Metropolitan Alabama, Alabama travel guide: things to do, food & where to stay

Overview

Metropolitan Alabama is the central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. As the name suggests, Metropolitan Alabama is home to Alabama's biggest urban area, the Birmingham metropolitan area, but also includes other towns and rural areas.

Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage

Plan your trip

Best time to visit & weather

Most comfortable: Apr–May, Sep–Nov. Summer highs reach about 91°F; winter lows dip to about 35°F. Very hot (Jul, Aug) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Mar and Jul.

Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).

Getting there

From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
BHM Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, Birmingham — 21 mi away (major hub). Directions
MGM Montgomery Regional (Dannelly Field) Airport, Montgomery — 69 mi away. Directions

Interstates 65, 20, and 59, and US routes 31, 43, 11, 280, 78, and 278 lead into Metropolitan Alabama. This is the best way to get in.

Full “Get in” guide ↓

Sample 3-day trip

Day 1: Birmingham — Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park, 16th Street Baptist Church.
Day 2: Tuscaloosa — Denny Chimes, Bryant-Denny Stadium, President's Mansion.
Day 3: Gadsden — Noccalula Falls Park, Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge, Gadsden Museum of Art.

Built from the best-covered destinations in this region; open each for its own day plan.

Places in Metropolitan Alabama

Birmingham

City / town · 80 listings

Tuscaloosa

City / town · 36 listings

Gadsden

City / town · 12 listings

Hoover

City / town · 11 listings

Homewood

City / town · 10 listings

Anniston

City / town · 9 listings

Bessemer

City / town · 8 listings

Heflin

City / town · 7 listings

Jacksonville

City / town · 7 listings

Sylacauga

City / town · 5 listings

Childersburg

City / town · 2 listings

Clanton

City / town · 2 listings

Pelham

City / town · 2 listings

Eutaw

City / town

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park

Park

Cities

Birmingham - the largest city in Alabama
Alexandria
Anniston
Bessemer - site of much of Alabama's 20th-century steel industry; in decline since the 1960s
Childersburg
Clanton
Eutaw
Gadsden - Noccalula Falls and Lookout Mountain
Heflin
Homewood - a suburb south of Birmingham; home of Samford University
Hoover - another Birmingham suburb
Jacksonville
Jasper
Pelham
Sylacauga
Talladega
Tuscaloosa - home to The University of Alabama, former state capital, Mercedes Benz USI, several museums, and Dreamland BBQ

Other destinations

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park - In the spring of 1814, General Andrew Jackson and an army of 3,300 men attacked 1,000 Upper Creek warriors on the Tallapoosa River. Over 800 Upper Creeks died defending their homeland.