The Bessemer area has a variety of attractions for both local residents, prospective visitors, or anyone considering possible relocation to the city.
Local area attractions include the following:

Alabama Adventure is located in one mile north of I-459, on I-20/59 West at exit 108.

Attractions at Alabama Adventure include two parks: Splash Beach Water Park, Magic Adventure Theme Park plus Celebration Street.

Important dates
May 24, 25, 26 - opening weekend
May 31 - Aug. 17 - open daily
Aug. 18 - Nov. 2 - open weekends

Park hours
Park opens at 9:30 AM daily.
Closing hours vary during season.

To find out additional information on Alabama Adventure, visit their website here or call (205) 481-4750 for more details.



The newest addition to the attractions in Bessemer is WaterMark Place. It is an upscale outlet mall and offers a 200,000 square-foot outdoor mall with "distinctive outlet shopping" to area residents. Some of the retailers located at WaterMark Place include Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap Outlet, Banana Republic Factory Store, OshKosh B'Gosh, Harry and David, Duck Head, Bass Company Store, Koret of California, Strasburg Children, Liz Claiborne, Etienne Aigner, Westpoint Stevens, Leggs/Hanes/Bali/Playtex, Mikasa Factory Store, and many others.

The architecture at WaterMark Place is a play on Bessemer's industrial history. Store facades are designed with a contemporary/retro feel that harks back to the brick-and-steel designs of the mills.

WaterMark Place is located near Alabama Adventure just off of Interstate 20/59 at Exit 108. The stores at WaterMark Place are open seven days a week, 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday through Saturday and 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Sundays. For more information, call (205) 425-4554.

Visit WaterMark Place's website here.

Bessemer's Civic Center is an impressive glass and brick structure that can accomodate a wide variety of events. The Civic Center is within an hour's drive o 1.75 million area residents and is within walking distance of around 600 motel rooms. The Birmingham Airport is about 20 minutes away from the Civic Center. The Bessemer Airport is only about five minutes away.

Branching off from the Lobby area of the Civic Center is the Main Hall which is a 13,000 square foot room and can seat up to 1,600 for entertainment events and up to 1,000 for banquets or other events. In addition there is an East Meeting Room which is a 4,000 square foot room and is ideal for around 300 people. Furthermore, the Civic Center oofers a North Meeting Room which is 900 square feet and it can accomodate around 100 people. In addition, there is a South Meeting Room which is 700 square feet that is ideal for for meetings of up to 60 people. Finally,a Mezzanine is ideal for dancing and banquets.

Find out more information about the Bessemer Civic Center here.


There is a wealth of golf that is located in the Bessemer area. The area has some of the best public golf courses in the southeastern United States, with over 100 holes of Bermuda as well as bent grass greens, lush fairways and beautiful lakes and creeks. All golfers, whether at the beginner's level or the professional level, will enjoy the challenge of the local area courses. For more information on golfing in the Bessemer area, please call the Bessemer Area Chamber of Commerce toll free at 1-888-423-7736 or locally (205) 425-3253.

The Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park is the birthplace of Birmingham's iron and steel industry. Tannehill is presently one of Alabama's most unique state parks. Built around the ruins of the pre-Civil War Tannehill Ironworks, this state park has become an accurate reflection of life in Alabama during the mid-1800's. The park has more than 200 campsites, 1,500 acres preserved for hiking, horseback riding and also the Alabama Iron and Steel Museum. The park has a cotton gin, pioneer farm, a working grist mill, a turn of the century church and gift shops. Trade days are held the third weekend of each month.

The Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park is open daily. There is an admission fee. For more information, please call (205) 477-5711 or visit Tannehill's website here.

The Bessemer Historical Homeowner's Association was organized in 1995 by a few residents in the Jonesboro area of Bessemer. The Bessemer Historical Homeowner's Association has grown in membership which encourages the registration of historic homes in the city. Each year, the BHAA hosts a tour of homes in October. For more information, please call the BHAA at (205) 616-8931 or for more information visit http://bhha.blogspot.com.

The West Jefferson County Historical Society operates three pioneer homes south of the Bessemer area. They are the McAdory House, Owen Home, and Sadler Home (pictured to the left). These three homes are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information on these homes, please call the Bessemer Hall of History at (205) 426-1633 or visit their website here.

The Bessemer Hall of History is a museum decidated to preserving the area's past as well as educating the youth and others on what the city was like years ago. Located in the renovated Southern Railway Depot on Alabama Avenue in Bessemer, the Hall of history displays historic photgraphs and articles, Civil War Memorabilia, Indian artifacts, furnishings from the 1800s and other items from the early days of the area. The museum has monthly exhibitions and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is open Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. There is no admission. Donations are welcome. For more information, please call (205) 426-1633.

Sixteen blocks of the downtown area of Bessemer are registered on the National Register of Historic Places. The central business district is being renovated and restored through the work of the Bessemer Main Street Program. For more information, call the Bessemer Main Street Program at (205) 426-6016.