The USS DRUM is a National Historic Landmark and the oldest American submarine on public display. This distinctive maritime connection is an introduction to the many stories you can discover in Mobile: from historic ships and collections to coastal landscapes and birdwatching.
Ships, Forts and Collections
The USS ALABAMA is on display in Mobile, Alabama, as a National Historic Landmark and memorial. On September 5, 1945, it led the American fleet into Tokyo Bay. The USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park opened to the public on January 9, 1965. Its Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion features aircraft, historic vehicles and wartime artifacts; a memorial wall honors Alabama’s Medal of Honor recipients. The collection also includes a Red-Tail P-51 aircraft, comparable to those flown by the Tuskegee Airmen. Ships, equipment and commemorative displays offer different insights into military history.
The “Take the Helm” simulator at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf offers a different kind of maritime experience. Visitors can navigate a ship through the Port of Mobile, Mobile Bay and the Tombigbee River. Rather than simply viewing a collection, they can explore different waterways at the helm of a simulated ship.
Colonial Fort Condé is a reconstruction at four-fifths scale. French explorers built the original fort in 1723. Visitors can climb onto the walls and enjoy views of Mobile’s skyline; artifacts and recovered archaeological pieces from Mobile’s colonial past are also on display. Indian Shell Mound Park adds another perspective on history: its shell mounds date from the Mississippi period, 1100 to 1550, and the park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Other collections focus on art, firefighting history and domestic furnishings. The Phoenix Fire Museum is housed in a restored fire station of the Phoenix Volunteer Fire Company No. 6. On display are horse-drawn firefighting vehicles from around the turn of the century, early motorized fire engines, and historic uniforms and badges. The Bellingrath Home is a 15-room museum furnished with antiques and decorative objects collected by Bessie Bellingrath. The Mobile Museum of Art is located in Langan Municipal Park and serves as an art museum for Mobile and the coastal region of South Alabama. It presents dynamic exhibitions, programs and cultural experiences.
At Africatown Heritage House, the exhibition “Clotilda: The Exhibition” tells the story of the survivors who founded Africatown; artifacts from the schooner are also on display. Fort Gaines offers tours for groups of 15 or more. They must be booked at least two weeks in advance and include demonstrations of cannon firing and blacksmithing.
Delta, Coast and Birdlife
Nature offers different perspectives, too. The Mobile Delta has been designated a National Natural Landmark since 1974. More than 20 access points in the delta are used for boating; Mobile River Delta Park and Campground provides access to the Mobile-Tensaw Delta ecosystem. Mobile County Bayfront Park is part of the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail. Together, these details show different ways to engage with the delta and birdlife, without suggesting that they offer the same access or experience.
Dauphin Island is a 17-mile-long barrier island. At its eastern end is the Alabama Aquarium, where visual and interactive exhibits explain the interactions within Mobile Bay. It focuses on four major coastal habitats in Alabama: the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, Mobile Bay, the barrier islands and the northern Gulf of Mexico. From Interstate 10, the aquarium can be reached via Exit 17A toward Dauphin Island.
Those interested in birdwatching and trails through different landscapes will find another perspective on Dauphin Island. The Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary covers 164 acres; its trails wind through forests and marshes and along the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. The island is designated a “Globally Important Bird Area” and is known for observing neotropical migratory birds. While the aquarium explains coastal habitats through exhibits, the sanctuary’s trails pass through actual landscapes. This distinction can help you choose nature-related activities based on whether you would rather explore coastal habitats or their birdlife.
Discover more destinations: Mobile, Saraland, Satsuma, Semmes, Dauphin Island, Wilmer, Theodore, Chickasaw.
For the main travel overview: Alabama.
