History

22 Best Things to Do in Mobile, Alabama (A Local’s Guide) The three things to know before you go: Mardi Gras started in Mobile in 1703, fifteen years before New Orleans existed. The modern shipping container was invented here. And you can walk the entire historic downtown in an afternoon. Mobile rewards visitors who know…

Alabama’s Signature Dishes (And Where to Try Them in Mobile) Quick fact: Alabama’s food didn’t come from cookbooks. It came from the Gulf, the cotton fields, the enslaved cooks, the Native peoples, and three centuries of French, Spanish, and British rule all layering on top of each other. If you taste these dishes in the…

10 Hidden Gems in Mobile, Alabama (That Most Visitors Miss) Most visitors see the USS Alabama, walk Dauphin Street, and head home. They miss the best parts. These ten spots are the ones I point out on the tour that make people stop and say, “I had no idea.” Some are hiding in plain sight…

Downtown Mobile: A Walking Guide to 300 Years of History Mobile was founded in 1702, which makes its downtown one of the oldest in America, older than New Orleans, older than the United States itself. You can walk the heart of it in an afternoon, and almost every building you pass has a story. This…

12 Haunted Places in Mobile, Alabama (From a Local Who Tells the Stories) The short version: Mobile, Alabama is one of the most haunted cities in the South, with more than 300 years of history behind it. The most haunted places downtown include Barton Academy, the Battle House Hotel, the Church Street Graveyard, the Boyington…

7 Haunted Historic Homes in Mobile, Alabama (And the Ghosts Inside Them) The short version: Mobile’s most haunted historic homes include the Carnival Museum in the old Bernstein-Bush mansion, the Oakleigh House, and the Fort Conde Inn. These grand homes, many built during Mobile’s wealthy 1800s, have been turned into museums, inns, and attractions over…

The Boyington Oak: Mobile’s Most Famous Ghost Story The short version: The Boyington Oak is a large oak tree growing near the Church Street Graveyard in downtown Mobile, tied to the city’s most famous ghost story. In 1834, a young man named Charles Boyington was hanged for the murder of his friend Nathaniel Frost, a…

The Haunted Battle House Hotel: Mobile’s Most Famous Ghost Stories The short version: The Battle House is Mobile’s grand historic hotel, recently named the best historic hotel in America, and it’s also one of its most haunted. At least three spirits are said to walk its halls: a heartbroken bride in red, a vanishing man…

by: Chris Andrews Joining the Blooms: A Guide to Becoming an Azalea Trail Maid in Mobile, Alabama Few traditions in the South are as iconic as Mobile’s Azalea Trail Maids. With their flowing, pastel-colored dresses and deep-rooted history, these young women serve as ambassadors for Mobile, Alabama, representing the city at parades, events, and even…

By: Marissa Deal   New York and Chicago drop a ball. Atlanta is slightly more creative. They lower a peach. But when wandering the streets of Mobile (hopefully on a Bienville Bites tour) be sure to look up – 34 stories up to be exact – to the top of the RSA Trustmark Building and…