Published On: 08.20.20 | 

By: Shirley Jackson

Must-visit attractions in Can’t Miss Alabama with ideas for fine dining to food trucks to curbside pickup options

Eugene’s Hot Chicken is among the eateries featured during Birmingham Restaurant Week. (contributed)

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Great events and performances are happening all around the state.

Alabama Black Belt photo contest

Snap photos while traveling the trails and shopping for goodies in the Alabama Black Belt and post them on the Feed Your Adventure Photo Contest website. Upload a photo for monthly drawings for a trails tote bag and other goodies made in the Black Belt. You may vote once per day, per entry, per email. Votes will be reset each month. Black Belt counties are Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox. To enter the contest, follow this link. Visit Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association to learn more. Enter the contest by clicking here.

RELATED: Flavors of Alabama’s Black Belt highlighted with themed trails

Birmingham Restaurant Week

Find your favorite coffee shop, bar or food truck among other eateries during Birmingham Restaurant Week (BRW) through Monday, Aug. 31. Curbside and delivery options, as well as to-go alcoholic beverages, cocktail kits and family-style meals, will be offered. A traditional dine-in option for BRW is available but limited and with safety precautions, such as socially distanced seating, disposable table items and mask requirements. Participating restaurants include 1918 Catering, 5 Point Public House Oyster Bar, Adored Sweets, Ash, Ashley Mac’s, Avondale, Brewing Co./Avondale Burger Co., Bay Leaf Modern Indian Cuisine & Bar, Bistro 218, Black Market Bar + Grill, Blueroot, Bobby Carl’s Table, Bocca Ristorante, Bottega Cafe, Bywater Oyster Bar and Grill, Chez Fonfon, Dave’s Pub, Dreamcakes Cafe, Dreamland BBQ, El ZunZún, Electra, Eugene’s Hot Chicken, Farrelly’s Southern Kitchen and Bar, Filter Coffee Parlor, Frozen Rooster, Habitat, Homewood Bagel, Jinsei Sushi, Lemonade Junkeez, Luna Latin Cuisine, Marty’s GM, Michael’s Restaurant, Ocean Restaurant, Paper Doll, Post Office Pies, Queen’s Park, Refined ToGo, Rojo, Roots and Revelry, Satterfield’s Restaurant, Simone’s Kitchen ATL, Slice Pizza and Brewhouse (Vestavia Hills), Slice Pizza and Brewhouse (Lakeview), Snapper Grabber’s Land & Sea, Sol Y Luna Tapas and Tequila, Spring Street Bar & Grill, Taj India, The Cereal Stand, The Gardens Cafe by Kathy G., The Heavenly Donut Company, The Lumbar, The Recipe Food Truck, The World of Eating and Drinking (WOED) Experience, Tortuga’s Pizza (Southside), Tostadas, Troup’s Pizza, Vino and Watkin’s Branch Bourbon and Brasserie. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Birmingham Legion FC vs. Memphis 901 FC

Enjoy a soccer match at BBVA Field on the campus of UAB. Birmingham Legion FC will face Memphis 901 FC on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. The matchup will air live on My68 and ESPN+. Get tickets and check the full schedule at bhmlegion.com. Stadium capacity will be limited and seating will be socially distanced in accordance with federal, state and local safety guidelines, but all existing season ticket holders, as well as some single-game ticket holders, will be able to enter the stadium while wearing a mask. All single-game ticket-holders will be placed in specific, socially distant seating, as well as sections previously deemed “General Admission.” For questions, contact the ticket office contacts page. The venue is at 800 11th St. S. in Birmingham.

Museums for All

People of all backgrounds are invited to join Vulcan Park and Museum’s “Museums for All,” a signature access program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Association of Children’s Museums. “Museum for All” supports low-income families receiving food assistance benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Up to four people can visit Vulcan at no charge with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. Eligible members of the public can visit more than 500 museums across the country, including McWane Science Center, Imagination Place Children’s Museum, Huntsville Botanical Gardens and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. More than 500 institutions participate in the initiative, including art museums, children’s museums, science centers, botanical gardens, zoos and history museums. Museums participating represent 48 states. For more information on participating museums, visit museumsforall.org.

