Family & Kids: the results of 2019 Best of Birmingham - AL.com

Best After-School Program

Winner: Highlands School (highlandsschool.org)

Finalists: Girls Inc. of Central Alabama (girlsinccentral-al.org); Hoover YMCA (ymcabham.org/hoover); Odyssey Early School at Inverness (odysseyearlyschool.com); Pioneer Playschool (pioneerplayschool.com); Shades Mountain Baptist Church (shades.org)

Best Baby Clothing

Winner: The Lili Pad (facebook.com/thelilipad)

Finalists: Birmingham Bubbles (birminghambubbles.com); Carter's (carters.com); Once Upon a Time (onceuponatimebaby.com); Swaddle (swaddleonline.com)

Best Baby Gift Store

Winner: Swaddle (swaddleonline.com)

Finalists: Buy Buy Baby (buybuybaby.com); Monograms Plus (shopmonogramsplus.com); Once Upon a Time (onceuponatimebaby.com); The Lili Pad (facebook.com/thelilipad)

Best Birthing Suite

Winner: St. Vincent's Birmingham (getstvhscare.com)

Finalists: Brookwood Baptist Medical Center (brookwoodbaptisthealth.com); Grandview Medical Center (grandviewhealth.com); Princeton Baptist Medical Center (brookwoodbaptisthealth.com); The University of Alabama at Birmingham Women & Infants Center (uabmedicine.org/women)

Best Camp

Winner: Camp Straight Street (campstraightstreet.com)

Finalists: Zoo Camp at the Birmingham Zoo (birminghamzoo.com/education/zoo-camps); Camp McDowell (campmcdowell.com); Camp Ridgecrest – North Carolina (ridgecrestcamps.com); Camp Winnataska (winnataska.org)

Best Daycare

Winner: Ardent Preschool & Daycare (ardentpreschool.com)

Finalists: Cahaba Valley Learning Center (cahabavalleylearning.com); Elizabeth Perry Rushton Child (eprcdc.com); Kingwood Christian Child Development (kccdc.com); Odyssey Early School at Inverness (odysseyearlyschool.com)

Best Family Beach Destination

Winner: Gulf Shores, Alabama (gulfshores.com)

Finalists: Destin, Florida (cityofdestin.com); Orange Beach, Alabama (orangebeachal.gov); Seaside, Florida (seasidefl.com); 30A, Florida (30a.com)

Best Family Gym

Winner: Life Time Fitness (lifetime.life)

Finalists: Geaux Play Sports Training and Fitness (geauxplayalabama.com); Juarez Boxing (boxwithmartin.com); Levite Jewish Community Center (bhamjcc.org); YMCA (ymcabham.org)

Best Family Law Firm

Winner: The Rose Law Firm, LLC (theroselawfirmllc.com)

Finalists: Boyd, Fernambucq & Dunn, P.C. (bfattorneys.net); Candace B. Peeples Family Law (peepleslaw.com); Gathings Law (gathingslaw.com); Nolan Byers, P.C. (nolanbyers.com)

Best Family Mountain Destination

Winner: Gatlinburg,Tennessee (gatlinburg.com)

Finalists: Blue Ridge, Georgia (blueridgemountains.com); Great Smoky Mountains (nps.gov/grsm); Highlands, North Carolina (highlandschamber.org); Mentone, Alabama (mentonemountaingetaways.com); Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama (alapark.com/oak-mountain-state-park); Red Mountain, Alabama (redmountainpark.org)

Best Family-Friendly Restaurant

Winner: Vecchia Pizzeria & Mercato (vecchiabirmingham.com)

Finalists: Konomi (konomisteakandsushi.com); Taco Mama (tacomamaonline.com); Twisted Root (twistedrootburgerco.com); Urban Cookhouse (urbancookhouse.com)

Best Fertility Specialist

Winner: ART Fertility Program of Alabama (fertilityprogramalabama.com)

