Fairways Abound

Brock's is the signature restaurant inside the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort, a castle-like hotel a few minutes from the house. The dining room looks out over the Robert Trent Jones golf course, and the menu leans Mediterranean-inspired Southern: braised short rib, fresh Gulf fish, and a very good steak. It is the closest true special-occasion dinner to the property, and the Sunday brunch buffet is a Hoover institution. The bar and terrace are relaxed enough for golf attire, but most dinner guests dress up a little.

Saw's is the barbecue joint Birmingham locals argue is the best in the state, and the original Homewood location is a tiny, no-frills room on Oxmoor Road. Order the smoked chicken with Alabama white sauce, the pulled pork, or the famous Stuffed Tater loaded with pork, cheese, and sauce. Sweet tea and banana pudding round it out. It is counter service with a handful of tables, so expect a line at lunch and be ready to eat fast or take it to go.

Chez Fonfon is Frank Stitt's French bistro in Five Points South, next door to its famous sibling Highlands Bar and Grill. Wine-lined shelves, warm wood, and a zinc bar make it feel like a Paris neighborhood spot. The Hamburger Fonfon is regularly named the best burger in Alabama, and the mussels with frites, roasted chicken, and coconut pecan cake are the other must-orders. Reservations go fast, but the bar is first come, first served and a great place to eat solo or as a couple.

Automatic is a James Beard-recognized seafood house in Birmingham's Lakeview district, set in a converted sprinkler factory with navy walls, wicker chairs, and a lively raw bar. Start with a dozen Gulf oysters (Murder Point from Alabama's coast when they have them), then go for the crispy fish collar, wood-grilled whole fish, or the swordfish schnitzel over cheddar grits at brunch. The cocktail program is strong and the patio is pleasant in spring and fall. Expect a polished but unfussy crowd and about a 20 minute drive from the house.

Gianmarco's is a family-run Italian restaurant tucked into Homewood's Edgewood neighborhood, and it has been the go-to date night spot for locals for more than 20 years. The menu is classic and generous: homemade pasta, veal and chicken dishes, a legendary lasagna, and daily fish specials. Next door, the outdoor Gianmarco Wine Bar is a relaxed place for a glass and small plates on a mild evening. Dinner only, and the dining room is small, so plan ahead.

Santos is a fifth generation Guatemalan coffee family that grows the beans on its own farms and roasts them in Birmingham, and the Stadium Trace cafe is the closest specialty stop to the house. The room is bright and easygoing, with plenty of tables for a slow breakfast and a steady stream of Hoover regulars. Order a latte made with the San Antonio blend and, on the food side, the sweet or savory crepes that locals will tell you to get before you even mention coffee. It opens at 6:30 AM every day of the week, so it works for early tee times and lazy Sunday mornings alike.

Baba Java's Chace Lake cafe is the original flagship of a homegrown Birmingham roaster, with a gleaming Probat roaster sitting right by the register where beans are roasted a couple of days each week. The vibe is relaxed and a little worldly, with Bedouin style floor cushions tucked beside regular tables and the smell of fresh roast in the air. The Camel Latte, a spiced signature drink, is the order most locals swear by, and the pastry case is worth a look. It sits in the Chace Lake shopping strip between Five Guys and Ashley Mac's Kitchen, with easy parking out front.

Two Bluff Park neighbors, the founder of Daysol Coffee Lab and the baker behind Good Neighbor Baking, teamed up to open this small neighborhood cafe on top of Shades Mountain in 2024. It feels like a community living room, with regulars chatting at the counter and house made syrups flavoring the lattes and chai. The coffee is Daysol's Wanderlust blend, and the pastries are the real draw: the Conecuh sausage cheddar drop biscuit, the maple frosted cinnamon roll and the oatmeal cream pie all have a following. Hours run roughly 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM on weekdays with a shorter Saturday morning.

Seeds is a West Homewood favorite that roasts its own small batch coffee under the banner of sustainable, affordable, high quality beans, and the cafe is a straight shot down Lakeshore Parkway from the house. The big outdoor seating area is the reason people linger here for hours with laptops, books or kids in tow. The iced latte is a local go to, and the sweet and savory biscuits from the kitchen are the thing to pair it with. It opens at 7 AM on weekdays and 8 AM on Saturdays and closes mid afternoon, and it is closed on Sundays.

Domestique roasts in Lakeview and was named one of the World's 100 Best Coffee Shops, and Dawn Patrol is its cycling themed cafe in the heart of Homewood. Expect a clean, modern space with an early crowd of riders, runners and downtown commuters, and a menu that name checks the sport with drinks like the Peloton cold brew and Super Domestique nitro. A cappuccino pulled on the Wavelength espresso blend with a ham and cheese croissant is the classic order, and the avocado toast and breakfast burritos cover a fuller breakfast. It is open seven days, from 6:30 AM Monday through Saturday and 8 AM to 2 PM on Sunday.

