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| Great Expectations | ||||
| A colorful past meets a promising future in Mobile, Alabama. | ||||
| BY JANE LONGSHORE | ||||
And what a long and storied past it is. Strategically located at the junction of the Mobile River and Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico, the city has officially flown six flags—those of France, Britain, Spain, the Republic of Alabama, the Confederacy, and the United States. Vestiges of this historical mélange, along with the African and Creole cultures brought by the slave trade, can still be felt throughout the area. Fort Conde, a replica of the French fort originally constructed in 1702 when Mobile was the capital of French Louisiana, is Mobile’s official welcome center. Fort Gaines on nearby Dauphin Island is best known for its role in the Civil War Battle of Mobile Bay, when Admiral David Farragut reportedly issued his famous command, “Damn the torpedoes–full speed ahead!” Elaborate French-influenced iron scrollwork adorns historic Italianate buildings throughout the city, and the names of streets and landmarks--Bienville Square, Dauphin Street, De Tonti Square--evoke the cultural richness of her past. And don’t get Mobilians started about Mardi Gras—as they’ll be happy to tell you, Mobile has the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the country, predating New Orleans’ by 62 years. Even with all this, the late-1960s began a period of decline with the closing of nearby Brookley Army Air Field, followed by damaging political corruption in the 1970s and the abandonment of the city’s downtown. Beginning in the late-1980s, the mayor and city council sought to reverse Mobile’s fortunes with the “String of Pearls Initiative,” building new facilities and restoring hundreds of historic buildings and homes. Momentum has grown during the last 20 years with the return of shipbuilding to the area,especially the 1999 founding of Austal USA, a joint venture of Australian shipbuilder Austal and Bender Shipbuilding.
However, for many Mobilians, the most tangible and poignant evidence of this revival is the 2007 reopening of The Battle House Hotel. Opened in 1852 on the site of Andrew Jackson’s military headquarters during the War of 1812, the original eight-story hotel was the center of Mobile society for more than a century, hosting Mardi Gras and debutante balls, captains of industry and presidents alike. The hotel was so crucial to the social life of the community that it was often referred to as “Mobile’s living room.” The downtown area’s mid-century decline mirrored the hotel’s fortunes, and The Battle House closed in 1974, many believed for good. Thanks to a $220 million investment by Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA), the property has been fully restored and renovated, and now connects to the state-of-the-art RSA Battle House Tower. Historic Beaux Arts elements of the original structure, including a massive art glass dome overarching the lobby, have been lovingly preserved, while necessary mod-cons like wireless Internet, a business center, and luxury baths, have been seamlessly integrated into the design. A local adage says, “So goes The Battle House, so goes Mobile”—if this is true, the city’s prospects are dazzling. Many visitors to the city today are brought by the cruising industry (the Carnival Cruise Line ship Holiday departs the Port of Mobile for Mexico and the Western Caribbean), and adding on a few days to experience the city offers a wealth of sightseeing, recreational, and dining opportunities.
The New York Times has called Mobile “The Little Easy” because of its architectural similarities to New Orleans, and touring the gracious antebellum mansions, historic homes, and ornate churches of Mobile offers a compelling glimpse of her Old South heritage. Built in 1855 to house the family of Judge John Bragg during Mobile’s social season, the 20-room, Greek Revival Bragg-Mitchell Mansion offers Tara-esque grandeur, including 100-year-old live oaks. The Richards-DAR House Museum, one of Mobile's best examples of the Italianate style, is famous for its cast-iron facade depicting the four seasons. Built by steamboat captain Charles G. Richards in 1860, the home is now administered by the Mobile chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The first Catholic parish on the Gulf coast was established at Mobile in 1703, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, completed in 1850, features a classical portico, towers, and steeples, as well as a vaulted ceiling adorned with both fleurs-de-lis and shamrocks. Mobile’s mild subtropical climate means outdoor activities are available year-round (although, like most of the Deep South, summers are hot, humid, and buggy). For slightly tamer outdoor experiences, stroll the 65 acres of floral splendor at Bellingrath Gardens and Home, one of the nation’s preeminent gardens. And of course, there’s golf—more than 378 championship-quality holes of it, including four courses on the fabled Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. And did we mention, it’s year-round? Mardi Gras in Mobile Details
Berney/Fly Bed & Breakfast Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club, & Spa The Kate Shepard House Bed & Breakfast Radisson Admiral Semmes Hotel Renaissance Riverview Plaza
Felix’s Fish Camp La Pizzeria Quatorze Tiny Diny Wintzell’s Oyster House
Bellingrath Gardens & Home Bragg-Mitchell Mansion Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Delta Airboat Express Five Rivers Delta Center Fort Gaines Historic Site Richards-DAR House Museum Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park |
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Mobile, Alabama, has been a little like a Southern Gothic Miss Havisham the last few decades, puttering around her dusty mansion in a faded wedding dress, clinging to past glories. Boom years as a major seaport for the cotton trade before the Civil War were followed by an infusion of cash and population brought on by the city’s shipbuilding industry during both World Wars. Mobile was a prosperous, gracious belle of a place for much of the 20th century, drawing on a lively and cosmopolitan stew of influences from her past.
The upward trend continues today with the recent construction of Alabama’s tallest building, the RSA Battle House Tower, in downtown Mobile and the announcement by German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp of plans to build a $4.19 billion steel plant 25 miles north of the city. And, if a certain Department of Defense contract with Airbus being debated in Congress at the time of this writing goes through, things will look better still for the people of Mobile.
Military buffs will enjoy the aforementioned Fort Gaines Historic Site, with original battlements and soldiers' living quarters, which were in use from the 1800s to 1946, and the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, home of the World War II battleship USS Alabama and submarine USS Drum, as well as more than 20 rare, historic aircraft. (In 2005, the triple-digit winds and 12-foot waves wrought by Hurricane Katrina actually shifted the 35,000-ton battleship’s position by three feet and left her listing five degrees portside—all total, the hurricane caused more than $7 million in damage to the park.) 
Mobile is situated on the second largest river delta system in the continental U.S., the Mobile Tensaw River Delta. Visitors can experience this incredibly robust and diverse wetland ecosystem by airboat through Delta Airboat Express, or immerse themselves in the environment at a new $10 million facility, the Five Rivers Delta Center. Five Rivers serves as a gateway to the more than 250,000 acres of waterways, woods, and wetlands that make up this natural treasure. Hike miles of scenic trails, or canoeists and kayakers can put in and take out from the floating dock at Bartram’s Landing, the new terminus of the legendary Bartram Canoe Trail. A separate powerboat landing accommodates boats up to 30 feet, and boat and airboat tours are available for charter from the facility. Camp overnight on one of the Canoe Trail’s four floating platforms and drift off to sleep listening to the calls of the resident ’gators. A visitor’s center offers information about conservation and the natural history of the delta. 
