Local Field Trips
Field trip registration is first-come, first-served. Fees must be paid with registration.
Cancellations may only be made by contacting Registration Services at (205) 348-3000.
Refunds will not be issued after the trip cancellation deadline. Substitutions are not allowed.
If a field trip is full, you may request to be placed on a waitlist.
If you have questions about the trip, contact the trip leader or call OLLI at (205) 348-6482.
Members may participate in trips from any of the chapters TUSCALOOSA – GREATER BIRMINGHAM – GADSDEN
Greater Birmingham
BHM 201 Tea in the Garden
Friday, June 14
Cancelation deadline: June 7
Trip leader: Beth White (wytehaus1@msn.com)
Meet: 3 p.m. at the Gardens, directions provided upon registration
End: 5 p.m.
Fee: None
Activity Level: Moderate -walking/standing
Miranda Armstrong invites you to an afternoon tea in her lovely garden. Adelaide Drennan, who designed the garden, will lead the tour, discussing the planning and design challenges of a shady urban lot. Participants will receive directions once registered. Space is limited to 12.
BHM 202 Shoal Creek Park and Orr Park, Montevallo AL
Thursday, June 20
Refund Deadline: June 14
Trip Leader: Mary Frances Stayton (lovingcats@windstream.net)
Tour Guide: Verna Gates
Depart: Riverchase United Methodist Church (overflow lot): 8:30 am
Return: 3:30 p.m.
Fee: $33 (Transportation, tour)
Activity level: Easy – Walking on a level trail in the woods
The Shoal Creek Park breaks out in rich colors with summer wildflowers. Verna Gates, an ethnobotanist, will guide us along the flat paths that surround the creek edges pointing out the plants and unique habitats along the trail. After our tour, we will go into town for a Dutch-treat lunch at the Main Street Tavern. Then, we will visit Orr Park renowned for its walking trail lined with trees intricately carved with animals and faces by local artist Tim Tingle.
BHM 203 Lyric and Alabama Theatre Tour
Thursday, June 27
Refund Deadline: June 17
Trip Leader: Pam Moore (pamlmoore@hotmail.com)
Meet: 9:45 a.m. in front of the Alabama Theatre 1817 3rd Ave. N.
End: Noon
Fee: $23 (Admissions)
Activity Level: Moderate due to a substantial number of stairs and no elevators in either venue.
Come along on a guided tour of two Birmingham landmarks: the Lyric Theatre and the Alabama Theatre. Explore the rich history of the theatre district and marvel at each venue’s distinctive architectural details. The highlight of the tour? A demonstration of the famed Wurlitzer Pipe organ, “Big Bertha.” Don’t miss the exclusive behind-the-scenes look at these historic structures. Limited to the first 20 to register.
BHM 204 Jones Valley Teaching Farm
Thursday, July, 11
Refund Deadline: July 5
Trip leaders: Glenn Morgan (dglennmorgan@charter.net) and Annette Vazquez (drnocat@hotmail.com)
Depart: Meet to carpool 8:30 a.m. Riverchase United Methodist Church (overflow lot)
Return: 11 a.m.
Fee: Pay at the door, $5
Activity Level: Easy – walking/standing.
The Jones Valley Teaching Farm teaches young people how to grow healthy food for themselves and their community. Their education model connects students to food, farming, and the culinary arts. Take a behind-the-scenes look led by JVTF staff and learn how they are creating a healthy future for today’s students. Limited to the first 20 to register.
BHM 205 Southern Museum of Flight
Thursday, July 25
Trip Leader: Glenn Morgan (dglennmorgan@charter.net), Annette Vazquez (drnocat@hotmail.com)
Refund deadline: July 12
Depart: 9 a.m. from Riverchase United Methodist Church. (Overflow lot)
Return: 3:30 p.m. to Riverchase United Methodist Church
Fee: $30 (Transportation, admission)
Activity level: Easy – walking/standing.
The Southern Museum of Flight is one of the largest flight museums in the South featuring over one hundred historic aircraft. The docent tour will share the rich and exciting history of aviation. Members will have a chance to ride in a flight simulator. After the tour we will head over to the Irondale Café, the Original Whistle Stop Café, for a Dutch Treat lunch.