This is the closest stop to the house, so it is the place for the things you forgot: paper towels, trash bags, coffee filters, batteries, sunscreen, and a carton of eggs at 9 pm. It carries a compact grocery section with milk, bread, snacks, soft drinks, and frozen basics, plus toiletries and over the counter medicine. The lot sits right on Shannon Oxmoor Road with easy pull in parking, and the store typically opens around 8 am and closes around 10 pm. Do not plan a full week of groceries here; treat it as the quick run so nobody has to drive to Lakeshore for one item.

This is the full grocery run for the group: a proper produce section, a deli that slices to order, a bakery, and a meat counter that will handle a big cookout order. Grab the famous Pub Subs from the deli for an easy first day lunch, and pick up rotisserie chickens, party platters, and the fried chicken tenders that feed a crowd for very little effort. The store typically runs 7 am to 10 pm daily, there is a pharmacy inside, and the lot in the Lakeshore Pavilion center has plenty of space for a big SUV. Curbside pickup and Instacart delivery are available if you would rather order from the house and swing by on the way in.

When 16 people need bulk everything at the lowest price, this is the run. Beyond a full grocery floor with big multipacks of water, soda, and breakfast items, it covers coolers, charcoal, pool floats, phone chargers, extra towels, and any golf accessory someone left at home. It sits just off I-459 at the Academy Drive exit, so it is a straight shot from the house, and the store typically opens early in the morning and closes late at night. Use Walmart Pickup to have the cart loaded into the car without walking the store.

For a group this size, Costco is where the math works: case packs of water and beer, giant trays of croissants and muffins, rotisserie chickens, sheet cakes, and steaks and burgers in cookout quantities. The warehouse is beside the Riverchase Galleria off I-459 and has a gas station out front with some of the cheapest fuel in Hoover. Weekday hours typically run 10 am to 8:30 pm with shorter hours on Saturday and Sunday, and a membership card is required at the door. Bring a big cooler for the drive back because the meat and dairy cases are worth the trip.

This is the fun stop for snacks, appetizers, and the wine and cheese course of the weekend. Load up on frozen appetizers that go straight from the oven to the patio, the flower bunches for the kitchen table, and the sweets and trail mixes that vanish during a golf tournament. The store is at The Summit shopping center on US 280, typically open 8 am to 9 pm, and the parking lot fills up on Saturday afternoons so aim for a weekday morning. It is a good pairing with a trip to Whole Foods and the other shops at The Summit.

You are already on the property: Fairways Abound sits on the 10th fairway of the Valley Course, so the clubhouse is a three minute drive or a short golf cart ride down Sunbelt Parkway. Oxmoor Valley was carved out of former U.S. Steel mining land, and the Ridge Course shows it off with big elevation changes, heavy tree cover and exposed shale on the par 5 third hole, while the Valley Course was rebuilt in 2021 with new tees, bunkers and TifEagle greens. The Back Yard is a walking-only nine hole par 3 loop (59 to 132 yards) that a foursome can finish in about an hour, perfect for an evening round with kids or a warm-up before dinner. Book tee times online at rtjgolf.com or by calling the golf shop at 205-942-1177; carts are included on Ridge and Valley and the driving range closes on Tuesdays for maintenance.

Ross Bridge is the showpiece of the Birmingham end of the Trail, a resort course stretched across rolling terrain that ranks among the longest in the world from the back tees at more than 8,000 yards. Two connected lakes, an 80 foot waterfall between the 9th and 18th greens and a restored gristmill give it a big, cinematic feel, and the split fairway on the signature 9th is the hole everyone talks about afterward. Multiple tee options mean mid handicappers can enjoy it from around 6,500 yards, and the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa sits right on the course for a post-round meal or spa visit. Tee times can be booked through rtjgolf.com or the golf shop at 205-949-3085; carts are included and the driving range is closed on Tuesdays.

Bent Brook is the locals' favorite in Bessemer, a 27 hole public layout built on an old dairy farm with three distinct nines: the Brook, threaded by a natural creek that frames the signature third hole, the Graveyard, named for a small cemetery on the grounds since the early 1900s, and the Windmill, marked by the farm's historic landmark. The course is walkable, well maintained and far more forgiving than the RTJ layouts, so it is a good choice for a mixed-ability group or a second round of the weekend. Eighteen holes run about $80 on weekdays and $90 on weekends including a cart, with only two riders allowed per cart and carts permitted off the path when the ground is dry. Book online at bentbrook.com or call 205-424-2368, arrive 30 minutes before your time, and note the dress code: collared shirts, Bermuda-length shorts and soft spikes only.

