The Alabama Theatre

Theatre is a very large passion of mine. And the theatres the plays are shown in are just as magnificent as the plays themselves. One the most magnificent theatres I have seen is The Alabama Theatre located on Third Avenue North in Birmingham, Alabama.

Both in beauty and history.

Construction for The Alabama Theatre began in early 1927 and was opened on December 26, 1927. At the time of its opening, the theatre could seat about 2,500 people making it the largest theatre in the Birmingham Theatre District. It was the first building in Alabama to have air conditioning. It cost $1.5 million to build the theatre.

The Alabama Theatre is now the only operating theatre in the district today and is one of the best theatres of the period in the southeast.

The theatre has been used for shows of all kinds since its beginning.

In 1933, the theatre formed a Mikey Mouse Club. It became the largest Club in the world having about 7,000 children in the Club. The children would perform for each other, watch Mickey Mouse and other activities. By the time it ended, there were around 18,000 children in the Club.

The theatre also hosted the Miss Alabama Pageant. The theatre held the pageant from 1938 to 1966.

The theatre has a stand-out design. The outside is a mix of Spanish Renaissance and Baroque detailing. Giving the theatre a Spanish villa feel. The inside takes on the “movie palace” design that was popular during the time the theatre was built. Giving the theatre a whimsical sort of feel.

When the theatre first opened, it played silent films. And with silent films, musical accompaniment. To accomplish this, the theatre installed a Crawford Special-Publix One Mighty Wurlitzer organ. There were only 17 of this kind made and The Alabama Theatre was given one of them. The Alabama Theatre’s organ is one of three that are still in its original spot. The organ is nicknamed Big Bertha. It is considered the most valuable item in the whole building.

Throughout the years, the theatre has been closed, resold to new owners, restored, and renamed the Alabama Theatre for the Performing Arts.

In 1998, The Alabama Theatre underwent interior restoration. Fixing the paint, seats, carpet and drapes.

Each year the theatre hosts 250 events and around 400,000 people a year come to enjoy these shows. In 1993, the theatre was named the official state historic theatre of Alabama.

The theatre’s exterior and history make it a truly beautiful place to see. I have not been inside the theatre nor have I seen any shows in the theatre. But seeing The Alabama Theatre in person makes it a bucket list place to see a show. It is truly beautiful.

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Cheaha State Park

             I consider myself to be a pretty adventurous person at times, and over our Christmas break, my adventurous streak really made an appearance. One of the places I went to, and probably my favorite, was Cheaha State Park.

             With going on walks being one of my favorite things to do, Cheaha was perfect.

            Cheaha State Park was opened in 1933 in the Clay and Cleburne counties in Alabama. Making it Alabama’s oldest operating park. The park, in all, is 2,799 acres with the highest elevation of 2,407 ft.

            The park includes quite a few beautiful areas to see! The park has Cheaha Mountain (which is the highest point in the state), Bunker Tower, Bald Rock Group Lodge, a hotel, a restaurant (with a fantastic view) and many hiking trails.

            When a friend of mine and I went, we quickly took advantage of the hiking trails! The trail we took included a beautiful ice-covered waterfall (it was this way because of the freezing temperatures) and the well-known Look-Out Rock.

            The first picture I have is of the Look-Out Rock. As can be seen, the view was breathtaking! We eventually went out on to the rock, and the view was even greater from there! Absolutely took both of our breaths away!

            The second picture is from the top of Bunker Tower. The tower was built in 1934 as an observation tower and is the highest point in Alabama at an elevation of 2,407ft. The view was, once again, beautiful beyond words.

            If you, or anyone you know, is needing a beautiful place to visit, I highly recommend Cheaha State Park! Any descriptions or pictures cannot fully grasp the true beauty of this place. Seeing the views makes you realize how small you truly are.

            There are quite a few cabins within the park as well, so if you wanted to stay in the park, you can do that as well! Definitely another place that is very much worth seeing!