Top Five Things to do in Downtown Tuscaloosa

Whether it’s your first time in town or a lazy Saturday afternoon, downtown offers so much more than what meets the eye. Beyond University Boulevard you can find great ways to explore someone and only sights around T-Town.

1. Tuscaloosa Amphitheater
Perfectly placed below the skyline and on the river’s edge, the amphitheater offers year-round performances and excellent events within their theater. This spring season the line up features ‘80s throwbacks like Poison and Cyndi Lauper along with modern favorites like John Legend. Even down here the winter nights cool off and the Amphitheater hosts a seasonal ice rink for all ages. There’s never an off-season at the Amphitheater

2. Loosa Brews
Located towards the strip before the University Club, you can find a low-key beer and wine haven tucked neatly on 20th Avenue. Loosa Brews opened in 2014 during the rise of the craft beer renaissance to provide Tuscaloosa with over 63 taps that you can sample from! From local Alabama breweries to some of the more rare brews around, there’s bound to be a beer for you. Enjoy your fresh pint in their cozy storefront, their back patio, or go back to the “Barcade” room. With classic pinball machines, arcade games, a ring toss, and ping-pong!

3. Take In Some Local History
If you’re looking to learn or just want to better know the rich history of this college town, take some time and explore our historic sites. From the house museums along Greensboro that let you see how the old wealth of the city lived, to the Civil Rights sights that mark the turbulent past. There’s a bit of history for everyone to explore. Be sure to see Capitol Park too, the ruins of the former state capitol building have left downtown with its own roman style park!

4. Riverwalk
Stroll down from Capitol Park, past the amphitheater and you can find yourself on our riverfront along the Riverwalk trail. One of the newest additions to the river with over four miles of meandering trails, you can go from the riverbanks of downtown, past our river market with farmers markets held every Tuesday and Saturday, and end up at Manderson landing. This riverfront park is alongside the river beneath the University of Alabama campus with a fishing pier and an overlook made from the former locks of the Black Warrior River.

5. Bama Theater
This historic atmosphere theater was built during the great depression from the Public Works Administration to employ artists to create beautiful civic buildings. The theater started out as a movie theater with Tuscaloosa’s city hall offices attached. Inside the theater is an Italian courtyard complete with baroque balconies, detailed landscape murals and the signature twinkling lights. The Arts council dutifully restored the theater to its former glory and keeps the magic of the theater alive with performances and showings of Indie films. Inside you can also find a more grown up concession stand with cocktails, wine, beer and the theater staple of popcorn. It’s well worth a visit to catch a play or movie under the still twinkling lights of the historic Bama.

Bonus: Events Around Town
Be sure to look for events when you come to visit or need to escape your routine by visiting visittuscaloosa.xyz/events or follow our Twitter page for daily updates. There’s always something exciting going on year round from the Druid City Arts Festival, to First Fridays where local galleries stay open late for people to come view their works on display.

Written By: Deven Wilson – Intern