Established in 1903 as the original Country Club of Birmingham, Highland Park is the oldest golf course in Alabama, and a 14 year old Bobby Jones won a tournament here in 1916. Today it is a compact, hilly city course in the middle of the Highland Avenue neighborhood, short enough to play in under four hours and tight enough that irons off the tee are often the smart play. Rates use dynamic pricing, roughly $59 to $79 for 18 holes Monday through Thursday and $69 to $99 on weekends, with nine hole rates, senior and military discounts and seasonal twilight pricing. Reserve online at highlandparkgolf.com or call 205-322-1902; groups of five or more must call the pro shop, and there is a lighted driving range with bucket and annual pass options.

Timberline is a Jerry Pate design in Calera that Golfweek has ranked among the top 10 public courses in Alabama, a par 71 that stretches to nearly 7,000 yards through gently rolling terrain shaded by mature pines, oaks and hardwoods. It plays quieter and less crowded than the RTJ Trail courses, with immaculate conditioning and a routing that rewards good positioning more than raw length. The practice facility includes a TrackMan driving range, and the Timberline Bar and Grill is a good stop for lunch after the round. Book tee times online through foreUP at timberlinegc.com or call 205-668-7888; carts are available and standard golf attire (collared shirts, no denim) is expected.

Bessemer's own theme park and water park sits about 10 minutes from the house, so you can be on a slide before the kids finish asking if you are there yet. One ticket covers both sides: the dry park with the Rampage wooden coaster, family rides and a kiddie zone, plus Splash Adventure with a wave pool, lazy river, tube slides and a splash playground for little ones. It runs seasonally, roughly mid May through Labor Day with weekend hours in early fall, so check the calendar before you go. Parking is free with every ticket and online daily admission runs around $40, one of the lowest theme park prices in the country.

Four floors of hands-on science inside a restored downtown department store, with an IMAX dome theater that makes any movie feel enormous. Toddlers get Itty Bitty Magic City, a pint-sized town they can run, while older kids go for the Alabama Dinosaurs hall, the shark and ray touch tank in World of Water, and the bubble room. Plan on three hours, and it is the perfect rainy-day or too-hot-outside backup. Adults are about $21 and kids about $17, with IMAX tickets sold separately, and the center is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Alabama's largest zoo spreads roughly 950 animals across a shaded, walkable campus, with giraffe feeding, a sea lion show, a new axolotl habitat and the Trails of Africa elephant exhibit as crowd favorites. Kids love the Red Diamond Express train that loops the grounds and the splash pad in the Hugh Kaul Children's Zoo when the weather is warm. Admission is around $24 for adults and $19 for kids ages 2 to 12, with under 2 free, and the zoo is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 to 5. Parking is free in the lot off Cahaba Road.

Alabama's biggest state park is nearly 10,000 acres of lakes, ridges and pine woods just south of Birmingham, and it is the easiest full day outdoors you will find. Swim at the sandy beach on Double Oak Lake, rent a kayak or pedal boat at the marina, walk the Treetop Nature Trail past rescued owls and hawks at the Alabama Wildlife Center, or let the teens try Flip Side cable wakeboarding and the floating aquapark in summer. There are also more than 100 miles of hiking and biking trails, a petting farm and plenty of picnic pavilions. Entry is $5 for adults and $2 for kids ages 4 to 11, paid at the gate, and the park is open 7 AM to sunset.

The stone ruins of an 1800s iron furnace anchor 1,500 acres of creek, woods and relocated pioneer cabins, and kids can climb around the massive furnace stacks and wade in Roupes Creek right below them. Ride the miniature Tannehill Valley Railroad on spring through fall weekends, tour the Iron and Steel Museum of Alabama, and hit the country store for ice cream on the way to the playground. On the third weekend of the month from March through November, Trade Days turns the park into a giant flea market with hundreds of vendors. Day admission is $6 for adults and $4 for kids ages 5 to 11, with under 5 free, and the grounds are open sunrise to sunset.

Alabama's oldest and biggest craft brewery sits in Parkside, directly across from Regions Field and a short walk from Railroad Park, which makes it the natural first stop for a downtown night. The taproom is big, loud and casual, with picnic tables inside and out, so a golf foursome or a rehearsal-dinner overflow crowd can spread out without a reservation. Order the flagship IPA or a Snake Handler Double IPA if you want something with teeth, and grab a Coffee Oatmeal Stout for the table. The room fills fast on Barons game nights, so arrive before first pitch or plan to stand at the rail.

