Mobile
An Alabama port founded in 1702 that held the first Mardi Gras in the country, and where the last slave ship was found in 2019.
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The French founded Mobile in 1702 as the first capital of Louisiana, before New Orleans existed, and the Mardi Gras tradition came with them - Mobile's celebration predates New Orleans and is still run by mystic societies with parades that are more family-oriented and less commercial than the better-known one. The city has French, Spanish, British and American layers, with a downtown of cast-iron balconies and live oaks. In 2019 the wreck of the Clotilda was confirmed in the Mobile River: the last known ship to bring enslaved Africans to the United States, arriving illegally in 1860, whose survivors founded Africatown north of downtown. The Africatown Heritage House opened in 2023 to tell that history.
What you actually see
- The oldest Mardi Gras in the country - predating New Orleans.
- A downtown of cast iron and live oaks - across four colonial layers.
- Africatown - founded by survivors of the Clotilda.
- The Heritage House - opened 2023 on that history.
When to go
October to May; Mardi Gras is in February. A full day.
Honest expectations
Summer is hot, humid and stormy. Mardi Gras fills the city and closes streets. Africatown sits beside heavy industry and the community has long-standing environmental grievances. Some historic areas are patchy block to block.
Nearby
Dauphin Island is south; the Gulf beaches are east.
What to pack for Mobile
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.