Finalists: Alabama Fertility (alabamafertility.com); Beth A. Malizia, M.D. of Alabama Fertility (alabamafertility.com); Kathryn L. Honea, M.D. of ART Fertility Program of Alabama (fertilityprogramalabama.com); The University of Alabama at Birmingham Women and Infant Center (uabmedicine.org/women)

Best Hospital in Which to Give Birth

Winner: St. Vincent's Birmingham (getstvhscare.com)

Finalists: Brookwood Baptist Medical Center (brookwoodbaptisthealth.com); Grandview Medical Center (grandviewhealth.com); Shelby Baptist Medical Center (brookwoodbaptisthealth.com); The University of Alabama at Birmingham Women and Infant Center (uabmedicine.org/women)

Best Hospital NICU

Winner: St. Vincent's Birmingham (getstvhscare.com)

Finalists: Brookwood Baptist Medical Center (brookwoodbaptisthealth.com); Children's of Alabama (childrensal.org); Grandview Medical Center (grandviewhealth.com); The University of Alabama at Birmingham Women and Infant Center (uabmedicine.org/women)

Best Library

Winner: Hoover Public Library (hooverlibrary.org)

Finalists: Emmet O'Neal Public Library (eolib.org); Homewood Public Library (homewoodpubliclibrary.org); Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest (vestavialibrary.org); Trussville Public Library (trussvillelibrary.com)

Best Maternity Clothes

Winner: Cradle + Bee (previously The Swanky Stork) (shopcradleandbee.com)

Finalists: Destination Maternity (destinationmaternity.com); Motherhood Maternity (motherhood.com); Target (target.com)

Best Maternity Photographer

Winner: Margaret Taylor Photography (margarettaylorphotography.com)

Finalists: Amanda Moses Photography (asmpictures.com); Amy P Photography (amypphotography.com); Greater Image Photography (greaterimagephotographybirmingham.com); Stephanie Fisher Photography (stephaniefisherphotography.com)

Best Museum for Children

Winner: McWane Science Center (mcwane.org)

Finalists: Birmingham Museum of Art (artsbma.org); Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (bcri.org); Children's Hands-On Museum - Tuscaloosa (chomonline.org); Southern Museum of Flight (southernmuseumofflight.org)

Best Neighborhood

Winner: Lake Crest, Hoover (lakecresthoa.com)

Finalists: Bluff Park (bluffparkal.org); Countrywood Highlands, Vestavia (countrywoodhighlands.com); Crestline Village (mtnbrookchamber.org/villages); Highland Park (highland-park.org); Liberty Park (libertypark.com)

Best OB/GYN Practice

Winner: Birmingham Obstetrics & Gynecology (birminghamobgyn.com)

Finalists: Henderson & Walton Women's Center (hwwc.net); OB-GYN South, P.C. (obgynsouth.com); Sparks and Favor P.C. (sparksandfavorpc.com); Women's Health Specialists of Birmingham (whsbham.com)

Best Obstetrician

Winner: William T. Hudson, M.D. of Women's Health Specialists of Birmingham (whsbham.com)

Finalists: Alison Heaton, M.D. of Women's Health Specialists of Birmingham (whsbham.com); Ashley D. Przybysz, M.D. of Birmingham Obstetrics & Gynecology, P.C. (birminghamobgyn.com); Charles G. Banks, M.D. of Alabama Women's Specialists (alwomens.com); David S. McKee, M.D. of Birmingham Obstetrics & Gynecology, P.C. (birminghamobgyn.com); Shannon B. Ellis, M.D. of Birmingham Obstetrics & Gynecology, P.C. (birminghamobgyn.com)

Best Pediatric Dentist

Winner: Michael K. Vann, D.M.D. (drvann.com)

Finalists: Clark Thomas, D.M.D. (thomaspediatricdentistry.com); Just Kids (justkidsal.com); Lovell Pediatric Dentistry (lovellpediatricdentistry.com); Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry (alpediatricdentistry.com)

