Things You Should Do In Mobile, Alabama!

Mobile is a great place to find fun on the coast but you may need to know where to look to find it and that is what Gulf Coast Info is all about. Some people think there is nothing going on in  Mobile but there is nothing further from the truth. There is plenty on tap in Mobile but you may have to head to the water to really take advantage of what is happening here.

If you don't like activities that focus on the water then places like Mobile, or any other gulf coast town, may not be your ideal destination. If you don't mind your fun being a little salty then for fun the sky is the limit.

Here are a few things we have come up with that you can do while you are in Mobile

1. Visit the beach at Dauphin Island or Gulf Shores. You can't come to the Gulf Coast and not go to the beach. Get your toes down in the sugar white sands and wiggle them till you just can't wiggle no more. That is some of the best stress relief around.
2. See the "Blessing of the Fleet" in Bayou La Batre. Every year the local fishing (Shrimping) fleet is blessed in a ceremony on the Bayou
3. Go to a Bay Bears Baseball Game
4. Visit the River Shackat Dog River for an afternoon of river fun. Under the bridge at Dog River, this is a great little waterfront watering hole
5. Visit the Battleship USS Alabama and submarine USS Drum
6. Visit Blakely Park - ACivil War Memorial
7. Take a trip over to the casinos in Mississippi
8. Watch the sunset from the Fairhope Pier
9. Visit Oakleigh Mansion
10. Visit the Richardson DAR House
11. Visit Fort Conde Village
12. Visit Bragg Mitchell Mansion
13. Visit the Carlen House
14. Mobile Museum of Art
15. Phoenix Fire Station
16. Visit the Exploreum Imax Theater

Christmas Season

Christmas On The River, Dog River that is: This little annual event kicked of many years ago. Owners of boats, big and small decorate their respective craft and parade back and forth in Dog River in site of the Dog River Bridge and toss goodies to the onlookers. For 2008 Christmas on the River Boat Parade will be on December 6, 2008.  This will be the 34th year for Mobile's oldest and largest boat parade. Each years parade has a set theme and boats must register. Prizes are given for top finishers in several of the entry categories and awards are usually presented immediately following the parade on the front deck of the Grand Mariner Restaurant.

Registration will be at the Grand Mariner Marina.  Call 251- 443-6300 for information. The $20 registration fee per boat includes two t-shirts. T-shirts were created by Pearl Screen Printing.

Bellingrath Gardens: This place is beautiful any time of year but takes on a special character during the Christmas Season. The Gardens are decorated in Christmas lights and open at night for viewing. A spectacular sight and something the whole family can enjoy. It can really get the Christmas spirit going.

DOWNTOWN MOBILE

The downtown area is always evolving. For years there was nothing but Wintzell's Oyster House a few hot dog shops and the Club Royale. Now you can find just about anything you want. There are clubs everywhere and you can find some excellent entertainment.

Saenger Theatre -  6 South Joachim Street, Mobile (251) 208.5600

The Saenger get some great act in a small venue which makes them all the better. An intimate little theatre that brings the show right into your lap.

Veet's on Royale Street:

Veet's always has some good music and a fun crowd. Veet's bandstand is home to one of Mobile's finest house bands, Doug Previto & The Family Jewels.  Not only do they perform live every Wednesday through Sunday at Veet's, but they've also played as an opening act at Mobile's Saenger Theatre for some of the best touring acts in the country. Veet's also prides itself with the fact that it's the place in Mobile for national artists to visit and jam in.  Because of this, there's never an empty seat at Veet's during the Bay Fest Music Festival, held every October in the streets of downtown Mobile.

Events

There is, of course, Mardi Gras. Look around and you'll find Mardi Gras celebrations in town all over the US and around the worl. You'd be surpriswed to learn that Mardi Gras was born right here in Mobile. There is plenty of celebrating to be had, parades, balls and parties that make the Mardi Gras season a whirlwind of adventure.

America's Junior Miss Pageant: America's Junior Miss was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Mobile, Alabama.  More than 700,000 young women from across the nation have participated in Junior Miss programs at the local, state, and national levels.  In addition to cash scholarships, Junior Miss participants are eligible for college-granted scholarships from nearly 200 colleges and universities.

Sports

Mobile is not blessed with a huge number of professional sports teams but we do have something to offer.

• Mobile Bay Bears Baseball - The Bay Bears put on a good show and a night at the park can be a really fun outing. They always have a fireworks show at the end of the night so, even if the game sucks, you have a cool show to end the evening.
  
• Football, Football, Football: You have the GMAC Bowl and the Senior Bowl to look forward. National college talent playing together is always fun. Stan Tiner, former editor of the Mobile Register, is the man who first uttered the "What if" scenario in reference to the bowl game being played today.  Tiner, a long-time supporter of sports in Mobile, discussed the possibilities of an NCAA-sanctioned bowl game with Mobile Mayor Mike Dow for the first time in 1998, and Dow immediately saw the possibilities.
  
• There is always University of South Alabama basketball and baseball. The Jaguar's are always a contender.
  
• You also have high school sports and great intercity and regional rivalry's, St Paul's vs UMS