Birmingham continues to receive national accolades.

Last week, the folks at CNN Travel wrote something a little bit different about travel in the South. Instead of focusing on the huge megacities – Atlanta, New Orleans and Nashville, they published a story titled “15 charming cities in the American South you may have overlooked.”

The Magic City made the list at number two, behind San Antonio.

The story profiled places to eat, stay and play in Birmingham.

Here are the places around town that were featured including CNN Travel’s delightful brief descriptions:

Eat

Hot & Hot Fish Club – “eat to much swordfish and blistered okra”

The Garage Cafe – “revered local haunt”

Highlands Bar and Grill– “beloved establishment… Southern grub with a French finesse”

Pizitz Food Hall – “new food court”

Carrigan’s Public House – “killer martinis”

Carlile’s BBQ– “best potato salad in town”

Dreamland Bar-B-Que – “melt in your mouth ribs”

Stay

Redmont Hotel – “ ambiance that still tips its hat to the roaring ’20s

Westin Birmingham – “has a Todd English restaurant”

Play

Vulcan – “Gaze at 56-foot Vulcan”

Along with a visit to Vulcan, CNN Travel proposed trips to Red Mountain Park, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute , Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and Sloss Furnaces.

National Recognition

Birmingham has been on a roll lately when it come to garnering recognition from national publications and media outlets. Earlier this summer Outside Magazine the Magic City was profiled in Outside Magazine’s 25 Best Towns of 2017 edition.

The New York Times published in June an article titled –“Birmingham is ready to surprise you.”

Last Spring, the Washington Post featured Birmingham in their “best vacation destinations you’ve never considered” series. It was followed up by a story in the Denver Post.

What’s next? We don’t know. But the Magic City is definitely trending upward in the eyes of the national media.

Pat Byington Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.