Published on June 3, 2025
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Samford University’s Office of Parent and Family Engagement polled parents from across the country to develop the Samford Bucket List. Inspired by our departing class of 2025 and our incoming class of 2029, the below list is a fun resource for the Samford family to enjoy.
On Campus
Athletics
Attend an athletic event.
Choose the sport of your choice—wear the t-shirt, go to the game and cheer on the Bulldogs.
Tailgate on the Quad.
Enjoy food under a tent and cheer on the team, band and cheerleaders during the Bulldog Walk.
Visit the Campus Recreation, Wellness & Athletics Complex.
Play pickleball, ping pong or billiards as a family.
Arts
Attend a student concert.
For a twist on the experience, find a concert in Boren Courtyard.
Go to a play, musical or opera in Harrison Theatre.
Take in a show with Samford. Learn More
Visit the Art Gallery.
View the displays and contemplate the meaning of the student’s art.
Academic
Attend a planetarium show.
Nurture your inner astronaut.
Tour Hodges Chapel.
Experience the Gospel witness through the sacred art, architecture and symbols of the Christian faith.
Walk through the greenhouse in Propst Hall.
See the giant plants to feel like a character in “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.”
Sign up for a cooking class.
Samford’s Wellness Kitchen offers community classes in the College of Health Sciences’ food production labs, formerly the Southern Living test kitchens.
Attend Online Family Academy in February.
Hear from one of our beloved professors. You’re never too old to learn!
Take a walk through Cooney Hall.
See the Stifel/Merchant Capital Portfolio Management Room in Brock School of Business, then venture up to the fourth-floor patio for a great view of campus. Consider buying a product from a Samford Startup entrepreneur. Learn More
Traditions
Attend Step Sing.
Come to a Saturday night show to see and hear the squeals and thrills and find out who will win bragging rights for the year.
Take a family picture with Mr. Beeson.
Strike a pose like the man himself.
Enjoy Pops with the Prez during Family Weekend.
Eat a popsicle and take a picture with President and Mrs. Taylor.
Spend the afternoon on the Quad.
Play a game, nap in a hammock, have a picnic on your Samford blanket or enjoy a conversation using Samford Talks cards.
Visit a fountain.
Roll up your pants legs and put your feet in the fountain on a hot, summer day.
Count the steps on Centennial Walk.
As a keepsake, record the carillon bells as they chime.
Take a picture with Sam, the Bulldog.
Find the mascot at an athletic event, and say, “Cheese!”
Participate in one of the following:
Hanging of the Green, Lighting of the Way, a convocation or worship service during Family Weekend
Play a board game in Harry’s.
Then, get a family picture in Washington Courtyard.
Campus Dining
Dine in the Caf with your student.
Invite your student’s friends, make it your own, take a picture, and tag @samforddining.
Enjoy a smoothie in the Rec Center.
Order ahead!
Order your favorite bagel at Einstein’s in Davis Library.
Then, rub Major Davis’s nose on the way out.
Eat at Freshens in the College of Health Sciences.
Enjoy the scenery in the atrium then walk around the pond.
Service
Support a donation drive, sponsored by the Parents Association.
Order items via Amazon wish lists or bring them to campus during Step Sing and/or Family Weekend.
Participate in the family service project during Family Weekend.
Put on your gloves and hairnet and join the assembly line.
Go on the Samford-wide mission trip during spring break.
If you can’t attend, help support a student or parent so they can go.
Attend the Legacy League’s Annual Christmas Open House.
Your ticket supports student scholarships when you visit several of Birmingham’s stunning homes decorated for the holiday season.
Parent and Family Engagement
Send your student a care package.
Support the Parents Association while sending encouragement to your student.
Join a prayer walk.
Wake up early and take these 740 steps around campus as you pray for our campus.
Add Parent and Family Engagement to your Christmas card list.
Mail your Christmas card to
Samford University
Office of Parent and Family Engagement
800 Lakeshore Drive
Birmingham, AL 35229
Enjoy coffee or tea in the Parent Commons.
While you are there, check out the books authored by Samford parents.
Join a Parents in Prayer Zoom call.
Find a link to join on the first Monday night of each month while classes are in session.
Around Town
Birmingham
Spend the day snapping pics around Birmingham.
Find a list of Birmingham murals and pick your favorites.
See a show at the historic Alabama Theatre.
Known as “The Showplace of the South” since 1927, the Alabama Theatre has been the home to shows and performances ranging from movies, concerts, beauty pageants, silent films and even the Mickey Mouse Club.
Attend a baseball game at Regions Park.
Cheer on the Birmingham Barons Minor League Baseball team then walk across the street to Railroad Park.
Enjoy a day at Red Mountain, Ruffner Mountain and Oak Mountain.
Spend the day biking, boating, hiking and picnicking.
Walk the Rotary Trail.
Follow the trail to get a unique view of Birmingham.
Jemison Trail
Enjoy the hills of Mountain Brook with sweeping views of Alabama’s beautiful scenery from creeks, birds and foliage.
Spend a Saturday morning at Pepper Place.
Buy fruits and veggies, peruse the handmade jewelry, eat lunch from a food truck and listen to live music at this downtown Birmingham famer’s market.
Tour the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
This modern museum that serves as a connection to the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, a collection of sites important to the Civil Rights Movement. Examine a replica of a Freedom Riders bus and the actual jail cell door from behind which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. penned his famous “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.”
Attend church with your family.
Worship at the church your student has been attending or visit a new church together.
Visit Birmingham Zoo.
Plan to go during Hoots and Howls in October or Glow Wild during the Christmas season.
Experience Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
From blooms to woodlands, explore the gardens during each season of the year.
Purchase tickets for the Legacy League’s Christmas Home Tour.
See homes around Birmingham, including the Samford president’s home, decorated for the holidays.
Climb to the top of Vulcan.
See a great view of Birmingham, tour the museum, and visit the shop.
Metro Area
Tour Barber Motor Sports Museum.
When you leave, stop by Buc-ees.
Discover Moss Rock Preserve.
Enjoy streams and waterfalls, hike the trails and climb the rocks.
Tiptoe through the tulips at American Village.
On select days in February and March, take pictures and buy flowers at the Festival of Tulips in Montevallo.
Take a drive and pick strawberries.
Fill a basket with strawberries from Jerry Marsh Farms in Cleveland or J Durbin Farms in Clanton.
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.
