City: Birmingham, AL

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (205) 226-4934

Address: 900 Arkadelphia Rd.

Description: The largest educational facility of its kind in Alabama, the Southern Environmental Center (SEC) on the campus of Birmingham-Southern College is an interactive museum combined with an EcoScape garden that amuses while it introduces kids (and parents/teachers) to the importance of building sustainable communities. Water quality, urban sprawl, air pollution, and other complex issues are broken down so that kids can easily understand. And giggle at. For example, in the 5,600-square-foot center, a giant sewage pipe slide exiting a dramatically oversize fake toilet illustrates—squarely on the elementary and middle school level—just how water quality and our actions are interlinked. The 4-acre EcoScape gardens nearby is an edible outdoor classroom with medicinal plants, herbs, and various mini-EcoScapes that illustrate sustainability put into practice. It is one of eleven EcoScape gardens the SEC has constructed in vacant lots throughout the city. Several more are in the design stage while the SEC also maintains one demonstration farm and the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve in Pinson. Call before visiting to arrange a tour of the museum or schedule birthday parties. Visits to the EcoScape garden are free, though guided tours are also available for a small fee.