Things to Do in Mobile Bay
Alabama's port city, where Mardi Gras began, and the bay towns around it.
See top-rated activities »About Mobile Bay
Mobile is the oldest city in Alabama, founded by the French in 1702, and it still feels more like a Gulf port than a Southern state capital ever could. Live oaks shade the downtown squares, iron balconies line Dauphin Street, and the city's Carnival tradition is older than New Orleans'. Mardi Gras season brings parades through downtown for weeks, and the Mobile Carnival Museum, in a 19th-century townhouse on Government Street, shows off robes, trains and the history of the mystic societies that run the balls.
The USS Alabama, a World War II battleship, is moored on the causeway across the top of the bay at Battleship Memorial Park, along with the submarine USS Drum and a hangar of aircraft; you can climb through much of the ship. North of downtown, Africatown was founded by people brought illegally from West Africa aboard the Clotilda in 1860, the last known slave ship to reach the United States, and the Africatown Heritage House tells their story. The History Museum of Mobile and the Oakleigh historic district round out a day in town.
South of the city, Bellingrath Gardens and Home covers 65 acres along the Fowl River, with azaleas in spring, a rose garden and an enormous light display at Christmas. Farther down, Dauphin Island is a quiet barrier island with Fort Gaines, the Estuarium of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, a bird sanctuary that fills with migrants in spring and the ferry across to Fort Morgan.
Across the bay on the Eastern Shore, Fairhope is a small town on a bluff with a busy downtown of shops and restaurants, flower-filled streets and a long municipal pier where people gather for sunset. Daphne and Spanish Fort are along the causeway and the bay, with seafood restaurants that look out over the water. A food tour of downtown Fairhope is one of the area's most popular bookable activities.
Don’t Miss
The World War II battleship USS Alabama, the submarine USS Drum and an aircraft pavilion on the bay causeway.
Costumes, floats and the history of Mobile's Mardi Gras, the oldest in the country.
65 acres of gardens on the Fowl River, with azaleas in spring and Magic Christmas in Lights each winter.
Three centuries of the city's past in the old Southern Market and Municipal Building.
An aquarium and boardwalk on the estuaries of Mobile Bay, run by the state's marine science lab.
A long pier and rose garden at the foot of downtown Fairhope, a favorite spot for watching the sun set over the bay.
Top-Rated Tours, Tickets & Activities in Mobile Bay
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Get free trip quotes »Mobile Bay — FAQ
Is Mardi Gras in Mobile older than New Orleans?
Mobile traces its Carnival celebrations to the early 1700s, when it was the capital of French Louisiana, and calls itself the birthplace of Mardi Gras in America.
How long does it take to tour the USS Alabama?
Allow two to three hours to see the battleship, the USS Drum submarine and the aircraft pavilion.
How do I get from Mobile to Gulf Shores?
Drive about an hour east and south through Baldwin County, or go south to Dauphin Island and take the Mobile Bay Ferry across to Fort Morgan, which runs on a seasonal schedule.
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