Mobile is on the southern tip of Alabama, and its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico actually makes it have more in common culturally and historically with the Gulf-coast regions of West Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana. There is some superb architecture and some interesting historical sites. Jimmy Buffett grew up in Mobile, went to McGill High School, and developed a love for cheeseburgers at the Dew Drop Inn on Old Shell Road. Mobile is called the Azalea city for the vast number of azalea bushes that bloom in April. Mobile’s Mardi Gras celebration is a lot more family-friendly than the New Orleans French Quarter version. I lived in Mobile from March 1995 through June 1996.