Mobile: where America's Mardi Gras was born

On the Gulf of Mexico bay, Mobile celebrated Mardi Gras first in America, years before the more famous New Orleans celebration.

The center, birthplace of American Mardi Gras, is visited comfortably on foot.

The Mobile Carnival Museum tells the story of the city's Mardi Gras, celebrated continuously since 1703, decades before the more famous one in New Orleans.

A short walk away, the historic Oakleigh Garden district preserves antebellum villas dating to the nineteenth century, surrounded by centuries-old oak trees covered in Spanish moss.

Heading toward the harbor, you visit the USS Alabama, a World War II battleship transformed into a floating museum visitable across multiple decks.

In the evening, Dauphin Street district comes alive with restaurants and live music venues in the heart of the historic center.

Mobile celebrated its first Mardi Gras in 1703, when the city was still a French colony founded just years before, making it the first American city to introduce the carnival tradition, well before New Orleans.

The USS Alabama, a battleship that participated in numerous battles in the Pacific during World War II, has remained anchored in Mobile Bay as a floating museum since 1965.