Savoring Alabama: Food, Art & Southern Innovation

Tour Dates: April 21-26, 2027
Tour Arrival: Wednesday, April 21, 2027 – Arrive at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM)
Tour Departure: Monday, April 26, 2027
City/Towns Visited: Birmingham and Huntsville

A journey through Birmingham and Huntsville offers an immersive look at the flavors, creativity, and people shaping modern Alabama. Beginning with three nights in Birmingham, travelers can experience a city where a celebrated culinary scene meets a strong sense of community and Southern tradition. Dine at MICHELIN-recommended restaurants that showcase Alabama’s evolving food culture, sharpen your culinary skills with a hands-on experience at Habitat Cooking School, and explore Pepper Place Farmers Market, where local growers, makers, and artisans offer an authentic taste of the region.

The culinary journey continues with an opportunity to discover one of Alabama’s most recognizable flavors: the legendary Alabama White Sauce made famous by Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q. Through a tasting and learning experience, journalists can explore the story behind this distinctive barbecue tradition and the people who have helped make it an enduring part of Alabama’s culinary identity.

The trip then moves to Huntsville for two nights, where Alabama’s creative spirit takes center stage. At Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment, visitors can experience a thriving community of artists and makers, offering opportunities to connect directly with the people behind the city’s creative culture. The experience continues at Campus 805, a lively destination that showcases another side of Huntsville’s energy and innovation.

Together, Birmingham and Huntsville create a can’t-miss Alabama experience built around food, art, culture, and authentic connections. From conversations with chefs, growers, artisans, and makers to hands-on culinary experiences and distinctive local traditions, the journey provides international journalists with countless opportunities to uncover the people and stories redefining Southern travel.

Destination Highlights:

Birmingham – “Alabama’s Culinary Crossroads”
Birmingham introduces travelers to Alabama through its food, people, and local traditions. MICHELIN-recommended dining showcases the city’s evolving culinary scene, while experiences at Habitat Cooking School and Pepper Place Farmers Market offer a closer connection to the chefs, growers, makers, and ingredients behind it.

Huntsville – “Creativity & Southern Innovation”
Huntsville brings together art, culture, and innovation. Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment provides an opportunity to meet local artists and makers and experience the city’s creative community firsthand, while Campus 805 offers a lively setting for discovering another side of Huntsville’s personality.

Culinary

Birmingham
Food is at the heart of the Birmingham experience. MICHELIN-recommended restaurants reveal the creativity driving Alabama’s evolving culinary scene, while Habitat Cooking School provides a hands-on opportunity to engage with food in a more personal way. At Pepper Place Farmers Market, local growers, artisans, and makers connect visitors directly with the people and products that help define the region.

Alabama Barbecue Traditions
A tasting experience centered on Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q provides a flavorful introduction to the famous Alabama White Sauce. Beyond tasting this Alabama original, journalists can learn the story and tradition behind a sauce that has become an unmistakable part of the state’s barbecue identity.

Arts and Culture

Birmingham
Birmingham’s culture comes through in the people behind its food and community experiences. Pepper Place Farmers Market brings together growers and artisans, creating opportunities to discover local products, traditions, and stories in an authentic setting.

Huntsville
At Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment, Huntsville’s creative community comes to life through its artists and makers. The experience offers journalists direct access to the people contributing to the city’s artistic identity, while Campus 805 provides a lively complement to Huntsville’s creative spirit.

Neighborhoods

Birmingham
Three nights in Birmingham allow travelers to experience the city beyond a single stop, connecting its celebrated dining scene with hands-on culinary experiences and community gathering places such as Pepper Place Farmers Market.

Huntsville
Two nights in Huntsville highlight a destination with a distinct creative energy. Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment and Campus 805 provide contrasting but complementary experiences, revealing the artists, makers, gathering places, and ideas contributing to the city’s evolving identity.

Story Ideas:

Sweet Home Alabama:
Experience Alabama through the people, places and traditions that embody the American South, from legendary music and regional flavors to craftsmanship and a spirit of creativity that continues to shape the region today.

  1. The Taste of Alabama: Birmingham’s Evolving Culinary Scene
    Get to know Birmingham through MICHELIN-recommended dining, local ingredients, and the people shaping the next chapter of Alabama food.
  2. From Market to Table: The People Behind the Food
    Meet growers, makers, and artisans at Pepper Place Farmers Market and discover how local connections contribute to Birmingham’s culinary identity.
  3. Hands-On Alabama: Learning the Flavors of the South
    Follow a distinctly southern journey from a cooking experience at Habitat Cooking School to a tasting at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q.
  4. Inside an Alabama Icon: The Story of BBQ’s White Sauce
    Discover the history and tradition surrounding the famous Alabama White Sauce and its place in the South’s barbecue culture.
  5. Beyond Expectations: Food, Art & Innovation in Alabama
    Connect Birmingham’s evolving culinary scene with Huntsville’s creative energy to tell a broader story about the traditions, people, and innovations redefining Southern travel.

Limited spots are available, and these Global Week Press Trips are offered first-come, first-serve. Don’t delay – contact your recruiter today to begin your exploration of Sweet Home Alabama.