Field Trips, Socials and Special Events courses

BHM201 Tour at the Oak Mountain State Park

Come spend the day and experience the wilderness within an urban setting. During our visit, we will participate in an educational program led by park naturalists and interpretive staff, who will help us to connect with nature. On our journey, we will explore the Oak Mountain Interpretive Center, an interactive educational facility that houses a variety of animals, then travel to Peavine Falls Overlook to enjoy a self-provided brown-bag lunch. Next we drive to the Alabama Wildlife Center where we view resident birds of prey from Treetop Nature Trail and the ADA Accessible boardwalk.

Friday, June 12, 2026, Oak Mountain State Park

BHM202 The Alabama Brain Lab and Driving Lab Tour at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Participants will have an opportunity to be introduced to the tools and methods used to study brain function in humans. This will include demonstrations of noninvasive brain stimulation, or hands-on examples of cognitive and motor tasks used in research, and an overview of how brain imaging and physiological measures help us to understand learning. The tour emphasizes how neuroscience research is conducted, how participants experience studies, and how it relates to issues such as memory, mobility and independence with aging. This opportunity is a follow-up from an OLLI class taught by Dr. Keith McGregor on brain health as we age.

Friday, June 26, 2026, UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center - Alabama Brain Lab

BHM203 Hoover-Randle Home and Gardens

Did you know that there is an elegant historic home located in Hoover that was placed on the National Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1990? This home is filled with the treasures and eclectic art gathered by Ed and Barbara Randle. Join us for a tour of the Hoover-Randle Home and see a little bit of history in your own backyard.

Friday, July 10, 2026, Hoover-Randle Home and Gardens

BHM204 Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame at the Carver Theatre

Explore Birmingham's historic Carver Theatre, a 1935 landmark now home to the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Learn about more than 170 Alabama-born jazz greats, including Nat King Cole and Duke Ellington, and experience the rich musical heritage that shaped communities and culture. Join us for an unforgettable journey into Alabama's jazz legacy.

Friday, July 17, 2026, Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame

BHM205 Doris Alexander Thompson--Painter, Lithographer and Novelist

Enjoy a guided tour of the historic Figh Pickett House and the exhibition "Doris Alexander Thompson, 1906-1995: Painter, Lithographer, and Novelist." A catered lunch follows, along with a presentation on the lost art of "stone lithography" and Thompson's role in the Dixie Art Colony.

Friday, July 24, 2026, Figh-Pickett House

BHM301 Lunch Bunch at Bistro V

Join your OLLI friends for a dutch-treat lunch.

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

BHM301 Lunch Bunch at Vecchia Gelato Caf�

Participation requires OLLI membership and registration.Meet at 11 a.m. at the restaurant.Coordinator: Deborah Warnat (dohbaer@gmail.com)

Friday, June 19, 2026, Vecchia Gelato & Caf�

BHM302 Lunch "Brunch" at The Essential

Participation requires OLLI membership and registration. Meet at 11 a.m. at the restaurant. Coordinator: Deborah Warnat (dohbaer@gmail.com)

Saturday, July 18, 2026, The Essential

BHM302 Lunch Bunch at Tre Luna

Join your OLLI friends for a dutch-treat lunch.

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

BHM303 Lunch Bunch at Bayonet

Participation requires OLLI membership and registration. Meet at 11 a.m. at the restaurant. Coordinator: Deborah Warnat (dohbaer@gmail.com)

Friday, August 21, 2026, Bayonet

BHM303 Lunch Bunch at North Italia

Join your OLLI friends for a dutch-treat lunch.

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

GAD201 Huntsville Botanical Garden

Join us for a beautiful tour of this 118-acre diverse ecosystem featuring meadows, forests and wetlands, along with specialty gardens, a butterfly house and nature trails. We will also see a Thomas Dambo Trash Troll.

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

GAD201 Huntsville Botanical Garden

Join us for a beautiful tour of this 118-acre diverse ecosystem featuring meadows, forests and wetlands, along with specialty gardens, a butterfly house and nature trails. We will also see a Thomas Dambo Trash Troll.

Friday, June 12, 2026, Huntsville Botanical Gardens

GAD202 "Chicken & Biscuits"--Alabama Shakespeare Festival

Laughter and chaos collide in this uproarious Broadway comedy, as sisters Baneatta and Beverly reunite at their father's funeral. Surrounded by their wacky relatives, the homegoing turns into a feast of family drama when a shocking revelation bursts into the room. Past wounds resurface, tempers flare, and sibling rivalry reaches a fever pitch, but this fast-paced farce ultimately dishes up a healthy serving of humor, heart, and healing. Full of Black joy, grief and healing, "Chicken & Biscuits" is a touching and often hilarious ode to the people in our lives we don't get to choose.

Saturday, June 20, 2026, Alabama Shakespeare Festival

GAD203 Berman Museum of Natural History and Longleaf Botanical Gardens

Explore the Berman Museum's remarkable collection of artifacts, art, and weaponry spanning American wars, Asian art, Native American history, and espionage. Then enjoy a guided tour of the Natural History Museum before walking the beautiful Longleaf Botanical Gardens.

Friday, July 17, 2026, Berman Museum

GAD301 Mio Sogno Ristorante

Participation requires OLLI membership and registration. A minimum of six members is needed. Volunteer drivers are essential - kindly come prepared to carpool in your vehicle or contribute $3 to the driver for fuel. For those who would like to carpool, please meet at 5 p.m. behind the Etowah County Courthouse parking lot on 9th St.

Tuesday, June 16, 2026, Mio Sogno

GAD301 Supper Club at Pell City Steak House Restaurant

Join your OLLI friends for a dutch-treat dinner.

