Travel to Mobile Alabama

Architecture Carnivals Fire Houses Ships Shipbuilding and Southern Hospitality

Mobile Alabama is located at the head of Mobile Bay and the Central Gulf Coast. Mobile was founded by the French in 1702. During its first 100 years, Mobile was a colony of France, Britain and Spain; it became a part of the United States of America in 1813.

Mobile Bay is the fourth largest estuary in the US. The Mobile, Tensaw and several smaller rivers empty into the northern end of the bay. Fish and crustaceans swarm the shallow coastline and shore of the bay. Mobile Bay is the only place on earth where the so called jubilees are a common occurrence.

The Port of Mobile’s deep water terminals have direct access to 1500 miles of inland and intra-coastal waterways and access to the Great Lakes, the Ohio and Tennessee rivers. During WWII, the defense buildup resulted in a considerable increase in the city's white middle-class and working-class population, largely due to the massive influx of workers coming to work in the shipyards were Liberty ships and tankers were built, along with destroyers and minesweepers.

Experiential Tourism with the Traveler as Protagonist

Experiences designed around multiple interests that ensure unique emotions; the traveler participates alongside local cooks, artists, craftsmen, and expert tour guides in activities:

o   rooted in the territory; it can happen only there, and

o   with uniquely local events, experiments, food and wine tastings

o   specifically modified and tailored to your preferences  

memorable unique and unrepeatable!

To Know More About It

Arezza    Knowledge Tourism

Culture Mobile is home to an array of cultural influences with its mixed French, Spanish, Creole and Catholic heritage, in addition to British and African. The city is home to several art museums, a symphony orchestra, a professional opera, a professional ballet company and the oldest organized  

Carnival celebrations in the country, originating with the French Catholic colonial settlers. Carnival in Mobile evolved over the course of 300 years from a beginning as a sedate French Catholic tradition into the mainstream multi-week celebration that today bridges a spectrum of cultures. Mobile's official cultural ambassadors are the Azalea Trail Maids who embody the ideals of Southern Hospitality.

The Mobile Museum of Art features permanent exhibits that span several centuries of art and culture. The permanent exhibits include the African and Asian Collection Gallery, Altmayer Gallery of American art, Katharine C. Cochrane Gallery of American Fine Art, Maisel European Gallery, Riddick Glass Gallery, Smith Crafts Gallery, and the Ann B. Hearin Contemporary Art Gallery.

Battleship Memorial Park is a military park on the shore of Mobile Bay and features the World War II era USS Alabama and the submarine USS Drum as well as Korean and Vietnam War memorials.

Architecture as the city’s principal commercial corridor, Dauphin Street acquired such a reputation for quality. A fire in 1839 destroyed the older wooden buildings on the street and the two- and three-story brick commercial buildings that we see today began to be built. Many of the early structures had the straight lintels and dentil moldings of the Federal style. Reconstruction brought new building trends such as the Italianate style and cast iron facades. The end of the 19^th Century brought the Victorian era and Revivalism which continued into the 20^th Century. Dauphin Street area has experienced a recent revival because of the historic preservation movement. Video

Fire Houses in the nineteenth century the fire alarm was sounded by beating on a metal wagon wheel ring with a hammer. Volunteers were always in a hurry to get to the fire because the company that responded first got paid. By law, every citizen was required to have a fire bucket, and three were required in cotton warehouses, taverns and hotels.

Creole Fire House #1, 1872 designed by James H. Hutchisson, this two-story brick structure with arched central bay and full height second floor windows. It was the first volunteer fire company in Mobile, founded in 1819 by members of Mobile’s Creole community. The fire company was absorbed into the city department in 1888 and finally disbanded in 1970. The Creoles were people of mixed heritage who formed their own schools, churches and social organizations. It is said that the Creole #1 was usually the first to get to the fire because they bought rejected race horses, including Jack, the horse who could follow his nose straight to the fire. Horse drawn equipment was used until 1924. The company remained in the Dearborn Street house until the Central Fire Station was built in 1926.

South Water Street circa 1860 the front of the Elgin Building is one-of-a-kind in Mobile. It is a cast iron facade ordered from the catalogue of the Badger Iron Works Co. in New York and installed on a brick building. The façade is based on the waterfront palazzos of 15th and 16th century Venice. The façade was designed by T.H. Giles.

South Royal Street 1891 designed in 1891 by Rudolph Benz, this commercial brick building is in the Queen Ann Style. The east and south corners have turrets with pyramidal roofs. The building also has a variety of decorative motifs and cast iron balconies.

102 Dauphin Street circa 1875 currently a two-story building with rounded windows with cast iron hoods on the second floor; this building was originally three stories. The decorative sills for the third floor windows are still visible at the cornice line.

