Places to Go in Mountain Brook, Alabama

I lived in Homewood, Alabama, nestled in the rolling hills just south of downtown Birmingham, and just west of Mountain Brook, for eight of the best years of my life. I went through college and graduate school there, so I have a decent perspective of things to do and places to see in the area. Here, I thought I would share my knowledge so you can fill your weekend calendar with activities to keep you busy!

As there are several suburbs of Birmingham that each offer their own flavor of culture and entertainment, I will start on a series of articles to properly direct you in your choices in each area. With that in mind, let's explore Mountain Brook.

With the onset of spring, I feel obligated to first direct you to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The gardens are free to the public (or at least, they were when I lived there), and boast an expansive array of walking trails, fountains, a rose garden, and benches where you can just sit and enjoy the scenery or a good book. There's a French cafe at the entrance to the gardens, which is the perfect spot for a romantic evening with that special someone. Dinner and a stroll through the beautiful Southern Living Gardens or the Japanese Gardens...sounds like a wonderful evening to me!

Directly opposite the gardens, you'll find the Birmingham Zoo. For a family with children...or for the child at heart, this is an equally entertaining choice for an afternoon. The zoo also hosts events periodically throughout the year that are pretty neat to take part in. During the holidays, you'll find "Boo at the Zoo", where children are encouraged to come in costume. My personal favorite was the "Zoolight Safari", where a train ride around the park during the Christmas season delighted visitors with various displays of Christmas lights.

Plan to take a couple hours to wonder through all of the exhibits. Pay special attention to the gorillas...one of them had heart surgery several years back, and survived quite well. The African safari is equally impressive, as giraffes and lions have always fascinated me. The zoo also has a children's area, full of jungle-gym type areas where they can climb and play.

Upon leaving the gardens or the zoo, you'll find yourself in the heart of a quaint Mountain Brook shopping village. Here, the shopoholic can spend hours browsing through high-end jewelry stores, enjoying some ice cream, or simply stocking up on scrapbook supplies at Smith's Variety store. This was a particular favorite of mine in college! The architecture of this little village will transport you in your mind to a storybook community, where time almost stands still. Emphasis on "almost", as the traffic coming through this area tends to be a big congested, and car horns always ruin the otherwise tranquil environment.

Traveling down the road a bit, the outdoorsy-seeker will be happy to find a beautiful walking trail that winds through Mountain Brook and the neighboring suburb of Homewood. This trail follows a creek in many areas, which enable the walker, runner, or jogger to become lost in endless thought while working off some calories at the same time. (Efficiency at its finest, if you ask me!) This trail leads right to Brookwood Village Mall. Following in the quaint tradition of the Mountain Brook Village, traveling through the different buildings of this mall will instill in you an overwhelming desire to put your credit cards to use. The mall has become more upscale just in the last few years, transforming itself from the "storybook quaint" feeling to the upscale and ritzy feeling, sporting stores such as Ann Taylor.

Mountain Brook has maintained its status of being a higher-end community. With its location in the deep Bible belt of the South, you'll find friendly people, nicer, stately neighborhoods, a class all it's own...with a stopped-in-time feeling. Welcome to Alabama.