Hampton Inn 36619
930 South Beltline Highway Mobile, Alabama 36619
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| | Many travelers bypass Mobile for points farther | The town of Gulf Shores anchors the section of |
| | south on the beautiful Gulf coast but the city has | Alabama's Gulf coast that lies east of Mobile Bay. |
| | much to recommend it. Founded by the French in | This beautiful strip of snow-white beach rivals |
| | 1702 on the west side of Mobile Bay, the city was | Florida's Emerald Coast, and there are several |
| | first called Fort Louis de la Mobile. Its French | places along the shore that can be enjoyed. Gulf |
| | heritage is celebrated with an annual Mardi Gras | State Park has a resort inn, campsites and |
| | festival. Mobile's celebration is smaller, but it | cottages, and activities include golf, tennis and |
| | actually predates the New Orleans festivities. | fishing (from an 825-ft/252-m pier). Nearby Fort |
| | | Morgan preserves what was a Confederate |
| | Stroll along Government Street and the | stronghold during the Civil War. The fort was |
| | surrounding neighborhoods to enjoy the historic | active through World War I and displays a big |
| | flavor of this town. At the Oakleigh House | artillery gun from 1918. If you're visiting in October, |
| | Museum, an impeccably maintained antebellum | the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores is a |
| | home, costumed guides introduce visitors to the | celebration of the popular crustacean |
| | gentility of southern living. Another home worth | |
| | touring is the majestic Bragg-Mitchell Mansion: | West of Gulf Shores is Dauphin Island |
| | Surrounded by live oaks, it is one of the coast's | (pronounced DOFF-in), Alabama's only barrier |
| | most photographed structures. The Mobile | island. It's also home to another important Civil |
| | Museum of Art is worth a look, as is the city's | War fortress, Fort Gaines. (You can take a |
| | colorful waterfront, which has been spruced up. | 30-minute ferry ride across Mobile Bay to travel |
| | | between Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines.) There's a |
| | The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park | re-creation of an 1862 Confederate Christmas at |
| | includes the mighty gunship; the submarine USS | Fort Gaines each December. Also on Dauphin |
| | Drum; 14 airplanes (including a P-51D Mustang | Island is the Estuarium, which presents the |
| | fighter of the type flown by the Tuskegee Airmen); | ecology of the local environment, with interactive |
| | and a nature observatory. Other Mobile-area | exhibits and two dozen tanks holding everything |
| | attractions include Conde-Charlotte Museum | from oysters to octopi and baby alligators. |
| | House (Mobile's first jail) and Fort Conde, | Dauphin is also a good place to lie back on the |
| | originally constructed by the French. A portion of | beach and catch some rays. |
| | the fort was rebuilt and contains a museum, and | |
| | demonstrations of weaponry are performed by | The artists' town of Fairhope has a thriving |
| | costumed guides. | downtown and lots of bed-and-breakfasts ready |
| | | to welcome visitors. The town is northwest of Gulf |
| | In early spring (Mardi Gras through April), drive | Shores, and it's near the Weeks Bay National |
| | along the absolutely beautiful 35-mi/56-km Azalea | Estuarine Research Reserve, one of about two |
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