Group Itineraries

This unique and custom offering is a collection of “Experience Based” attractions with hands on, immersive tours that allow guests to fully appreciate the culture of our city.  Get ready to experience what a day in the life of a Mobilian looks, feels, tastes and smells like.

Touring options include (but not limited to):

• Cooking demonstrations with a local chef

• Shucking oysters at Wintzell’s or another restaurant

• Fishing, how to throw a cast net, bait a crab trap or clean a mullet

• Mixing cocktails at a local bar 

• Clotilda short film & water tour

• Painting at a local studio

• Bird or plant identification tour by airboat or kayak

• Jewelry making at a local shop

• Candy making demonstrations or classes at Three George’s 

• Roll and eat your own sushi at local sushi restaurant

• Beer tastings, and food pairings at one of the local breweries 

• Inside the wheel house or engine room tours on the Perdido Queen or local tug boat company

• Behind the scenes VIP tours, etc

• Bellingrath gardening class or a tour of the Christmas Light workshop

• Back stage at the Saenger, a historical tour of the facility

• “From warehouses to housewares”, a tour of downtown commercial spaces turned residential

• Airbus, ALDOT Tunnel Tour, industrial / manufacturing tours

All of these activities and more await your arrival here in Mobile!  These custom coordinated tours will introduce you to the lives and livelihoods of those that live these experiences each day.  These unique characters are what make our city work.  You will depart knowing the who, what, why and where of all these unique roles.  The only question left to ask is … when can we expect you?

DAY ONE

Welcome to our beautiful city by the Bay. This region is overflowing with natural resources and opportunities to take in nature; whether by land, sea or air…boat. Unpack your bags and get ready to take in the sights, sounds and scenes found only in Mobile.

Take a walk outside and explore one of our many parks or riverside wonders.

Fresh seafood options are plentiful regardless of which part of town you stay.  Wintzell’s Oyster House has multiple locations around the area. Designated by national and regional publications as a dining landmark ... lively, casual, and unmistakably southern. Oysters—fried, stewed, and nude—headline the iconic, 81-year-old brand. With its walls covered in thousands of homespun sayings, Wintzell’s is still shuck’n!

DAY TWO

Staying downtown? We’ve got great ways to start your day. Breakfast at Ruby Slipper Café, an award-winning café famous for adding New Orleans flair to Southern breakfast, brunch & lunch offerings. Spot of Tea, often considered Mobile's Flagship restaurant, is a bucket list destination for visitors around the country.  Or Mo’Bay Beignets where a mama’s special beignet recipe for her family, and her tradition of using her special syrups to “add a little love to them,” is what Mo’Bay Beignet is founded on.

Mobile Bay and the Mobile-Tensaw Delta are extraordinary waterways and there are numerous ways to see them firsthand.  Air boat tours with Airboat Express or Airboat Adventures offer an adventure of a lifetime and possibly and eye-to-eye encounter with an alligator. Wild Native Tours or Mobile Kayak Rental Co. offer guided kayak tours on these local waters where you will learn about the biodiversity of 'America's Amazon' while seeing wildlife, plants and more. If fishing is more your style, in-shore and off-shore fishing charters are available.  Don’t want to get “on the water,” take a riverfront hike along the boardwalks at Blakeley State Park or Meaher State Park instead.

Exploring builds an appetite.  Choose lunch, dinner or both at one of the many fine restaurants along the Mobile Causeway.  Often referred to as 'seafood row,' it is lined with many delicious waterfront dining options.

Not sure which tours to take?  Local companies offer step on guides to introduce your group to the many wonders of Mobile Bay.

DAY THREE

Enjoy a jazz brunch on the Mobile River aboard the Perdido Queen Riverboat.  This unique dining experience offers two levels of excitement, including the climate-controlled dining room with 360-degree views or the open-air second level. Dinner cruises feature live entertainment. Perdido Queen Cruises also offers Sunday Jazz Brunch and Murder Mystery Dinner Theater.

Arrive on Friday evening and enjoy the many dining and entertainment options around our the city.  Saturday morning pre-game at a local eatery before heading to the game.

Saturday is game day! Take in a University of South Alabama football game at the brand new Hancock Whitney Stadium.  Cheer on the local Jaguars or bring a group of fans from the visiting team.  Either way, this gorgeous new stadium and competitive football program will have you doing the wave….is that still a thing?

The fun doesn’t stop at the end of the 4^th quarter. Take the after party to one of the area’s many sports bars. Food, drinks and football are on every menu and TV on every Saturday in the South.  

