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Investors choose Mobile Bay, a good bet for travelers tooStory and photos by Christine Tibbetts
Surprised me too. I’d heard solid claims about Mardi Gras but didn’t pay much attention. Now I’m fired up about the town where North America’s carnival started in 1703, and mesmerized by the endless flow of sequin, silk and brocade on the capes of Mardi Gras kings and queens on view at the Mobile Carnival Museum. I visited the week before the 32 parades started rolling and got my taste of the wonders at this Mardi Gras museum. Mostly I spent my time on the Bay, canoe trails and city streets where handsome churches, green parks, decorative ironwork and museums abound. Eating was good too. A & M Peanut Shop was my first clue that the food might be fine; I smelled the peanuts roasting as I walked along downtown’s Dauphin Street finding art galleries on my way to the Carnival Museum.
Wintzell’s Oyster House prepares oysters in dozens of ways at three lively Mobile locations. Fresh seafood from the Gulf and the signature West Indies salad of crab, onions and vinegar carry on Oliver Wintzell’s tradition started in 1938. New cutting edge cuisine filled my plate several evenings, one at the Renaissance Riverview Plaza on the waterfront and connected to the Convention Center (consider yourself lucky if scheduled to attend a conference in Mobile) and the other at the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa in nearby Pt. Clear, a destination all on its own. The downtown Riverview Plaza was turning itself inside out when I stayed there in January. The $54 million upgrade is finished now; I’d have put up with the sounds of the hammers just to spend another night under one of their signature white duvets. Next trip I’ll dine at the downtown Battle House Hotel, anticipating another fine chef. Since $220 million are being spent to restore this 1852 hotel, I’m confident about the quality.
I don’t golf but like to check out good locations for those who do. This RTJ Golf Trail was created by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, which renovates historic hotels or builds new ones near all the courses. Mobile is the southern end of the Trail which reaches north to the Tennessee River. Places to play outside Other places to play outside in Mobile include 300 miles of canoe trails in the second largest river delta in the continental U.S., second only to the Mississippi. Canoes and kayaks launch at Five Rivers, right in sight of Interstate10, just opened in January for the canoe trail named for 17th century naturalist William Bartram who praised this region for its diversity. Campsites include four floating platforms for overnight adventures.
Staring also works well at Bellingrath Gardens, 20 minutes south of Mobile. Something’s always blooming, flying or stirring on the 65 cultivated acres. Board the river boat at the back door of the 10,000 square foot Bellingrath home--open to visitors for a close-up look at the extraordinary porcelain collection, and then float the Fowl River abundant with osprey, pelicans, blue heron, egrets and song birds. This place is as much about loving people as flowers. Bessie Bellingrath turned husband Walter’s simple fishing camp into a spectacular garden, and in the era when wealthy families locked their doors after the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, she invited to public to come in.
Museums and the military add depth to this port city. Small so not overwhelming, interactive and not dull, fresh and challenging – that’s what I found several times. The Museum of Mobile is housed where food vendors sold their goods in 1857, in easy walking distance from Fort Condi, the welcome center and reconstructed 1720s French fort. Exploreum Science Center is an interactive place with international exhibitions. Here’s where you find the IMAX in Mobile with a domed theater, and lots of hands-on experiments and activities for all ages. Battleship Alabama invites visitors aboard for $12 to experience up close the space and life on a WWII vessel. I increased my respect for those who served while walking the narrow passages. The Alabama saw 37 months of active duty from 1942 – 1947.
Track the investments Consider the investments underway in Mobile Bay. Big money often indicates excellent design and solid commitment.
For more information Lodging Golf Gardens and Waters
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JustSayGO Travel Show
Big bucks are being invested in Alabama’s city by the bay where I found sparkling hotels with the latest bedding, blockbuster exhibitions in the museums, fresh seafood and fine cuisine.
They’ve been cooking peanuts here since 1947 and the roaster is now 90 years old. I got a bag to go and slowed my steps for more munching time.
Golf is important to people who stay in these properties because they’re part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, 24 courses with 432 holes.
Birding, hiking and guided eco-tours help explore this $10 million gateway to the five rivers draining into Mobile Bay. I recommend taking a picnic from a downtown restaurant and just sit and stare in the delta.
Bessie also paid astronomical prices for species she wanted, but historian Tom McGehee notes on guided tours she selected her customers from people with immense financial needs or sudden emergencies. Nice karma at Bellingrath.
Military action takes place daily at Fort Gaines on nearby Dauphin Island where costumed interpreters tell the story of French settlement in the early 1700s and British, Spanish and American control. Stroll from the cannon firings to the nearby estuary aquarium at Dauphin Island Sea Lab to engage with creatures that live in this Bay.