MOBILE

Mobile's tourism industry received a shot in the arm in late 2016 when the 2,052-passenger Carnival Fantasy began offering excursions to Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Progreso, Mexico. After retiring in 2011, it was the cruise industry's first return to Mobile. The late writer Eugene Walter called Mobile "the sweet city of Madness County." Walter's grave, located in the historic Church Street Graveyard, just a mile west of the Mobile cruise terminal on the oak-covered public road, is marked with a plaque engraved with the words, "When all else fails, throw a party." The Mobilians are certainly good at that. They've been doing it since the city was founded as the first capital of French colonial Louisiana in 1702. This penchant for an active nightlife has often given rise to comparisons to New Orleans, as have the city's French street names (some of which are identical to those in New Orleans' French Quarter), architecture, Cajun, and Creole cuisine (fresh fish is always on the menu) and an economy centered around a bustling seaport. But Mobile has a spirit all its own. Located on Mobile Bay, with the Gulf beaches a short drive away (it's the largest coastal city between New Orleans and St. Petersburg, Florida), beach culture extends to Mobile. Singer-songwriter and beach-life enthusiast - Jimmy Buffet spent part of his childhood here and played some of his first concerts in the city. Bring your seersuckers and flip-flops and you'll settle in. Also known as the City of Azalea for the vibrant flowering bushes that cover yards and parks in the spring, Mobile boasts a mild subtropical climate with temperatures in the high 90s during the summers and 60s in the winters. Be sure to bring an umbrella; Mobile is wetter than Seattle with about five feet of rain each year.