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top thoroughbred and greyhound racetracks. With more than 200 simulcast races on Saturday alone, the Birmingham Race Course gives the ardent handicapper the chance to hit the big one. Must be 19 years or older to play. Open daily 11am 1 am.

BIRMINGHAM ZOO (P) 205.879.0409 2630 CAHABA RD BIRMINGHAMZOO.COM

One of the state s most popular attractions, the Birmingham Zoo is an ever-evolving adventure. Visitors come from around the Southeast to see shows such as the Rhino Encounter, the Giraffe Feedings, the Lorikeet Aviary, the Predator Zone and the Sea Lion Splash Show. The zoo is blazing new trails in elephant conservation with the opening of Trails of Africa. The initiative designates the Birmingham Zoo as a national leader in the care and conservation of threatened elephants. Trails of Africa is a mixed-species exhibit that includes a bull elephant herd, red river hogs, giraffes, wildebeests, and zebras. Concessions and dining on-site. Open daily 9am 5pm. Extended hours for special events. Admission.

ETERNAL WORD TELEVISION NETWORK EWTN (P) 205.271.2900 EWTN.COM

One of the best-known religious sites in Birmingham is EWTN, the Eternal Word Television Network, founded by Mother Mary Angelica and broadcast daily from the grounds of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery. Mother Angelica hosted Mother Angelica Live! on EWTN until she suffered a debilitating stroke in 2001. New daily Mass, music, news and devotionals are broadcast round-the-clock to more than 53 million homes in 32 countries. Tours by appointment only.

HEART OF DIXIE RAILROAD MUSEUM (P) 205.668.3435 1919 9TH ST, CALERA HODRRM.ORG

Alabama s official railroad museum, the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, has operating standard gauge and narrow gauge trains, along with two restored depots housing a good collection of railroad artifacts. Also on the grounds is a collection of railway cars, locomotives and cabooses. Train rides are available call for dates and times. Museum open Tuesday Saturday, 9am 4pm. Donations welcome.

KELLY INGRAM PARK BOUNDED BY 16TH AND 17TH ST AND 5TH AND 6TH AVE NORTH IN DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM

Called a Place of Revolution and Reconciliation, Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham s Civil Rights District is adjacent to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the historic 16th Street Baptist Church. The park served as a staging area for demonstrations in the early 1960s, including those in which police dogs and fire hoses were turned on marchers. Images of the attacks haunted Birmingham in the decades that followed, but they were the same images that were instrumental in overturning legal segregation. An audio tour, available via your cell phone, takes you on a journey through the most dramatic days of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham.

MCWANE SCIENCE CENTER (P) 205.714.8300 200 19TH ST N MCWANE.ORG

Four floors of hands-on exhibits and an IMAX Dome Theatre are all part of the fun of learning at McWane Science Center. Celebrating science and discovery, the exhibits include everything from dinosaurs to space travel. Play tunes with your feet on the Giant Piano and learn about gravity with a daring ride on the High Cycle. Pet the sharks and stingrays in the Shark & Ray Touch Tank, and check out the Zoetrope for visual illusions of motion from still pictures. Open September May:, Monday Friday, 9am 5pm; Saturday, 10am 6pm; Sunday, noon 6pm. June August: Monday Saturday, 10am 6pm; Sunday, noon 6pm. Admission.