Birmingham is the most important city in the American civil rights story. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the 16th Street Baptist Church where four young girls were killed in a 1963 bombing, and Kelly Ingram Park where fire hoses and police dogs were turned on peaceful protesters -- all stand within a few blocks of each other downtown. No other city in the country puts you so directly in the places where the movement happened.
Alabama's largest city sits in a valley divided by Red Mountain, where iron ore once fed the steel mills that built it. The steel industry is gone, replaced by banking, medical research, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, but the industrial heritage lives on in Vulcan Park's 56-foot cast-iron statue overlooking the city from the ridge.
The food scene is a genuine highlight. Dreamland BBQ is a pilgrimage site for barbecue lovers, Niki's West on the north side serves some of the best Southern home cooking around, and a growing wave of newer restaurants has put Birmingham on the national food map. Five Points South is the closest thing to a walkable neighborhood scene -- restaurants, live music, and a bit of nightlife.
Safety is a mixed bag. Anything south of Red Mountain is generally fine, as is anything north of Fultondale. The neighborhoods in between can be rough, especially at night. Stick to the areas you came to see and you will be fine.