Schools are letting out – are you ready for Summer? Have you complied your summer fun lists yet? Now’s the time!
Check out the Neighborhood Block Party at Railroad Park, or the Summer Reading Kick off at Emmet O’ Neal Library.
Memorial Day is coming and the Birmingham Zoo is offering special admission over the weekend and the Alabama Phoenix Festival is back for it’s second year.
Have a great week!
It’s Not Our Fault if Your Kids are Bored!
Sunday May 19th:
Neighborhood Block Party – Railroad Park
From your block to ours, join us at Railroad Park for our Neighborhood Block Party, with delicious food truck fare, lawn games and outstanding musical talent. Food trucks: Shindigs, Melt, Off The Hook, Dreamcakes, Steel City Pops, Taqueria Guzman Taco Truck, Spoonfed Grill, Avalanche Delights.
Activities: Sanspointe Dance Company, face painting, cornhole, zumba, kite flying. Special thanks to Coca-Cola, Good People Brewing, Pinnacle Imports.
Noon – 5pm
Summer Reading Kickoff – Emmet O’ Neal Library
It’s the annual Summer Reading Kickoff Carnival, with the Thomas Hughes Brinkley Memorial Fun Run at 2:30, and the carnival is from 3:00 – 5:00. You can enjoy game booths and concessions, and you’ll have your first chance to register for the summer reading program. Teens and adults can also sign up for their own summer reading programs at the carnival.
Registration for summer programs will begin the day of the kickoff carnival.
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Monday May 20th:
Toddler Tales – North Shelby Library
A story program for children and a caregiver. Stories, songs, finger plays and crafts make up a lively program designed especially for short attention spans. Best suited for ages 19 months to 3 years. Must Register
9:30am and 10:30am
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Tuesday May 21st:
Hippo Adventures – Birmingham Museum of Art
Meet at the Information Desk outside Bart’s ArtVenture! Join us for a new in-gallery family experience! Children aged 3 – 8 and their adult companions are invited to join Museum educators to explore Hip, Hippo, Hooray!, discover activities that make looking at art fun and exciting, and create new family memories about art and hippos.
No reservations required. Hippo Adventures are also available by appointment for groups of 10 or more children aged 3 – 8. For more information or to schedule a tour, call 205.254.2964.
10:30am
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Wednesday May 22nd:
Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
Join us as we read I Want My Mommy! Find out what happens when Arthur has to stay with his grandma for the day. We will have a fun craft and have a treat from the Cafe.
11am
Family Story Time with Mr Mac – North Shelby Library
Storyteller Extraordinaire – Come join Mr Mac and his musical storytime complete with puppets! All Ages, no registration required.
10:45am
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Thursday May 23rd:
Brookwood Live! Colonial Brookwood Village
Live Music On the Street – Featured Band: The Bicho Bros
5pm – 9pm
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Friday May 24th:
School’s Out Bash – Alabama Adventure
Splash Adventure Waterpark will host the Schools Out Bash. School-aged kids will receive admission to the park for a discounted price of $14.99 each, where they can enjoy the slides, attractions, watch the new Sea Lion Splash Show, and kick off the summer with their friends and family members in a family-friendly water park.
10am – 7pm
Alabama Phoenix Festival – Cahaba Grand Conference Center
Second annual festival for creative minds. A Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Gaming, Comic Book, and Costume Convention
Primary programming will take place in 1 hour, 15 minute long blocks with 15 minute breaks between each block. Tracks include: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Media, Comics, Paranormal, Alternate History, Costuming, Star Trek, Star Wars, Sci-Fi and Fantasy Literature, Science and Engineering, Anime and Manga, and Horror, as well as an Art Show, Exhibit, Comics Corner, Gaming Activities, and LEGO® Expo. Members are also encouraged to participate in the Masquerade and Costume Contest.
Primary programming will take place in 1 hour, 15 minute long blocks with 15 minute breaks between each block.
day and weekend memberships will be available at the door.
Children under 8 get in free with an adult membership purchase.
$50 for ages 15+
$30 for ages 8 to 14
1pm – 10pm
Memorial Weekend – Birmingham Zoo
Come celebrate Memorial Day weekend at the Zoo! Experience the Red Diamond Sea Lion Splash Show, which features an even closer look at this aquatic species and showcases new behaviors from the Zoo’s California sea lions like back flips, high jumps and a balancing act. Take a prehistoric journey through time at the Zoo’s new Dino Discovery exhibit*, cool off in the Splash Pads, take a ride on the train*, enjoy the Wildlife Show and experience all the Zoo has to offer.
In honor of Memorial Day weekend, all active, disabled and retired military personnel and their dependents can enjoy FREE admission to the Zoo with proof of military I.D.