Best Pediatric Eye Care

Winner: Rebecca Doss, O.D. of VisionFirst Eye Center (visionfirsteyecenter.com)

Finalists: Martin S. Cogen, M.D. of UAB Ophthalmology Services Foundation (childrensal.org); Schaeffer Eye Center (schaeffereyecenter.com); Vestavia Eye Care (vestaviaeyecare.com); Vision First Eye Center (visionfirsteyecenter.com)

Best Pediatrician

Winner: Caesar J. Cortopassi, M.D. of Greenvale Pediatrics (childrensal.org/greenvale-pediatrics)

Finalists: Birmingham Pediatric Associates (birminghampeds.com); Toren Anderson, M.D. of Greenvale Pediatrics (childrensal.org/greenvale-pediatrics); Greenvale Pediatrics (childrensal.org/greenvale-pediatrics); Joseph Hamm, M.D. of Vestavia Pediatrics (childrensal.org/vestavia-pediatrics); Robert A. Levin, M.D. of Alabama Pediatrics (alaped.com)

Best Preschool

Winner: Ardent Preschool & Daycare (ardentpreschool.com)

Finalists: Creative Montessori School (cmskids.org); Discovery Days Preschool Hoover (discoverydayspreschool.org); Odyssey Early School at Trace Crossings (odysseyearlyschool.com); St. Stephen's Birmingham (ssepreschool.org)

Best Private School

Winner: Saint Rose Academy (strosebhm.org)

Finalists: Advent Episcopal School (adventepiscopalschool.org); Altamont School (altamontschool.org); Briarwood Christian School (briarwoodchristianschool.org); Highlands School (highlandsschool.org); John Carroll Catholic High School (jcchs.org); Prince of Peace Catholic School (popcatholic.net)

Best Public School - Elementary

Winner: Vestavia Hills Elementary School East (vestavia.k12.al.us/eastelementary)

Finalists: Cahaba Elementary School (trussvillecityschools.com/cahaba); Gwin Elementary School (hoovercityschools.net/gwin); Edgewood Elementary School (homewood.k12.al.us/ees); Oak Mountain Elementary School (shelbyed.k12.al.us/schools/omes)

Best Public School – Middle School

Winner: Alabama School of Fine Arts (asfa.k12.al.us)

Finalists: Hewitt-Trussville Middle School (trussvillecityschools.com); Homewood Middle School (homewood.k12.al.us); Oak Mountain Middle School (shelbyed.k12.al.us/schools/omms); Pizitz Middle School (vestavia.k12.al.us/pizitzmiddle); Simmons Middle School (hoovercityschools.net/simmons)

Best Public School – High School

Winner: Alabama School of Fine Arts (asfa.k12.al.us)

Finalists: Hoover High School (hoovercityschools.net/hhs); Mountain Brook High School (mtnbrook.k12.al.us/mbhs); Oak Mountain High School (shelbyed.k12.al.us/schools/omhs); Vestavia Hills High School (vestavia.k12.al.us/vestaviahigh)

Best Special Needs Service

Winner: Puzzle Piece (puzzlepiecealabama.com)

Finalists: Mitchell's Place (mitchells-place.com); The Bell Center (thebellcenter.org); The Exceptional Foundation (exceptionalfoundation.org); The Red Barn (theredbarn.org); United Ability (unitedability.org)

Best Sports Program

Winner: Auburn Athletics (auburntigers.com)

Finalists: Birmingham United Soccer Association (birminghamunited.com); Hoover Athletic Association (hoovereast.com); Tragic City Rollers (tragiccityrollers.com); Vestavia Hills Soccer Club (vestaviasoccer.com)

This story appears in Birmingham magazine's September 2019 issue. Subscribe today!

To see the rest of the 2019 Best of Birmingham results, click below: