Do you want to explore one of the oldest cities on the Gulf Coast? Then look no further than historic Mobile, Alabama, founded in the 18th century. This city is known for its rich history, vibrant culture, quaint shop-fronts, and country-style living.
I personally visited Mobile, Alabama, while I was on a southern road trip for a travel conference! After Mobile, we drove to Tupelo and Oxford, Mississippi, before venturing onto Memphis, TN.
Mobile, Alabama, is very much worth a weekend trip! I was pleasantly surprised by how cute and fun it was. Spend your days wandering downtown, checking out museums, the southern architecture style, and so much more! You can also take part in one of their festivals or seasonal activities.
Oh, and did I mention they have a variety of mouthwatering food, including oysters, crawfish, and beignets? This has to be one of the reasons I loved Mobile, Alabama so much.
Mobile is truly a hidden gem located in the south. So pack your bag and your appetite because I will go over the best things to do in Mobile, Alabama!
25 + Best Things to Do in Mobile, Alabama
1 – Take a Stroll Down Dauphin Street
While Nashville has Broadway and New Orleans has Bourbon Street, Mobile has Dauphin Street. The most lively place to take a stroll! Lower Dauphin Street, or LoDa, is known as the entertainment district. Here you can find fun bars, cafes, restaurants, and shopping.
I recommend enjoying a hand-crafted cocktail or glass of wine at POST, which is an adorable cocktail bar that has a fun and lively patio where you can shut off and relax.
You can also visit the famous Wintzell’s Oyster House. This place started as a six-stool oyster bar and has morphed and grown! You can try their oysters, fried, stewed, or nude. If you’re craving Mexican food, El Papi is a fun spot with a patio for tacos and margaritas.
Afterward, shop until you drop at some of the cute boutique shops down Dauphin St.
2 – Go on a Downtown Mobile Food Tour
Mobile, Alabama, has some delicious food to try! What better way to experience the Mobile culture than through its food? This tour is rated 5 stars and allows you to experience unique southern cuisine. You’ll also learn about three centuries of Mobile history and will go to 7 stops in LoDa! Book your tour here.
3 – Visit the Mobile Carnival Museum
Get ready to visit the Mobile Carnival Museum, which is also known as the Mardi Gras Museum. Mardi Gras had a long line of history before it reached New Orleans, and Mobile was the star of the show. Mobile, Alabama, is commonly known as the birthplace of Mardi Gras—although people from New Orleans will definitely dispute that!
The vibrant parades marched down the streets of Mobile back in 1830, thanks to The Cowbellian deRakin Society. They would use loud cowbells and rakes to create the noise of the party. Today, you can visit the Mobile Carnival Museum yourself to learn all about the history of Mardi Gras and its ties to Alabama.
The museum offers fourteen gallery rooms, a pictorial hallway, a theater, a social gathering area, and a gift shop. It’s quite interesting and worth a visit just to see the costumes! Take some time admiring the gorgeous Carnival costumes from the 19th and 18th Centuries. Admission costs to the museum are $8 per ticket.
4 – Grab a Coffee and Breakfast Tacos at Nova Espresso
Start your day off right by visiting Nova Espresso. This is a local favorite coffee shop that brews up some delicious coffee and lattes. Pair that with their breakfast tacos to go from Front Yard Tacos. Tacos and coffee, there is no better way to kick off your Mobile adventure.
5 – Eat Crawfish at MudBugs
Are you ready to eat some MudBugs in Mobile? Don’t worry it is not how it sounds. Mudbugs are known as crawfish, which are quite delicious. MudBugs is also a yummy seafood restaurant in Mobile, which you must add to your list of places to try that highlight Southern cuisine.
The restaurant was founded in 1993, by a local Mobile family. The venture began as a father and son teamed up and served up fresh seafood each day. Some of that seafood includes, you guessed it, Mudbugs! You can get a pound of crawfish, lobster tails, shrimp, and even po’boys. The cajun spices and buttery corn on the cob are just a bonus when eating at this Alabama favorite.
6 – Grab Beignets from Mo’Bay Beignets
Beignets are a staple in southern cuisine, so you have to try one in Mobile. Mo’Bay Beignets is a famous dessert shop located on Dauphin Street. It is known for its tasty beignets, which are made from scratch! The process starts daily with the mixing, rolling out, cutting, and frying of every order as it is placed. Serving only hot & fresh authentic beignets for every Mo’Bay guest.
Hungry yet? So am I! I still have flashbacks of Mo’Bay’s warm and extremely tasty beignets.
7 – Go Dive Bar Hopping
Mobile has a fun and lively nightlife scene which is why I recommend bar hopping when visiting. Dive–bars are the place to go for live music, cold drinks, and tasty food. So let’s talk about the best ones you can visit.
