Wednesday (4/29) Mobile, AL   Went to Forte Conde which serves as the Visitor's Center for Mobile.   We walked around the old section of Mobile which is now a tourist attraction.  

Mobile is where Mardi Gras was started in 1703.  There is a wonderful museum that show cases a side of the Mardi Gras that is not usually shown in media coverage.   There is a great deal of pageantry to the Mardi Gras with a King and Queen being selected every year.  This is done a year in advance because it takes that long for their bejeweled costumes and robes (see picture) that are approximately 15 ft. long to be made.

The first official jail of Mobile was remodeled into a home in 1854.  This antebellum home called Conde Charlotte is now a museum showing furnishings of the five different periods of government in Mobile. Included on the property is a delightful Spanish court yard.

We then took a ride to Fairhope, AL.   This a very quaint town on the east side of Mobile Bay that is loaded with expensive tourist shops.  The town is decked out in flowers everywhere (see picture.)  There are two restaurants there that were show cased on Dinners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  We at one, the Gumbo Shack, and it was very good although hard to find.