Magic City Con - Local Stuff
Hey friends, if you’re heading to Birmingham, AL for Magic City Con this weekend, here is a short list of extra places you might want/need to visit, just because you have extra time or need to eat or because stuff happens. I don’t have an affiliation with any of these places. I’m just thinking of what is closest to the hotel and what won’t have you eating at MackDo the whole weekend.
By the way, traffic on Hwy 280, especially on Friday afternoon heading south, WILL be ridiculous. I recommend avoiding high traffic times if at all possible.
Target
4616 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35242
(205) 408-7687
8am-11pm
Sprouts Farmer’s Market (food only-not WF expensive)
Brook Highland Plaza 5265 US-280, Birmingham, AL 35242
(205) 263-2808
7am-10pm
Walmart
5335 Highway 280, Birmingham, AL 35242
24 hours, probably
Petco (ya never know)
5269 Highway 280 South Suite B6
Birmingham, AL 35242
(205) 995-1013
9am-9pm
Local Food (near the hotel)
Big Bad Breakfast - breakfast only, buuuusy if you don’t get there early
Krispy Kreme (not exactly local, but some of y’all don’t have Krispey Kreme and that is just tragic)
Steel City Pops - local, artisan popsicles!
Surin 280 - Thai and sushi
Taziki’s - mild Greek
Jim ‘N Nick’s - BBQ (Don’t eat at Dreamland! It’s OK, but not great. Jim and Nicks is much better if you want BBQ. Eat there).
There are other local/non-local places, but these aren’t horribly expensive.
Unfortunately there are no good coffee houses near the hotel (there is a Starbucks a mile or so south on 280), but if you are willing to drive another mile or three north, there are some really good local places. I will recommend 2 that are decently close to the hotel:
O’Henry’s
569 Brookwood Village, Ste. 101, Birmingham, AL 35209
205-870-1148
Sat 7am-10pm
Octane
2821 Central Ave #105, Homewood, AL 35209
(205) 969-1177
Sat 8am-12am
American Family Care
5410 US-280
Birmingham, AL
(205) 201-7290
8am-6pm
I have only used the greater Birmingham area’s AFC once (not this clinic) and my experience was satisfactory but prepare to pay up front out of pocket.
St. Vincent’s Hospital - emergency room*
810 St Vincents Dr
Birmingham, AL
(205) 939-7000
If for some reason you have an emergency but are not in need of an ambulance, St. Vincent’s hospital is the closest emergency room to the hotel that is, in my opinion, the easiest to reach. They also have pay programs that will work with you to lower your expenses if you don’t have insurance.
*Brookwood Medical Center is closer as the crow flies, but it’s a little complicated to navigate if you’ve never been there. It is also a for-profit hospital, which means it’s gonna be expensive if you incur any bills there.
*UAB Hospital - amazing in terms of patient-centered care and is not much farther than STV, but it’s a little complicated to reach if you’ve never been there.
Riverview Animal Clinic
4640 Highway 280 S
Birmingham, AL 35242
(205) 991-9580
7am-9pm
107.3 FM
Birmingham Mountain Radio
The only radio station worth listening to in this area, imho.
There are lots of stations in this area, but the cheapest is probably going to be the Murphy’s in the Walmart parking lot. Either that or Race Trak across the street (these are about a mile or two south of the hotel). Basically, the farther south you get away from Birmingham, the cheaper things become :D (but if you reach Childersburg, you’ve probably gone too far).
If you would like an opinion about a place you’re thinking about going, reply to this message, and I will answer you as soon as I am able.
Y’all have fun and thanks for visiting our city!!
