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Last weekend was proof that there’s plenty to do on a weekend night in Birmingham. But music and art and bars and coffeehouses are just the beginning. A while back, I heard about two unique after-dark activities that I have put on my must-do list:

Each year, the Cahaba River Society hosts moonlight canoe trips on the river. Imagine that—the moon shining down through the trees, dancing upon the water while crickets chirp and lightning bugs add mood lighting. Ahhh. Of course, the actual experience is likely to be muddy and shared with a multitude of mosquitoes, but it’s sure to give you a new vantage point on our bio-diverse river. You don’t even have to leave the city—the launch site is just off Highway 280 near Target. For dates (two more this summer), prices, and other details, see the Cahaba River Society’s canoe outings schedule.

If you’d rather not get your feet wet, try Ruffner Mountain Nature Center’s Full Moon Wine and Cheese Hike. You’ll climb to the heights of the nature preserve’s Hawk’s View Overlook, where you can enjoy wine and cheese as you watch the sun set, the moon glow, and the skyline sparkle to life. I missed this summer’s outing, so I’m planning to sign up for the fall hike in October. For full information on this event—and several other guided hikes (in the daytime) that sound fascinating—click the “Saturdays on the Mountain” link on Ruffner’s website. Again, you don’t have to leave the city limits for this one-of-a-kind nocturnal event, since the nature center is located just off I-59 in eastern Birmingham.

Do you know of any other unusual tours, events, or sights in the night?