water. Our van has really nice vents in the back so they can get air and it is heavily tinted. these guys would be more sensitive than other rabbits, because they have always been house rabbits. We have had a front come through and cool things off a bit and it isn't as bad this week as it was last week, thank goodness, but I don't know yet what the weekend holds for us. Looks like it might rain and be about 10 degrees cooler than last week when it was over 100.


Suzanne

 

[rcraw45425]

Thank you all so much. It will depend on what goes on at the vet that determines what we will do afterwards. I am going to print out all of this info and take it with us.

Robin, No way am I taking Dcousin, she wouldn't want to go with us old folks anyway, so it will just be Dh and I. He won't be happy that you told me about the Vera Bradley place, I could spend a whole day there alone. I love Country's, so I think we might try Jim and Nick's. We haven't decided to stay overnight, but we might, we just have so many things that we need to do at home on Saturday and I promised Dh we could cook out on our new grill (that was got last summer and never used).

BigBadWolf, I will definitely be taking our cooler and some frozen bottles of water that I can lay in their tote to stay cool, plus fresh drinking water. Our van has really nice vents in the back so they can get air and it is heavily tinted. these guys would be more sensitive than other rabbits, because they have always been house rabbits. We have had a front come through and cool things off a bit and it isn't as bad this week as it was last week, thank goodness, but I don't know yet what the weekend holds for us. Looks like it might rain and be about 10 degrees cooler than last week when it was over 100.


Suzanne

I'm gonna give your hubby a real reason to hate me and tell you that Vera has home goods like rugs and table linens too! Oh yeah, there's also a restoration hardware there too. BBQ rules up there, I"m wanting Dreamland ribs right now. Of course I keep forgetting that there's one in Atlanta too!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I'm gonna give your hubby a real reason to hate me and tell you that Vera has home goods like rugs and table linens too! Oh yeah, there's also a restoration hardware there too. BBQ rules up there, I"m wanting Dreamland ribs right now. Of course I keep forgetting that there's one in Atlanta too!

OOOOhhh yes, he will. I have seen a few of those items on the website, but I will have to check out the store in Birmingham. He will love the Hardware store. Ribs sound soooo good right now, so 4th of July.....

Now, thinking back, I have eaten at Jim and Nick's. There is one in San Destin at the San Destin Golf and Beach Resort, yummy

Suzanne

 

[Cindy B]

OOOOhhh yes, he will. I have seen a few of those items on the website, but I will have to check out the store in Birmingham. He will love the Hardware store. Ribs sound soooo good right now, so 4th of July.....

Suzanne

Restoration Hardware is a 'girly' store, similar to Pottery Barn and little whifs of Pier One instead of say a Craftsman or Home Depot. It's more cutesy than functional.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Restoration Hardware is a 'girly' store, similar to Pottery Barn and little whifs of Pier One instead of say a Craftsman or Home Depot. It's more cutesy than functional.

OOOOhhhhh, now I feel like an idiot


Suzanne