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The Arts

• The Alabama Theater - The new Alabama Theatre for the Performing Arts hosts many live events, as well as films, and in 1998 the Theatre hosted over 300 events
• The Alabama Symphony
• The Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center - The Alys Stephens Center brings the best of today's performers to Alabama, from classical to contemporary.
• Birmingham Ballet - located in Vestavia Hills, is a self-sustaining community arts organization with a mission to provide professional quality family entertainment, a training ground for aspiring talent and a performance outlet for dance enthusiasts of all ages. All dancers from Birmingham and the surrounding area are invited to audition to perform with the Birmingham Ballet. Birmingham Ballet Academy serves as the official school of the Birmingham Ballet providing faculty and rehearsal facilities.
• Birmingham Children's Theater
• Birmingham City Stages - Annual City Stages with more than 250 Acts on 15 Stages!
• Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex - The Birmingham Steeldogs Arena Football, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Champions On Ice, Broadway Series, and much, much more...

Recreation

• Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail - Alabama and the Trail ranked #3 in Golf Digest's list of America's 10 best states for golf values - 1995.
• Oak Mountain State Park - Oak Mountain is Alabama's largest State Park, with almost 10,000 acres of mountains, lakes, and forests for hiking, biking, camping and fishing, a well-developed golf course, riding stable, and day use facilities for groups of any size.
• Alabama Adventure - Fun for the entire family, including a wooden roller coaster, a children's ride area, a water park and the exciting new river rapids ride, Wild River Gorge. Visionland is Alabama's Family Place!

Sightseeing

• The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute - The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute takes its visitors on one of this nation's most significant journeys by capturing the spirit and courage of countless individuals who, during the 1950's and 1960's, dared to confront the bigotry and racial discrimination of American society.
• The Birmingham Museum of Art - The largest municipal art museum in the Southeast, the Birmingham Museum of Art has a nationally-recognized permanent collection of over 17,000 works of art dating from 3000 B.C. to the present. The collections include African, American, Asian, European, Precolumbian, Native American and Contemporary art.
• The Birmingham Zoo - The Birmingham Zoo is home to 700 animals from many continents, including many endangered species. Here are some of our attractions: Visit our authentic alligator swamp; Watch sea lion feeding and training; Experience a tropical rain forest; Ride the Zoo Train. Have a fun day with us! We offer free parking and shaded picnic areas.
• The McWane Center - Go explore outer space, the living sea, adventure halls, and some really cool stuff! Picture the wonders of science laid out like a thrilling adventure – the sights, sounds and textures of the most intriguing aspects of our world ready for you to explore at your leisure. That’s what you’ll discover at McWane Center, Alabama’s exciting new science museum. Through state-of-the-art exhibits, science becomes exciting and technology becomes understandable. Theater presentations, live demonstrations and hands-on activities bring the concepts of science to life. It’s irresistible. Learning becomes an adventure guaranteed to delight everyone from infants to grandparents.
• Southern Museum of Flight Explore the miracle of flying! Take off to the Southern Museum of Flight where visitors can view eight decades of aviation history through aircraft, engines, models, and memorabilia of some of the greatest aviation pioneers of all time!
• Vulcan Park - The gigantic figure of Vulcan standing on Red Mountain is one of America's most remarkable monuments. It is one of the few monuments in the world erected, not to commemorate an event or to perpetuate the memory of a person, but to symbolize industry.

Education is a top priority in Vestavia Hills. A strategic planning team described the system as the "greatest asset" of the city. This type of commitment has resulted in national recognition, numerous awards and prestige.

The community's high quality school system consists of five elementary schools, one middle school, one alternative school, and one high school. The system also operates an excellent extended day program for students in grades K through eight. Dedicated teachers give their weekends, nights, and summers to travel with students, to tutor those requiring assistance, to coach academic and athletic teams, and continue their education in university programs and professional development opportunities. The system is a leader in the number of nationally board certified teachers. Numerous teachers, counselors, and administrators have been recognized at the state level for their outstanding contributions to education. Some examples are PE Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year, Counselor of the Year, American Counseling Association's Recognition of Accountability, Verification and Excellence for school counseling programs, and USA Today All USA Teacher Team.

Vestavia Hills is proud of the accomplishments of its students. The high school's math and debate teams have consistently ranked as one of the top schools nationally. The high school athletic teams have over 50 state titles and the baseball team has won one national championship. The system has several schools that are recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence. Redbook, The Wall Street Journal, Fifty Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family, and others have recognized it for the quality of education services.

The school system's standardized test scores consistently are among the top three in the state. There is currently a yearly average of 20 National Merit Finalists. The graduating classes are averaging $9 million in scholarships annually. Four of the schools are Alabama Literacy Demonstration Sites. The state demonstration sites have become models for reading initiatives on a national level.

For more information, visit the Vestavia Hills Board of Education web site or call (205) 402-5100

Schools and Principals