Keys to the City

Weather

Birmingham enjoys pleasant year-round weather, and its warm climate never really allows temperatures to fall below 40 in the winter. In the summer, humidity is high, and temperatures can reach well into the 90s on the hottest days. Rainfall is common in Birmingham, and afternoon thundershowers are frequent, especially in the summer.

Holidays & Business Hours

On federal and state holidays, many offices and businesses close or have truncated hours. Naturally, policies vary, but in general, the following holidays are broadly observed:

Getting Your Bearings

When you're not familiar with a city, you feel completely adrift. That's exactly what local visitors' centers hope to ward off. They've compiled a vast collection of resources to help you better understand a particular city, and they're more than eager to share their time, hints, and literature. The Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau is located at 2200 Ninth Avenue North (205-458-8000, 800-458-8085).

Necessities - Post Offices

It's usually not too difficult to spot a drop box when you're out and about, but if you need to conduct more serious postal business, it's not always that easy. In Birmingham, several locations are convenient to travelers and residents. They include:

Downtown Birmingham
351 24th St N
Birmingham, AL 35203
205-521-0203
Mon-Fri 7am-8pm

North Birmingham
2708 32nd Ave N
Birmingham, AL 35207
205-252-9180
Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm, Sat 9am-2pm

Homewood
2710 18th St S
Birmingham, AL 35209
205-871-0641
Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm

Mountain Brook
2701a Culver Rd
Birmingham, AL 35223
205-803-5041
Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm, Sat 9am-2pm

Common Courtesies

Although tipping is generally a personal matter, there are some guidelines that prove helpful to travelers. At restaurants, servers typically get 15% of the bill, although 10% acknowledges basic assistance, and 20% awards exceptional service. It is also common now for some restaurants to charge an automatic gratuity of 18% for groups. You should be aware of this possibility before providing an additional tip. Taxi drivers usually fit into similar guidelines by receiving a tip equivalent to 15% of the tab.

Often, a dollar tip covers many situations. Bartenders are customarily given $1 per cocktail, hotel maids are provided $1 for each day of a stay, bellhops get about $1 per bag, and a coat-check clerk typically receives $1 as well. The exception is a concierge, who generally receives $5-$10 for standard service (additional assistance suggests more).