A culinary and cultural hub of the Gulf South, Mobile, Alabama, has evolved over nearly 325 years to become a thoroughly modern and authentically Southern city worthy of celebration. Whether visitors are looking for a journey into diverse cuisine or a sobering introspective tour of the agony and triumphs of the not-so-distant past, Mobile is a community at the crossroads of innovation and reverence, rife with resonance and ready for visitors to discover all it has to offer.
One of the largest foodie scenes on the Gulf Coast, Mobile has more incredible restaurants than any one person could experience in one visit, with over fifty-seven in the downtown area alone. Thankfully, the Bienville Bites Food Tour is here to guide visitors and locals alike through the incredible offerings throughout Mobile. Through trolley tours, downtown tours, and even holiday-themed tours, Bienville Bites founders Chris and Laney Andrews began in 2017 as Mobile’s first and only food tour. Since named the “Best Food Tour in Alabama” and USA Today’s Top Food Tour in the U.S.,” Chris Andrews relishes the opportunity to showcase a diverse food scene that some, even locals, might not even be aware of.
“The tour is a great way to try new restaurants, including our iconic/landmark destinations, all in one day,” says Chris. “All of our tours feature signature dishes direct from Mobile, from as many as five locations across downtown. Along the way, our friendly, knowledgeable tour guides will be sharing stories about the landmarks of the city, making the tour about so much more than food, but about the history and storytelling of Mobile as well.”
Highlighting a largely unknown chapter in Mobile’s history, the History Museum of Mobile set up a landmark exhibition at the Africatown Heritage House, where guests can learn the story of the enslaved persons who were brought to America on the last known US slave ship, The Clotilda, and later established a community of free Africans known as Africatown. A stark reminder of the scars of our neighbors’ ancestors, Clotilda: The Exhibition contextualizes the journey and shipwreck of the slave ship through the lives, degradation, and triumphs of the men, women, and children who overcame inconceivable horrors and ultimately found new life on Mobile’s shores. The exhibition encompasses a 2,500 multi-sensory space, filled with artifacts and primary source reports that tell the stories of the individuals who survived their ordeal and created a community through which their ancestors could thrive; ancestors like Darron Patterson, native of Plateau, Alabama (formerly Africatown), and the great-great grandson of Clotilda survivor Pollee “Kupollee” Allen.
“This exhibition means a lot to our community,” says Patterson, who is also a member of the Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation. “The mission of the exhibition is so we never let the world forget. We have government officials trying to limit history, to curate it so our children can’t understand the truth. Black history is American history, and you can’t change that history with the stroke of an executive order. Our duty with Clotilda: The Exhibition is to give these kids the opportunity to know the truth about our past and to decide for themselves what they do with it.”
Whether you are in search of enrichment of your palette or your soul, Mobile has something special just for you. Come by for a visit and see if you can’t find something worth celebrating.
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