For late afternoon games, stay at one of our many local hotels on Saturday night. Many local establishments pride themselves in Sunday brunch.  Fill up before you head out on Sunday.

In addition to University of South Alabama Jaguars games, Mobile hosts numerous other college football games each year.  The Gulf Coast Classic, Lending Tree Bowl and Reese’s Senior Bowl are all held in Mobile each year.

You can arrive early or stay late, either way when you bring a group to Mobile for a Carnival Cruise extending that getaway is easy by staying and playing in Mobile! Cozy hotels, world-class cuisine and lots of museums, attractions and tours will easily fill your day(s).

Dinner, cocktails and live entertainment can all be found downtown prior to departure, or upon your return.  The same is true for all the tours, museums and other attractions that can be scheduled to educate and entertain your group on their visit to our historical port city.  

Boat tours, walking tours, step on guide services are all available.  History, food, military history, arts and culture, sporting events, Mardi Gras, sightseeing can all be incorporated into a custom itinerary based around your Carnival Cruise.

Dauphin Island has been the sandy backyard for generations of Mobilians, as well as a popular beach destination for thousands of tourists each year who prefer a laid-back beach experience.  This quaint beach community boasts a casual, quiet, and even vintage 1950s feel and offers plenty of wholesome fun for the entire family.

DAY ONE 

The sandy beaches of Dauphin Island beckon visitors to come out and play. Spend time lounging on the beach or take a leisurely stroll along the sands and splash in the waves of the Gulf of Mexico.

Attractions on the island include historic Fort Gaines, where visitors get a close look at this Civil War era fort.  The Dauphin Island Sea Lab and Alabama Aquarium is another amazing attraction where one can learn about all the unique waterways and the plants and wildlife that call them home, included in the Mobile Bay watershed.

DAY TWO

No island visit is complete without trying your luck at reeling in a big catch.  Fishing boats are everywhere and so are opportunities to charter them. In-shore trips and off-shore trips offer all levels of excitement. Even if you stay on-shore, look for blue crabs along the shallows near the boat docks.

Sand Island lighthouse is one of only 2 light houses in Alabama.  It is located just South of Dauphin Island marking the entrance to Mobile Bay. Visitors CAN rent a boat or take a boat tour to visit this long-standing attraction. The boat tours offered by Action Outdoors are a popular way to see the lighthouse up close. If you take the Mobile Bay Ferry from Dauphin Island over to Fort Morgan, the lighthouse can be seen in the distance from the ferry, as well as dolphins, diving pelicans and other local wildlife.  After crossing the Bay be sure to visit Historic Fort Morgan!

A few local restaurants offer dining opportunities on the island or venture back towards Mobile to experience a plethora of dining options.  Either way, fresh seafood is definitely on any island menu.

DAY THREE

Experience the islands natural beauty with a walk through the Audubon Bird Sanctuary.  This area is a major migratory thoroughfare, so excellent birdwatching opportunities exist.  Or perhaps shopping is the adventure you’re looking for, if so you’ll want to stop at the unique shops and produce stands along the way to and from the island. 

If you want to fit 300 years of history into 3 days, you better hurry! 

DAY ONE

Seven National Register Historic Districts make up what is known as downtown and midtown Mobile, which means that you'll delight in getting to know these seven distinct personalities spread throughout the Mobile area - they truly define the heart and soul of ‘old Mobile'.  Guided tours of these neighborhoods can be arranged through step on guides.

Downtown Mobile has seen many changes over the years, so many of the downtown restaurants are in buildings once used for a variety of other purposes.  A casual stroll down Dauphin Street choosing which delicious eatery to choose for lunch is almost a historical tour in itself.

After lunch venture inside one of our various downtown historical museums. Guided tours are available at the History Museum of Mobile, Phoenix Fire Museum and Fort Condé. Travel across town to visit the University of South Alabama Archaeology Musuem on the campus of the University of South Alabama.

DAY TWO

Military history is everywhere around Mobile Bay.  No visit to the area is complete without a visit to the “Mighty A.”  Located at USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park, this highly rated attraction will allow you to take a step back in time, embarking on an incredible journey into America's military past. Each step brings you closer to understanding how our veterans lived and worked. It's a unique experience never to be forgotten.  Guided tours are available.

Or explore a little further out of town, and much further back in time to Civil War sites at Historic Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island, or Historic Blakeley State Park in Spanish Fort.

Many dining options are available nearby along the Mobile Causeway or in Downtown Mobile.

