Day Trippin' › Alabama › From Birmingham › Callaway Gardens
The drive from Birmingham to Callaway Gardens takes about 2 hr 38 min (east of Birmingham), by real roads from ZIP 35203. Along the way we found 45 stops within a short detour: 8 coffee shops, 1 bakeries, 6 ice cream and treats and 25 places to eat.
The list below is the best few of each kind, in driving order, with how far into the drive you reach each one (counted from Birmingham) and the detour it adds. Stops marked Our pick are chosen by us; the rest come from OpenStreetMap listings, so confirm hours before you count on them.
Photo: Thomsonmg2000, CC0
Garden
A big garden resort with a butterfly house, a lake beach, a chapel and a 10-mile bike trail.
Heads-up: Beach open in summer only. No strollers in the butterfly center.
First third Middle third Last third Callaway Gardens
About 2 hr 38 min by road, heading east from the middle of ZIP 35203. Traffic and weather change that.
Good ones to start with: Eli's Jerusalem Grill (Birmingham), Starbucks (Hoover), Starbucks (Hoover), Crumbl Cookies (Birmingham) and The Fish Market Restaurant (Shoal Run). The page lists 24 in all, in driving order.
Starbucks in Hoover, Starbucks in Hoover, Scooter's Coffee in Chelsea and Starbucks in Sylacauga. Check hours first; they come from OpenStreetMap listings.
Eli's Jerusalem Grill in Birmingham, The Fish Market Restaurant in Shoal Run, Station 31 Kitchen in Chelsea and Pinto Thai in Chelsea.
Comer Museum and Arts Center in Sylacauga, Gantt's Quarry Post Office in Sylacauga, Airplane Monument in Elkahatchee Park and Museum of East Alabama in Opelika.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Stops come from our own picks and OpenStreetMap listings; hours and detours change, so check before you go. We do not store anyone's location.