Kelly Ingram Park
Birmingham, United States
Kelly Ingram Park
Kelly Ingram Park, formerly West Park, is a 4 acres (1.6 ha) park located in Birmingham, Alabama. It is bounded by 16th and 17th Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues North in the Birmingham Civil Rights District. The park, just outside the doors of the 16th Street Baptist Church, served as a central staging ground for large-scale demonstrations during the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Reverend James Bevel of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference directed the organized protest by students in 1963 which centered on Kelly Ingram Park. It was here, during the first week of May 1963, that Birmingham police and firemen, under orders from Public Safety Commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor, confronted the student demonstrators, almost all of them children and high school students, first with mass arrests and then with police dogs and firehoses. Images from those confrontations, broadcast internationally, spurred a public outcry which turned the nation's attention to the struggle for racial equality. The demonstrations in Birmingham brought city leaders to agree to an end of public segregation and helped to ensure the writing and then the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Accommodations near Kelly Ingram Park
Hampton Inn & Suites Birmingham-Downtown-Tutwiler
see price.
Nearby Tours & Activities
Opening times
| Monday | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
| Thursday | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
| Friday | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
| Saturday | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
| Sunday | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
Guests' reviews
What a beautiful place just bursting with history. The Freedom Walk was incredibly powerful and moving. When my son is old enough to understand, we will visit Birmingham and this park together.
Beautiful place. I seen previous posts about the homeless....they are there but didn't bother us. I did see as the day went on they were talking to some people at the park. I wouldn't let this discourage you from visiting this beautiful historical important place!
Visited this park on a whim. Made a two hour drive because of an episode of Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast. The episode, Foot Soldier, is dedicated to a sculpture in the park. The park provoked a lot of thought and reflection about race in America and the evolving Civil rights movement. I recommend going during the day. I witnessed a man with mental illness become really agitated and aggressive when I was there. The police were able to de-escalate the situation and calm him down quickly, which was impressive - I didn't expect thing to go so smoothly. Hat's off to the officers who responded. That was the only drawback of the visit. We found a hotel without a reservation and enjoyed the night and next day in the city. Listen to the podcast and visit the park with someone you enjoy talking with. It's worth it.
A lot of black history is commemorated and on display in this small park on the north end of downtown Birmingham. My Great, Great Uncle has a statue here. Julius Ellsberry, Pearl Harbor...(google it)
Nice place to visit, there will be homeless people in the park and some might ask for a handout.will be a good experience
An amazing park, worth the visit. There are sculptures spread through the park with associated plaques telling the story of 1963 Birmingham. Many of the sculptures are extremely moving, evoking fear, sadness, and anger, but also hope for a better world. I went around sunrise and it was pretty good lighting for great photos. The park was pretty empty around that time.
Heartwrenching! History created off just doing the right thing...and it hurt children as well! Adults, on both ends of the color spectrum, still need to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do not because it makes you uncomfortable. Christian life in this carnal world is not comfortable! Everybody man up! The kids did in 1963 and still do in 2018!
A wonderful park that's at the center of Birmingham culture. Everything from major activism to a family picnic takes place in this park. A great example of the civil Rights history of the area, also, where many of the new civil rights trails converge. A truly Birmingham park.
Historic area and a pleasant park in the city. I came here after listening to Malcolm Gladwell's podcast on the Foot Soldier statue - which is more than worth a listen.
If you're ever in Birmingham this is a place everyone needs to stop take a minute walk around and look at the history of how far we have came over so many years is very moving and very touching
Wonderful PARK TO COME OUT TO AND KNOW YOUR HISTORY. JUNETEENTH DAY CELEBRATION TODAY TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2018... FREEDOM NEWS ON, JUNE 19, 1865 FROM SLAVERY CAME TO BLACK PEOPLE IN TEXAS THAT THEY WERE NO LONGER A SLAVE IN THE USA AMERICA. #JUNETEENTHDAY
Excellent jumping off point to the Civil Rights District! Very informational, self-guided walking tour.
