Introducing the City Guide – a collaboration between the travel experts at Southern Sky Aviation and the style experts at Aviate.
We’ll be visiting different cities and providing quick, easy-to-follow itineraries that will take you to some of each city’s best spots as only an insider can.
Join us as we take you on a tour of Southern Sky Aviation’s and Aviate’s home city – BHM.
You’ve just hopped off your private charter at the Southern Sky Aviation hangar in Birmingham, Alabama. You only have a weekend to experience the best our city has to offer. Overwhelmed? Don’t be.
Our expert team has mapped out all our favorite spots in Birmingham to piece together this ultimate travel guide just for YOU.
Here’s our ideal itinerary…
Authentically Jewish and seriously delicious.
Since opening in early 2019, Mile End has been one of our favorite spots for casual eats. We highly recommend stopping here for their breakfast, brunch or lunch. Plus, they have an excellent selection of cocktails and beer as well.
Our favorite menu items? Anything that comes on their homemade bagels. And you can’t go wrong with an order of matzo ball soup to accompany one of their famous sandwiches (we’re partial to chicken schnitzel or pastrami).
After, walk off an indulgent lunch directly across the street at award-winning Railroad Park.
About Mile End
More to Explore
- Rougaroux for the best po-boy you’ve ever had outside of Louisiana
- The Pepper Place Farmers Market (Every Saturday 7 a.m. to noon, rain or shine) and while have brunch at OvenBird or crepes at Red Cat.
- Eat a biscuit at Alabama Biscuit Co.
- Pick up a pick-me-up – ice-cold draft latte at Homewood coffee shop Caveat
A unique spot for the home and garden.
Next we headed over to Shoppe to spend some time enjoying the beautiful, sunny summer day.
Tucked in the historic Forest Park neighborhood among some of the city’s most elegant homes, you’ll find this sophisticated purveyor of garden goods. Filled with plants, garden supplies, accessories and books, it’s a must stop for one-of-a-kind odds and ends and local gifts.
Shoppe’s glass greenhouse is one of the best places to slow down and take in a deep breath of Alabama air and also one of the most Instagrammable spots in BHM, so we had to include it in the City Guide.
About Shoppe
More to Explore
18th street in Homewood
- Soca for women’s clothing
- Shaia’s for men’s clothing
- Cookie Fix for a freshly-baked cookie
- Alabama Goods to truly shop local
- Homewood Toy for the little ones
- Battle Republic for a quick sweat session
Sip local and play games.
Our next stop was Back Forty, a favorite spot to pass the time and have some fun!
After you take a tour of Sloss Furnaces historic landmark, find yourself across the street at Back Forty. Here, you can sip local brews and grab a bite from an innovative, upscale bar menu – where you’ll find things like ramen, fresh gulf shrimp fried to perfection, hand-tossed pizza and one of our favorite burgers in town.
Before, during or after you dine, enjoy the great BHM weather and grab some bean bags for a round of cornhole or paddles for ping pong on their back lawn.
About Back Forty
More to Explore
- Visit the Birmingham Botanical Gardens to walk and smell the roses
- Railroad Park is an urban oasis in the heart of the city with events year-round
- Jemison Trail a creekside suburban hiking trail
- Set your own agenda and pamper yourself south of the city at Pursell Farms
Brand new and fabulously fresh.
We ended our day with a delicious dinner and tasty cocktails at Automatic.
Chef Adam Evans has an impressive resume of experience from celebrated restaurants all over the world and not only is the food excellent, but the atmosphere and décor have been equally buzzed-about – feeling like the interior of an ocean liner during the golden age of sea travel.
Automatic’s full menu is excellent filled, but consider sitting at the bar or on the patio to enjoy an impressive selection of fresh oysters and delicious cocktails.
About Automatic Seafood & Oysters
More to Explore
- Drink up and take in one-of-a-kind art at gallery1930.
- Late night, you’ll love the beer-garden style and late night brunch at Brat Bröt
- For pre-dinner drinks downtown head to Paper Doll Bar
- For James Beard award-winning cuisine, hit Highlands Bar & Grill (and don’t forget to end the meal with a slice of James-Beard award-winning pastry chef Dolester Miles’s Coconut Cake)
