The Magic City is teeming with fun things to do every weekend. We asked three local couples to share an itinerary for their ideal weekend spent in Birmingham, and these agendas certainly show the best of the city. From live concerts, arts performances and Barons baseball games to al fresco spaces, breweries and, of course, culinary adventures galore, you can experience the weekend of your dreams 52 times a year. Enjoy!
3 Local Couples’ Ideal Birmingham Weekend Agendas
Scott & Shae Register
For the past year, our ideal weekend has been spent with our beautiful baby girl Radda, but we are looking forward to some Mommy and Daddy time soon, and when that comes, our ideal Birmingham weekend might look like this:
Friday
We’d kick Friday off with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. Depending on our mood, there’s always something to satisfy our cravings. Indian? Let’s head to Silver Coin in Hoover. Asian? Bamboo on 2nd downtown or Red Pearl in Homewood. Italian? Bettola in Pepper Place. Burgers? Twisted Root in Vestavia. Can’t make up our minds? We head to The Pizitz and take our pick of cuisine. Birmingham boasts such an amazing restaurant scene — I could go on and on, but you get the picture. We’d follow dinner up with a show at one of the many fine music venues in town. Birmingham is lucky to have a quality venue to host about any size show that comes to town. From house concerts to theaters to music halls, concert halls and arenas, not a weekend goes by that there aren’t quality musical acts in town to see and hear.
RELATED: Your Ultimate Guide to the Pizitz Food Hall
Saturday
Saturday would start off early at the Pepper Place Market — so much to see and do at the market, and it’s a great way to get up and get going. The sense of community at this market excites us every time we are there. Next up, we’d stop by Hop City for a beer or two in Growlertown, a must for all craft beer lovers. We’d head from there to lunch at Bottega Café — we love Saturday lunch at this spot. Then, we would do a brewery crawl to any of Birmingham’s fine breweries. Once again, we are truly lucky to have so many quality breweries in our city. Their beers and scenes are each unique and attractive.
Shae and I adore The Alabama Ballet, and we would end our ideal Saturday with a performance by the company. If you haven’t attended one of their performances, you should do so, and if you can catch one where they perform with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, it’s twice as special.
Sunday
Sundays start with me in the studio for “Reg’s Coffee House” on Birmingham Mountain Radio from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Shae at Mass at OLS [Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church]. Once I finish up, Shae would come downtown, and we would walk across the street for an afternoon baseball game at Regions Field. We’d finish the day at home on the couch, watching our Sunday shows with a pizza or some takeout sushi.
Lynlee & Carter Hughes
Friday
We love to hit one of our go-to restaurants. The rotation is in constant motion — it’s currently Chez Fonfon, Gianmarco’s and Bamboo on 2nd (although sometimes we hit Bamboo during the week since it’s close to the office downtown and we can avoid the weekend crowds). We are “bar people,” always having this date night dinner at the bar and chatting with other patrons and our favorite bartenders.
RELATED: A Local’s Guide to Birmingham
Saturday
On Saturday, we will often head up to Smith Lake in the morning. We try to have one weekend day where we can just relax because Lynlee is typically working at least one of the days. Smith Lake is our relaxing spot. It’s the place where we can truly let go of stress. Whether it’s a sunny day on the water or a rainy day reading a book or watching a movie, nothing beats this easy little getaway.
Sunday
Sundays are usually a combination of work, family and getting ready for the next week. Whether hosting an open house or showing buyers around Forest Park and downtown, Lynlee typically spends at least part of Sunday working. Afterwards, we try to visit family and friends and nieces and nephews, often at Railroad Park or an afternoon Barons game. On Sunday evenings, we typically get takeout: Red Pearl and Surin are our favorites (but Pizza Hut has recently entered the rotation since Lynlee has been pregnant — the cravings are real!)
Eric & Jamie Gay
Friday
Typically, Friday night is our go-to date night, because the rest of the weekends are so busy for us! Friday evening is our time to enjoy each other before the craziness starts. We love to eat out on Friday nights, and we love Bellini’s off 119. We’ll sip wine and snack on a charcuterie and cheese plate and then head straight for dessert (white chocolate bread pudding!), since we probably filled up on garlic bread. Afterwards, we’ll catch a movie at The Summit. We invested in a Movie Pass at the beginning of this year, and it’s been such a treat to see a movie whenever we feel like it without worrying about the cost! Then we hit the hay early.
Saturday
As wedding photographers, we work every Saturday! But, depending on the day’s schedule and location, we’ll grab breakfast somewhere like Big Bad Breakfast or Holler & Dash if we have the time — or a Chick-fil-A drive-thru if we don’t. After the wedding, we drive straight home and crash. If we’re not working on Saturday, it’s a big deal, so we’ll celebrate by going to a karaoke bar with friends.
Sunday
We sleep in on Sundays as long as we can before attending church or watching church on TV, depending on the degree of our sore feet and backs from the previous day’s wedding. After that, we’ll meet friends for lunch somewhere like Rojo, Babalu or Cantina Laredo — we’re happy as long as it’s Mexican! We usually shoot engagement sessions on Sunday evenings, so there’s a good chance you’ll see us at Birmingham Botanical Gardens or Railroad Park enjoying the great scenery Birmingham has to offer.
Go forth and enjoy your next weekend in Birmingham!
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