Where to Go in 2026: Three Hours From Nashville, the South's Next Great Food Capital Is Waiting
This month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's just-released Where to Go list—but this year's picks are different. In 2026, we want to lessen the burden on overtouristed destinations and expand visitation to other parts of the world. Our editors carefully selected 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales that will inspire your next great adventure.
For Birmingham, that means discovering what Alabama's second-largest city really offers—especially its quietly stellar food scene that's been racking up James Beard nominations.
In this episode, host Aislyn Greene talks with Jenny Adams, a travel writer and Birmingham native now based in New Orleans. Jenny shares why this "big fish in a small pond" city deserves a second look—from its fourth-largest concentration of barbecue restaurants in America to Alabama white sauce, a downtown transformed by Railroad Park, and vintage shopping that rivals anywhere in the South. She also makes a case for an Alabama road trip, from Muscle Shoals to the Gulf Coast beaches.
Plan Your Birmingham Getaway
(First, explore our Alabama travel guide.)
Stay
—Book a room at The Elyton, a historic downtown hotel
—Try The Painted Lady, a new boutique hotel in the city center
Eat and Drink
—Start your morning at Continental Bakery in English Village for old-world European pastries
—Get a sandwich at The Garage Café, a collection of 1920s car garages with a courtyard bar where everything—including the furniture—is for sale
—Try Birmingham barbecue at SAW's BBQ or Jim 'N Nick's, and don't skip the Alabama white sauce—a tangy, mayo-based condiment invented in Decatur
—For Gulf seafood and oysters, head to Bayonet, a new raw bar
—Sip fancy cocktails at Adios, a Mexican bar and James Beard semifinalist
—For a bucket-list dive bar experience, go to The Nick for cheap domestics and live grunge bands
See and Do
—Walk or bike Railroad Park, a linear park built on former blighted railroad tracks
—Tour Sloss Furnaces, the historic ironworks that defined Birmingham's industrial past
—Visit the 16th Street Baptist Church and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to engage with the city's essential history
—Catch a show at one of three restored historic theaters: The Alabama, The Carver, or The Lyric
Shop
—Browse Pepper Place, a collection of old brick warehouses with permanent shops and a Saturday farmers market
—Find vintage treasures at Devore, with pieces spanning the Victorian era to the 1970s
—Pick up artisan Alabama goods at Stone Hollow Farms (pickles, ginger syrups, cast iron cookware) and Design Supply (Southern artists and large-scale art)
—Visit Shoppe, a garden store with a charming general store next door where you can eat a BLT while browsing tablecloths and vintage spoons
Resources
• Follow Jenny's work on Instagram
• Visit Jenny's website
• Explore all 24 destinations on Afar's Where to Go in 2026 list
• Follow us on Instagram: @afarmedia
Listen to All the Episodes in our Where to Go 2026 Series
E1: This Island in the Bahamas Promises Pink Sand, Historic Hideaways, and Perfect Solitude
E2: Why Peru's Second City Might Be Its Best-Kept Secret
E3: The New 170-Mile Hiking Network Connecting Stockholm's Dreamy Archipelago
E4: Route 66 Turns 100—and Albuquerque Is Ready to Celebrate
E5: Why Morocco's Chill Capital Deserves Your Attention
E6: Three Hours From Nashville, the South's Next Great Food Capital Is Waiting (this one!)
Stay Connected
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Explore our other podcasts, View From Afar, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.
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