eWire
June 30, 2004
Visit Historical Mobile
Contact:
James Richardson
901-388-8565
janddrich1@yahoo.com
Going to the Gulf Coast? Likely you will go through Mobile, Alabama. There is plenty to see and do in the Azalea City. Bellingrath Gardens. USS Alabama. Dauphin Island. Great history. Excellent seafood restaurants. You have seen the signs. Well, stop awhile. Make plans to make Mobile your final destination this year and explore this historical city on the bay.
Mobile is over three hundred years old and that fact alone says there must be a lot of history. The many museums and historical homes help tell Mobile’s story. Many of its buildings are on the Register for National Historic Landmarks. That includes one of the oldest hotels in the downtown district – the Radisson’s Admiral Semmes.
The Admiral Semmes was built in 1940 and still has that distinctive flavor of days gone by. Magnificent then. Magnificent now. A step into the grand lobby with its glass-railed balcony surrounding a large chandelier will convince you of that. To give you an idea of the hotel’s distinctiveness, the Admiral Semmes was the first hotel in this area to be fully air-conditioned. It is currently going through its second major renovation.
Rooms and suites are available at this Radisson and the touch of the Admiral’s former class has been maintained. The influence of Mardi Gras is apparent throughout the entry halls and restaurant. Large murals of the secret societies’ past pageants and parades adorn their walls and are reminders of the fact that Mardi Gras actually began in Mobile.
Downtown Mobile is a mixture of the old and the new. Modern office buildings and high-rise hotels are scattered among the historic buildings. The ultra modern Outlaw Convention Center along the waterfront is an interesting contrast to the older buildings of the downtown area.
The Oakleigh Historic Complex contains several buildings in one picturesque area -- the Oakleigh Mansion (built around l833) is a two-story T-shaped building constructed by slave labor and the Mardi Gras Cottage contains l9th and 20th century artifacts and costumes pertaining to that celebration, which has been a part of Mobile since 1704. However, Mardi Gras in Mobile seems more family-oriented than the popular one in New Orleans
The Museum of Mobile, also located in downtown Mobile, contains two floors of history. The building, another National Historic Landmark, was built in 1857, and contains artifacts from Mobile’s rich history. Native American, Colonial, African-American and antebellum influences are addressed in the exhibits at the museum. The Discovery Room allows children and adults to partake in Mobile’s history.
Just outside Mobile in Theodore, Bellingrath Gardens and Home is one of the area’s most famous and popular attractions. Its sixty-five acres contains beautifully maintained gardens. The home is open for tours and contains priceless antiques and furnishings. The site in the Fowl River was originally a rural retreat for its owner, Walter Bellingrath, who made a fortune bottling Coca Cola for the region.
Mobile played an important role during the Civil War, although there were no major land engagements here, its strategic position played a major role in the naval portion of the war. One of Dauphin Island’s (just south of Mobile) major attractions is Fort Gaines. Along with Fort Morgan, Fort Gaines guarded the mouth of Mobile Bay during the area’s early history and both forts were involved in the 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War.
The USS Alabama is permanently anchored in Mobile Bay and is open for tours. At the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park the World War II battleship and the Submarine USS Drum are the highlights of the bayside park. Many historic warplanes are also on display. A Vietnam Memorial and a Korean War Memorial honor veterans of those wars on the park grounds.
South of the city of Mobile, Dauphin Island, provides a getaway atmosphere with attractions aimed at the family. Back in 1699 the French explorer Le Moyne d’Iberville landed on the barrier island and started a settlement called Massacre Island, which was later renamed Port Dauphine. It served briefly as the capital of the French Louisiana Territory in the early 1700s. During the War of 1812, American forces captured it. The historic Fort Gaines, on the eastern end of the island, was built to protect Mobile Bay.
Other attractions of Dauphin Island are the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, which contains 164 acres and is comprised of different habitats attracting many species of migrating birds, the Estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, a public aquarium and exhibit facility to allow visitors the opportunity to explore the four ecosystems of coastal Alabama.
An excellent location to get away from it all, Dauphin Island is not highly commercialized. Most all the commercialism is on the eastern end of Dauphin Island -- the Estuarium, Fort Gaines, and a campground, along with the ferry to Fort Morgan. The residential areas and rental houses are on the western end of the island.
Being on Mobile Bay near the Gulf of Mexico almost guarantees excellent seafood restaurants. Several eateries have as their specialties many varieties of seafood—from oysters to shrimp to calamari. Some restaurants have been in families for years and their traditions and recipes have been passed along. Places to try include Roussos Seafood in downtown (they are opening another restaurant on Battleship Parkway), Wintzell’s Oyster House in downtown Mobile and Felix’s Fish camp on Battleship Parkway.
The next time you plan a trip to the Gulf Coast and your itinerary takes you through Mobile, plan to take an extra couple days to shop and explore the old city of Mobile. And try the Radisson Admiral Semmes Hotel.
Photography is available
For More Information
Mobile Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
One South Water Street
Mobile, AL 36602
1-800-S Mobile
www.mobile.org
Dauphin Island Chamber of Commerce
(877) 532-8744
www.dauphinisland.cc or www.gulfinfo.com
Bellingrath Gardens and Home
12401 Bellingrath Gardens Road
Theodore, AL 36582
1-800-247-8420
www.bellingrath.org
Email: Bellingrath@juno.com
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park
2703 Battleship Parkway
Mobile, AL 36601
(800) 426-4929
www.ussalabama.com
The Museum of Mobile
111 S. Royal Street
Mobile, AL 36602
(251) 208-7569
www.museumofmobile.com
Admission: Adult-$5 Seniors-$4
Students-$3 Under 6: Free
Family Group- $20 (Maximum)
Oakleigh Historic Complex
350 Oakleigh Place
Mobile, Al 36604
(251) 432-1281
www.historicmobile.org