*Additional cost applies.
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Saturday May 25th:
Salsa Showdown – Pepper Place
24 Frames Per Second, the Sidewalk Film Festival Young Professionals Organization, is hosting Birmingham’s 3rd Annual Salsa Showdown presented by Alagasco. The Showdown is a fundraising competition between local restaurants & catering companies to determine who offers the best salsa, guacamole, queso and specialty dip. Admission will include sampling privileges at each competitor’s station, a ballot for casting an “Audience Choice” vote, Piñata Smash with prizes, kids activities, access to live entertainment, cooking demos, salsa dance & Zumba demos, beverage vending, and the Hot Pepper Eating Contest. A panel of jury members consisting of local personalities will also determine which salsa-maker will get the award for best salsa, guac, queso and specialty dip.
2pm – 6pm
Alabama Phoenix Festival – Cahaba Grand Conference Center
Second annual festival for creative minds. A Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Gaming, Comic Book, and Costume Convention
Primary programming will take place in 1 hour, 15 minute long blocks with 15 minute breaks between each block. Tracks include: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Media, Comics, Paranormal, Alternate History, Costuming, Star Trek, Star Wars, Sci-Fi and Fantasy Literature, Science and Engineering, Anime and Manga, and Horror, as well as an Art Show, Exhibit, Comics Corner, Gaming Activities, and LEGO® Expo. Members are also encouraged to participate in the Masquerade and Costume Contest.
Primary programming will take place in 1 hour, 15 minute long blocks with 15 minute breaks between each block.
day and weekend memberships will be available at the door.
Children under 8 get in free with an adult membership purchase.
$50 for ages 15+
$30 for ages 8 to 14
1pm – 10pm
Memorial Weekend – Birmingham Zoo
Come celebrate Memorial Day weekend at the Zoo! Experience the Red Diamond Sea Lion Splash Show, which features an even closer look at this aquatic species and showcases new behaviors from the Zoo’s California sea lions like back flips, high jumps and a balancing act. Take a prehistoric journey through time at the Zoo’s new Dino Discovery exhibit*, cool off in the Splash Pads, take a ride on the train*, enjoy the Wildlife Show and experience all the Zoo has to offer.
In honor of Memorial Day weekend, all active, disabled and retired military personnel and their dependents can enjoy FREE admission to the Zoo with proof of military I.D.
*Additional cost applies.
Bart’s Art Cart – Birmingham Museum of Art
Spring into May! This drop-in art program for kids and families features a different gallery activity each month. Stop by to make art with Bart! Be inspired by the weather and craft your own three-dimensional flower still life!
11am
Family Storytime – Emmet O’Neal Library
Bring the entire family and join Mr. Mac for stories and music each Saturday morning.
10:30 a.m.
Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
Join us as we read Grow Caterpillar Grow! and you can build a character from the story using Legos. There is limited space, so please call or ask any bookseller about reservations. There will also be a treat from the Cafe.
11am
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Sunday May 26th:
Alabama Phoenix Festival – Cahaba Grand Conference Center
Second annual festival for creative minds. A Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Gaming, Comic Book, and Costume Convention
Primary programming will take place in 1 hour, 15 minute long blocks with 15 minute breaks between each block. Tracks include: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Media, Comics, Paranormal, Alternate History, Costuming, Star Trek, Star Wars, Sci-Fi and Fantasy Literature, Science and Engineering, Anime and Manga, and Horror, as well as an Art Show, Exhibit, Comics Corner, Gaming Activities, and LEGO® Expo. Members are also encouraged to participate in the Masquerade and Costume Contest.
Primary programming will take place in 1 hour, 15 minute long blocks with 15 minute breaks between each block.
day and weekend memberships will be available at the door.
Children under 8 get in free with an adult membership purchase.
$50 for ages 15+
$30 for ages 8 to 14
1pm – 10pm
Memorial Weekend – Birmingham Zoo
Come celebrate Memorial Day weekend at the Zoo! Experience the Red Diamond Sea Lion Splash Show, which features an even closer look at this aquatic species and showcases new behaviors from the Zoo’s California sea lions like back flips, high jumps and a balancing act. Take a prehistoric journey through time at the Zoo’s new Dino Discovery exhibit*, cool off in the Splash Pads, take a ride on the train*, enjoy the Wildlife Show and experience all the Zoo has to offer.
In honor of Memorial Day weekend, all active, disabled and retired military personnel and their dependents can enjoy FREE admission to the Zoo with proof of military I.D.
*Additional cost applies.
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Local Attractions Open Daily!
