A historic Gulf Coast port city with colonial buildings, active shipyards, and cultural landmarks. Home to America's first Mardi Gras celebration in 1703.
Mobile, Alabama, where the first Mardi Gras in the United States began in 1703, invites you to walk under live oaks covered in Spanish moss and discover a city shaped by French, Spanish, and American history. Board the USS Alabama battleship, walk through Bienville Square’s iron gazebo, or explore the Mobile Museum of Art’s 95,000-square-foot space. Paths lined with azaleas wind through the Mobile Botanical Gardens, and historic houses fill the Church Street East neighborhood. Along the Gulf Coast, this port city reveals its past through museums, architecture, and local traditions.
Mardi Gras: America’s First Carnival
Mobile started celebrating Mardi Gras in 1703, over a century before New Orleans. Each year, parades organized by groups like the Order of Myths fill downtown with floats, torch carriers, and riders throwing moon pies and beads. The main events happen on Fat Tuesday, but parties and concerts begin in November. Many residents create costumes mixing French colonial styles with local designs. The Mobile Carnival Museum on Government Street displays parade items, historic costumes, and royal accessories for visitors who miss the season.
Battleship Memorial Park: Military History
Walk through the USS Alabama, a World War II battleship with turret guns, crew quarters, and engine rooms open for exploration. Climb into the USS Drum submarine, which completed 13 wartime missions. The park’s aircraft pavilion holds a B-52 bomber and an A-12 spy plane, with memorials honoring veterans from Korea to Vietnam. Plan three hours to see everything, including live reenactments and educational tours.
Art and Live Performances
The Mobile Symphony Orchestra plays classical and modern music at the Mobile Civic Center, and the Mobile Opera stages performances like La Traviata. The Saenger Theatre, built in 1927 with Spanish Baroque design, welcomes Broadway shows and concerts. At the Mobile Museum of Art, find European antiques, African carvings, and modern Southern works by artists like Charles Smith. Check for temporary exhibits, such as glass art or regional craft displays.
Green Spaces and Gardens
Bienville Square, a shaded plaza with iron benches and a fountain, has been a central meeting spot since the 1850s. The Mobile Botanical Gardens include a Longleaf Pine Habitat, which demonstrates how fire sustains local ecosystems, and the Millie McConnell Rhododendron Garden, where azaleas bloom in spring. Langan Park covers 720 acres with walking trails, a lake for paddleboats, and the original building of the Mobile Museum of Art.
When to Visit
Mobile has hot summers (averaging 90°F) and mild winters (61°F). February and March bring Mardi Gras and azalea blooms, while October features the Greater Gulf State Fair with rides, concerts, and farm exhibits. In summer, drive an hour south to Gulf Shores beaches to escape the heat.
Historic Areas
The Lower Dauphin Street Historic District holds 19th-century Creole cottages and Victorian homes now used as cafes and shops. The Oakleigh House Museum, a Federal-style home built in 1833, displays antebellum furniture and preserved slave quarters. In Midtown’s Church Street East area, Greek Revival and Italianate houses like the Richards DAR House highlight detailed iron balconies.
The Port of Mobile
The Port of Mobile stretches 26 miles along the Mobile River, handling shipments of timber, steel, and aerospace materials. Watch cargo ships pass the downtown skyline from Cooper Riverside Park. Learn about the port’s role in cotton trade and Civil War blockades at the History Museum of Mobile, located in the 1857 Southern Market/Old City Hall.
Year-Round Events
Ten Sixty Five, a free October music festival downtown, hosts rock, blues, and jazz acts across multiple stages. The Mobile International Festival in November celebrates the city’s global connections with food, dances, and crafts from 70 countries. From April to September, watch minor-league baseball games at Hank Aaron Stadium with the Mobile BayBears.
Colonial and Civil War History
Founded in 1702 as French Louisiana’s capital, Mobile shifted between French, British, Spanish, and American control before Alabama became a state. Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island, a 45-minute drive south, demonstrates Civil War-era cannons and guarded Mobile Bay. Downtown’s Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, established in 1703, remains the Gulf Coast’s oldest Catholic church.
Recent Developments
A 2008 city plan added bike lanes, expanded riverwalks, and transformed old factories into spaces like the Campground community. Local restaurants now serve Gulf shrimp and oysters alongside craft beers and specialty coffee shops.