The Rivershack sits on the water and is known for its po’boys and fried catfish. Here you can enjoy some delicious adult beverages and chow down on yummy food. Traders on the Causeway is technically in Spanish Fork, but is another great divey spot! They also sometimes have crockpots out where you can get free food (this could be sketchy, but I loved the crockpot meatballs)! You will also have views of the water since it sits right off the bridge.
Finally, end your dive bar experience at The Garage. This local hot spot has pool tables, bands, and ice-cold beer. A true Mobile hole in the wall that is an entertaining place to end or start your night.
8 – Enjoy the Sunset on Mobile Bay
Complete your sunset goals at Mobile Bay, which is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. It is an area that is jam-packed with history too. Mobile became the major Confederate port on the Gulf of Mexico shortly after the fall of New Orleans in 1862.
It is hands down one of the best places in Alabama for you to enjoy a stunning sunset. You can watch the sunset from the end of the pier or simply sit next to the gulf shore. If you are lucky enough, you can expect a bright orange sky that reflects off of the water.
9 – Visit the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial
Visit the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial. The ship hit the seas on February 1, 1940, and was used in World War II, in the North Atlantic in 1943, then later went to the South Pacific seas. Eventually, the battleship ended up in Mobile, AL as a National Historic Landmark.
Now you can visit the ship and take a tour of it. This tour is self-guided. After, explore the Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, which sits nearby. General Admission to the memorial is free for children up to 5 years old, ages 6-11 are $6.00, ages 12-55 are $18.00 and ages 55+ are $15.00.
10 – Go on a Delta Wildlife Kayak Tour
Interested in experiencing the wetlands of the lower Mobile-Tensaw Delta? This might be the perfect tour for you! Within this lush habitat, you’ll see all sorts of wildlife like alligators, bald eagles, osprey, pelicans, and herons.
This is a “hands-on” tour for all nature lovers looking to see more of these wetlands. You can book a 2-person kayak, and one person is available upon request. Book your tour here.
11 – Take a Stroll on the Mobile Community Oyster Trail
In 2013, the city of Mobile decided to have 12 large Oyster art pieces placed around town in various locations. They are so fun to look at, and each one has a different painting on it. You can find them all by going on a self-guided art walk linked here, and you can make all 25 stops if you’d like. All of the oysters are 4 feet and were painted by a local artist!
12 – Explore the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center
Get weird at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center. At this exhilarating center, you can learn all about science and watch an educational movie at their Dome Center.
Then experience their interactive exhibits and family-friendly hands-on programming. You can purchase a ticket to the exhibits for $14, or you can purchase the Exhibits and Theater experience for $18 per person. It is no wonder why this museum is rated one of the best things to do in Mobile.
13 – Take a Rowing Class with Crew Fitness
I recommend visiting Crew Fitness if you want to get in a workout while you’re in Mobile! They offer 45-minute indoor rowing classes that provide a fun cardio and bodyweight workout.
You will use dumbbells to help with muscle toning and strength. New to rowing? That’s fine. The classes are low-impact and great for all levels. The best part about Crew Fitness, besides the helpful staff, is that your first class is free!
Check out their schedule and see what classes are taking place while you are visiting Mobile.
14 – Get Cheesy at The Cheese Cottage
Do you love cheese? So do I! This is why I recommend checking out The Cheese Cottage. This specialty cheese shop partners with local farms and creameries. Providing quality ingredients for their sandwiches, salads, and cheese boards.
They have so many delicious menu items, and they have an array of cheese boards for you to choose from! This is the perfect lunch or brunch spot. You really can’t go wrong with any menu item at The Cheese Cottage!
15 – Visit the Alabama Contemporary Arts Center
The Alabama Contemporary Arts Center is a non-profit contemporary arts center. They have 10-12 exhibitions per year and focus on supporting living artists. You can visit to see the different artists’ work at the time. If contemporary isn’t your style, Mobile also has the Mobile Museum of Art you can check out!
16 – Get Educated at Mobile’s History Museum
Learn about Mobile’s past by visiting the History Museum of Mobile. There are three sites at the museum, the History Museum of Mobile, Colonial Fort Condé, and the Phoenix Fire Museum.
The History Museum has over 20,000 square feet of exhibit space for you to explore. The exhibits will teach you about the history of Mobile. This currently includes Mobile’s History in Art:30 Decades in 30 Works. The exhibits are ever-changing, so be sure to check the website to see what is being featured.