McWane Science Center:
IMAX
McWane Science Center’s IMAX® Dome Theater puts you in the center of the action by projecting breathtaking quality images onto the 5-story-tall dome screen and delivering intense surround sound through almost 3 tons of speakers and subwoofers.
Now Showing: Flight of the Butterflies, Titians of the Ice Age
Unearthing Alabama’s Ice Age – through December 31st, 2013
McWane Science Center is home to Alabama’s second largest natural history collection. Made up of over 500,000 specimens and objects pertaining to the natural history of the state, this important collection focuses on the preservation, education, and research of Alabama’s rich biodiversity and paleobiodiversity. One of the more significant subsets of the collection is Alabama’s largest collection of Late Pleistocene faunal remains – or Ice Age fossils.
Made up of nearly 10,000 cataloged specimens, the McWSC Pleistocene collection contains a unique diversity of fauna that not only includes those native to North America, but migrants to the state from both South America and the Old World. This collection includes mammals, both extant and extinct, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fishes, and botanical remains collected from both cave and stream localities in the state. Extinct mammals represented in the McWSC collection include mammoths, mastodons, giant beavers, saber-toothed cats, giant armadillos, tapirs, peccaries, and giant ground sloths.
This spring, visitors will have an opportunity to view some of the fossils in the collection with a new exhibit titled — “Unearthing Alabama’s Ice Age.” This exhibit will not only highlight many of the Ice Age animals from the McWane Science Center Collection, but will highlight and dispel many of the common misconceptions surrounding the Ice Age in the state. The goal is for visitors to have a better understanding and appreciation for this time in Alabama. For example, guests might learn that Alabama was on average only five degrees colder than today, glaciers did not reach farther south than southern Illinois or that all the Ice Age animals did not go extinct at the end of the Ice Age. While the largest animals, such as mastodons, giant ground sloths, and saber-tooth cats died out, nearly all the animals that are living in Alabama today were also around in the Ice Age.
The Unearthing Alabama’s Ice Age Alabama display is located in the City Gallery on Level 2 of the museum. It is included in the cost of admission to the museum and free to members.
Birmingham Zoo:
Lorikeet Aviary – Our Lorikeet Aviary has more birds than ever! Zoo guests can feed these exotic birds every day. You and your family will see these birds’ behavior as they eat nectar out of your hand.
Weekends 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
PELICAN FEEDING – A great way to see our pelicans in action is to witness them eating their favorite treats near the pelican boardwalk.
RHINO ENCOUNTER – Embark on an African adventure and experience one of the world’s most extraordinary animals, the Southern White Rhino. Watch from only feet away as our zookeepers engage in hands-on interaction with the animals inside their African-themed exhibit. Don’t miss this exciting encounter with one of the largest mammals on the planet!
Weekdays: 3pm – 3:30pm
Weekends: 11:30am – Noon & 3pm – 3:30 pm
GIRAFFE FEEDING – This up close and personal animal encounter is a memory you and your family will have for a lifetime.
Weekday: 11am – Noon
Weekends: 10am – 11am & 2pm – 3pm
Vulcan Park and Museum:
Vulcan is the world’s largest cast iron statue; made of 100,000 pounds of iron and 56 feet tall, he stands at the top of Red Mountain overlooking the city of Birmingham. But, Vulcan is more than a statue. Vulcan Park and Museum features spectacular views of Birmingham, an interactive history museum that examines Vulcan and Birmingham’s story, and a beautiful public park for visitors and locals to enjoy. With an official information center that is operated by the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, Vulcan Park and Museum serves as the first stop for visitors to the Birmingham area!
Railroad Park:
Railroad Park is a 19 acre green space in downtown Birmingham that celebrates the industrial and artistic heritage of our great city. Situated along 1st Avenue South, between 14th and 18th Streets, the park is a joint effort between the City of Birmingham and the Railroad Park Foundation. Hailed as “Birmingham’s Living Room,” Railroad Park provides a historically rich venue for local recreation, family activities, concerts, and cultural events, while connecting Birmingham’s downtown area with Southside and UAB’s campus.
Southern Museum of Flight:
Earn Your Wings – Bring your little pilot and soar above the clouds in our little pilots room. Kids enjoy building aircrafts, flying kites, and more.
Museum Open Tuesday – Thursday
9:30am – 4:30pm
Do you have or know of an event you would like to have added to our weekly calendar? Please email us at contact@birminghammommy.com, subject line “Events Calendar” – We would love to hear from you!
** All information listed on our calendar is subject to change without notice to us or you… We do our best to keep the information accurate and will always update as soon as we learn that something has changed. It’s always best to double check with the event via their website or a quick call, especially when weather can impact the event.
