birmingham diaries: ozan winery & vineyard

after buying my tickets months ago, i finally ventured down to ozan winery & vineyards  in calera, alabama this weekend. who knew alabama had wineries? well, we do! there's even an alabama wine trail - yes, there are multiple vineyards & wineries - that you can follow. i don't know about you, but i'm putting completing the wine trail on my to do list!

ozan is a beautiful property that has a year-round growing season and plethora of wine options. we tasted 12 wines, paired with cheese, crackers & chocolate, then toured the vineyard property to take a look at the small grapes that were growing in - the norton grapes. there were 3 or so wines i really enjoyed, and i ended up purchasing a bottle of ozan's vidal blanc.

after the tasting, you're taken down to the railroad tracks, which run right next to the property, for a breezy ride on the historic shelby county railroad. we got into an open-air car and enjoyed the weather before returning to ozan. all in all, the weather couldn't have been more perfect, and the wine was fabulous.

if you live in birmingham & you haven't made it down here yet, i highly suggest you check it out! you can make reservations online for the tasting & train ride, or just drop in for a tasting. it's awonderful date idea or way to spend a saturday morning with friends. the norton grapes will be fully grown in august, and i want to go back later in the summer to check them out!

birmingham diaries: oak mountain state park

happy march! FINALLY it's spring! even though i've lived in birmingham since july 2013, i'm still discovering new things in this area. though i've tried many of the restaurants on my list, there are still plenty of things undiscovered!

this weekend, i ventured to oak mountain state park with my friend mike. oak mountain is about 15 miles south of birmingham, and alabama's largest state park. we had planned to hike all afternoon, and the weather was perfect - in the 60's, a little cloudy.

we started on the green trail. this trail connected to the white trail, which led to peavine falls. don't be fooled. this was no easy hike! we aren't expert outdoorspeople by any means, but the inclines on this hike were rough (my glutes were thanking me on sunday!). we couldn't have picked a more perfect day or time to go.

i love discovering all that birmingham has to offer. i will definitely be back to oak mountain for more hiking, as well as paddleboats & kayaks in summer! can't wait!