Gadsden
GAD 201 Terracotta Warriors Exhibit
Troy, AL
Friday, June 14
Refund deadline: June 7
Trip Leader: Shirley du Pont (slild01@aol.com)
Depart UA Gadsden Center: 8:30 a.m.
Return UA Gadsden Center: 6:30 p.m.
Fee: $50 (Transportation)
Activity Level: Easy
In 1974, archaeologists made a startling discovery in China: thousands of life-sized ceramic warriors carved and buried in the tomb of an ancient emperor. Nearly 50 years later, visitors can see a replica of the intricate works in the unlikely location of Alabama’s Troy University.
GAD 202 Zelda in the Backyard, Alabama Shakespeare Festival
Montgomery, AL
Saturday, June 29
Refund deadline: June 20
Trip Leader: Shirley du Pont (slild01@aol.com)
Depart UA Gadsden Center: 9:30 a.m.
Return UA Gadsden Center: 8:00 p.m.
Fee: $75 (transportation, admission)
Activity Level: Easy
Join us for the world premiere of Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder’s play “Zelda in the Backyard.” We will see main character Libby on a heartfelt journey through time and memory. Inheriting a 1961 Rolls Royce, she uncovers her father’s legacy. With determination and Southern charm, she restores the car and her family’s past. Named after Zelda Fitzgerald, the car becomes a symbol of love and loss, reshaping Libby’s understanding of marriage and family.
GAD 203 Step into the Past: A Modern-Day Journey Through an 1800s Home
Talladega, AL
Friday, July 19
Refund deadline: July 12
Trip Leader: Shirley du Pont (slild01@aol.com)
Depart UA Gadsden Center: 4 p.m.
Return UA Gadsden Center: 8 p.m.
Fee: $30 (Heavy hors d’oeuvres)
Activity Level: Easy
Experience the charm of an 1800s home with a modern 2024 perspective. Join us for a tour of this beautifully restored and redecorated 1840s house. Following the tour, indulge in heavy hors d’oeuvres while enjoying the sunset over the grounds. You can meet us there or join our carpool from UA Gadsden Center. Don’t miss out on the fun!
GAD 204 Birthplace of Blues and Rock ‘n’ Roll
Clarksdale, MS and Cleveland, MS
Friday, Aug. 2 – Sunday, Aug. 4
Refund Deadline: July 25
Trip Leader: Shirley du Pont (slild01@aol.com)
Depart UA Gadsden Center: 8:30 a.m., Friday
Return UA Gadsden Center: 5 p.m., Sunday
Fee: $390 Double, $560 Single
Activity Level: Easy
Clarksdale is the birthplace of the blues and rock ‘n’ roll. The first rock and roll song ever recorded, “Rocket 88,” was written and rehearsed in Clarksdale by Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston. The first song Elvis Presley ever recorded was written by Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, a local gospel singer, who wrote “That’s All Right”. A trip to the B.B. King Museum will get us ready for the Ground Zero Blues Club. The club opened in 2001 and is owned by Morgan Freeman (yes, that Morgan Freeman). We will take a historic tour by Robert Birdsong, a former Clarksdale fireman and cultural historian, to learn about the area. A visit to Dockery Farms, a place considered by many, including blues legend B.B. King, to be the birthplace of the blues. The trip will also include a visit to the Grammy Museum to learn about Grammy Awards history.
Tuscaloosa
TUS 201 Visit Meridian, MS: Tour Romani Queen Gravesite, Lunch, and Historic Dentzel Carousel Museum
Friday, June 14
Refund Deadline: May 23
Trip Leader: Carolyn Rhodes (writegems@gmail.com)
Tour Guide: Jim Ezell
Depart BCC: 8 a.m.
Return BCC: 4 p.m.
FEE: $97 (transportation, admission)
Activity Level: Moderate walking and standing.
The tour begins in Meridian, Mississippi with a visit to legendary gravesites of the King and Queen of the Romani. (Toss a coin, make a wish.) We eat lunch at Weidmann’s Restaurant, partially owned by actress Sela Ward, a University of Alabama graduate. Our last destination is the Dentzel Carousel Museum. Enjoy a special private tour ending with a one-of-a-kind historic carousel ride (optional).
