Gulf Shores could also be welcoming industrial flights for the primary time ever this month, however it’s really one other Alabama metropolis that is answerable for the state’s greatest surge in tourism.
That’s proper – there’s extra to see in ‘Bama than the colourful turquoise waters and sugary white sand of its in style seaside city.
Nestled inland from Gulf Shores alongside the shores of Mobile Bay lies town that shares the bay’s title.
You guessed it—Mobile. While you might hardly ever hear of Alabama’s fourth-most populous metropolis being a trip suggestion, Mobile alone noticed a 74,000 out-of-state 120,000-visitor uptick in 2024.
Enough with boring math, although. The backside line is that extra vacationers are discovering Mobile is likely one of the South’s most underrated cities, whether or not as a mainstay or springboard to Alabama’s lesser-known shoreline, typically overshadowed by Gulf Shores.
Steeped In History: Welcome To Alabama’s Oldest City
Mobile is likely one of the South’s greatest surprises. Not to throw New Orleans beneath the bus, however Mobile was really the O.G. of Mardi Gras.
That’s proper – as thrilling as Bourbon Street has change into, Mobile has the bragging rights to one in all America’s hottest festivities, backed by town’s very personal Mobile Carnival Museum, a pleasant attraction holding a formidable 4.7 Google score.
But it is not solely bead-throwing insanity Mobile holds declare to; its superbly preserved historic districts, a buzzing arts scene, and sensational Gulf Coast delicacies in your tastebuds.
In reality, Mobile was really the unique Louisiana capital in 1702. How’s that for a curveball?
Nowadays, Mobile is one in all Alabama’s most historic cities with an array of fascinating museums, landmarks, and timeless streets to wander.
De Tonti is a mini French Quarter dopplegänger with wrought-iron balconies not just for tossing beads from but additionally for providing a glimpse into Mobile’s wealthy and layered previous. It even holds on to the hardships of its tumultuous timeline with tear-jerking points of interest like National Geographic-recognized Africatown Heritage House, showcasing tales of the final of the slave ships to reach within the U.S.
Mobile’s Boundless Bayside: Hidden Islands & Picturesque Towns
Again, Gulf Shores is Alabama’s seaside icon, however there are quite a few tranquil spots lining Mobile Bay which are worthy of escaping the vacationer crowds for an idyllic retreat.
First and foremost, Mobile’s bayside is a fisherman’s paradise, but additionally welcoming adventurers trying to kayak or paddleboard the calm waterways working offshore by a vein of rivers, creeks, and separate bays.
There are hidden, uninhabited islands like Gravine Island, which vacationers typically skip over a stone’s throw from Mobile’s cityscape, however there is no island in Alabama extra serene and postcard-worthy than Dauphin, a white-sand paradise that serves as the right various to Gulf Shores.
Just half-hour by automotive, Dauphin Island is probably the state’s best-kept secret. Plus, you’ll be able to take the ferry from Dauphin to neighboring Fort Morgan for extra white sand seashores and Civil War-era websites.
But it is not Dauphin Island or Fort Morgan that is made a reputation for itself in Mobile’s neighborhood — it is Fairhope.
This stunning, but lovely, city straddling the bay is stuffed with artwork galleries, unmatched sunsets, and high-end stays just like the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection.
Mobile’s Southern Charm: Home Cookin’ & Antebellum Architecture
Yes, there are towering skyscrapers in Mobile, however exploring the wondrous maze of historical past may have you mesmerized at floor degree.
Speckled all through town are rows of sightly Antebellum buildings, which echo a bygone period whereas mixing fashionable delights.
For a few of Mobile’s greatest photograph alternatives, wander the Oakleigh Historic District and go to locations such because the Oakleigh House Museum and the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion.
More notably, Mobile is a southern staple for quintessential residence cooking. Like some other metropolis, you may nonetheless discover eyesore chains in what was beforehand community-favorite haunts. However, lots of Mobile’s beloved establishments are nonetheless going robust, equivalent to town’s oldest restaurant, Dew Drop Inn, which lately celebrated its one hundredth birthday.
For consolation meals and contemporary catches, Mobile is likely one of the greatest cities to bask in genuine Gulf delicacies, one other side giving New Orleans a run for its cash.
Rather than looking for out the chains again residence, strive native favorites like Mary’s Southern Cooking—unsuspecting on the skin however a real Southern expertise on the within.
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