Les and Marcia's Bohemian Life: Mardi Gras in Mobile AL

Next stop is the Mobile Bay area Alabama (only 1 hour from Biloxi).

Who knew that Mobile started Mardi Gras? We had the most fun during our stop at the Mobile Carnival Museum. The Museum is in a wonderful old mansion on Government Street. It is run by a volunteer staff of amazing and beautiful ladies, all of whom have participated in carnival most of their lives. I do believe we may have been amongst Mardi Gras royalty as well. The first parade was held in 1703 and revived after the Civil war. The Cowbellion de Rakin Society was started when a couple of well meaning inebriants (Joe Cain day is still a favorite local parade) broke into a hardware store, “borrowed” rakes, shovels, cow bells and clanky things and started a parade (now we would arrest them and charge them with drunk and disorderly). Now for three weeks every February, Mobile and surrounding cities are packed with parades, parties and balls. There are elaborate coronations for the kings and queens, princes and princesses. The parades are all for the families. They are led by jazz bands with colorful floats, and people of the mystic societies throw beads, candy and “Moonpies” (for new years Mobile does the official “Moonpie drop to bring in the New Year). Now, this is the deep South. According to our tour guide, Mobile has tried to integrate the parties and balls. The end result, after years of trying, the decision was made by black and white that everyone seems to like having segregated parties. So be it. The museum itself is complete with sample floats, historical photos of the kings, queens and their courts. The most impressive displays are the capes, gowns and crowns. Room after room is filled with seamstress art work. Each royal person designs and pays for their personal wardrobe parties and gifts. It is so easy to feel the excitement and the love for Mobile Mardi Gras.

Our first sight of Mobile

Carnival Museum

Yes, and we feel great too

Vernadean has been in the parades since 1948

All of the capes that we saw have been worn with in the last ten years

The purple capes shows that 8 family members had been a king or a queen

Golden oldie

Fanciful umberelas are carried in the parade and the watchers

Our lovely guide was also a princess

Polka dot Society

mystic society costumes

How did Dr. Green from ER end up in the 1940's?

Downtown Mobile is a very easy place to feel welcomed. We past many lovely oak filled parks with many many confident squirrels and chessboards (being used). There are beautiful houses and businesses. We saw a policemen stopping traffic. The reason; a wedding was going on. As we were chatting with him, people wanted to turn down this street no one seemed to be surprise or annoyed with the reason that they couldn’t.

This is the wedding hot spot

RV TRAVEL TIP. The Robertsdale Camping World has 10 full hookup FREE camp spots. We spent three nights there and were perfectly comfortable.

“Damn the torpedoes, Full speed ahead!” The historians tell us this phrase was said during the sinking of the Tecumseh while breeching Mobile Bay Aug 5, 1864. Here we are at Fort Morgan. Across the bay is Fort Gaines (they claim the phrase too {though it does announce that MobileBay is lost}). FortMorgan is ground level and undetectable from the Gulf. Its overhead outline is the shape of a throwing star. Built in 1819 it was used as a defensive position through WW11 and was deactivated in 1946. Over years the original the brick batteries ( Cannon positions) were replaced with concrete to compensate for heavier weaponry used during the Spanish-American war and WW1. The many of the remaining bricks are naturally covered with crystallized sea salt. Some have formed into cute little stalactites. The fort is on a great chunk of beach. You can take a ferry to the other side of the bay. There are great views of the many oil rigs that seem to be running quite well. The beaches are being checked and cleaned by BP subcontractors. We saw at least 4 teams of two. One couple told us yesterday they were picking up hamburger sized chunks, but today they were smaller and fewer between. It was a cooler day but still a great day to be by the water. Brady was sure he would be able to catch one of those birds. I knew he was saying “just give me a chance”.

The tunnel into Fort Morgan

Tar balls

I know I can

We decided spending anymore time at the Camping World parking lot was tacky. We picked a nice spot in Robertsdale with nice trails for Brady (They have superman ticks down here { Brady is now VERY well armed against them}). We are close to a cotton field and over several days were able to watch the harvest process. I would love to know how many pairs of jeans you could get from one of these bales.