Overview

Alabama's "port town," Mobile has open access to the Gulf of Mexico, and a sliver-like strand of Gulf Coast islands somewhat protects Mobile Bay from seasonal storms that kick up in the Gulf. Thus, it's easy to see why this consummate Southern town has become a center for manufacturing, shipping, and shipbuilding, given that everything from paper and petrol to textiles and timber passes through its busy docks. Located near the port area are Battleship Park and the dry-docked USS "Alabama," which protected our country from World War II to Desert Storm. Mobile is not all wharves and cargo bins, though, and visitors to the downtown area find much of its historic Italianate, Greek Revival, and Creole architecture lovingly preserved. Stroll down any given street and find yourself shaded from the sun by 200-year-old oak trees and hauntingly beautiful Spanish moss. Come in April and enjoy the city's famous Azalea Trail Festival, a 30-plus-mile floral tour that winds past some of Southern Alabama's loveliest antebellum homes. Other must-see sights include Fort Cond�, once home base for France's Louisiana Territory; the Museum of Mobile, whose paintings and exhibits celebrate the city's rich French, British, and Spanish heritage; and the Richards-DAR House (circa 1826), an exquisite example of Italianate architecture whose lace ironwork, period furniture, and ruby Bohemian glass entrance recollect the extravagance and wealth of the Old South. When the day wanes and your appetite peaks, Mobile standards like Roussos Seafood on South Royal, known throughout the South for Creole-style gumbo, and Wintzell's Oyster House, home of "stewed and nude" shellfish, are just what the doctor ordered.

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