By Donna Cornelius Birmingham is the Magic City. Huntsville’s proud of being the Rocket City. And Union Springs is known as the Bird Dog Field Trial Capital of the World (bet you didn’t know that). Homewood doesn’t have an official nickname. But if it did, “Culinary City” wouldn’t be a stretch. Zomato, a restaurant search and discovery service, lists 172 restaurants in … [Read more...]
Back in the Saddle: Mountain Brook Woman Finds Her Calling After Carpool
By Sarah Kuper By her own admission, Joy O’Neal had no horse sense. “I never rode a horse growing up. I never even touched a horse until one of my kids wanted to take riding lessons,” she said. But now, the Birmingham native is the founder and executive director of The Red Barn, a therapeutic equine riding center in Leeds.A self-proclaimed “barn mom,” O’Neal is using … [Read more...]
Worlds Away: Long-Time BMA Patron Revisits Collection and Reconnects with Curator
By Emily Williams At 104 years of age, Helen Hudgens has traveled the world collecting art and experiences. But for her wish of a lifetime, she stayed closer to home. On March 10, Hudgens visited pieces of her own art collection that she donated to the Birmingham Museum of Art and her old friend, senior curator Dr. Donald Wood.Upon learning that Wood will be retiring … [Read more...]
Take the Lead: Competitive Ballroom Dancing Keeps Ann Rich on Her Toes
By Emily Williams Ann Rich’s relationship with ballroom dancing can’t be called kismet. The Birmingham resident didn’t start ballroom dancing until her early 50s. The first time she stepped into the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Hoover, she didn’t fall in love with ballroom dancing. In fact, it didn’t spark any kind of resounding emotion. “Initially, my husband and I went to … [Read more...]
Spring Break Close to Home: Alabama Offers Plenty of Hometown and Day Trip Options for Vacationing Families
By Lynn Grisard Fullman If for a minute you feel a twinge of envy that your friends are packing to go to faraway places during spring break, don’t despair. There are plenty of interesting places closer to home to keep you and your family entertained. “There is a joke among tourism professionals called ‘the inverse law,’ which means the closer you are to an attraction, the … [Read more...]