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Mobile--Alabama's City by the Bay

© Martine G. Bates

Most of us think of New Orleans when we think of Mardi Gras. But did you know that Mobile, Alabama, celebrates Mardi Gras too? Some claim, in fact, that Mobile has been celebrating the famous festival longer than New Orleans, placing the earliest Mobile celebration in 1704, sixty-two years before New Orleans instituted its festivities. I do love New Orleans and have no wish to stir up any animosity between the two cities, so I won’t argue the case either way.

Mobile, Alabama (pronounced mo-beel) borders Mobile Bay, a large body of water through which—get this—one-fifth of the fresh water in the United States flows. Once a major shipping port, Mobile still relies heavily on water-borne commerce. The State of Alabama has plans to rebuild and expand the Alabama State Docks in the near future, which should go a long way toward revitalizing the area.

I recently spent a couple of days in Mobile, and was struck by the many similarities between the Crescent City and Alabama’s city by the bay. The French influence is the first, obvious in the architecture and the French names. Driving through the government district and its surrounding historic neighborhoods, you’ll see street names like Dauphin and Joachim, and view areas overhung with wrought iron balconies and huge live oaks. Of course, there are also the feathered masks and Mardi Gras beads in all the gift shops, and the cuisine offered in the restaurants.

It’s only a hop and a skip from the city down Highway 193 to Dauphin Island, then by ferry over to Gulf Shores and some great beach areas, but Mobile deserves attention for its own sake. The best way to get there is down I-65 if you’re coming from the north, or I-10 if you’re coming from the east or west. Mobile sits near the top of one of the two little finger-shaped land areas that stick down from the rest of Alabama.

If you just have a short time to spend in Mobile, what do you choose to visit? There are a host of attractions, like Fort Conde, the battleship U.S.S. Alabama, the Oakleigh mansion, and nearby Bellingrath Gardens—to name just a few. Take it from me: two days is not enough to take in all the sights, or sample enough of the fine restaurants. Next time, I plan to spend at least three days, or four if I can afford it.

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