During Bama Bound, incoming students hear about the history of the University and places on-campus that are popular amongst students. But there’s plenty of places off-campus that students love that you might not hear about during your campus tour. Here’s five places around Tuscaloosa that you should know about.
Mr. Chen’s
Considered one of the best Chinese restaurants in town, Mr. Chen’s is located on 14th Street, less than a mile from Bryant Denny Stadium. Whether you want to dine-in or get it to-go, Mr. Chen’s has got your favorite Chinese food on their menu, ready to be ordered. They’ve also got an Asian grocery store attached if you want to try to make some dishes at home yourself.
Location: 514 14th Street, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
Capitol Park
You’ll get a lot of campus history while you’re at Bama Bound, but if you want to explore more of Tuscaloosa’s history, you can start at Capitol Park. Between 1826-1846, Tuscaloosa was Alabama’s state capital before it moved to it’s current location, Montgomery. At Capitol Park you’ll find what’s left of the old state capitol building that burned down in 1923. It’s one of the many historic sites around Tuscaloosa including The Old Tavern, the Drish House, the Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion and more.
Location: 2828 6th Street, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
The Riverwalk
Right across from the University on the other side of Jack Warner Parkway is the Riverwalk, a paved trail along the Black Warrior River that’s over four miles long. Starting at Tuscaloosa Amphitheater and finishing near Manderson Landing near the University, the Riverwalk is a popular place to run, walk or bike. The trail is dog friendly and lit, with plenty of benches to sit on and trees to hang hammocks from.
Location: The Manderson Landing start is at 69 Jack Warner Parkway, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. The Tuscaloosa Amphitheater start is at 2710 Jack Warner Parkway, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401.
Kentuck Arts Center
To find the heart of Tuscaloosa’s art scene, you actually have to go to Northport. There you’ll find the Kentuck Art Center located on Main Avenue. After you’ve stopped to look at the giant red dog statue you can go inside and see which of Kentuck’s eight studio artists is in that day and watch them as they create. Then stop by Kentuck’s Courtyard of Wonders to see more art and other creative statues. Throughout the year you can come back to Kentuck for their monthly Art Night on the first Thursday of every month and visit their annual Festival of the Arts the third weekend of October.
Location: 503 Main Avenue, Northport, AL 35476
City Cafe
Also tucked away in Northport is City Cafe, a go-to comfort food spot for breakfast and lunch. Open from 4 a.m to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, City Cafe changes their menu daily offering classic comfort food like chicken fried steak, fried catfish and roast beef and gravy. Their breakfast menu keeps it simple with omelettes, pancakes, biscuits and eggs. If you need any more reasons to go, City Cafe was recently featured in “O, the Oprah Magazine.”
Location: 408 Main Avenue, Northport, AL 35476
