Mobile has museums and attractions celebrating almost any local topic: history, art, science, horticulture, marine biology, antebellum architecture and, of course, the revelry of Mardi Gras. These world-class museums not only make Mobile a cultural destination, but also provide educational facilities seldom found in a city its size.
Attractions
The History Museum of Mobile and Welcome Center
111 S. Royal St., Mobile
(251) 208-7569
The History Museum of Mobile, located in a national landmark building, uses interactive exhibits to tell the story of Mobile’s more than 300-year history. The museum also serves as the city’s official welcome center.
355 Government St., Mobile
(251) 432-3324
The William J. and Emily Staples Hearin Mobile Carnival Museum showcases Mobile as the birthplace of Mardi Gras. The museum allows visitors to experience the excitement of a Mardi Gras parade any time of the year.
1664 Springhill Ave., Mobile
(251) 415-1109
The Mobile Medical Museum uncovers 200 years of medical history.
Alabama Contemporary Art Center
301 Conti St., Mobile
(251) 208-5671
The Alabama Contemporary Art Center shows modern art in an industrial setting in the center of downtown.
4850 Museum Dr., Mobile
(251) 208-5200
The Mobile Museum of Art is the setting for a permanent collection of more than 9,000 works of art spanning two centuries, as well as a changing series of traveling exhibitions and regional art exhibits.
Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center
65 Government St., Mobile
(251) 208-6881
The Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center features permanent exhibitions including “My BodyWorks,” “Hands on Hall” and “Minds on Hall,” as well as major traveling exhibits and movies in the J.L.Bedsole IMAX® Dome Theater.
GulfQuest National Maritime Museum
155 S. Water St., Mobile
(251) 436-8901
Overlooking the busy Mobile River, the museum offers 90 interactive exhibits, simulators, displays, theaters and a life-sized replica of a container ship to give visitors hands-on experience with maritime industry and history.
12401 Bellingrath Rd., Theodore
(251) 973-2217
Bellingrath Gardens and Home, just south of the city, is one of America’s most beautiful display gardens and one of the Gulf Coast’s most popular attractions.
5151 Museum Dr., Mobile
(251) 342-0555
Located near Langan Park, the Mobile Botanical Gardens encompass a 100-acre site of cultivated gardens, woodland trails and a longleaf pine forest.
Estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab
101 Bienville Blvd., Dauphin Island
(251) 861-2141
The Estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab shows visitors the ecological balance of the four key fish and wildlife habitats of coastal Alabama: the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Mobile Bay, the Barrier Islands and the Gulf of Mexico.
Five Rivers – Alabama’s Delta Resource Center
30945 Five Rivers Blvd., Spanish Fort
(251) 625-0814
Just minutes from downtown, the state’s 83-acre waterfront complex, 5 Rivers – Alabama’s Delta Resource Center, provides public access to the wonders of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta with hundreds of miles of rivers and wetlands.
1906 Springhill Ave., Mobile
(251) 471-6364
The Bragg-Mitchell Mansion gives a glimpse of lavish plantation life.
104 Theatre St., Mobile
(251) 432-4722
The Condé-Charlotte House, built in the 1820s, is one of the city’s oldest surviving houses and is furnished to represent five periods of Mobile’s history.
300 Oakleigh Place, Mobile
(251) 432-6161
Built in 1833, Oakleigh, a classic example of Greek Revival architecture, is Mobile’s official antebellum mansion. Other house museums include the Richards-DAR House, known for its exceptional iron-lace balconies, and the Portier House, home to Mobile’s first five Catholic bishops.
2703 Battleship Pkwy., Mobile
(251) 433-2703
Battleship Memorial Park features the USS ALABAMA, a World War II-era battleship, along with the submarine USS DRUM, an aircraft pavilion of historic planes and several war memorials.
111 S. Royal St., Mobile
(251) 802-3092
This partial replica of the French colonial fort built in the early 1700s uses costumed re-enactors to recreate Mobile’s colonial history under the French, Spanish and English. Guarding the mouth of Mobile Bay, historic Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan on the opposite shore played major roles in the Civil War.
2703 Battleship Pkwy., Mobile
(251) 802-8687
Leaving from Battleship Memorial Park or Fort Condé Welcome Center, Gulf Coast Ducks offers light-hearted but informative tours of the city and its waterfront.