3 Great Outdoor Activities You Can Drive to Near Birmingham, AL

Explore Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Birmingham is blessed with an amazing collection of botanical gardens that you can enter for free and stroll around to your heart’s content, reveling in the beauty of wonderfully nurtured and cultivated natural spaces. At the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, you have over two dozen separate garden areas to explore, covering 67 acres. 

The Japanese garden and a variety of different flower gardens are some local favorites. When you visit, you’re also sure to enjoy the beautiful rock formations and trickling water displays. Inside a vast central conservatory, there’s a breathtaking variety of plants from all kinds of exotic environments. Enjoy the gardens at 2612 Lane Park Road.

Visit the Birmingham Zoo

Not far from the gardens, at 2630 Cahaba Road, you can find the city’s fantastic zoo. What better place to spend an adventurous and educational day outdoors with the family? At the 122-acre Birmingham Zoo, there are around 550 animals and 180 different species to see, including many exotic and endangered species from all over the world. 

Some of the zoo’s more exciting species are the red pandas, elephants, lions, giraffes, rhinos, and zebras. The animals here are all very well cared for; you can learn all about the zoo’s conservation efforts while you’re there. In particular, the Trails of Africa exhibit showcases the zoo’s nation-leading efforts in elephant conservation.

Climb Ruffner Mountain 

If you’re in Birmingham now, look toward the northeast of town, and you may well see the glorious slopes of Ruffner Mountain. The nature preserve on this mountain is a fantastic place for hiking, with well-kept trails and many stunning views. There are a few different trails, ranging in difficulty, one of which leads to a rocky cliff with an impressive view of the steeply descending mountainside. 

The only cost of this excellent outdoor experience is $5 for parking, which goes toward supporting the nature preserve. You can drive there in your new 2023 GMC Sierra 1,500 Elevation, enjoying the mile-eating power of your truck’s available 5.3L V8 Gas Engine with 10-Speed Automatic Transmission all the way. Find access to Ruffner Mountain at 1214 81st Street South. 

Once you’ve had a nice day outdoors in Birmingham, visit Royal Buick GMC. We’re a family owned and operated dealership that’s been proudly servicing the city’s drivers for 30 years.

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