The busy port and paper manufacturing city of MOBILE (pronounced Mo-beel ) traces its origins back to a French community founded in 1702. These early white settlers brought with them Mardi Gras , celebrated in Mobile continuously since 1704 - several years before New Orleans. Virtually every street is transformed in early spring by the delicate colors of azaleas, camellias and dogwoods - a beautiful complement to the many early eighteenth-century Spanish and colonial-style buildings. Parallels with New Orleans are everywhere you look, from wrought-iron balconies to street names like Conti and Bienville and gumbo specials in the restaurants.

Mobile survived the torches of the Union army during the Civil War, and possesses enough antebellum buildings to designate four sizeable areas as historic districts. Even so, the city is unlikely to hold your attention for more than a day. The obvious place to start exploring is Fort Conde (daily 8am-5pm; free), a reconstruction of the city's 1724 French fort that was constructed to mark the Bicentennial in 1976. Dioramas in its low-ceilinged rooms cover local history, while its ramparts provide a good view of the World War II battleship USS Alabama permanently moored nearby (fort & ship daily 8am-6pm; $10, parking $2). Fanning out north of the fort, the Church Street Historic District holds 59, mostly pre-Civil War, buildings, as well as two museums (both Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm; free). The Museum of Mobile , 111 S Royal St (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sun noon-5pm), displays glittering Mardi Gras costumes and lavish horse-drawn carriages, while steam-powered fire engines, resplendent in original livery, shining brass bells and trumpets, are the stars of the Phoenix Fire Museum , 750 S Clairborne St (Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 1-5pm).

Downtown Mobile's lack of action outside of Mardi Gras is made up for by an amazing display of greenery, particularly down its main thoroughfare, Government Street , which is shaded by a canopy of adjoining oaks, and central Bienville Square , a popular picnic spot with free lunchtime concerts every Wednesday during summer.