Set in a restored 1880s building on 41st Street, Avondale Brewing is a brewery, a backyard and one of Birmingham's best outdoor concert stages rolled into one. The huge courtyard has string lights, fire pits and room for a big group, and the upstairs bar and rooftop deck give you a quieter place to hold court. Miss Fancy's Tripel and the Vanillaphant Porter are the beers to try, and the food trucks parked out front handle dinner. Ticketed concerts close off the courtyard, so check the calendar before you roll up on a show night.

Saturn is a 500-capacity music venue with a space-age theme, directly across the street from Avondale Brewing, and it books the touring indie, rock, country and hip-hop acts that never quite make it to arenas. The attached Satellite bar opens most evenings whether or not there is a show, with vintage video games, pinball, a coffee counter and a patio, so it works as a hangout even on off nights. Shows are 18 and up, tickets run roughly 15 to 40 dollars, and the room is standing only, so wear shoes you can dance in. Doors and set times vary by event, so check the calendar the day of.

The Collins Bar in the downtown loft district is the city's best cocktail room and the one to book for a wedding party or executive group that wants something more polished than a taproom. There is no menu: the periodic table of Birmingham on the wall is decoration, and you tell the bartender a spirit, a mood like refreshing or boozy, and any flavor you love or hate, and they build a drink to order. It is dim, wood-paneled and grown-up without being stuffy, with a short bar-food menu and a pool table in back. Open 4 pm to midnight Monday through Thursday and until 2 am Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday.

Tin Roof in Lakeview is the sports bar and live-music hybrid where a golf group can watch the Saturday SEC slate on a wall of screens and then stay for the band. It carries NFL Sunday Ticket and every college game, serves hand-breaded chicken tenders, wings and burgers, and runs happy hour weekdays from 3 to 7 pm. Bands or DJs play nightly and Sunset Sessions bring live acoustic music Friday and Saturday from 6 to 9 pm before the late crowd arrives. Open until 2 am Wednesday through Saturday, midnight Sunday and Monday, and the vibe is flip-flops and jerseys, not collared shirts.

A 1,500 acre ridge park built on Birmingham's old iron ore mines, with more than 18 miles of wide, well graded trails that wind past sealed mine portals, rusting tipples and two treehouse overlooks. The easy Eureka Mines Trail to the Redding Shaft Mine loop runs about 3 miles and delivers the park's signature mix of history and hardwood forest, while the climb to the Rushing Rendezvous treehouse rewards you with a valley view. There is no admission or parking fee, leashed dogs are welcome on every trail, and Remy's Dog Park offers six fenced off leash acres. Enter from the Frankfurt Drive lot, which has real restrooms and a water fountain.

Hoover's 349 acre preserve packs waterfalls, a mountain stream and a field of house sized sandstone boulders into roughly 12 miles of interlocking trails. The classic route is the Boulder Field to Tunnel Falls loop of about 3 miles, which passes named rocks like Big Ben and Snoopy's House before dropping to Hurricane Branch and its cascades. The preserve is free, open daylight hours, and dogs are fine on a leash. Wear shoes with grip since the slabs near the falls stay slick, and stay on marked paths to protect the rare sandstone glade plants.

A 1,500 acre state park where the trails follow historic roadbeds past the towering stone ruins of Civil War era blast furnaces along Roupes Creek. The Iron Haul Road and Slave Quarters trails combine into an easy 2 to 3 mile creekside loop that is flat enough for kids, and the whole park is shaded by tall pines and hardwoods. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for children, and the park is open sunrise to sunset every day of the year. Bring a few dollars extra if you want to add the Iron and Steel Museum near the entrance.

Alabama's largest state park sprawls across nearly 10,000 acres of double ridges south of Birmingham, with more than 50 miles of trails. The two must do hikes are Peavine Falls, a short but steep 1.5 mile round trip down to a 65 foot cascade, and King's Chair, a 4 to 5 mile loop on the White and Blue trails to a rock outcrop with the best valley view in the park. Entry is $5 per adult and $2 for kids and seniors, payable by cash or card at the gate, and leashed dogs are allowed on the trails. Sturdy shoes matter on the rocky descent to the falls.

A 1,038 acre urban wilderness on the east end of Red Mountain, with 14 miles of trails threading old limestone quarries and iron mining ruins reclaimed by forest. The Quarry Trail to Hawk's View Overlook is a moderate 3 mile out and back that ends on a cliff edge with a wide view over the Cahaba valley, and the Crusher Site adds a stop at rusting mining machinery. Non members pay a $5 parking permit per vehicle through the ParkMobile app or the vending machine at the pavilion, and the preserve is closed on Mondays. Dogs are not allowed, so plan this one as a people only outing.