SWEET HOME ALABAMA
35TH ANNUAL
National Society for Histotechnology
SYMPOSIUM AND CONVENTION,
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
OCTOBER 2-7, 2009
I hope each of you will make every effort to attend the NSH S/C. We are very excited to be hosting NSH this year!
We are here to be of assistance and hope that this will be a memorable event for you!
In case you are driving be sure to have your CD’s ready, you may want to add to your list SWEET HOME ALABAMA by Lynyrd Skynyrd and SUMMERTIME ON THE LAKE by Kidd Rock, this will help get you in the right mood!
DART is the Downtown Area Runabout Transit. Designed to be the perfect solution for getting around Birmingham’s business and entertainment district, it consists of two routes in the central business district and one in the UAB area. The DART uses clean burning natural gas trolleys to get workers, residents and visitors around the City Center from the convention center to Five Points South. DART trolleys run every 10-20 minutes on three routes through the City Center. Fare for the DART is 25 cents. Hours of operation are:
Blue Line (North/South)
Monday-Thurs. 10:00 am-10:00pm
Fri & Sat 10:00am-12:14pm
Sunday 10:00am-9:14pm
Red Line (East/West)
Sat & Sun 9:00am-5:25pm
Green Line (South Side Loop)
Mon-Thurs 11:00am-10:17pm
Fri & Sat 11:00am-11:57pm
Sunday 11:00am-8:57pm
Attractions
Attractions within walking distance of the Sheraton & Tutwiler are the Birmingham Museum of Art and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Limited dining options are within walking distance of the Sheraton, but there is easy access to the DART at the Sheraton. Attractions include Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and The McWane Science Center.
Birmingham Events for October 1-31
October 1-31
Birmingham Museum of Art, Chinese and Japanese Galleries Reopen
Bessemer Flea Market
Birmingham Museum of Art, Permanent Folk Art Gallery Installation
Vulcan Park and Museum Exhibition
October 2-4
Homestead Hollow Arts and Craft Harvest Festival
Alabama State Fairgrounds Flea Market
October 3-10
Pepper Place Saturday Market
46th Annual Bluff Park Art Show
October 2-4 & 10-11
Pumpkin Patch Express at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
October 9-11
5th Annual Barber Vintage Festival
Take time to travel around the great state of Alabama. Travels could take you to Huntsville, known as the Rocket City; some attractions include Redstone Arsenal and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.
Cullman is a short drive from Birmingham, known throughout the world as “Jerusalem in Miniature,” is a beautifully landscaped, four-acre park designed to provide a natural setting for the 125 miniature reproductions of some of the most famous historic buildings and shrines of the world… The masterpieces of stone and concrete are the lifetime work of Brother Joseph Zoettl, a Benedictine monk of St. Bernard Abbey. On the way back visit “Our Lady of the Angels Monastery.”
Tuscumbia, is the birth place of Helen Keller, Ivey Green. Also visit “Coon Dog Cemetery” and “Alabama Music Hall of Fame”.
Gadsden, attractions are Burritt on the Mountain-A Living Museum, Kymulga Grist Mill & Covered Bridge, James D. Martin Wildlife Park, Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge, Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, Moundville Archaeological Park, and Noccalua Falls Park.
Decatur, boasts one of the most intact Victorian-era neighborhoods in Alabama. Championship golf, water park Mallard Point Park, and 100,000 acres of water, wilderness, and wildlife of Wheeler Lake and Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.
Talladega is about an hour drive from Birmingham and is home of the Talladega Superspeedway. Walk through the Silk Stocking District for a taste of 19th century stately mansions. The historic Ritz Theatre in the town square attracts visitor from around the world.
Tuscaloosa, is the home of the University of Alabama and the legendary Alabama Crimson Tide football team. It is a town with historic district featuring the 1863 Antebellum gem, the Jemison-Van Graaff Mansion, the Murphy African-American Museum, Mimosa Golf course, Moundville, Archeological Park, the Children’s Hands-On Museum of Tuscaloosa, the Paul Bryant Museum, Lake Lurleen state Park and the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International plant and the Westervelt-Warner Museum of American Art.
Montgomery is the capitol of Alabama. Visit the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, the Fitzgerald Museum, Montgomery Zoo and enjoy the delicious southern cuisine.
Should you decide to take a few days before or after the S/C be sure and visit South Alabama or some people refer to it as LA (lower Alabama).
Fairhope is on the eastern side of Mobile Bay. Mobile is about a four hour drive from Birmingham. You might want to visit the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is located in Mobile on Mobile Bay.
Alabama’s Gulf Coast offers the perfect balance of non-stop activity and lay-around-doing nothing time. Imagine sun bathing on Orange Beach, Gulf Shores or Perdido Beach, taking in the golden sunset on their sugar-white sandy beaches.
You can start the day with a breakfast of biscuits, gravy and Southern fried chicken. Sample the traditional pork barbecue for lunch. Try fired catfish for dinner. Having a piece of pecan pie for dessert borders on a religious experience for many Southerners. Wash it all down with large glass of sweet tea. You might even start saying “We’ll see y’all later” with a passable accent. We welcome you to Birmingham and the great state of Alabama and enjoy Southern hospitality at its best!
Rita Humphrey
President ASH