DAY THREE

There is no better way to experience history than to visit a city's beautiful historic homes. Condé-Charlotte House, which began its life as a magazine and became Mobile's first courthouse and jail, now stands as a museum, full of antiques and colonial and Confederate-era furnishings. The Italianate-style Richards DAR House is known for its cast-iron façade depicting the four seasons and is host to a variety of Revolution-era artifacts. The Bellingrath Home, surrounded by the beautiful famed gardens, was built in an English Renaissance-style. If the walls of the Greek Revival-style Bragg-Mitchell Mansion could talk, they would tell stories of Mobile during the Civil War. The Oakleigh complex consists of the Oakleigh Mansion, the Cox-Deasy Cottage Museum and the Minnie Mitchell Archives.  Tours available at all these locations.

History comes alive on the Dora Franklin Finley African-American Heritage Trail tour. The trail reveals forgotten chapters of history, telling the stories of courage and contributions made by unsung heroes from Mobile's ethnically diverse past. Walking tours, van tours and step on guides are available for these tours. 

COMING SOON:

The Africatown Experience
Assets for this experience are still being developed. 

Did you know that Mobile is the birthplace of America's Original Mardi Gras? That's right, Mardi Gras originated in 1703 right here in our port city. It was revived after the Civil War when citizen Joe Cain, fed up with post-war misery, led an impromptu parade down city streets. We've been doing it ever since and we mark the annual occasion with majestic parades, colorful floats and flying Moon Pies. Mardi Gras celebrations begin three weeks before Fat Tuesday. The Port City comes to life; elaborate themed floats manned by masked mystic societies, mounted police and marching bands wind through downtown Mobile and surrounding areas, entertaining nearly a million revelers each year.

Our Carnival is a family-friendly time of parties, balls, parades and revelry. Find your spot and get ready to catch Moon Pies, beads and trinkets. And not to forget the man who kept Mardi Gras alive, Joe Cain Day is observed the Sunday before Fat Tuesday. For an unforgettable view of the parades and ensuing celebrations local hotels and businesses have parade route balconies that can be reserved for groups.

Start your Mardi Gras adventure in Mobile at the Mobile Carnival Museum. The museum highlights the history of Mardi Gras in its true birthplace - Mobile, Alabama. The museum features 14 galleries, video presentations, a pictorial hallway, and an interactive float area - all in a restored historic mansion. The History Museum of Mobile also has an area dedicated to the history of Mardi Gras in our city. 

Toomey’s Mardi Gras store is another must-see when experiencing Mardi Gras in Mobile.  Here you can experience Mardi Gras year-round at our great store featuring float pieces, Mardi Gras history and lots of great souvenirs! 

Stay up-to-date on all things Mobile Mardi Gras by following @MobileMardiGras on Facebook and Twitter. And, for even more Mobile Mardi Gras information, visit The Mobile Mask!  

ARTS FOR ALL
The Mobile Museum of Art is the largest art museum along the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Tampa. Their 95,000 square-foot museum, with scenic vistas of surrounding Langan Park, the permanent collection consists of more than 6,400 works of art, many of which are shown in our American, European, and Asian art exhibitions. In addition, the museum hosts regional and national exhibitions. Don't miss The Art Store for works from regional artists available for purchase.

Every second Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., downtown Mobile comes alive during the wildly popular LoDa ArtWalk. Every second weekend, thousands of folks gather to enjoy the latest in local art, music, food and culture. Stroll along, browsing eclectic local galleries, public spaces and pop-up markets at your leisure. 

HISTORIC HOMES
With its first settlers arriving in 1702, the city of Mobile is rich in history. There is no better way to experience that history than to visit the city's beautiful historic homes. See the grandeur of the South and the influences of many different cultures. Mobile's historic homes offer visitors a keen understanding of locals' lives long ago. The Condé-Charlotte House once served as Mobile's first courthouse and jail. Today, it operates as a museum full of antiques and colonial-era furnishings. The Italianate-style Richards DAR House is known for its cast-iron façade depicting the four seasons. It is host to a variety of Revolution-era artifacts. Bellingrath Home, surrounded by 65 acres of famed gardens, was built in an English Renaissance style. If the walls of the Greek Revival-style Bragg-Mitchell Mansion could talk, they would tell stories of Mobile during the Civil War. The Oakleigh complex consists of the Oakleigh Mansion, the Cox-Deasy Cottage Museum, and the Minnie Mitchell Archives.

HISTORIC DISTRICTS
Seven National Register Historic Districts make up what is known as downtown and midtown Mobile. Strolling or driving through one of our seven historic districts, you'll discover front porches as stylish as the living rooms within, giant ferns swaying in the breezes, ancient live oak trees, and magnolia trees forming canopies over many streets.