Bienville Square circa 1850 was named for Mobile’s founder, Jean Baptist le Moyne Sieur de Bienville, a French naval officer who became the governor of French Louisiana. Bienville Square began its transition into a public Square in 1824 when the U.S. Congress passed an act transferring a large plot of land to the City of Mobile. This plot was the site of the Old Spanish Hospital on the southwest corner of the block. The Act specifically specified that the property be forever used as a city park. The Square became a popular place to promenade, and by the spring of 1890 installation of an Acanthus Fountain in the center was underway. The fountain was placed in honor of Dr. George A. Ketchum, a prominent physician, civic leader and president of the Bienville Water Works. In 1905, Teddy Roosevelt spoke in the Square about the importance of the Panama Canal to the port of Mobile.

The American South and the Gulf Coast

American Travel Hubs and Itineraries

The Southern United States includes the states from Texas and Oklahoma to the Atlantic coast and Kentucky and West Virginia to the Gulf Coast. Plan a journey from the Atlantic to the Gulf Coast via Appalachia and the Mississippi River.

Texas Cities and the Hill Country

Austin, on the eastern edge of Texas Hill Country, is the state capital, the live music capital of the world, a center for film, home to the University of Texas and Formula 1's Circuit of the Americas raceway. The city’ parks and lakes are popular for hiking, biking, swimming, boating and other outdoor pursuits as well as a ballet, world-class museums and a unique shopping experience. 

Experience San Antonio’s rich heritage by visiting its 18^th century Spanish colonial missions, residential areas dating from the 1860s and the local museums that celebrate the city’s past. The National Historic Park the Mission Trail is a walking, biking or driving experience of the five local missions and the centuries of local history and culture: Mission San Antonio de Valero, commonly known as the Alamo, Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan Capistrano and Mission San Francisco de la Espada. The San Antonio Mission Trail begins at the Alamo and winds southward along a nine-mile stretch of the San Antonio River.

Dallas is relatively young city with a colorful past. In 1839, John Neely Bryan, a lawyer from Tennessee with a taste for adventure, wandered into the area and was impressed with what he believed to be the perfect ingredients for a trading post and eventually a town: plenty of raw land, Indians with whom to do business, and the river. The young city’s can-do spirit helped bring the railroads to the area in the 1870s, the Federal Reserve Bank in 1914, Southern Methodist University in 1915, Love Field Airport in 1927, the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936 and DFW International Airport in 1973. 

Cowboys Cowgirls Wineries Public Art Trails and Vintage Railroads

Grapevine is a small town located between Dallas and Fort Worth and is home of DFW International Airport, the world’s fourth largest, with nonstop service from more than 200 cities, including over 50 international destinations. Main Street in the historic downtown has a public library, recreation center, antique stores, restaurants, bars, theaters, a park, and many specialty shops. Here, you can also bottle your own wine, explore Historic Nash Farm, the Botanical Gardens and Lake Grapevine.

A Downtown Walking Tour the Main Street Historic District includes over 50 buildings and their architectural descriptions as well as stories, events and people who contributed to the town’s development. Founded in 1844, Grapevine is the oldest community in Tarrant County. In 1888, when the Cotton Belt Railroad came to Grapevine, businesses flourished and the wooden buildings on Main Street were replaced with new structures constructed of locally-made brick. 

Fort Worth was settled in 1849 as an army outpost along the Trinity River as one of eight forts assigned to protect settlers on the advancing frontier. The cattle industry was king for a generation of people working the Fort Worth leg of the historic Chisholm Trail, which ran from the 1860s to the 1870s when the Texas & Pacific Railway arrived. In the years that followed, oil and aviation brought new wealth throughout the region. The post-war years found Fort Worth capitalizing on its strengths as a transport, business and military center. Cultural pursuits included the development of the city's internationally acclaimed museum district.

Food Brews and Spirits in Fort Worth you can experience cowboy cuisine, trendy farm-to-table, authentic Mexican and bayou fare. Highlights include beef briskets, pork ribs and locally grown, organic artisan cheeses, alongside nicely paired wines. Artisanal distilleries offer straight bourbon, premium blended whiskey and vodka made from black-eyed peas. Also handcrafted beers, some brewed with milk, honey and sugar, accompanied by live music and local food trucks. 

Tennessee

Nashville has been the subject of many books, movies and songs. But, while music is the lifeblood of this city, you will also find here culture, history, haute cuisine, sports, natural beauty and especially Southern charm.

