Weekend Getaway Guide: Mobile, Alabama

With a rich history, bustling restaurant scene, and new boutique hotel, this Gulf Coast town beckons

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Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is Alabama’s oldest city. Founded in 1702, the shipping port has been ruled by France, Great Britain, and Spain, creating a melting pot of people, architecture, and cuisine. Elegant French Colonial churches with stucco exteriors and iron details are just a few oak-lined blocks away from symmetrical Greek Revival homes. Here, the Gulf Coast’s African-rooted stew, gumbo, gets the Alabama treatment: Rich lump seafood is cooked in tomato broth and served over white rice. Pillowy beignets also get a signature twist. Like their New Orleans sisters to the west, the doughnut-like pastries are sprinkled with powdered sugar, but in Mobile, they’re also squeezed with fresh lemon, adding a citrusy zing to each bite. The city is as vibrant as its annual Mardi Gras celebration, the oldest in the nation. Mobile’s carnival includes massive papier-mâché floats (a few of which are dragons breathing real fire), masked revelers, bejeweled royalty, and abundant Moon Pies, the city’s signature throw. Beads are often seen dangling from trees and streetlamps long after the parades have ended, a shimmering symbol of the city’s festive spirit.

FRIDAY

Admiral’s Living Room lounge

Courtesy Visit Mobile

CHECK-IN ➞ Mobile’s newly renovated boutique hotel, the Admiral, is a swanky home base, originally opened in 1940. Before becoming the Mayor of Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffet got his start playing in the hotel’s basement bar. While that watering hole is long gone, the hotel is once again a late-night hot spot thanks to its lobby parlor, the Living Room, which serves icy cocktails under sparkling crystal chandeliers. The accommodation, reopened this summer, is outfitted with 156 luxurious rooms and suites, a steakhouse, and a verdant rooftop herb garden complete with its own honeybee colony that supplies the restaurants with home-grown garnishes. The prime location adds to the hotel’s allure. You’re just a stroll away from the bustling Dauphin Street entertainment district and other popular attractions, such as the Mobile Carnival Museum and History Museum of Mobile.

Oakleigh Garden Historic District

Courtesy Visit Mobile

EVENING ➞ Before dinner, meander through the Oakleigh Garden Historic District, one of Mobile’s oldest neighborhoods, where stately Victorians are situated alongside charming bungalows and narrow shotgun houses—with small parks sprinkled throughout. Your dining destination is one of these stunning homes turned restaurants, the Hummingbird Way, by Top Chef contestant Jim Smith, whose ever-changing menu features fresh takes on classics. Marinated blue crab claws with herbs and chili showcase Smith’s coastal flair, while golden buttermilk biscuits with cane syrup and whipped butter offer a comforting Southern touch. Finish the evening at Post Crafted Cocktails and Wine Bar, owned by restaurateur Matt LeMond, who has built a portfolio of six eateries in the last 14 years. Try the Sazerac, a nod to LeMond’s hometown of New Orleans.

SATURDAY

Selections at Dropout Bakery

Courtesy Visit Mobile

MORNING ➞ After a good night’s sleep, grab breakfast at Dropout Bakery & Co. on St. Louis Street, a corridor once known as Automobile Alley because of its many car dealerships and service stations. Patisserie owner Lacey Evans is a young entrepreneur who started baking as a hobby in 2020 after dropping out of fashion school. Indulge in a signature s’mores Pop-Tart or a pecan praline cruffin (a muffin-shaped croissant), but note: They sell out fast.

Africatown Heritage House

Courtesy Visit Mobile

Enjoy your pastries there or take them along as you make your way to the Africatown Heritage House museum for Clotilda: The Exhibition, Mobile’s newest installation, which honors the survivors of the last known transatlantic slave ship to enter America. The exhibit ends with a somber display: water-filled shadow boxes containing fragments salvaged from the Clotilda’s hull, a silent homage to the wreck submerged 20 feet below the surface of the Mobile River.

History Museum of Mobile

Courtesy Visit Mobile

AFTERNOON ➞ Lunch with the locals at neighborhood favorite Callaghan’s Irish Social Club. The historic 1946 dive serves handhelds such as shrimp po’ boys and thick, juicy hamburgers along with homemade French onion dip and beer. After eating your fill, head towards Mobile’s Spring Hill neighborhood. Anchored by the small, circa-1830 Jesuit college of the same name, the posh area is shaded by majestic oak trees and characterized by timeless elegance. The Holiday, a luxury women’s, children’s, and home boutique, has been a Mobile institution since it was founded by three local women in 1955 (it remains women-owned today). While “on the hill,” pop into Five Gold Monkeys, a home decor store known for its cheeky tea towels. Or, if you have more time, wander through the impressive Mobile Museum of Art and search for an artist-made treasure at the on-site shop. On the way back to the hotel, stop by one of the city’s many art galleries such as Sophiella, a contemporary fine art destination representing local, regional, and national artists.

Bluegill Restaurant

Courtesy Visit Mobile

EVENING ➞ Known for its fresh seafood since 1958, Bluegill Restaurant on the Causeway is the perfect spot for a low-key but delicious supper. Mobilians especially appreciate that they can arrive by boat or by car, emphasizing the come-as-you-are coastal vibe. Opt for patio seating overlooking Mobile Bay, so you can enjoy live music and the views. The restaurant is famous for its “flaming oysters,” which arrive straight from the grill ladled with melted butter and sprinkled with Parmesan. For dessert, enjoy Lower Alabama’s signature cocktail, the Bushwacker, an ice-cream-meets-coffee-and-rum concoction.

SUNDAY

Eggs Benedict at Bistro St. Emmanuel

Courtesy Visit Mobile

MORNING ➞ Check out of the Admiral and zip a few blocks over to Bistro St. Emanuel at Fort Conde Inn. The circa-1723 Fort Conde sits on the edge of Mobile, where it guarded the city for nearly 100 years. The village is at the base of the fort, welcoming visitors with cobblestone streets that instantly transport you to a time gone by. Feast on eggs Benedict topped with jumbo lump crab and bananas Foster beignets surrounded by Art Nouveau decor before bidding farewell to this coastal Alabama gem.

Dauphin Street

Courtesy Visit Mobile

Sweet Escape
Mobile has plenty of historic haunts for divine desserts. Named for its trio of Greek founders, Three Georges features checkered floors that lead past vintage candy jars right to handcrafted sweets. Don’t miss the signature praline, made with pecans and slow-cooked to gooey perfection, a Mobile tradition since 1917. The nuns at Visitation Monastery began handcrafting “Heavenly Hash,” a famed chocolate, marshmallow, and pecan confection in 1957. Pick up a pound of the wildly popular—and sinfully sweet—candy at the on-site gift shop. Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream Parlor began serving ice cream made with family recipes in 1969. Today, the shop has changed hands, but the quality remains the same. Seasonal and mainstay flavors, such as peppermint and the ever-popular Creole Praline with bits of caramel-coated nuts, are churned on-site (and pints are also available at specialty shops across the state).

This article appears in the Fall 2024 issue of Southbound.

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