City: Birmingham, AL

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (205) 252-2262

Insider Pick:

Description: Worth a trip, if only to admire the architecture, the 2,500-seat Alabama Theatre has been the premier cinema in Birmingham since it opened in 1927. French, Belgian, and Italian marble—as well as terra cotta from New York and granite from Minnesota—were lavished on the construction. The Spanish Revival–style facade with tall columns framing the three-story windows make the entrance something to savor. Lyle Lovett, playing a concert here in the 1990s, was dead-on when he stopped in the middle of a song, paused and looked up at the thousands of lights set in the ornate ceiling and remarked, “You know, sometimes you just have to stop and look at the ceiling.” When it was built the Alabama had one of the most expensive ceilings in any theater in the country. It has more than 12,000 individual effect light bulbs. Now called the Alabama Theatre for the Performing Arts, the venue hosts live concerts, classic films, and musicals. The summer movie series shows vintage and contemporary classics—be sure to leave time to arrive early (the theater opens an hour before showtime) to tour the restored theater and gape. The Mighty Wurlitzer, the theater’s pipe organ and a relic from the silent movie era, slowly rises from the stage and is a delight to witness. A side note: Restoration is underway on the Lyric Theatre, a 1914 vaudeville venue across the street, that attracted performers such as Jack Benny, Will Rogers, Buster Keaton, and Mae West.