2 days in Mobile, Alabama: Top attractions you do not want to miss in the city!

 

Cooper Riverside Park, Mobile, Alabama 

When I lived in New York City, I had a colleague at work who hailed from the great southern city of Mobile, Alabama.  He had a very unmistakable southern accent that sounded so cool, especially hearing it in the heart of lower Manhattan.

I took him under my wings at work, having fun chats about everything: work, life, living in Mobile.  The more I got to know him, the more curious I got about him and the city.  He had a nice, laid-back, easy demeanor that reminded me, of myself, and I felt an almost brotherly-like connection to him after awhile.  

He would rhapsodize about his life back home, describing a faraway place with such fondness that it made me want to visit it some day.  Well, that some day turned out to be January 2024.  My wife and I were traveling through the great American South/South Central, and we wanted to add Mobile to the list of destinations we wanted to explore.  

After leaving our comfortable confines of the StayBridge Suites in Gulf Shores (Alabama) in the morning of January 7th, a Sunday, we took the familiar I-10 west, into the city, crossing the scenic Mobile Bay on our left.  Day was just about perfect, sunny and with temperatures already hitting around 65 degrees by 11 a.m.

We had made a decision to visit several attractions that same morning.  My reasons for that were as follows: 1) our hotel wouldn’t be ready to check in before 3 p.m., 2) we only had 2 nights in the city, and 3) I had read that traffic is much lighter on the weekends (with easier street parking options), and it turned out to be true for Mobile.

We had short two nights/three days, so we got super busy trying to cram in as many attractions as we possibly can.  Here are our favorite places to visit in Mobile:

• Alabama Aquarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Upon doing my research for places to explore, I happened to see a Groupon deal for BOGO (Buy one get one) admission ticket at the aquarium, and this was one of the top attractions that I wanted to see.  I immediately bought the ticket for a Monday visit, then headed out on a rather gloomy, foreboding morning towards Dauphin Island.

The weather forecast did not look good that day.  A major storm was expected towards the afternoon and into the night.  We left our hotel (Tru by Hilton) then headed south via AL-193.

Near the island, we crossed a beautiful, long bridge (Dauphin Island Bridge), reminiscent of Highway 1 in the Florida Keys.  The waters of the Mississippi Sound looked a bit scary with waves starting to hit the coast at an accelerating pace.

We hoped the storm could wait until we were done exploring the aquarium, but the weather did not look promising.  The wind was picking up so close to the Mississippi Sound, and the cloudy skies were turning darker by the hour.

Against that backdrop, we arrived at the aquarium roughly 5 minutes after crossing the bridge.  The island looked really clean with scenic palm trees greeting our arrival.  After parking our car, we walked inside the aquarium, half excited but half worried about the possibility of impending weather.

Entrance to the aquarium 

We were, no surprise, the only visitors to the aquarium that particular time of the day.  The aquarium staff notified us that they will be closing around noon to get ahead of the storm, so we had roughly an hour to finish our exploration.  We showed our Groupon admission e-ticket and walked in, eager to start our visit.

The aquarium isn’t huge, but it certainly had enough exhibits to keep things interesting for an hour or so.  We had the aquarium to ourselves so we took our time reading about different aquatic species found near the aquarium.  

What made the aquarium unique is the outside, with its long boardwalk and beautiful, expansive views of the Gulf of Mexico, like these below.

Awesome views!

Beautiful boardwalk 

We wrapped up our visit within the hour, then we scooted out of there, trying to get off the island before they close it off to vehicle traffic.  As we were crossing the bridge, the skies turned even darker and the wind was picking up even more speed.  We noticed our car swaying as we neared the apex of the bridge thanks to the wind.  Scary times…

We wondered if we were going to get out of dodge in time, but we successfully crossed the bridge and were back on mainland!  We picked up speed, then got back to our hotel, just in time to see the first rain drop hit our room’s windows.

The rain came hard and fast, with the thunderstorm coming in waves as evening approached.  I had seen some heavy rain and thunderstorms in the past, in places like Hawaii and Pennsylvania, but to experience it in early January was something else…It felt like an epic flood was coming as the rain didn’t let up until the next morning.

We would find out the next day that the storm ripped off a portion of the hotel’s siding, and rearranged several patio chairs as it took it off the ground, only to dump them several feet away.  We also found out from fellow hotel guests that the top floor guests had to evacuate to the lobby area for several hours during the wee hours of the morning.  We were lucky in that we were on the third floor, not the top floor.  Wow, so lucky!

• Cooper Riverside Park

On the day of our arrival (Sunday, January 7), we decided to first check out the closest attraction we encountered, which happened to be Cooper Riverside Park.  Located right along the Mobile River, right under the I-10 interstate highway we had just crossed, we looked for a parking spot.

I had come across some information online that talked about free parking by the GulfQuest National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, so we headed over there.  Unbeknownst to me at the time, but we found out as we drove into the museum’s entrance that this attraction was closed on Sundays.  Ouch!

