When it’s time to get away from the hustle and bustle of life in order to relax and enjoy yourself, Tuscaloosa County offers many outlets—in the performing arts, museums, outdoor events, and sporting events.
Tuscaloosa County offers a feast for the eyes and ears, as the arts are celebrated daily on stage, in the theatre and throughout the community. Whatever the season or the specialty, the Tuscaloosa area community offers an extraordinary year-round calendar of arts and cultural activities that rank among the best in the South. Our cultural offerings are unsurpassed by even some larger metropolitan areas; as a result the community’s cultural assets are interwoven with our economic progress and continue to enrich our exceptional quality of life.
The Arts Council and its member organizations provide a coordinated year-round calendar of events. Theatre, dance, opera, visual arts, music, crafts, festivals, films and educational programs......these and more provide Tuscaloosa County with exceptional cultural opportunities. The Arts Council's Bluegrass, Big Bands & More performing arts series brings the best of bluegrass, jazz, blues, and big band music to the Tuscaloosa community. The Cinema Noveau Movie Series provides the best in art, foreign and independent films.
The Arts Council also provides educational programs for children throughout the year. The community actively encourages the involvement of children in theatre, music, dance and art through programs, such as: Bama Fanfare; the SPECTRA program, which provides guest artists in school cultural enrichment; Art 4 All; and the Artist-in-Residence program in the City Schools. Call (205) 758-5195 for more information.
The beautiful, restored 1930s-style Bama Theatre is a performing arts center in Downtown Tuscaloosa, offering a full calendar of music, dance, theatre, stage productions, and film. The Bama is home to the Tuscaloosa Children’s Theatre, Tuscaloosa Community Dancers, Junior League Gallery of Art, and other community-based cultural activities.
A state-of-the-art, teaching and performing theatre, the Bean-Brown Theatre is located on the campus of Shelton State Community College and is home to Theatre Tuscaloosa, one of the region’s most acclaimed community theatres.
Opened in 1988 on the campus of The University of Alabama, the Frank Moody Music Building is one of Tuscaloosa's primary cultural performing arts centers. The School provides an extraordinary annual calendar of cultural and entertainment experiences, featuring national and international performers and artists, from classical and opera to jazz and popular.
With its 1,000-seat Concert Hall, considered one of the most acoustically perfect facilities of its kind in the nation, the Moody Music Building is home to the Tuscaloosa Symphony; the Celebrity Series; and to the famous, magnificent Holtkamp Organ. Call (205) 348-1477 for information.
Offers private and group music instruction to people of all ages and abilities including lessons on all orchestral and band instruments, piano, guitar, and voice. Early music education classes (Kindermusik) are available for ages infant through 7 years. Housed in the Moody Music Building at The University of Alabama. Call (205) 348-6741 for information.
Formed in 1979, the Tuscaloosa Symphony has become a vital part of the Tuscaloosa arts and cultural fabric and one of the most successful regional symphonies in the Southeast. Very few communities of comparable size or larger can claim its own symphony of such exceptional quality. The Symphony provides an annual season of concerts in addition to performances in our schools, pops concerts, and various other entertainment venues. Call (205) 752-5515 for ticket information.
With its roots in the 1920s, Theatre Tuscaloosa has grown into Alabama’s top community theatre and one of the region’s best. Offering a full calendar of drama, comedy and musicals each year, Theatre Tuscaloosa provides area citizens with exceptional performances at the Brown-Bean Theatre, located on the campus of Shelton State Community College. Call (205) 391-2277 for ticket information.
Kentuck is an extensive, growing network that includes the Kentuck Art Center, Kentuck Museum, and the Kentuck Festival of Arts, which has grown into one of the largest and most important regional arts and craft shows in the Southeast. The Kentuck Arts Center, located in downtown Northport, is home to some of the country's most exceptional artists and craftsmen. The Kentuck Museum, also in downtown Northport, provides regular traveling and invitational arts and crafts exhibits. A focal point for the Alabama Crafts Council, Kentuck maintains a superb year round collection of Alabama arts and crafts. Call (205) 758-1257 for information.
University of Alabama Theatre presents excellent performances regularly at the Gallaway Theatre as well as plays in the Allen Bales Studio Theatre. The University’s Department of Dance offers unique performances throughout the year, including Dance Alabama. For ticket information call (205) 348-3400 or www.as.ua.edu/theatre.
Located on the campus of Shelton State Community College, the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame salutes the state’s amazing collection of celebrity talent, from Fannie Flagg to Jim Nabors and beyond..... and inspires new generations of emerging actors to follow their dreams and opportunities.
Offering popular entertainment throughout the year, The University of Alabama's Horizon Program provides opportunities to enjoy Broadway musicals, classical and popular music and a variety of other entertainment specials.
The Alabama Choir School is a community organization for boys and girls, grades two and above. The school includes the Alabama Boychoir, founded in 1985; the Alabama Girls Chorus, founded in 1996; and the Alabama Childrens Chorus, founded in 1992. The School has five different choirs -- the resident and touring choir for boys grades 4-8; the resident and touring choir for girls grades 4 and up, and the chorus for children grades 2-3. Annual concerts for all choirs take place in December and May at the Moody Concert Hall on the University of Alabama campus, Tuscaloosa. Concerts are also scheduled in various local schools twice yearly and on other occasions as requested. For ticket information call (205) 758-0927.
Tuscaloosa County surprises visitors with our abundance and variety of museums, galleries and other visitor attractions. Among some of our unique offerings are:
Alabama Museum of Natural History, featuring exhibits from the Age of Dinosaurs and the Ice and Coal Ages. An Alabama treasure! Call (205) 348-2041.
Bryant Museum, featuring memorabilia and exhibits of Alabama Crimson Tide football since 1892 and other related sports exhibits. Call (205) 348-4668.
Children’s Hands On Museum, provides a delightful experience for children of all ages with a variety of special programs and hands-on, participatory exhibits. Moms and dads enjoy this, too! Call (205) 349-4235 for more information.
Kentuck Museum, features a gallery of exhibits of some of the region’s finest crafts and art works provided by the South’s finest artisans and craftsmen. Kentuck Museum is located in Downtown Northport, selected as one of the “Top 100 Small Art Communities” in America. Call (205) 758-1257.
Mercedes-Benz Museum & Visitors Center, one of Alabama’s top tourist attractions, provides visitors with an up-close view of the star-studded history of Daimler-Benz, the world’s premier automobile manufacturer. The story is chronicled in exciting, interactive exhibits at the Visitor’s Center, the first of its kind outside Germany; and explores the technological innovations and development of Mercedes-Benz.
Located in historic downtown Northport, the Renaissance Gallery offers original art by more than twenty regional and local artists. Work on display includes some of the best traditional, folk and contemporary work available in the Southeast. Each painting or sculpture is a one of a kind, hand–made original, signed by the artist. Call (205) 752-4422.
Located at the beautiful NorthRiver Yacht Club on Lake Tuscaloosa, the museum features works from several prominent American artists. The impressive collection of paintings, sculptures, and antiques provides a unique perspective on our country's history. For more information call (205) 343-4540.
