“This is how you need to stand at parades,” says one Mobilian, who with feet firmly planted, stretched his arms out in front. “Never bend over to pick up a throw, because you’re likely to get bonked in the head when you stand up. Just put your foot on it, and grab it later,” he advises.
A fun way to experience Mardi Gras at other times is by visiting the Mobile Carnival Museum where you can see the inside and outside of a float, hear the music, buy the trinkets and masks, watch the videos, and see amazing costumes worn by past kings and queens.
Men’s and women’s costumes, robes, crowns, and sceptres can cost tens of thousands of dollars. They’re all handmade, down to sewing on individual beads and sequins. The robes easily weigh anywhere from 40 to nearly 100 pounds, requiring wearers to practice days in advance of their first outing.
‘Fried, stewed, and nude’
When hunger pangs hit, the city has many awardwinning eateries where getting fresh, tasty seafood is easy. On Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile, Wintzell’s is a best bet for oysters “fried, stewed, and nude.” Their broiled grouper is superb, and the bread pudding tops the list of comfort food.
Another popular seafood restaurant is Felix’s Fish Camp on Battleship Parkway, which looks like a giant rustic fish camp from the outside. Its menu also offers beef and yummy desserts and a dessert drink called Kahlua Freeze.
The Original Oyster House, relocated from its last Battleship Parkway site after damage by Hurricane Katrina, is a family-style seafood house. Owners buy 1,000 pounds of one kind of shrimp alone each week. Fried crab claws are a very popular item as is the dark gumbo with crab and lots of shrimp. Mobilians know seafood, and the full parking lots at these restaurants attest to it.
A fine recipe for relaxation is The Grand Hotel Point Clear Resort & Spa, known as the South’s “Queen” of resorts, which has been around for more than 150 years. If you’re lucky, you might even experience a natural phenomenon known as “Jubilee” when during the night every now and then thousands of fish, crabs, and shrimp come up on shore.
The ‘Jubilee’
For further exploring, Bellingrath Gardens and Home will delight gardeners and flower lovers. The staff manages to keep color in the gardens year-round; even in January, you’ll see cameilias and plantings that tolerate cooler weather.
Five Rivers Delta Center is a new recreation area not far from downtown. Within its 250,000 acres are walking trails, floating canoe and kayak landing places, picnic shelters, and boat tours. Campers might want to reserve a floating camping platform for a unique outdoor experience.
Look for Mobile to show up more often as a blossoming travel destination. It makes a fun before or after add-on to a cruise as well as a thoroughly enjoyable way to sample the new Old South.