Birmingham Civil Rights Insitute
The struggle for equality for Black Americans has been an epoch journey. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute chronicles this journey from the Jim Crow laws of the 1800s to the dramatic revolution changes of the 1950s and 1960s. Open since 1992, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute was located in Birmingham, Alabama because of its prominence in the Civil Rights movement. It was one of the first cities where African-American citizens actively fought to participate in the city's government and business community. It was this struggle that brought the Civil Rights movement to the attention of the world and helped to change a country.
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute seeks to “encourage communication and reconciliation of human rights issues worldwide, and to serve as a depository for civil rights archives and documents”. Through the use of exhibits, interactive displays, educational resources and more, the institute is a "living institution" which serves to teach that the lessons of the past help to understand and define the future.
Permanent exhibitions highlight barriers, confrontations, movements, leaders, and milestones. A Human Rights Gallery, a state of the art resource gallery, and more are also featured. Interactive exhibitions detail the events in Birmingham and other cities that influenced the human rights movements. An extensive archive collection of the Civil Rights movement is preserved at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
The BCRI Gift Shop offers apparel, videos, posters, and more. Educational information about the American Civil Rights Movement, human rights, African-American experiences, and the African Diaspora are available at the gift shop.
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is open Tuesday through Sunday and is closed on Mondays and all major holidays. Free admission is offered on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Gulf Shores
The sugar white beaches of Alabama’s Gulf Coast at Gulf Shores/Orange Beach are located on a 30,000 acre island. The island is situated between the Intercoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico and bordered by Perdido Bay to the east and Mobile Bay to the west. The Gulf Shores are dominated by long stretches of powder soft sand, tall dunes, and beautiful trees contrasted against the brilliant waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Visitors enjoy freshwaters lakes, the rivers, and bayous along the waterfront. The two major towns on the islands are Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Gulf State Park is also on the island.
The Gulf Coast is renowned for its championship golf courses, with a dozen private and public courses within range of the beach. While the mild temperatures attract the golfers, the Gulf Coast also attracts tennis players. Fishing is another popular sport in the area, with prime locations for catching a wide variety of fish - freshwater, saltwater, or river. Boats are available for rental in the lakes, along the Back Bay, in the Gulf, or along the coastal reef where red snapper and shark are popular catches. The Gulf State Park offers an 825-ft. fishing pier for dock fishing. Recreational opportunities at the Gulf Shores include snorkeling, diving, parasailing, and other water sports.
Several festivals are held at the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach each year. The Annual National Shrimp Festival in October takes place along the Gulf Shores Public Beach Boardwalk. The same month, the Orange Beach Fishing Association “rodeo” takes place. Music and art festivals are also featured throughout the year.
Along the Gulf of Mexico, the great fishing yields the freshest seafood available. Restaurants in the area feature shrimp, crab, oysters, and succulent catches of the day. For shoppers, the Gulf Shores offer top fashion boutiques and an outlet mall. Historians will want to head to Fort Morgan, the site of the Civil War Battle of Mobile Bay. Families will find the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo or waterpark a nice diversion from the sun and sand. Nature lovers can observe wildlife or go birdwatching at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Gulf State Park, or along the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail.
The Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau operates two welcome centers in the Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Fort Morgan area where visitors can pick up information on local attractions.
U.S. Space & Rocket Center
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama is NASA's Official Visitor Information Center for Marshall Space Flight Center. Home to Space Camp and Aviation Challenge the U.S. Space & Rocket Center is one of the top space flight museums in the world. The facilities offer the Museum, Spacedome IMAX Theater, Rocket Park, Shuttle Park, and NASA's Educator Resource Center. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center combines the history of mankind’s exploration of space with interactive learning opportunities for future scientists and astronauts.
The fun side of space travel is featured on some of the center’s attractions. The “Space Shot” offers a 4-G rocket launch experience with a 140-ft., 2.5-second launch into the air. The “G-Force Accelerator” is a 3-G simulator – as the speed increases, riders lift off the seats. “Kids Cosmos Energy Depletion Zone” is for parent-accompanied kids under eight, who can crawl through the Space Station and into the rocket. The “Apollo Cockpit Trainer” simulates the interior inside the Command Service Module of an Apollo mission. The “Mars Mission, Mars Climbing Wall” features a climbing wall along the replicated face of Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system. Attractions have minimum height requirements.
On permanent display at the center are the original Mercury and Gemini capsule trainers and the Apollo 16 capsule. In addition, Apollo and Saturn replicas and other displays make it one of the finest collections of space memorabilia. Visitors get to see the evolution of the space programs from rockets to shuttles. Other exhibits that have been featured at times include the German V-2 Rocket; the first man made object capable of breaking through the Earth’s atmosphere. Also, the highly educational exhibit on the MIR space lab and Destiny module of the International Space Station have been featured. The 15-year MIR mission saw a collaboration of Russian and U.S. space technology until its decommission in 2001.
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center offers Space Camps and Aviation Challenge programs for families and children over the age of six, and event facilities for small group meetings to catered events for up to 4,000 people.
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is open daily and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.