TUS 202 Alabama’s Football Pride: Guided Tour of Mal Moore Athletic Facility
AM Tour – Monday, June 24, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
OR
TUS 203 Alabama’s Football Pride: Guided Tour of Mal Moore Athletic Facility
PM Tour – Monday, June 24, 2 – 4 p.m.
Registration Deadline: June 14
Trip Leader: Linda Lyerly (linda.p.lyerly@gmail.com)
Tour Guide: Daniel Lyerly, UA Athletic Video Director
Fee: None
Activity Level: easy/moderate (walking, standing indoors)
Experience the extraordinary focus and dedication of the storied Alabama football program! See first-hand the full-size indoor practice field, team meeting rooms, coaches’ offices, the victory walls and trophy cases, national championship rings, the world-class workout facility and more.
TUS 204 UA’s Adaptive Athletics/Stran-Hardin Arena
Friday, June 28
Registration Deadline: June 17
Trip Leader: Peggy Hamner (sswims2001@gmail.com)
Meet at Stran-Hardin Arena at 1:45 p.m.
Tour Ends: 3:30 p.m.
Fee: None
Activity Level: Easy/Moderate (walking and standing, some stairs)
Watch a Summer Camp wheelchair basketball game played by visiting students and talk to UA students running the summer program. Then walk through the Stran-Hardin Arena, a state-of- the-art facility for UA’s Adapted Athletics Program to see the NCAA regulation game venue for wheelchair basketball, locker rooms, training room, strength and conditioning gym, team meeting room and VIP area. There will be time for lots of questions!
TUS 205 Newly Renovated Bryce Hospital Building
Friday, July 12
Registration Deadline: July 3
Trip Leader: Amelia Yessick (ameliaheath@hotmail.com)
Meet at the Bryce Main Building (white dome) at 9:15 a.m.
Ends: 11:30 a.m.
Fee: None
Activity Level: Moderate- walking, standing
Join us as we take a guided tour of the newly opened University of Alabama Catherine and Pettus Randall Family Welcome Center located in the renovated Bryce Main Building and a special tour of the State of Alabama Mental Health and Bryce Hospital Museums located on the second floor. Our guide for the upstairs tours will be Steve Davis, a Bryce archivist. We will see state-of-the-art presentations depicting the U of A campus and activities as well as the massive renovations completed and future plans for the historic main building.
206 Rickwood Field Tour and Baron’s Baseball Game
Friday, July 19
Refund Deadline: June 28
Trip Leaders: LeGrand Hutchison (legrandhutchison@gmail.com) and facilitator Philip Malone (philipgmalone@gmail.com)
Depart BCC: 12:45 p.m.
Return to BCC: 11 p.m.
Fee: $50 (Transportation, Barons ticket)
Activity Level: Easy/Moderate (walking and standing, some stairs)
We will have a private tour of Rickwood Field, America’s oldest baseball field which opened on August 18, 1910. After a visit to the gift shop, we will enjoy a Dutch treat dinner in Hoover. Then, we head to the Regions Hoover Met field to catch the Chattanooga Lookouts vs. Birmingham Barons baseball game.
TUS 207 Wills Creek Winery, Attalla, AL / Bartow History Center and Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA
Thursday, July 25 – Friday, July 26
Registration Deadline: July 12
Trip Leader: Philip Malone (philipgmalone@gmail.com)
Depart BCC: Thursday, July 25 at 8 a.m.
Return BCC: Friday, July 26 at 4 p.m.
Fee: $160 DBL, $250 SGL (Transportation, catered lunch, admissions)
Activity Level: Easy/Moderate (walking and standing, some stairs)
Our first stop will be Wills Creek Winery to see how wines are made. You may sample and purchase one or more of its 20 varieties of wine. We will enjoy a catered lunch on the property. Next stop we tour Booth Western Art Museum. The only museum of its kind in the Southeast, the Booth Museum houses the largest permanent exhibition space for Western American art in the country. The next day, we will learn about the history of Northwest Georgia at the Bartow Museum, where artifacts, photographs, documents and interactive exhibits tell the story of settlement, Cherokee life and removal, Civil War strife and lifestyles of years past.