{"id":329015,"date":"2025-12-03T10:26:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T10:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alabama\/the-day-birmingham-goes-dark\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T10:26:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T10:26:13","slug":"the-day-birmingham-goes-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=329015","title":{"rendered":"The day Birmingham goes dark"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"Michael<\/a>
Michael Sznajderman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Michael Sznajderman<\/em><\/p>\n

Birmingham has so much to offer, especially for visitors.<\/p>\n

From our important civil rights sites, to our unique industrial heritage, to our amazing parks and greenways, to our nationally recognized foodie scene, we punch above our weight as a destination.<\/p>\n

So why is it that, unlike most destination cities, some of our most significant attractions are closed on Sundays?<\/p>\n

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute?\u00a0 Closed.<\/p>\n

Sloss Furnaces National Historic Site?\u00a0 Closed.<\/p>\n

The A.G. Gaston exhibit and the National Park Service portion of the A.G. Gaston Motel?\u00a0 Closed.<\/p>\n

(A clarification: the delightful Alicia\u2019s Coffee Shop inside the motel is open on Sunday. If you haven\u2019t been there, you\u2019re missing out.)<\/p>\n

I love going to Alicia\u2019s anytime \u2013 it is fun and friendly, and just thinking about the history that took place at the Gaston Motel is reason enough to have a seat and a coffee and soak it all in. But stop by there on a Sunday and you\u2019ll witness the problem.<\/p>\n

\"A.G.<\/a>
A.G. Gaston Motel (photo by Michael Sznajderman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On one recent Sunday afternoon at Alicia\u2019s, while I sipped an iced coffee, travelers from Ireland, from Mississippi, from Chicago and Philadelphia stepped inside the coffee shop.<\/p>\n

They were expecting to be able to step into the motel\u2019s courtyard where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Revs. Fred Shuttlesworth and Ralph Abernathy and other civil rights leaders gathered and planned strategy during the climactic 1963 protests. The travelers had hoped to visit the Civil Rights Institute and learn about our city\u2019s past and progress and its contributions to global human rights. No go.<\/p>\n

Of course, many of our famous restaurants also are closed on Sundays, although there are great Sunday brunch and even dinner options in the central city and across the metro. Back Forty Beer Company is one place where you can have lunch and a cold brew on Sunday, and sit outside to enjoy our stellar fall weather. But just across the street, the gates at Sloss Furnaces are locked.<\/p>\n

To be fair, Birmingham has some great attractions that are open on Sundays. The Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Birmingham Zoo are open. So is McWane Science Center. So is Vulcan Park and Museum. Folks also can enjoy our expanding park network, from Red Mountain Park to Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve, to Railroad Park and Oak Mountain State Park.<\/p>\n

But for visitors staying downtown, convention-goers, and folks passing through on the interstate, Sunday hours at Sloss Furnaces, the A.G. Gaston Museum\/courtyard and the Civil Rights Institute would really up the game \u2014 especially for those interested in our city\u2019s civil rights and industrial history.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a complicated fix. If it\u2019s a question of staffing costs, consider shifting schedules to allow for these important attractions to open for a few hours Sunday afternoons. And if it forces these institutions to close on another day, isn\u2019t it more important to be open for visitors and travelers and families on Sundays vs. Tuesday?<\/p>\n

As for the National Park Service, if staff aren\u2019t available, why not train volunteer docents to be at the A.G. Gaston Motel on Sunday afternoons? It\u2019s baffling that the park service \u2014 eight years after the Birmingham Civil Rights District was designated a National Monument \u2014 doesn\u2019t have a physical presence in the district every day. (And another thing: how much longer till the park service restores the famous \u201cwar room\u201d at the Gaston Motel where King, Shuttlesworth and other civil rights leaders held their meetings? I mean, we\u2019re talking ONE motel room!)<\/p>\n

Real cities with big attractions keep those attractions open on Sundays, when many families are off from work and school and are looking for things to do. And those who are intentionally visiting our city on a weekend shouldn\u2019t be negatively surprised and disappointed to learn that some of our most important sites are shuttered on a Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Birmingham is known for Southern hospitality, its caring people and welcoming spirit. Sunday shouldn\u2019t be an exception.<\/p>\n

Michael Sznajderman is a retired public relations professional and former newspaper reporter, columnist and editor. He lives in Birmingham.<\/em><\/p>\n

You may enjoy these columns written by Michael:<\/p>\n

David Sher is the founder and publisher of\u00a0ComebackTown<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).<\/em><\/p>\n

Click here to sign up for our newsletter.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. dsher@comebacktown.com<\/p>\n

(Visited 44 times, 5 visits today)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michael Sznajderman By Michael Sznajderman Birmingham has so much to offer, especially for visitors. From our important civil rights sites, to our unique industrial heritage, to our amazing parks and greenways, to our nationally recognized foodie scene, we punch above our weight as a destination. So why is it that, unlike most destination cities, some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":329016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11763],"tags":[13518,277,467],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-329015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alabama","tag-birmingham","tag-dark","tag-day"],"yoast_head":"\nThe day Birmingham goes dark - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=329015\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The day Birmingham goes dark - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Michael Sznajderman By Michael Sznajderman Birmingham has so much to offer, especially for visitors. 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