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

GAD302 Almost Italy Italian Cuisine

Participation requires OLLI membership and registration. Aminimum of six members is needed. Volunteer drivers areessential - kindly come prepared to carpool in your vehicleor contribute $3 to the driver for fuel.For those who would like to carpool, please meet at 5 p.m.behind the Etowah County Courthouse parking lot on 9th St.

Friday, July 17, 2026, Almost Italy Italian Cuisine

GAD302 Supper Club at Seasons 52

Join your OLLI friends for a dutch-treat dinner.

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

GAD303 Cottonfield Bar & Grill

Participation requires OLLI membership and registration. A minimum of six members is needed. Volunteer drivers are essential - kindly come prepared to carpool in your vehicle or contribute $3 to the driver for fuel. For those who would like to carpool, please meet at 5 p.m. behind the Etowah County Courthouse parking lot on 9th St.

Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Cottonfield Bar & Grill

GAD303 Supper Club at Bama Bucks

Join your OLLI friends for a dutch-treat dinner.

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

Gadsden Open House - Vendor

Vendor Table at Gadsden Open House at church of the Holy comforter

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

Gadsden Summer 2026 Showcase

This course contains no sessions.

Greater Birmingham Showcase - Vendor

Vendor Table at Greater Birmingham at Riverchase United Methodist Church in Hoover, AL.

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

OLLI at UA Travels - Reflections of Italy (March 2026)

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

OLLI Travel Interest Meeting

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

TUS201 Photo Safari: Rural and Small-Town Churches of West Alabama

Join us for a photo safari exploring the exteriors of historic churches across Tuscaloosa, Greene, and Pickens counties. Many of these churches are over 100 years old, and you'll learn about their history. Philip will photograph using his iPhone and share tips to help you sharpen your own photographic skills. Lunch will be Dutch-treat in downtown Eutaw.

Monday, June 8, 2026, Bryant Conference Center

TUS202 Explore the Iron Side of Alabama

This will involve a guided tour of the Historical Sloss Furnace Landmark in Birmingham, the Tannehill Iron Works, including the Iron and Steel Museum, and a Dutch-treat lunch at Pizitz Food Hall downtown Birmingham.

Thursday, June 18, 2026, Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark

TUS203 Alabama Museum of Natural History Tour

What mysteries are held in Smith Hall? For over 115 years, the Alabama Museum of Natural History has allowed visitors to explore Alabama through remarkable exhibits and specimen collections. Come along and see treasures such as the Alabama Hodges Meteorite on our guided tour. Play scientist for the day and take part in awesome hands-on lab programs on pollution and DNA extraction!

Friday, June 26, 2026, Museum of Natural History

TUS204 Visit Athens, Alabama and Joe Wheeler Home in Pond Springs

Upon arrival in Athens, we will eat lunch at Catfish Cabin, then tour Founders and McCandless Halls at Athens University. After that, we will tour Courthouse Square and step inside U.G. White's hardware store or check out an antique shop. For the end of our day, we will go to Kreme Delite and tour the Alabama Veterans Museum near the train depot. Overnight accommodations include breakfast. We'll visit Joe Wheeler Home on the return trip home and grab lunch at Big Bob Gibson's BBQ, circa 1925.

June 25-26, 2026, U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum

TUS205 Celebrate America's 250th birthday with a guided tour of American Village in Montevallo and a birthday party!

Celebrate America's 250th birthday with a guided tour of American Village in Montevallo and a birthday party! Tour the new National Veterans Shrine, participate in a Revolutionary War meeting at the Colonial Chapel, then enjoy lunch and birthday cake in the ballroom. On the way home, drive through the nearby Alabama National Cemetery.

Friday, July 10, 2026, American Village/Alabama National Cemetery

TUS206 UA School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS)

We will tour the renovated McLure Library, the new home of the School of Library and Information Sciences. See how the world of books and digital information has changed since your school days! Tour the SLIS facilities and learn how the school prepares UA students for evolving careers in a changing world.

Monday, July 13, 2026, McLure Library

TUS207 Birmingham Civil Rights Tour

Visit various sites in Birmingham that have significant stories regarding the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama. This includes tours of three such facilities: two churches with significant events and a museum about the events and history. Short walks of less than a few blocks to visit Kelly Ingram and Linn Parks.

Friday, July 17, 2026, Bryant Conference Center

TUS208 Chocolate Camp a.m.--10:30 a.m.

Let's meet at Peterbrooke Chocolatier in Tuscaloosa, where we will hand-dip crisp Granny Smith apples in melted caramel, then choose from white, milk or dark chocolate to dip again and add sprinkles. We will have time to browse shelves of handcrafted chocolates and gifts. This hands-on experience will be fun, delicious and memorable, ending with personalized treats to take home!

Friday, July 24, 2026, Peterbrooke Chocolatier

TUS208 Nordic Walking at Aldridge Gardens

TUS208 - Nordic Walking at Aldridge Gardens Learn Nordic walking techniques and take a guided walk around the lake at Aldridge Gardens.

This course contains no sessions.
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

TUS209 Chocolate camp p.m.--1 p.m.

Let's meet at Peterbrooke Chocolatier in Tuscaloosa, where we will hand-dip crisp Granny Smith apples in melted caramel, then choose from white, milk or dark chocolate to dip again and add sprinkles. We will have time to browse shelves of handcrafted chocolates and gifts. This hands-on experience will be fun, delicious and memorable, ending with personalized treats to take home!

Friday, July 24, 2026, Peterbrooke Chocolatier

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