Memphis is a city with a rich and eclectic history. Some of the city’s traditions and milestones include: Graceland, Home of Elvis Presley, the Memphis Zoo, the Indie Memphis Film Festival, Sun Studio, National Civil Rights Museum, Stax Museum of American Soul Music and Beale Street Music Festival.

 Mississippi

The Sights Sounds and Culinary Traditions of the Mississippi Regions. Delta is a melting pot of cultures – from African to Italian to Asian. Capital-River from a mighty river and antebellum mansions to downtowns with restaurants featuring soul food, authentic ethnic dishes and modern culinary delights. Pines barbecue and bakeries, cheese and cheesecakes, the tastes of this region take their influences from their Native American heritage. Hills home to William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams and Southern fiction characters, platters of fried chicken, skillets of cornbread, and delicacies such as pecan pie. 

Coast golf, gambling, art, architecture and great food. 

Mississippi is a true melting pot of regional, ethnic, national and international cuisine

New Orleans

The original settlement of New Orleans and the oldest neighborhood in the city is Vieux Carre, better known as the French Quarter. Established by the French in 1718, the location continues to be a valuable site for trade due to its strategic position along the Mississippi River. The district is a National Historic Landmark and is bordered by popular streets, such as Canal, Decatur and Rampart Streets and Esplanade Avenue. The French Quarter boasts cultural contributions from the French, Spanish, Italians, Africans, Irish and others – as demonstrated by the development of New Orleans as a global port.

North Carolina

Charlotte is named in honor of King George III of Britain’s consort. It is a city with 199 neighborhoods and many nicknames, including: the famed Hornet’s Nest derived from the American Revolution, The QC, Crown Town, Home of NASCAR, Gem of the South, CLT, Bank Town, Char-Town and City of Trees.

Asheville has a fascinating past; experience a walking itinerary that commemorates the city’s most significant cultural, educational, social and architecture stories; a museum without walls. Urban Farm and Mountain Trails Gourmet Cuisine Public Art Music Heritage and a Bohemian Culture.

Travel Services for Families Groups and Businesses

Local Transportation Private Car, Van, Bus Service and local taxi transfers inclusive of insurance, taxes, tolls, fuel and driver services, city to city, airport transfers and sightseeing events. Tips are not included.

Accommodations Inclusive of breakfast, applicable taxes and local city tax. Tips are not included.

Sightseeing Guide Services include applicable taxes. Tips are not included.  

Lunches and Dinners are complete in all respects in restaurants, at your accommodations and include applicable taxes. Tips are not included.

A Note on Sightseeing Excursions In our experience with groups and families, there may be multiple interests – cultural, gastronomic, shopping and more. We are prepared to make-adjustments if, for example, on a specific day some members of your family want to do a cultural tour while others may want to go to the beach or just relax by the pool at your accommodations. 

Changes can be Made to Your Travel Plan even while Your Trip is in Progress

Terms & Conditions

Cancellation Policy you may cancel your accommodations and ground services reservations without penalty at any time prior to trip start. In the event of cancellation, the planning fee is reimbursed; however, all information, contacts, accommodations and other service providers cannot be utilized directly or indirectly by you for purposes of your trip.

Communications the client is asked to refrain from imparting instructions to and making changes to any aspect of the travel program with the service providers. All communications before and during the trip will only take place with members of our team that will be brought to your attention. The client will appoint one person in the group to communicate with our team regarding all aspects of the travel program.

Payments

Tema makes payments to providers at cost, with no mark-ups, for booking accommodations, sightseeing and other event entry fees, airline and intercity train service as well as lunches and dinners. Alternatively, the client can make the payments with Tema’s instructions.

A Trip Planning Fee is due and payable at the time the client agrees to utilize Tema’s services to organize and plan the client’s business travel and/or vacation.

To Get Started Please Advise Number of Persons Traveling, Trip Dates and Locations

A Management Fee is due and payable three days prior to client’s trip start.

Local Transport Fees defined as private car, van, bus service and local taxi transfers are due and payable to Tema three days prior to client’s trip start.

Guide Service Fees are due and payable to Tema three days prior to client’s trip start.

Fees are a function of number of persons traveling and trip length. The client will be appraised of the planning fee on the same day of contact with Tema. All other fees will be spelled out in the overall travel plan which includes accommodations and other service providers and costs.  

Experiential Tourism with the Traveler as Protagonist

Experiences designed around multiple interests that ensure unique emotions; the traveler participates alongside local cooks, artists, craftsmen, and expert tour guides in activities:

o   rooted in the territory; it can happen only there, and

o   with uniquely local events, experiments, food and wine tastings

o   specifically modified and tailored to your preferences  

memorable unique and unrepeatable!

To Know More About It

Arezza    Knowledge Tourism