You can then visit Colonial Fort Condé, a partial reconstruction of the 1723 fort built when the French founded Mobile. Lastly, head over to the Phoenix Fire Museum. This is where you can learn about horse-drawn steam engines and antique ladder trucks. Both of which the volunteer firefighters of Mobile used!
17 – Enjoy the Mobile Craft Brewery Scene
Like many cities, Mobile has a fun and up-and-coming craft brewery scene with some great options. Try Braided River Brewery, located downtown and known for making nice cold beer that pairs well with the Gulf Coast heat.
There’s also Iron Hand Brewing which is located in the historic Detoni Square and is Mobile’s oldest brewery serving food and great beer. A few other options include Oyster City Brewing Company and Old Majestic Brewery.
18 – Enjoy the Local Street Art and Public Murals
A fun thing about Mobile is that on top of art museums, there’s also great street art and murals! Definitely check out the street art on Dauphin Street, the Mobile Mural at 517 Dauphin Street, and this list of other great murals in town!
19 – Visit During Mardi Gras
If you end up being in Mobile during the months of March or April, be sure to participate in the Mardi Gras festivities! They don’t call this the birthplace of Mardi Gras for no reason!
The parties and festivities usually start with several parades leading up to the main event. Then on the actual day of Mardi Gras, the city is completely covered with Mardi Gras celebrations, and the parade floats go on for miles!
20 – Visit the Avenue of the Oaks
This is one of the most beautiful streets in Mobile—and maybe even Alabama! It’s located on the Spring Hill College campus in Mobile and is covered with beautiful old oaks. The perfect place to get a great photo!
21 – Catch a Movie at the Crescent Theatre
If you love old movie theatres, the Crescent Theatre might be just for you! This theatre has just one screen with reclining seats. They have a plethora of different movies shown here, with a range of indie films to blockbuster hits.
22 – Check Out the Old Homes in the Oakleigh Garden Historic District
The Oakleigh Garden Historic district is full of old, southern-style mansions that date back to the 1820s. They each have their own unique architectural style, but most of them are beautiful. Families still live in these homes today, and this area is residential, but it’s a great area to walk around and look at these large, beautiful homes.
23 – Take a Stroll Through Bienville Square
See what’s happening at the beautiful Bienville Square. Bienville Square was named for Mobile’s founder, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville. The square takes up the entire block bordered by the streets of Dauphin, Saint Joseph, Saint Francis, and North Conception. It is a very historic park as well; President Theodore Roosevelt even gave a speech here.
Today it is a pretty place to unwind. This park hosts seasonal festivals and live concerts. Some events include Kids Day, Bayfest Music Festival, and Jazz in Bienville. Grab a coffee and people-watch at Bienville Square.
24 – Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
Stop by The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile, which is a cathedral that was one of the first Catholic Parishes on the Gulf Coast. You can visit the Cathedral during Mass by visiting their Mass Schedule. Or you can simply visit outside of Mass hours to marvel at the building’s architecture.
25 – Visit the Mobile Flea Market
The Mobile Flea Market is one of the largest on the Gulf Coast. There are typically 700-800 vendors, and it’s open all year round on Saturdays and Sundays! It’s full of kooky little finds, from clothes to tools to books to antiques and toys!
26 – Visit Richards DAR House
Sitting in the heart of the Historic District is Richards DAR House. The new museum was built in 1860 for Captain Charles G. Richards and his wife, Caroline Elizabeth Steele.
Today you can walk the historic halls in this 1860s Italianate townhouse. Take in the marble mantels, cantilevered staircase, and ruby Bohemian glass lights. The house is known for displaying the “Charming Old South.” So travel back in time to Richards DAR House, which requires a $10 admission fee.
Here are a few other fun things to do near Mobile, AL:
- Take a day trip or beach trip to Gulf Shores, AL
- Visit Meaher State Park – Walk along the iconic wooden boardwalk
- Check out the Bellingrath Gardens and Home – Take a stroll through the sixty-five-acre landscape
Where to Stay in Mobile, Alabama
Midtown Duo – Entire Condo Airbnb
I stayed here for my trip to Mobile, and it was amazing! We thought the design style was perfect, and it was located on a beautiful street, Government Street, and all of the neighbors are huge southern mansions! So fun! Check pricing and availability here.
Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa
Spend your evening relaxing at the four-star hotel of The Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa. This historic hotel was built in 1908 as the Battle House Hotel. Before 1908, the first location of the Battle House Hotel burnt down in 1905, which is why the hotel was rebuilt but kept under the same name.
Now, this hotel is all about luxury and comfort. Get a night of rest in their comfortable beds, or head down to the spa for a day of pampering. Located in the heart of downtown Mobile, you truly cannot pass up this historic hotel. See current prices.
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