Cullman is ready to celebrate its agricultural heritage as the 87th annual Alabama Strawberry Festival returns to Depot Park and the Festhalle Farmers Market on April 24–25. Officially recognized by Gov. Kay Ivey in 2023 as the Alabama Strawberry Festival, the event is considered the state’s longest running strawberry celebration and honors a tradition that […]

As a student of language, I love learning the “untranslatable” words when I travel. These are words that don’t have direct correlation with a word in English, and to me, they are the most special–because they reveal an aspect of the culture that almost feels like a secret.  And as I grew restless in my […]

As spring peeks just around the corner, the calendar for Alabamians is anything but quiet. This week’s event lineup proves there’s no shortage of ways to gather, celebrate, and explore across the state. From literary celebrations, to live theatre performances, and tea time with your girlfriends, there is sure to be something for everyone to […]

At Tucana Tiki Bar, owner and bar director Nicky Vann Tisdale has created a space designed for pure escapism. As soon as you walk past the tiki torches, you quickly find yourself on a lush, tropical island: palm leaves abound, floral patterns on every wall, and all of a sudden you’re holding a beverage in […]

Public art can have that special “house into a home” effect on a place, and Alabama towns are no different. Like personal decor, a community’s art often reflects their personality and priorities. Walk into a home that’s covered floor to ceiling in burnt orange and ocean blue — and you’ll instantly know at least one […]

Before the chants, before the speeches, before history was written into law, the Civil Rights Movement was sung. Music moved through churches, jail cells, and city streets, carrying grief, faith, anger, and hope when words alone fell short. These songs did more than accompany marches; they helped people endure them. They were an offering of […]

You might already know Vecchia Pizzeria & Mercato, a staple in Hoover since opening in 2014 — the kind of place that smells like warm dough and simmering sauce as you open the door. Inside, the energy is lived-in and unpolished in the best way: flour-dusted counters, and the steady hum of conversation between friends […]

Alabama is a state full of surprises, offering something for everyone — from colorful Mardi Gras parades along the Gulf Coast to quiet stretches of protected land for hiking, fishing, and horseback riding. Each week, communities across the state come together to celebrate heritage, art, and the outdoors: world-class dance and theatre performances, local quilt […]

When David Silverstein talks about The Pizitz, the pride in his voice is unmistakable. It’s there in the way he recalls the building’s long and winding narrative arc–from retail anchor, to vacant shell, to a living, breathing center of downtown Birmingham once again. That pride, evident in every detail of Bayer Properties’ restoration, echoes something […]

Dr. Maggie Crosland, the Birmingham Museum of Art’s Curator of European Art, guides me through the museum’s newest exhibit with a sense of curiosity and warmth; it’s clear that she is immensely proud of the collection before me. The exhibit? The much anticipated Monet to Matisse: French Moderns, which traces the evolution of French art […]

For Sam Walker, lead singer of Clay Street Unit, growing up just outside of Montgomery meant the best of both worlds: the charm of city life paired with the wide-open spaces of his grandparents’ farm in Clay County. “I treasured every year I spent there,” Walker says, reflecting on Ashland and Montgomery alike. “I try […]

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund has awarded $5 million in grants to five historically Black churches across the United States, with each receiving $1 million. Among the recipients are First African Baptist Church in Beaufort, South Carolina; Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago; Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles; Mother […]

Mary Fehr’s photography is immediately recognizable, and in many ways has become synonymous with her hometown of Birmingham. Fehr is a master at elevating the everyday, whether she’s capturing a romance, a chef in the kitchen, or a fleeting moment between friends. Her photographs don’t just show what’s in front of the lens; they show […]

On Fat Tuesday, Dauphin Street hums with music and motion as beads arc through the air, MoonPies thud into waiting hands, and the call of “throw me something!” echoes between historic buildings. Massive, ornately decorated floats and costumed riders move through downtown as a centuries-old tradition comes fully alive. This is the peak of Mardi […]

When Forbes recently named TJ Gamble one of the most influential figures in American whiskey, it caught the attention of an industry dominated by legacy brands and traditional power players. Gamble, the creator of the popular Youtube channel Brewzle, isn’t based in Kentucky or New York–he’s working out of Alabama, where his approachable long-form storytelling […]

There are places in North Alabama that do not just sit in the past–they carry it with them. You walk through the door and the pace changes. The light feels different. The floor creaks under your feet in a way that reminds you history is not an abstract idea. It is something you can still […]

This story originally appeared in Magnolia & Moonshine. An 1870 mansion in Selma, Alabama, has found new life as a place where art, community, and joy intersect. Known as Byrdland, the historic home belongs to artist Trés Taylor and his wife, Helene, who have transformed the space into a living gallery and gathering place rooted […]

After seeing the small outdoor “Mice on Main” animal sculptures displayed in downtown Greenville, SC, Lucy Orr, a junior in high school at the time, wanted a similar attraction for Decatur. While doing research, Lucy discovered that the state of Alabama is #1 in the number of different freshwater turtle species, and they are a […]

For 40 years, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival has stood as one of the South’s most enduring cultural institutions—a place where language, imagination, and community converge in Montgomery, the state’s capital. Fully professional and nationally respected, ASF produces world-class theatre year-round, anchoring its work in Shakespeare while embracing musicals, American classics, children’s productions, and new works […]

Crimson Dynasty, the Napa Valley-crafted wine label rooted in Alabama pride and tradition, has officially begun shipping its much-anticipated 2024 Chardonnay. The new release expands the brand’s growing portfolio and represents an important next step in the evolution of its proprietary wine collection. The Chardonnay joins Crimson Dynasty’s debut releases, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon and […]

Martin Luther King Jr. Day offers an annual opportunity to engage thoughtfully with the ideas that shaped the Civil Rights Movement and continue to inform conversations about justice, equity, and civic responsibility. Few of Dr. King’s writings articulate this vision more clearly than his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” in which he reminds readers that “injustice […]