From vacant to vibrant

Happy Friday, Alabama! This week, we were excited about the promise of possible-adaptive reuse in Birmingham. Meaning that developers plan to build 1,500 apartments without constructing any new buildings in the years to come. The idea is to transform vacant spaces previously built for things like office work or retail into apartments or mixed-use living areas. Leaders across the metro say this shift can decrease rental prices while bringing life back into city centers.

You can read more about how BHAM is transforming offices into residential spaces here.

These beautiful ceramic poppies honor vets.

When the sun sets in Prattville on May 24, the haunting sound of “Taps” will float across a field where thousands of red ceramic poppies honor Alabama veterans.

The Alabama Poppy Project will feature 2,024 handmade poppies carefully placed at Spillway Park in downtown Prattville. White ribbons displaying names of service members who have passed away will flutter from each metal stem.

Read about the inspiration behind this poppy field.

What Alabama dish is worth the drive?

"While traveling the backroads and byways of rural Alabama, I’ve discovered dozens of distinctive dishes at restaurants and cafes around the state, many of them far off the beaten path," writes senior feature writer Bob Carlton . He's launching a new series detailing the meals he's found worth road-tripping to. His first dish? The bacon-wrapped okra at the Waverly Local in Waverly, Ala.

Do you have an Alabama dish you'd make a special trip to eat? Let us know!

Here's why this dish is worthy of a 90-minute drive.

Here's what else is going on.

Alabamians crushed competition shows this week, with this little dude winning "MasterChef Junior" and this talented singer winning "The Voice." Film crews from PBS were in the state to work on a documentary about the Cahaba lilies. And #ICYMI, Russellville high school students won a national rocket competition. ??