Bummed about all that might not be happening this summer with COVID-19? Here’s our list of what fun you CAN partake in even with social distance in Mountain Brook and beyond.
IN MOUNTAIN BROOK
Sign Up for Online Summer Reading
Starting May 25
No pandemic can stop you from summer reading! In fact, you might have more time for it than usual. Register for summer reading and log your books with the Emmet O’Neal Library and you can join in on their online programs for kids. You can start using their curbside pickup service beginning June 1 too.
Get a Sweet Treat
Start with a frozen one from Mountain Brook Creamery or Gilchrist in Mountain Brook Village or the new Marble Slab Creamery in Cahaba Village. There’s always bakeries too: Olexa’s in Mountain Brook Village, Crestline Bagel in Crestline Village, Continental Bakery in English Village or Magic Muffin on Overton Road.
Shop Local
Village shops are mostly reopened and ready for shoppers! Better yet, for Reopen Mountain Brook week June 1-6 merchants are offering discounts, giveaways and more. Shoppers are encouraged to wear masks and maintain social distance, and many shops will offer curbside services as well. For a full list of special offerings that week, check out the Mountain Brook Chamber’s list, and you can enter to win Village Gold by posting about it using #reopenmb and/or #choosemb.
Eat Local
Likewise, most restaurants have reopened patios and dining rooms with limited capacity, and are still offering to-go and curbside offerings too—perfect for al fresco dining in your backyard or a park picnic.
Switch Up Your Park Routine
Are you usually a Jemison Park walker or runner? Go to the Irondale Furnace Trail for a switch-up. Like to play at the Crestline Tot Lot? Venture to Overton Park instead, and bring your tennis racquet too. Looking for a new spot for your pup? Take a trip to the Cahaba River Walk for the dog park and wade in the river while you are there. Looking to get off the beaten path? Try the walking and jogging path behind Mountain Brook Presbyterian. Find a full list of Mountain Brook parks here, and ideas for how park workouts with no equipment here.
Take Music Lessons
Yep, you can do so with social distance virtually through Mason Music. All you need is the internet, a webcam and microphone, and an instrument. Find out more about how it works and how to sign up here.
AND BEYOND
Drive in for Pop-Up Movies at The Summit
May 30+June 7
The Summit
Sidewalk Film Center is setting up (temporary) shop The Summit. Gates fo these drive-in movies open at 7 p.m., and the lot closes at 7:45 p.m. The movie begins at sunset, around 7:40 p.m. Pretty in Pink is on tap for May 30, and The Peanut Butter Falcon for June 7. Admission is $20 per car.
Take in a Concert from the Car
June 4, 11, 18, & 25
Hoover Met Complex
Who says you can’t rock on and social distance at the same time? The Black Jacket Symphony is returning to the stage to perform classic rock albums with the audio blasting directly into your car stereo. It’s like a drive-in movie but with music! Visit blackjacketsymphony.com for more information.
Watch Cardboard Puppet Theatre
Birmingham Children’s Theatre can’t host live shows for the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t putting on shows. Each Wednesday at 9 a.m. they are releasing at Cardboard Puppet Theatre production on their website. Titles like Anita’s Vacation, Harris the Helper and Turtle Takes Her Time helps young audiences process these new and uncertain times, and they are all written, performed, filmed and edited by the BCT team. Watch them here.
Go Berry Picking
We all went strawberry picking to save our sanity in the spring. Now it’s blueberry season, or it will be by sometime between mid-June and early July. Find a list of farms that offer u-pick options here and be sure to pack a hat and bug spray. Trust us, it will be worth all the sweat for cobblers, muffins and smoothies in your future.
Visit the Virtual Zoo
The Birmingham Zoo is planning to open gradually this summer, but to tide you on animal visits over until then you can take a peek behind the scenes in its Virtual Zoo video offerings. Check them out here.
Are there any local events and activities we should add to this list? Email them to our editor at mm@mountainbrookmagazine.com.
