The main point of our trip to Birmingham was to see an exhibit at the art museum. However, we are…read moreearly rises (especially with the 1-hour time difference from home), so we had some time in the morning to fill. My wife determined that the local botanical garden opened by 7 a.m. (!) and was also free, so we opted to stop here before the museum opened later at 10 a.m. We made it here by around 7:30 a.m. A word of caution - the highway interchange nearby was nightmarish. We missed 2 turns (even with a navigation app running). I don't think it was just me. So be careful and add a few extra minutes to get lost. Once finally off they highway and through the final roundabout, we proceeded along a road bordering the gardens. On the other side appeared to be an expensive hotel and an upscale shopping / dining plaza. The garden was having some sort of plant sale, and crowds were apparently expected. They had traffic control cones in place, but we arrived early enough so that parking was still plentiful. When we left, it seemed like the lot had mostly filled up. The gardens are quite large. They are divided up into sub-areas and there is a large map posted about 100 yards inside the main gate. No paper maps were on offer, so I guess you can take a photo of theirs and use that. We first strolled to the Japanese Garden. We had this to ourselves until almost when we left. This area is quite large by itself. They have koi ponds, a tea house, etc. It was nice. We took an alternate path back to the map pavilion. From there, we explored other areas (mostly dedicated to specific flowers). Some of the terrain is hilly. We routed through the vegetable garden and eventually ended up back at the central formal rose garden. This was being watered periodically that morning and some of the brick paths in it were flooded. They seemed to have some satellite restrooms in remote areas, in addition to the main set near the gate. We spent almost 2 hours here and probably could have spent even more time, but we wanted to drive to our prime stop. If you have any interest in botanical gardens, this is a very worthwhile stop.

One of the first things I appreciated was free parking and free entrance, which is always an…read moreattractive feature. From there, it just kept getting better. You can easily spend hours exploring the many trails that wind through beautiful flowers and plants, the serene Japanese Gardens, and even an active beehive community--which was my favorite part! We were on a bit of a time limit and didn't get to walk the entire property, but we still managed to spend about two hours covering roughly three miles, and it never felt rushed. While it's still a little early in spring for everything to be in full bloom, there were still plenty of gorgeous floral displays to enjoy. Some of the trail directions can be a bit confusing at times, and we did end up wandering off course once or twice. That said, it was never difficult to find our way back to the main trail and continue exploring. If you're looking for a place to meander, slow down, and truly enjoy nature, this is absolutely the place to do it. A peaceful and rewarding experience overall.

I visited Lumi for a Gradient Dance performance and it is such a beautiful event space. It's…read morelocated on the second floor of the Battery building downtown but wasn't too hard to find. The room is huge, with big windows that let in lots of sunlight and also give a great view of the city at night. Guests were seated in chairs, benches, and even big pillows on the floor, which gave the event a 'family night in' type vibe. They also had Barnestending on site making delicious cocktails. There are two restrooms and another area in the back where the performers were getting ready. This seems like a very versatile venue that you can transform for a wide variety of occasions.

Great venue for our event! Staff was friendly, professional and went above and beyond!read more

Loved the renovations! I attended the new Hall of Fame inductee this summer. I've only attended one…read moreother event here and can't remember how the venue looked before the renovations. But the new additions make me proud that the Hall of Fame is here in my city.

My daughter surprised me for my birthday and Mother's Day with this experience. I thoroughly…read moreenjoyed it. Ranks as one of my best days. The staff was friendly and explained everything very well, then if we needed anything or had questions all we had to do was ask. I highly recommend this place for anyone wanting to spend quality time with family or friends and let your creativity shine. I will be going back. I'm hooked!

I've been here a handful of times now and it's so fun! As a not so good at arts person, it was easy…read moreto create some cute pieces here! My friend reserved a table for a group of us, which gives you a time slot to work on your craft. When you are done, they fire it for you, then contact you when it is ready to be picked up. They have such a wide variety of pottery pieces to choose from as well as many paint options and tools. Each paint option was labeled with a number and had a tile showing how the color would end up looking after the firing process, because the wet paint itself is a lighter/different color. Every employee I encountered was a delight, and so helpful. They walked you through the process and helped me with any paint questions I had. I also discovered they have stencils and things like that! There's a big parking lot in the back, or a few spots out front, easy for pick ups. Great experience for any type of outing, and it is family friendly. It's not the biggest space, so I do recommend booking a table. All of the pieces are labeled with a price that comes off in the kiln, and there's a wide range of price ranges for any budget. Some really cute items to choose from. Will be coming back :)

I had heard of this place, but I had never been until yesterday. My family took pictures on…read moreyesterday and this is where our photographer had us come for the session. It's a very nice space. I could definitely see someone throwing an event here like a birthday party, reception, etc. We had no issue finding parking. I'm not sure how that would work when there are a lot more people on the premises. It's located in a nice area. I think it would be a great place to host a small to mid-size event.

Full disclosure, I did not realize this place existed until I was invited to a 50th birthday party…read morethis weekend. The venue has a clear modern look, and is ideally located within the Birmingham city limits. Adequate for valet parking, and the people there were super friendly. Not complaints here, other than the size of the venue isn't as large as most event places. In all, we had a great evening, and won't mind booking this place myself for future events.

Excellent service with a smile. Clean, safe & secure. Highly recommended for your next event.read more

Nice clean atmosphere here. Average sized building. There is space on one side for table setting…read moreand dancing while a cash bar and room available for a buffet is set on the other side. Attended a neighborhood event here and enjoyed it.

I've attended a wedding reception and several Christmas parties at this venue. It's a very classy…read morespace with plenty of room for whatever your party needs. There's a large main area, and a bar area that are indoors. There is also an outdoor seated area where, in the summer, you can sit and catch a breeze while enjoying good eats from the produce market across the street or one of the food trucks that may be open that day. In the cooler months, there are heaters and an enclosed patio so that you can still enjoy the area comfortably. Many residents of this area rent this venue to host parties, receptions, class reunions, meetings and other functions. The people that run it are very courteous and will help to meet your event planning needs. Definitely give them a call if you're in need of their space.

Always a great time with the family! So many things to do and see for adults and kids! No one is…read moregoing to be bored here

I enjoyed my experience here! It was my first time coming back in 10+ years so I was wondering…read moreabout the upkeep with it being so old, but you can tell they take a lot of pride in their cleanliness there. The carpet seemed in need of redoing with the amount of foot traffic it has seen. We were there for the IMAX screening of the Blue Angels documentary. It's a true IMAX dome theater. It was immaculately clean in the theater and the seats looked brand new. The movie gave me the same feeling I get whenever I have worn the 3D glasses they give you in the AMC theaters, so be forewarned I did get dizzy a few times during the movie. For 2 tickets the price came out to $21.90. I would definitely come again for the right movie, but need a break from the dizziness I got.