Day 1:
Tour the History Museum of Mobile
To kick off your visit to the Port City, plan on stopping by the History Museum of Mobile in scenic downtown Mobile, which showcases more than 300 years of Mobile area history in addition to housing the city's Welcome Center.
The History Museum of Mobile offers an array of permanent exhibits worth exploring, including a look at the eight magnificent miniature houses made by late Mobile resident Aaron Friedman; an interactive display exploring Mobile's history from when it was first inhabited by Native Americans to today. There is also a temporary exhibit, "The Global Language of Headwear," that features 87 hats and headdresses from 42 countries and delves into their significance in culture on the display through June. Also, don't forget to stop by the Welcome Center, located on the first floor of the museum, to find out more about how to make the most of your time in Mobile.
Grab lunch at Soul Heaven Cafe
Soul Heaven Cafe is the perfect place to grab lunch if you're looking for a place to eat at that has a little something for everyone. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the eatery offers everything from country breakfast platters, featuring all the Southern favorites like bacon, biscuits with gravy and more, as well as fried chicken, oyster po' boys, Reuben sandwiches, burger, wings, pizza and more. Just don't forget to save room for some of its homemade cobblers, pies and beignets for dessert.
Learn more at the Historic Avenue Cultural Center
After lunch, continue learning more about Mobile's diverse history at the Historic Avenue Cultural Center, which currently showcases the significance of the street once known as "Black Main Street" and more.
The Historic Avenue Cultural Center houses the "Remembering the Avenue" exhibition, which focuses on Davis Avenue -- known as "Black Main Street" in the 1940s through the 1970s before being renamed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue -- by having members of the community share memories and more about the role it played in developing the culture of Mobile by creating individual video interviews that visitors can interact with. The exhibition, which was curated through the Alabama Contemporary Art Center, will run through December 2024.
Day 2:
The Africatown Heritage House was named the "Best Museum Opening in 2023" by National Geographic.Visit Mobile
Visit the Africatown Heritage House
The city of Mobile is rich with African-American history, and there's no better way to learn more about it than a visit to the nationally recognized Africatown Heritage House.
The Africatown Heritage House, which was named the "Best Museum Opening in 2023" by National Geographic, is home to "Clotilda: The exhibition," which shares the compelling stories of the 110 captives aboard the last known U.S. slave ship, which traveled from Africa to the Mobile Bay in 1860, who went on to form and develop Africatown. The 2,500-square-foot exhibition features audio excerpts from Cudjoe Kazoola Lewis, born Oluale Kossola, the third to last adult survivor of the Clotilda and founder of Africatown, as well as documents, artifacts and more, including pieces of the "Clotilda" recovered from the site of its shipwreck.
Owner Elbert Winfield tends to business in the kitchen at Saucy-Q Bar B Q on Government Street in Mobile, Ala.(Mike Brantley)
Fill up at Saucy Q
If you're in the mood for barbecue once lunchtime arrives, Saucy Q Bar B Que is where you need to go. Open for more than 30 years, Saucy Q is a Mobile institution known for serving quality 'cue using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Its menu features pulled pork sandwiches, jumbo wings, loaded potatoes and ribs, which were named among the "100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die" and more, served alongside classic Southern sides like mac-and-cheese, collard greens and banana pudding.
Walk the Dora Franklin Finley African American Heritage Trail
Next, it's time to walk off some of that lunch by taking in all the history and more showcased along the Dora Franklin Finley African American Heritage Trail.
The trail explores various chapters of Mobile's diverse past throughout the city, sharing the experiences of some of its unsung heroes while taking visitors to prominent points of interest featured in their stories, including the Old Plateau Graveyard, the final resting place of many of the "Clotilda" survivors; the Creole Fire Company #1, the first volunteer fire company in Alabama; and a former site of Finley’s Drug Stores, the first Black-owned chain of drugstores in Alabama. If you prefer not to take a walking tour of the trail, bus tours as well as step-on tours, where a guide boards and narrates for each site, are also available.
Day 3:
Have brunch at The Breakfast Spot
Start your last day in The Port City off with a bite of brunch at The Breakfast Spot, which is located on Dauphin Street in Downtown Mobile and serves a variety of early morning favorites. Whether you're craving classics like bacon, eggs and pancakes or something a little different, such as pork chops, salmon croquettes, Conecuh sausage bowls and more, The Breakfast Spot has it on the menu. Open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. or later, The Breakfast Spot also has popular lunch dishes, like burgers, BLTs, shrimp baskets and wings, up for grabs if you decide to sleep in.
The Mobile Carnival Museum is a must-visit.Visit Mobile
Explore the Mobile Carnival Museum
What better way to close out a visit to Mobile than by learning more about the history of the oldest Carnival celebration in the United States and the role Mardi Gras has played in the city's history at the Mobile Carnival Museum?
The William and Emily Hearin Mobile Carnival Museum is housed inside one of the city’s charming historic mansions and features 14 galleries, which showcase royal robes, crowns and scepters donated by families of monarchs as well as emblem costumes, favors, doubloons and more from local mystic organizations, in addition to video presentations, a pictorial hallway and even an interactive float area. Open until 4 p.m. on select days, you can choose between taking a guided tour with a docent, offered at set times throughout the day, or explore the museum at your own leisure.
