A Spring Getaway to Mobile

Admiral Hotel Living Room

It’s been years in the making, but Amtrak seems poised to debut train service between New Orleans and Mobile. This fall, visitors may travel twice a day between the two colonial French cities to enjoy each town’s culture, dining, attractions and multicultural heritage.

Until then, it’s still a prime driving destination and makes for a great spring weekend getaway.

Day One

Morning – Before reaching Mobile by car, leave Interstate 10 at Exit 13 (Theodore Dawes Road) and head south on U.S. Highway 90 to one of the South’s most pristine and colorful gardens. Bellingrath Gardens & Home features 65 acres that Walter Bellingrath, a successful bottler of Coca-Cola in Mobile, purchased along a Fowl River bluff. Visitors may enjoy the expansive gardens, the 1930s home decorated by his wife, Bessie Bellingrath and the inaugural Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival — a luminous event with 41 towering, handcrafted light sculptures — from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly through June 15.

Afternoon – Get oysters “fried, stewed or nude” and enjoy the walls of humorous sayings and regional photos at Wintzell’s Oyster House, a Mobile landmark since 1947. The oyster dish is part the “Year of Alabama Food” by Alabama Tourism to showcase local food dishes and chefs.

Walk off lunch with a stroll downtown and stop at the many shops, art galleries and museums, such as the Alabama Contemporary Art Center and the History Museum of Mobile.

Check into The Admiral Hotel on Government Street, which opened in 1940 and named for Confederate Admiral Raphael Semmes who commandeered the CSS Alabama. The hotel has since received a massive renovation and now blends designs of historic Mobile with modern luxury and now honors the city’s founder, French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville.

Dinner – If you’re visiting on a weekend, don’t miss downtown’s ArtWalk from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Friday of every second weekend of the month. Browse local galleries, public spaces and pop-up markets while enjoying a beverage or dish from a food truck. If you’d rather stop for a meal, Squid Ink serves up pub food and awesome cocktails both inside and out. If the weather’s nice, choose the swings that accent outdoor tables. For dessert, Mo’Bay Beignet Company serves up those French favorites we all know and love.

LeMoyne’s Chophouse’s Tomahawk Steak

Day Two

Morning – For a light breakfast, enjoy a caffeine pick-me-up at Serda’s Coffee Company in the heart of downtown. For something more substantial, brunch at Bistro St. Emanuel is a trip to France while remaining in the Fort Condé Square historic district. Or don’t leave the hotel and choose artisanal French pastries at Le Café at The Admiral Hotel.

Spend the morning perusing hundreds of masterpieces at the Mobile Museum of Art, which overlooks Langan Park and its massive lagoon. The 95,000-square-foot museum showcases American, European and Asian art exhibits and regularly hosts special events.

Afternoon – If the weather’s cooperating, pop over to the Mobile Botanical Gardens located a short drive from the Museum of Art. Enjoy more than 106 acres of gardens that include a variety of ecosystems, including an azalea garden, pollinator garden, Japanese Maple collection and the Longleaf Pine Forest.

Frozen Blueberry Cobbler at Serda’s Coffee Company

Dinner – If you’re feeling like staying close to home, The Admiral offers the elegant LeMoyne’s Chophouse, a fine dining restaurant focused on steaks, and The Living Room lounge for classic cocktails or a pre-dinner libation. Or head to The Noble South, a delightful restaurant in the heart of downtown helmed by owner Chris Rainosek who designs Southern and seasonal favorites, most of which are created by regional ingredients. You might recognize the restaurant from an episode of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”

Mobile is home to many folks who refuse to leave, so if you’re feeling adventurous, Mobile offers several haunted tours to whet your appetite for the paranormal. Sites include the Malaga Inn, the Church Street Graveyard where Charles R.S. Boyington was executed beneath an oak tree (do spirits linger there?) and the Richards-DAR House Museum.

For more information on things to do in Mobile, visit mobile.org.

Japanese maples in Mobile Botanical Gardens

Don’t Forget

Take a drive north of town to visit the award-winning Africatown Heritage House which tells the story of Mobile’s African American heritage, including the arrival of the Clotilda, the last slave ship from Africa to the U.S. via the Tensaw River. The 2,500-square-foot museum includes pieces of the Clotilda on loan from the Alabama Historical Commission, along with other historical artifacts.