Sometimes a trip begins with a destination.
And sometimes it begins with a concert ticket.
For us, Birmingham was definitely the latter.
Jelly Roll was playing at the Coca-Cola Amphitheater, and that was reason enough to point the Porsche west, cross the Alabama state line, and turn an ordinary weekend into another Deliberate Detour.
There was no elaborate itinerary this time. No long list of must-sees. No attempt to conquer an entire city in forty-eight hours.
Just one really good reason to go—and the curiosity to see what we might find along the way.
Sweet Home, Alabama
There is something about crossing a state line that still makes a road trip feel official.
A Sweet Home Alabama welcome sign certainly helps.
So do a few decidedly less sophisticated road-trip stops.
Buc-ee’s? Of course.
A giant Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World? Apparently also part of the adventure.
The beauty of a weekend like this is that none of it has to be particularly serious. Sometimes the fun is simply in pulling over, wandering around, laughing at something ridiculous, taking the picture, and continuing down the road.
By around lunchtime Saturday, we had made it to Birmingham.
We met up with friends for drinks at a sports bar and spent a few hours catching up before settling into our home for the weekend—the Elyton Hotel.
A Hotel With Personality
The Elyton had exactly the sort of character we love finding in a city hotel.
Located in Birmingham’s historic Empire Building, it managed to feel both sophisticated and a little unexpected. There were beautiful architectural details, bold artwork, quirky touches in the room, and remnants of the building’s history tucked throughout the hotel.
It wasn’t cookie-cutter.
And that is always a plus for us.
There was, however, one particular feature I had been especially excited about: the Moon Shine rooftop bar.
A beautiful rooftop. Birmingham views. A cocktail at the end of the day.
It sounded perfect.
Except Saturday night it was closed for a private event.
No problem, we thought. We’d try again Sunday.
Sunday?
Closed.
So much for that carefully imagined rooftop moment.
Was I disappointed?
Absolutely.
But sometimes travel is just like that. The place you picture yourself enjoying most never quite happens, while something you barely planned becomes one of the best parts of the weekend.
Apparently, we needed the reminder not to get too emotionally attached to a rooftop bar before actually making it upstairs.
Sunday, Done Right
Sunday morning, Birmingham redeemed itself beautifully.
We headed to BrickTop’s for brunch, and this was much more our speed.
Upscale without being stuffy, comfortable without feeling ordinary, and—most importantly—delicious.
There were mimosas, a lovely brunch, and little cinnamon-sugar donuts served warm with dipping sauces that had no business being quite as good as they were.
They were.
Very good.
It was the kind of leisurely Sunday brunch we love: no rushing, nowhere we particularly needed to be yet, and an entire evening still waiting for us.
Because Sunday night was the reason we had come to Alabama in the first place.
The Main Event
Jelly Roll.
From the moment we arrived at the Coca-Cola Amphitheater, we were impressed.
The venue itself was fantastic—open, energetic, easy to enjoy, and exactly the kind of setting that makes an already anticipated concert feel even bigger once you’re actually there.
And the concert?
Worth the trip.
Completely.
There is a particular kind of energy that only comes from live music—the anticipation before the first song, thousands of people singing together, the lights, the sound, and those moments when you look over at the person beside you and realize:
This is why we came.
Jelly Roll delivered.
So did the Coca-Cola Amphitheater.
Whatever Birmingham may or may not have become for us as a destination, Sunday night alone made the weekend worthwhile.
One More Detour
Monday morning, it was time to head toward home.
But a Deliberate Detour rarely ends quite as neatly as checking out of the hotel and getting back on the interstate.
Somewhere along the way, there it was:
Talladega Superspeedway.
Now, considering we happened to be traveling in a Porsche, this felt like an opportunity.
Unfortunately, nobody seemed interested in letting us take a quick lap around Talladega.
Their loss, really.
So we settled for the next best thing—pulling over by the sign, taking pictures with the Porsche, and adding one completely unplanned Alabama moment to the end of the weekend.
And perhaps that was the perfect finale.
Because Talladega hadn’t been the reason we came.
Neither had BrickTop’s.
Neither had Buc-ee’s, the enormous Bass Pro Shops, the friends we spent Saturday afternoon with, or even the rooftop bar that never happened.
We came for a concert.
Everything else simply became part of our story.
The Deliberate Verdict
Would we rush back to Birmingham simply for Birmingham?
Probably not.
And we think there is something refreshing about being able to say that.
Not every destination has to become a favorite. Not every city needs to leave us searching hotel availability for a return trip before we’ve even arrived home.
Some places are simply worth the detour.
Birmingham was that for us.
Give us a great concert, another compelling reason to go, or something we genuinely want to experience there, and we would happily point the car west again.
But this particular weekend already gave us exactly what we needed from it: time together, good friends, a wonderful brunch, an exceptional concert, a hotel with character, one elusive rooftop—and a Porsche parked outside Talladega.
We’d call that a weekend well spent.
Because sometimes you don’t need an elaborate itinerary or a week away.
Sometimes you just need one good reason to go.
And the willingness to enjoy everything you find along the way.
The Deliberate Detour
Travel discerningly. Love deeply. Live deliberately.
Until our next deliberate detour…
Tom & Krissy
Deliberate Desires 