We backtracked, drove out of the closed museum’s parking area, then idled our car’s engine for a minute to ponder our Plan B for parking.  Right next door to the museum and Cooper Riverside Park was Mobile Convention Center with its own parking lot.  We decided to park there and play it safe, rather than taking our chance at closed museum’s parking garage.

We paid a very unreasonable $15 to park at that lot, which I thought was highway robbery for a Sunday.  Mobile isn’t New York City.  Why charge so much for parking?!?

After paying for parking begrudgingly, we went next door to Cooper Riverside Park.  The park was pretty empty except for one or two convention goers taking smoking breaks.  

We did like the park for its nice location right next to the river, with nice downtown skyline views.  We walked around the smallish park, checking out the various features of the park while enjoying the sights.

Nice river views!

After quick exploration of the park, we walked over to the convention center to take a look at the river from a bit more elevated vantage point, and also for a restroom break.  We weren’t sure where the nearest restroom would be on our next destination inside the belly of the city, so it made sense to make use of it at the convention center.  After all, they charged us $15 to park for less than 30 minutes!!!  This is the least they can do to make up for that…

• Downtown Mobile/Dauphin Street

After leaving Cooper Riverside Park, we headed inland towards our next destination, Dauphin Street.  Dauphin Street is one of the most popular places in downtown Mobile with many entertainment/dining/retail establishments with many squares and parks.  It was a destination recommended by locals who live there, so we went to check it out.

We found plenty of street parking about a block away from Dauphin Street, then headed towards one of he most impressive buildings in all of downtown Mobile, Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.  The cathedral, built early 1700’s was the first Catholic parish on the Gulf Coast.  We walked the grounds of the beautiful cathedral then stopped at the entrance to the cathedral at the sound of parishioners singing and chanting in that medieval-sounding way.

We had forgotten it was a Sunday after all, and a Mass was taking place.  We briefly opened the door, then thought better of it.  We instead stayed for few more seconds on the outside to hear the soothing chants.  

Beautiful grounds of the cathedral 

Entrance where we stood outside listening to chants

We walked out of the cathedral grounds to continue our walk along Dauphin Street.  Interspersed with beautiful historical buildings and parks/squares were the unmistakable presence of homeless people along the same parks/squares.

 

We kept vigilant, almost acting as if we were back in the bad old days in New York City around early 1980’s when crime and dereliction were both part of the landscape.  We kept to ourselves, stopping briefly to check out the architecture and the fantastic views of prominent high rise buildings in the distance.  

Many of the retail stores and restaurants were just opening up, but otherwise, the streets were not busy at all.  We saw few fellow visitors who were, like us, taking random photos here and there, like all tourists do.

Iconic street view of Mobile downtown 

Beautiful historic buildings 

View of downtown from the riverfront 

We walked maybe 3 blocks down the street, then decided to head out of there as we honestly didn’t feel comfortable or safe.  Although no one was hassling us, we know a not-so-safe environment when we’re in it.  

I wished there were police officers patrolling the area.  Mobile downtown has ways to go before calling it a world class city.  Visitors should feel safe to explore the city and to do that, there needs to be police presence near popular tourist attractions like Dauphin Street.  

We got back to our car, then drove out to our last and final destination on our Mobile tour that day. 

• Avenue of the Oaks

Avenue of the Oaks is a popular tourist attraction near Spring Hill College.  I stumbled upon this place while doing my usual research of the city.  I personally liked the photos of the place and we stopped by for a quick visit before heading to our hotel.

We were glad we did as the pictures didn’t do justice to the place.  A street full of mature oak trees creating an impressive canopy was something to be viewed in person, and not just online.  

This was one of our favorite places in Mobile, as it’s unique and if you like trees, then this is a place you do not want to miss!

Avenue of the Oaks, Mobile, AL

In conclusion:

Mobile Alabama was one of those faraway cities in the south that intrigued me.  My interest was piqued even more by my colleague who grew up near the city.  

I’m glad we got to visit the city after all these years.  Would I go back?  That’s a maybe.

Despite having several cool and unique attractions, I don’t feel like the city is doing much, if any at all, to promote the city as a tourist destination.  There are parts of Dauphin Street that I wouldn’t consider visiting even during broad daylight. 

Making tourists and locals feel safe is an important job of the city, and I feel this can be improved.  With right combination of efforts by the city to beef up security in key tourist destinations and to clean up these same attractions, the city can be a viable tourist destination.

I just don’t think it’s that right now.  Popular attraction like the GulfQuest Maritime Museum should be opened on weekends.  How can visitors enjoy the city when many of its key attractions are closed?

On top of that, parking situation has to improve as well.  Charging $15 to park for 30 minutes???  The city is charging parking fees as if it’s a world class city like New York City or Boston!  That, just can’t happen…

Thank you for reading and happy trails!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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