Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [126]
Membership cards are required at most late-night bars (and when we say late night, we really mean sunrise). The particulars are handled at the door. Boo Radley’s is a good choice that skews a little more preppy, a little less cheesy (though wandering up and down Dauphin to make a choice is half the fun). It’s open until 7am, so there’s no need for a hotel! If you do want to lay your weary head, the Battle House, on the site of Andrew Jackson’s former military headquarters, is well located only steps from Dauphin on Royal St. The remarkable stained-glass, domed lobby dates back to 1908. Malaga Inn, not far away on Church St, offers more history, though less services. The twin town houses that make up the historic portion of the hotel date back to 1862 and open up onto a lovely interior courtyard.
Having slept off the night before, you could spend an entire day exploring USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. Regardless of personal war views, it’s hard not to be awed by the impressive display of military might here. Highlights include the massive USS Alabama battleship, the claustrophobic USS Drum submarine, and the totally menacing SR-71, a stealth black Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft that looks scarily ahead of its time.
Running around the 165-acre park will elicit overheating in the muggy Mobile sun, so try Spot of Tea, back on Dauphin, for a strawberry sweet tea that’s an Alabama bragging point in Deep South circles. It’s a strange place – one part Hallmark store, one part Victorian tearoom – but the food is undeniably special.
To complete your Mobile visit, head out onto the swamps. Five Rivers Delta Safaris offers 20-mile pontoon safaris on five different rivers in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, the second-largest river delta in the USA. It’s a haven for canoeists and kayakers as well. Abundant birdlife and surprising wildlife dominate the area (alligators, red-bellied turtles, wild boar and the occasional black bear). Don’t fall in – lest you ate one of those Callaghan burgers for lunch.
Kevin Raub
* * *
’NAWLINS AIN’T GOT NUTHIN’ ON US
Though New Orleans snags all the glory, America’s first Mardi Gras celebration was actually in Mobile in 1703. Its history is best detailed in the wonderful Mobile Carnival Museum (www.mobilecarnivalmuseum.com), which offers a fascinating look into the mystic societies that rule the celebrations here as well as a close-up look at the elaborate trains (some costing upwards of $45,000) from several past queens.
* * *
* * *
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
From Birmingham, it’s a four-hour straight shot south on I-65 (southbound).
DO
Five Rivers Delta Safaris
Pontoon safaris deep into the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. 251-259-8531; www.hovercraftsafaris.com; 30945 Five Rivers Rd, Spanish Fort; tours adult/child from $20/12; 2pm Wed-Sun, 11am & 2pm Sat;
Fort Condé
Reconstructed 18th-century French brick fort with an impressive assortment of antebellum weaponry. 251-208-7503; 150 Royal St; 8am-5pm;
Museum of Mobile
One of the South’s most interesting history museums, chronicling Mobile past and present. 802-223-5200; www.museumofmobile.com; 111 S Royal St; adult/child $5/3; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 1-5pm Sun;
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park
Impressive military park home to decommissioned USS Alabama battleship and various other war machines. 251-433-2703; www.ussalabama.com; 2703 Battleship Park; adult/child $12/6, parking $2; 8am-7pm;
EAT
Callaghan’s Irish Social Club
Mobile’s best burgers and consistently voted one of America’s best bars. This ramshackle place in the Oakleigh district is unmissable. 251-433-9374; cnr Marine & Charleston; mains $7-9; 11am-midnight
Spot of Tea
The atmosphere evokes grandma’s post-haircut lunch, but the sandwiches are killer and the strawberry tea famous statewide. 251-433-9009;