Sidewalk Film Festival at the Drive-In

Start planning now for the Sidewalk Film Festival at the Drive-In next week in Leeds. Sidewalk will transition to the Grand River Drive-In at The Backyard of the Outlet Shops of Grand River in Leeds. The venue will provide attendees with a safe option to view more than 150 features and short films Aug. 24-30. For the complete list of films, click here. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., with the first film starting at 8 p.m. On-site tickets will be available for each individual film and will be priced based on the number of people in each vehicle (one person per car is $15, two people per car is $26, three people per car is $35, four people per car is $42 and five people or more per car is $47). Concessions and bar service will be provided by the Grand River Drive-In at The Backyard. Have any questions? Check out the How To Fest page. Visit sidewalkfest.com for more information. Tickets are on sale at sidewalkfest.com/tickets. View the Youtube playlist of each film’s trailer here.

Friday on the Green with Tina Marie

Tina Marie (Hosey) will perform Friday, Aug. 21 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Friday on the Green in Alexander City. Tina Marie will sing a number of her favorites, including songs by Patsy Cline. Grab your comfy stuff and leash for the pup, then come out for some great music in one of the most laid-back spots around. Participants are asked to social distance; just look for the circles. Admission is free. The venue is Russell Crossroads at 19 Russell Farms Road.

Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama

The 2020 Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama is open at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur. The free exhibit is a traveling juried art show that displays artwork created by students throughout Alabama who have visual impairments, blindness and deaf-blindness. The show will be displayed through Wednesday, Aug. 26 in the Walking Gallery. The exhibit has been hosted by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and UAB Vision Science Research Center and Education Outreach Module for the past 20 years. Children who participate in the show use various media to create one-of-a-kind artworks. This year’s exhibit will feature 40 pieces that can be purchased for donations starting at $100. The funds collected will help with the costs of framing, the opening reception, scholarships and summer workshops. Because of the pandemic, all Alabama Center for the Arts visitors must answer COVID-19 screening questions and have their temperature taken using a no-touch thermometer. Those granted access will be provided a wristband that must be worn at all times while on the center campus. For more information about the gallery exhibit, visit the website.

Soul Food Saturdays

Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens Soul Food Saturdays is Aug. 22. Check this week’s menu for Soul Food Saturdays. For your safety and the safety of those bringing the food to your car, please wear a face covering when picking up food. Meals will be delivered curbside at Arlington Historic House at 331 Cotton Ave. S.W. in Birmingham  from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Orders and payment will be taken over the phone at 205-780-5656. Visit arlingtonantebellumhomeandgardens.com/curbside or email arlingtonantebellumhome@gmail.com for more information.

Shelby County Arts Council

Enjoy the Shelby County Arts Council (SCAC) free livestream performances from the Black Box Theatre on the SCAC Youtube channel. For the complete lineup, click here. Follow this link for upcoming events. For donations and memberships, go here.

Prattville Farmers Market 

The Prattville Farmers Market growers and makers will have fresh products available out in the Grove on Doster Road each Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon through the end of August. Summertime is great for grilling and there’s nothing like fresh grilled corn with lime butter or grilled peaches with a drizzle of honey. Make campfire pockets with potatoes, onions, carrots and peppers wrapped in foil or wake up to a slice of homemade morning glory bread with fresh farm-raised eggs. You can find all you need at the Prattville Farmers Market Saturdays, but come early for the best selection. The city of Prattville and the Prattville Farmers Market want market visitors and our vendors to be as safe as possible, so they are practicing social distancing, wearing masks and providing hand-sanitizing stations to help stop the spread of COVID-19. For more information about the Prattville Farmers Market, contact the Cultural Arts and Special Events office at 334-595-0850 or visit www.prattvilleal.gov or www.facebook.com/prattvillefarmersmarket.

Live Nation Virtual Music

Live Nation’s Crew Nation, a global relief fund for live music crews, continues to raise money. So far the relief fund has raised $15 million to help 15,000 out-of-work crew members. With concerts still largely on pause, the fund seeks to double its funding to $30 million to continue helping out those in need. Learn more about Crew Nation’s new goal here.

First Aid Kit has released a new cover of Willie Nelson’s classic “On The Road Again” with proceeds being donated to Crew Nation. Stream the new release here.

OWA hosts 3rd annual Community Safety Day

OWA will be bustling with things to do Aug. 21-23. The weekend will kick off on Friday with First Responders Appreciation Weekend in the amusement park. On Saturday, Downtown OWA will host Community Safety Day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. featuring dozens of live demonstrations and a fireworks show at 8:45 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. While several kids’ activities are free for families, donations are appreciated for those activities and will be split among the nonprofits participating in the event. The festivities include live presentations, such as rappelling off buildings, helicopter landings and more. A full list of demonstrations and activities can be found on visitowa.com/events. The park’s discount for first responders is available only in person with valid proof of employment. Information can be found at owa.com.

Follow the guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which includes helpful tips and reminders about coronavirus, steps to prevent illness and symptoms.