Red Mountain Park, Birmingham

Though the last-remaining ore mine closed more than a generation ago, Red Mountain remains embedded in Birmingham's DNA. In 2007, U.S. Steel made history when it sold the land that would become a 1,500-acre vibrant community greenspace known as Red Mountain Park.

Here, visitors find an ever-growing hub of activities, highlighted by 15 miles of walking, hiking, and mountain biking trails. Adventurers can also conquer the Hugh Kaul Beanstalk Forest with 20 unique high ropes challenges, rappel down an 80-foot rock-climbing Kaul Adventure tower, zoom through the air during 90-minute zip-line tours on the Vulcan Materials Zip Trip, or reach up to 30 mph on the 1,000-foot Mega Zip. Red Mountain Park, a nonprofit organization, even boasts the 6-acre off leash Remy's Dog Park so visitors can bring pooches along instead of leaving them home to binge-watch Lassie. Destination sites including the historic Redding Hoist House, three Treehouse views, and glimpses of iron ore mine entrances that both surprise and delight park guests.