**Note: The following tips, advice, and suggestions come purely from the writer’s personal experience living in Mobile, Alabama for the last ten years.
Whether you live in or around the Gulf Coast, there are certainly a myriad of enjoyable and entertaining activities to keep you and your family having fun and staying busy at the same time. The coastal city of Mobile, Alabama offers a wide variety of outdoor activities (including fishing, hiking, camping, biking trails, and hunting), beaches, seafood restaurants, nightlife locations, museums, window shopping centers, and a host of other tourist attractions. So the next time you’re planning the family vacation, why not make a stop in Mobile? You just may wind up having more fun than you think.
1. Visit Dauphin Island
A trademark spot for many longtime “Mobileians”, Dauphin Island offers white, sandy beaches and a wide array of famous and award-winning seafood restaurants and luxuriously accommodating hotels. In between dips in the ocean, visitors can engage in plenty of leisurely strolling through town shops and markets, or partake in an afternoon of golf on one of the island’s top golf courses.
Not a beach person? No worries. Dauphin Island is also home to the historic Fort Gaines, so named after Edmund Pendleton Gaines (March 20, 1777-June 6, 1849), a notable U.S. Army officer who served bravely during the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk Wars. A particularly popular exhibition within the fort is the famous massive anchor from the USS Hartford battleship, from which the decorated Admiral David Farragut bellowed his famous command: “Damn the torpedoes – full speed ahead!” (from the Battle of Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864-a part of American Civil War History). Younger children, particularly the boys, will enjoy seeing Civil War era cannons, muskets, solider uniforms, and a slew of other wartime paraphernalia.
And if its educational stops you’re into, swing by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab & Estuarium. Science lovers have been infatuated with its one-of-a-kind nature exhibitions and sea aquariums for years. The Sea Lab complex spans well over 10,000 sq. ft., so there is certainly no shortage to the amount of things to see.
2. Hop Aboard the Battleship Alabama-Location: Battleship Memorial Park
If you’re beginning to get the impression that Mobile is home to several historical sites and battle artifacts, you would most definitely be correct in your assumption. Perhaps one of the more noteworthy ones, and certainly the largest, is the famous USS Battleship Alabama, a must-see for any WWII history buff. This 680 ft. long, South Dakota-class beast was originally commissioned for wartime service in August 1942 and is outfitted with a slew of artillery weapons and machine guns. The ship herself even appeared in the 1992 film Under Siege, starring action-superstars Steven Seagal and Tommy Lee Jones.
Battleship Memorial Park is also home to several other historically acclaimed aircraft and ships, including the Gato-class submarine USS Drum. Together with the Alabama, both ships have been commissioned as National Historic Landmarks. The entire park itself is also listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage (“Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage”. Alabama Historical Commission. August 2007). While strolling through the park’s 36,000 sq. ft. aircraft arena, visitors can take in the mechanical intricacies of over twenty-four wartime aircraft and spy planes, spanning wars from the past seven decades-including one of six known A-12 Blackbird spy planes in existence in the world.
3. Go Shopping!
Mobile is certainly not wanting for places to shop. From the Colonial Bel Air Mall to more the more distant Eastern Shore Outlet Centers, there is something for everyone. Popular clothing retails outlets at the Springdale/Colonial Malls include: American Eagle Outfitters brand clothing, Hollister, Buckle, JC Penny, Dillards, Old Navy, Gap, Baby Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie Kids, Pacific Sunwear (Pac Sun), and many, many more.
If frittering away countless hours trying on one outfit after another isn’t your thing, don’t give up on the malls just yet. They are also home to several other notable retailers, including Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, Target, and Best Buy electronics superstore. Not to mention, the Springdale Mall area and surrounding stretch of Airport Blvd. is also home to countless restaurants and coffee shops, including Applebee’s, TGI Friday’s, and Starbuck’s Coffee.
So whether you’re searching for the right spot to land on your summer beach vacation or if you just need to get a way for a while, Mobile offers something for each and every traveler’s desire.
