Railroad Park

With 19 acres of green space in the middle of downtown Birmingham, including nine acres of open lawn, Railroad Park is the ideal place to have a little lunch, throw a little Frisbee, take a little jog. The park is home to "Light Rails", the Bill FitzGibbons project that saw special color-changing LED lights affixed to the old railway tunnel leading into the park. The purpose of Light Rails? To encourage pedestrian traffic through an overpass that had, admittedly, begun to look pretty sketchy. So far, the art project has worked, and loads of visitors are drawn to the Railroad park annually. More than 600 trees are planted onsite: a mixture of hardwoods, evergreens, and flowering trees. There are 50 Princeton elms, alone. The luxurious landscaping is punctuated with masses of annual, biennial and perennial flowers, making this oasis not only lovely, but a cool escape in the center of a bustling urban environment. Many of the walls and seating areas are constructed from bricks and objects unearthed on the site when Railroad Park construction began. Re-used and recycled objects including hand cast bricks and original cobblestone can be found throughout the park.Railroad Park is 30% water, with a beautiful lake, a stunning rain curtain, a bio-filtration wetlands area and ponds & streams everywhere. These many water features are irrigated by onsite wells.In addition to the paths that wind throughout Railroad Park, the Rail Trail extends the length of the park, perfect for runners and walkers. At its highest point it affords breathtaking city views. The outer loop around the Park is just under 3/4 of a mile. Railroad Park is open 7am-11pm daily. Railroad Park is monitored around the clock by a state-of-the-art security system and by rangers on patrol. Get driving directions to Railroad Park. Railroad Park is proudly owned by the City of Birmingham. The City of Birmingham has a management agreement with the Railroad Park Foundation, a private not-for-profit 501c3 organization, to run Railroad Park. Admission to Railroad Park is free, thanks to the City of Birmingham and the many private donors that donate to Railroad Park Foundation.