Lyric Theatre, Birmingham, AL, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

The Lyric Theatre is a vaudeville house on Third Avenue North in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, opened in 1914. It is one of the city's early entertainment palaces and a reminder of the years when touring variety acts filled the downtown theatre district.

The story behind it

The Lyric opened in 1914, at a time when vaudeville was the most popular entertainment in American cities. Acts working the touring circuits played on its stage, and Birmingham audiences came downtown for an evening of singing, comedy and novelty acts. When vaudeville faded, the theatre's fortunes faded with it, and the building sat unused for many years before it was restored.

Quiet, empty buildings tend to collect stories, and the Lyric is no exception. Local ghost lore links the place to the performers who once worked here, though the tales are folklore rather than recorded fact, and no spirit has a name. Across the street stands the Alabama Theatre, which opened in 1927 and has ghost stories of its own, so the two buildings make a natural pair for anyone who likes their history with a shiver.

What to look for

• Look at the entrance and front of the Lyric from the pavement on Third Avenue North, and picture the crowds who queued here for a vaudeville bill.
• Cross the street and compare it with the Alabama Theatre, whose 1927 front shows how theatre design and ambition changed in just over a decade.
• Notice how the theatres sit among the surrounding downtown blocks, a reminder that this was once the city's main evening entertainment district.
• Stand near the Lyric's doors at dusk, when the street quietens and the ghost stories feel most at home.

Tips for your visit

• Allow ten to fifteen minutes to see the exterior and the street, longer if you pair it with the Alabama Theatre opposite.
• Late afternoon into dusk gives the best light and atmosphere, especially if you came for the ghost stories.
• The Lyric is in the heart of downtown, so restaurants, shops and other historic buildings are an easy walk away.
• Interior access depends on events and tours, so check current opening hours and any scheduled events before planning to go inside.

See it on a quest

The Lyric is one of the stops on Ghost Hunt in Birmingham, AL. You reach it on foot as part of a longer route through downtown, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you are looking at. It suits the Lyric well, given the stories attached to it. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Lyric also appears on Birmingham, AL Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society., a detective-style route through the same part of the city. You walk between the stops, hear about each one as you get there and work out a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.