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The Interactive Museum & Tours

About the SEC

The Southern Environmental Center is a 5,600-square-foot museum with multi-media conference room and gift shop housed in what was formerly an indoor pool at Birmingham-Southern College. It's a great place for schools and other groups to visit! Information on tours and birthday parties is below. Things to do at the SEC include:

  • Visit The Interactive Museum (TIM), a two-story environmental showcase that challenges visitors to slide down a giant sewage pipe, lift a week's worth of garbage, or identify the sources of air pollution on a moving city scape model.
  • Located inside BSC's former planetarium, our state of the art Geodome theater projects drone and GoPro video footage of Alabama's natural wonders. It provides visitors an incredible new resource for learning about Alabama’s geography, ecology and place on the planet.
  • Tour the nearby EcoScape, a 4-acre outdoor classroom with paths winding through a miniature Mobile Basin wetland, past beneficial bug sculptures and fragrance gardens, and along the Appalachian Trail to a two-story treehouse. Learn about medicinal plants, edible landscapes, and sustainable landscape practices.
  • Complete your visit by making EcoArt. Transform discarded telephone wires, bottle caps, old CDs and more into home jewelry.

Field Trip Info

SEC Field Trip from Birmingham-Southern College on Vimeo.

  • Track A: Interactive Museum/EcoArt session/EcoScape Garden tour - 2 hours total. Cost is $6 per person, with no charge for teachers
  • Track B: Geodome drone video aerials of Alabama natural wonders - 1 hour or less, depending on group size/age. Cost is $6 per person
  • Track A & B: $10 per person

The minimum group size is 10 people and visits are perfect for schools, scouts, church groups and more. For more information about rates and reservations, contact Roald Hazelhoff at 205-427-4239 or [email protected].

Tours are appropriate for ages 4 and up. If you have younger children, consider visiting the EcoScape instead. Anyone may participate in a self-guided tour there. We have a printable scavenger hunt and reflections page to get kids involved and talking about what they learned.

To learn how our activities relate to the Alabama Course of Study, click here.

Birthday Parties

  SecbdaySmall.jpgWe provide a fun-filled, two-hour program for up to 15 children. They will tour the EcoScape Gardens or the Interactive Museum (your choice) and make their own EcoArt in the first hour, then enjoy pizza and soft drinks; cups, plates, napkins, etc. are provided. In addition, the birthday child will receive their own SEC t-shirt. For just $220, your family will enjoy a unique birthday party and support the center at the same time. 

Please contact Roald Hazelhoff at 205-427-4239 or [email protected] for reservations.

Space Rental

BikesSmall.jpg ConferenceRoomSmall.jpg ReceptionSmall.jpg

Both the environmental center with its auditorium and the Hugh Kaul EcoScape are available for rent. Company training space, family celebrations, or photography sessions are just a few examples of our versatility. The cost is $300 for three hours and $500 for the entire day. Please call the office at 205-226-4934 for information or to set up a time to view our facilities.

Directions:

For directions to BSC and a campus map, click here. The SEC is 1, GeoDome is 15, and the EcoScape is 53 on the map."