En-route from New Orleans to Pensacola, cut the trip in half by stopping at atmospheric Mobile, Alabama. Two hours from New Orleans, the coastal Alabaman city is renowned for its historic districts, leafy boulevards and generous green spaces.
Visit in spring and Mobile is ablaze with spectacular azaleas.
The city has a
bustling music and party scene, and is commonly regarded as "New Orleans for beginners".
Much of the bar and restaurant scene is based around the Dauphin St historic district, which boasts a profusion of electric and authentic Dixie-style entertainment and dining venues.
If you savour an oyster fix, you must call into the legendary Wintzell's Oyster House, which has been serving up the slimy suckers "fried, stewed or nude" for decades.
It's a Dauphin St institution.
For a panoramic insight into the charm and splendour of the Southern States mansions, head down Government St, the canopied downtown boulevard which leads into the Leinkauf Historic District.
This neighbourhood boasts hundreds of perfectly maintained antebellum mansions, a legacy of the architectural finesse of European settlers, before the 1861 Civil War.
Your camera will get a serious workout in the manicured streets- and as proof positive of America's continuing housing crisis, don't be surprised if you're collared by a real estate agent staking out prospective purchasers. Before departing Mobile, head to the waterfront for a close-up encounter with the USS Alabama, the battleship that survived nine major World War II battles unscathed.
