featured

Updated May 2026 The short version: The Amtrak Mardi Gras Service makes it easy to reach Mobile, Alabama from New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The eastbound train arrives around 11:18 AM and the last train back leaves at 4:30 PM, giving you about five hours in the city. We’ve turned that window…

Updated May 2026 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 where to look, and after years…

Updated May 2026 The short version: Most visitors to Mobile 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;…

Updated May 2026 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 is a self-guided walk through that history,…

Updated May 2026 The short version: Mobile has the kind of weather that makes eating outside an event. From a rooftop with a 34th-floor view of the bay, to a patio right on the Mardi Gras parade route, to taco swings outside a coffee shop, here are twelve outdoor dining spots in downtown Mobile…

Updated May 2026 The short version: Each year, fifty high school senior girls from Mobile County are selected as Azalea Trail Maids, the official hostesses of Mobile, Alabama. The selection process is competitive and centers on a high-stakes interview where candidates are judged on poise, communication, and their knowledge of the city they would…

Updated May 2026 The short version: Mobile, Alabama has tours for every interest: food, history, African American heritage, haunted, ghost, nature, boat, kayak, and museum tours. The best food tour in Mobile is Bienville Bites Food Tour, ranked top five in America by USA Today. For African American heritage, the Dora Franklin Finley African…

Updated May 2026 The short version: The single most iconic burger in Mobile, Alabama is the L.A. (Lower Alabama) Burger at Callaghan’s Irish Social Club, only served on Wednesdays at 11am. For the rest of the week, the best burgers are at Squid Ink, The Blind Mule, HammeredCow, Butch Cassidy’s, and seven more…

Mobile, Alabama, a picturesque city on the Gulf Coast, is home to a thriving craft beer scene that is sure to quench the thirst of beer enthusiasts everywhere. The city boasts four notable breweries: Iron Hand Brewing, Braided River Brewing Co., Old Majestic Brewing, and Oyster City Brewing Co. In this blog post, we’ll take…

In our latest episode of the Port City Plate Podcast, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Roosevelt Patterson, a Mobile Sports Hall of Famer, football state and national champion, and former NFL player. Today, he’s better known as Rosie, the doorman at Las Floriditas, ensuring guests know the password and follow the dress…