Birmingham's Best: 5 things you'll love about the Magic City

Although all of the branch campuses are great... we’re a little biased to say that Birmingham campus is the GREATEST. Once deemed the underdog city of the south, Birmingham is experiencing exponential growth with tons of new things to do. We were given the task of highlighting some of Birmingham’s best things to do/ why it’s so great. Although BHAM’s greatness can’t be put into words, we’ll give it a shot:

Barons Baseball

If you love baseball, hotdogs, $2 beer, or just need a reason to get outside, Barons baseball games are where its at. Tickets are super cheap and they usually have specials on food and drinks

Railroad Park

Bringing a little Mother Nature to downtown Birmingham, RR Park is the best place to get some fresh air. You can run/walk/bike or hang out by the ponds. They have events throughout the year like the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and free yoga (free will soon be your favorite word so take note).

Food

If you love to eat, BHAM is the place for you. Birmingham has some of the best food in the country and is known for its good eats. Some of our favorites are: Red Pearl, Steel City Pops, El Barrio, Rojo, Paramount, Saw’s BBQ, Silvertron and Hattie B’s to name a few.  The list goes on and on, but be sure to check these out if you’re new to Birmingham!

Hiking

After long days in Volker you’ll find yourself wanting to see something that’s not the concrete jungle of downtown. One of the best parts about Birmingham is that there are hiking trails all around! Oak Mountain is about 20 minutes from downtown. You can hike tons of trails and even kayak here! There’s also Ruffner Mountain and Red Mountain where you can hike and zip line.

Breweries

Birmingham is a craft beer gold mine. If you are ever in the mood to relax and try some local beer, there are tons of places to choose form. Some of our favorites to hang out at are: Good People, Trim Tab and Avondale.

Fast facts about Huntsville, the Rocket City

Congratulations on joining us at the UAB School of Medicine! If you’re reading this, you are probably going to the Huntsville campus, one of the branch campuses where students are assigned for their clinical rotations starting in third year.

The Huntsville clerkships offer the intimate learning environment of a branch campus, but they are done within Huntsville Hospital, the second largest hospital in the state after UAB. Learning in this environment is unique in that it offers opportunities for students to treat the “zebras”—a term for the patients with the rarest diseases—while also offering a more hands-on, personalized clinical education of a community-based hospital.  

However, there's more to  to the Huntsville campus than your clinic assignment: the city will also be your home!

Fast facts about Huntsville:

1. Also known as the “Rocket City,” Huntsville is home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Cummings Research Park and the Army’s Redstone Arsenal.
2. Large Huntsville employers bring with them many educated people from around the world, and have made Huntsville into somewhat of a cultural melting pot.
3. Due to its fast growth and cultural diversity, Huntsville has a lot to offer to make it a great place to live. From the microbreweries, to Monte Sano Mountain, to the food truck festivals, there is plenty to do to kick back and enjoy your time off.

Huntsville offers a world of experiences when it comes to your third year, whether it’s in the clinic or not. However, no matter which campus you rotate in, in the end, you will have had an incredible UAB experience. Go Blazers! 

Places to visit when making a home in Montgomery

Welcome to Montgomery, the capital of Sweet Home Alabama! Here’s a list of some fun things to do in our future home: 

Revisit some important historical landmarks

Montgomery has a rich history. As one of the prominent scenes during the civil right movement, the city has a Civil Rights Movement Memorial Center. The museum is very interactive and provides an important perspective about civil rights in the past and present.

Tour the Historic Cloverdale Neighborhood

Home of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, located in the beautiful Cloverdale neighborhood. This neighborhood is home to Huntington College, many historic houses, and is one of the areas that many students choose to live in their third year. Did I mention it’s less than a five minute drive from the Baptist South Hospital?

Grab a bite

Check out downtown in the Riverfront area. There are restaurants, a park, and Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Montgomery Biscuits. After that, you can check out the Alley Entertainment District for a variety of bars. One go-to recommended by one of UAB’s Montgomery natives is Fancy Nancy’s, an Italian Ice shop known for their combined snow cone and ice cream desserts! 

Four reasons you'll love Tuscaloosa

The Longitudinal Curriculum

Your class will be the first class to fully participate in TLC2. That’s groundbreaking! This will be an excellent opportunity to actually feel like a practicing physician in your third year of medical school. You will get to follow your patients as they go through their lives, as they struggle and as they thrive. You will get to deliver their babies and then conduct their first well baby visits. You will get to watch children grow and progress through the rollercoaster of pediatric diseases that occur over the course of the calendar year. Furthermore, many of you will get to explore and experience different communities throughout Alabama. You will get to connect with community members and leaders, and you will have the ability to make a difference where you go. Longitudinal curriculums are proven to be effective and meaningful. They provide the optimal environment for mentorship and teaching. We hope this excites you!

The Food in Ttown

Have you ever eaten at Quick Grill? Well, just wait, and order the messy fries when you finally get to the window of this hut on The Strip. (FYI, The Strip is the portion of University Boulevard from Ruan Thai to Bryant Denny.) Tuscaloosa has flourished over the last five years since the April 27, 2011 tornadoes that reshaped the landscape and the community. We have become a stronger, more bonded community that wants to continually move forward. This certainly includes the food scene, which now features Side By Side from Chef Chris Hastings; 301 Bistro, Bar, and Beer Garden; and Avenue Pub. Don’t forget the Tuscaloosa classics either like The Waysider, The Rama Jama, City Café and Taco Casa. So don’t think you’ll be leaving delicious food behind (or losing any weight) when heading to Tuscaloosa! And for after dinner, there are plenty of places to go too. This is a college town after all…

The Crimson Tide

Ttown bleeds crimson. Bryant Denny serves as a towering reminder that football trumps everything. Nick Saban is the No. 1 local celebrity, and Tuscaloosa transforms on Gameday weekends. But seriously, the University of Alabama is an amazing place, whether you worship SEC football or not. The Capstone offers opportunities to connect back to the basic sciences, to dive into community service in the Black Belt or to network with students from across the country in various programs. It is a supportive environment of people who are proud to be associated with UA.   

Dr. Dan Avery

Just think of Santa Claus and your grandfather all rolled into one. If you don’t believe me, just Google image him. Dr. Avery was a member of the OB/GYN team and the chair of the department. Now, he serves within medical student services, and he continues to mentor medical students and physicians at all stages. He tells amazing stories, and he seems to know every other physician in the state of Alabama. But more than this, Dr. Avery represents all of the Tuscaloosa campus administrators, professors and staff. They are going to be invested in you. They want to help you and watch you excel throughout your third and fourth years and beyond. You will receive personalized attention and support on the Tuscaloosa campus that will set you up for success.