BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- An area of Birmingham devoted to remembering the city's role in the civil rights movement is being recognized this year as Alabama's 2012 tourist attraction of the year.

The Alabama Department of Tourism named the Birmingham Civil Right District as the 2012 attraction of the year. The district includes 16th Street Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The department says the Civil Rights District served as a "ground zero" during the 1963 civil rights campaign.

The tourism department says Kelly Ingram Park was a common gathering spot for civil rights demonstrators in the early 1960s. Statues in the park commemorate a time when police officers turned fire hoses and police dogs on civil rights marchers, including children.

Another famous civil rights landmark, Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, was the site of a 1963 bombing set off by Ku Klux Klan members that killed four young girls.

Wes visited with Cindy Pinger from the Birmingham Zoo to learn more about the new aviary area near the giraffe feeding exhibit. There are 23 birds from across Africa inside the exhibit and Cindy shares a little bit about several species with Wes.

For more information, visit birminghamzoo.com.

[Watch Wes and Cindy in the aviary here.]
 

Fred Hunter highlights the beauty and history of Alabama's 22 state parks in tonight's Absolutely Alabama segment.

If you're interested in geocaching and enjoy exploring, there's an Alabama State Parks Geocaching Challenge that kicks off this weekend at the Lakepoint Resort State Park in Eufaula. The challenge will take participants to all 22 state parks and across 1,300 miles.

"Each cache will be kid friendly and have a first finders prize," the website says. Those who complete the entire challenge will receive a trackable geocaching coin as a prize. Visit www.alapark.com or call 1-800-ALAPARK for details.