Over the last several years I have been visiting the Mobile, Alabama area where my daughter and her family live.  The city of Mobile is on the west side of Mobile Bay.  On the East side of Mobile Bay are several suburbs, including Daphne and Fairhope.  In the last 5 years the east side of Mobile Bay has grown over 11% in population.  Among the reasons for the growth are the shipbuilder Austel and the Airbus North America aircraft plant.  My daughter and her husband work at the Navy Federal Credit Union International Call Center located on the Alabama-Florida state line, just off of I-10.   East Shore  is the 40 miles between Mobile Bay and Florida.  My daughter and her family live in Daphne.
There are many things to do for the tourist in the Mobile area.  The newest attraction is the Gulf Quest National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico.  At the museum you learn about how to pilot a ship, about the shores of the gulf, sailing, navigation, steam engines, gps satellites, propellers, operating a crane, signal flags, and numerous other interesting facts of the port of Mobile and the ships being built there.  On the top floor is an outdoor observation deck where you see the ships currently being built (US Navy), and ships being unloaded and loaded at the harbor.
Also at the harbor area is the USS Alabama Battleship, now a museum.  You can explore this WWII battleship as well as the USS Drum WWII Submarine, and 25 aircraft, including the SR71 and the B52 bomber.
In downtown Mobile is the Gulf Coast Science Center, the History Museum of Mobile in the Old City Hall, and a rebuilt fort (Fort Conde) which is a museum and Visitor Center.  South of Mobile is the 65 acre Bellingrath Gardens with the best Japanese Gardens I have seen.  A drive further south to the coast, you will find the Estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.  You will see many off shore natural gas derricks and can take a ferry across the bay.
Mobile is an interesting place to visit.
April 2017