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A Merry Mobile ChristmasAlabama’s oldest city extends a warm holiday welcomeBy Angela Fox
Now, if a cool front happens through, you might need a jacket while touring the Bellingrath Gardens and Home Magic Christmas in Lights, Mobile’s most spectacular holiday light display. But, then again, you might – like us – stroll through the display in shirtsleeves. Either way you’ll be enchanted by the more than three million strands of twinkling lights and over 25 holiday scenes that run the gamut from Cajun crawfish cooking in a pot and Chinese dragons cavorting on a lawn to the Nativity and partridges in pear trees. We wandered like a couple of awe-struck kids along The Flower Walk, a winding path illuminated by daffodils, camellias, grape hyacinths and amaryllis – all fashioned out of appropriately colored lights. We lingered by Mirror Lake, our jaws dropping at the sight of enormous lighted swans swimming on the lake and a toy-filled train chugging along the banks. We delighted in the Toyland, Nutcracker and Christmas Trees displays – and gazed in hushed silence at the Winter Wonderland of delicate blue and green trees, white lights and peaceful doves spread across the Great Lawn near the Bellingrath home itself.
Best of all, innkeeper Steven Flaskerud and owner Enoch Aguilera, Jr. are passionate advocates of all things Mobile. They can recommend to you, as they did to us, the very best in dining – from casual oyster houses to ethnic eateries to contemporary cuisine – and clue you in on local art galleries, shopping and nightlife opportunities. Stephen also whips up a mean Southern-style breakfast – eggs, grits, Alabama-made sausage, roasted potatoes, fruit salad, juice and coffee. He serves lighter fare like French toast, fruit and coffee some mornings, as well. You’ll want to save room, too, so you can have lunch at least once at the Saucy Q Barbeque, for the best ribs and pork sandwiches in the state. The restaurant is literally a block away from the Berney-Fly on Government Street. As the Saucy Q owners like to say, your tummy will fall smack in love here – ours did. For another type of traditional Southern lunch, brunch or breakfast, try Spot of Tea on Dauphin Street overlooking Cathedral Square, just a few minutes away from the Berney-Fly. We enjoyed a sampling of salads, soups and the eatery’s signature dish, Eggs Cathedral – a crab cake on an English muffin topped with eggs and a creamy seafood sauce, served with home fried potatoes. Waffles, omelettes and all manner of sandwiches round out the scrumptious menu. Or, for the freshest oysters and other seafood in Mobile, head for Wintzell's – still shuckin’ after 69 years. You must stop in whether you eat or not just to see the décor --- every wall is covered with catchy, profound or just plain fun words of wisdom attributed (in spirit, if not in fact) to the original owner J. Oliver Wintzell.
For the kids on your list, visit the gift shop at The Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center and Imax Theater (showing the animated holiday film, “Santa vs. the Snowman” in December). While you’re there, make plans to return to see “A Day in Pompeii,” a blockbuster exhibit of artifacts and treasures from the ancient city of Pompeii that was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79. It opens Jan. 12, 2007 and runs until June 3. Come to think of it, tickets to the Pompeii exhibit would make pretty terrific holiday gifts as well. For the party animal on your list, the choice is obvious: Tour the marvelous new Mobile Carnival Museum, ogle the glittering gowns and crowns of past kings and queens of Mobile’s Mardi Gras celebrations and shop for purple, green and gold “bling” at the incredible gift shop.
Whatever you do and wherever you stay, shop and eat, we think you’ll agree with us: The best gift you’ll give yourself this year – or next – is a trip to Mobile. PHOTOS BY VIRGIL FOX For more information: |
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Embracing
the broad, blue Mobile Bay at Alabama’s southern tip, the city of Mobile boasts
mild temperatures and sunny skies in December amidst Spanish moss draped live
oaks, lingering azalea blooms and, yes, even palm trees. Yet the Christmas
spirit is as merry and bright here as in any snow-covered, evergreen-dotted city
to the far north. Perhaps even more so. After all, this is where Mardi Gras was
first observed in America over 300 years ago and celebrations of every kind are
second nature to this festive Southern city.
Speaking
of the home, don’t miss taking a tour. The Bellingrath Museum Home is a rather
modest (by Southern mansion standards) brick structure stunningly sited on the
banks of the Fowl River. Inside, however, it’s filled with priceless antiques
and furnishings and is decorated with greenery, wreaths, trees and other holiday
finery in December. Guided tours are available if you want to learn in more
detail about the devoted couple who built the home, created the amazing gardens
– and gave it all back to the public to enjoy when they died. The home and
gardens are open year round and are especially glorious in March when the
azaleas are in full bloom and in the fall when cascading mums put on a
spectacular show. The Christmas Lights event opens the day after Thanksgiving
and runs through Dec. 31 (closed Dec. 25.)
There’s
nothing like being home for the holidays, of course. That’s why if you go to
Mobile to enjoy the Christmas fun, you’ll want to stay, as we did, at Berney-Fly
Bed and Breakfast, an exquisitely restored 1895 Queen Ann Victorian on
Government Street (Mobile’s equivalent of St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans).
You’ll feel right at home in any of the four queen-sized bedrooms, each with
private bath. Of course, your own home probably doesn’t feature quite the
selection of antiques and artwork from around the world that the Berney-Fly
does. The backyard offers tropical gardens and a swimming pool and spa for your
outdoor relaxation - and it’s all just a few blocks from the restaurants, shops,
museums and attractions you’ll find downtown and along Mobile Bay.
Christmas
means gifts, of course, so after lunch or breakfast you’ll want to go shopping.
For unique art at very affordable prices by local painters, potters, jewelry
makers and photographers, stop by Cathedral Square Art Gallery on Dauphin. For
the book lover on your list there’s Bienville Books just down the street. Give
the gift of chocolate from Three Georges, where all the delicacies are locally
made and you can even have an old-fashioned milkshake at the soda fountain. For
the “nutty” ones on your list, scoop up a gift at the A & M Peanut Shop, where
the peanuts are freshly roasted in the shell every hour in a 90-year-old antique
roaster. There are also other types of salted nuts for sale, as well as yummy
white chocolate pecan clusters and other candies. The holiday windows displays
are especially pretty.
Top
off you holiday visit with a sublime fine dining experience. For contemporary
cuisine in a romantic setting, head for NoJa, near Cathedral Square. We highly
recommend the Crab Salad to start (and to split), as well as the succulent
steaks and seafood-rich bouillabaisse. Save room for the Banana Rum Cake or
Ginger Doughnut (NoJa’s spin on the classic beignet, gingered up and served with
ice cream). For a more traditional Southern experience, don’t miss The Pillars,
in a gracious columned mansion on Government Street, for the superb Gulf Fish
Pontchartrain and Fried Green Tomato Salad.