This publish could comprise affiliate hyperlinks. We could obtain a small fee, without charge to you, if you happen to make a purchase order. Learn Disclosure.
Cell is the 4th vacation spot we now have visited in Alabama up to now, and the extra we discover this state the extra we take pleasure in its historical past, tradition, and hospitable folks.
What makes Cell distinctive is that it’s a port metropolis on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. It has an in depth historical past and nonetheless has lots of its historic buildings with 1820s architectural kinds nonetheless intact. It even takes half within the Mardi Gras custom!
I’ve at all times favored port cities, and curiously again within the 1800s, Cell was often called the Paris of the South, which was when Cell was the tenth wealthiest metropolis in america, because of the port and the cotton commerce.
At present Cell is the twelfth busiest port within the nation and is a significant hub of your entire Gulf Coast.
Though being by the water, there is no such thing as a seashore right here, don’t fear there are nonetheless loads of different enjoyable issues to do in Cell! When you’re pondering of visiting however undecided what Cell sights so as to add to your itinerary, maintain studying for our favourite issues to do, see and discover.
The place is Cell, Alabama?
Town of Cell is conveniently situated simply two hours east of New Orleans and one hour north of the attractive Gulf Shores and Orange Seashore.
It’s simply accessible east/west on Interstate 10 and north/south on Interstate 65.
Is Cell Alabama price visiting?
We arrived on the town after just a few stress-free days on the Gulf Shores and Orange Seashore and shortly found that Cell additionally provides a superb native foodie scene, plus fascinating historical past, tradition, and humanities.
There’s all kinds of actions for households and folks of all ages, and Cell’s colourful downtown is flourishing!
And do you know that Cell is dwelling to America’s Unique Mardi Gras? And every year it hosts the oldest organized Carnival celebration in america?
That’s purpose sufficient to go to!
We’ve achieved Mardi Gras in New Orleans with children, which was superb, and now we’d like to expertise the family-friendly Mardi Gras in Cell.
Wish to lower your expenses on sights in Cell Alabama? Contemplate getting the 3-day Cell Attraction Go, which lets you enter 8 ticketed sights within the metropolis!
The Finest Issues to Do in Cell Al
While we solely had two days to discover, we obtained style of what this metropolis is about and would love to return again and absorb a few of its reside music, and reside theater, and eat our manner across the metropolis.
Beneath is what we obtained as much as.
1. Discover Dauphin Avenue & Bienville Sq.
Our first introduction to Cell was Dauphin Avenue.
We drove in from Gulf Shores, discovered a parking lot on Dauphin Avenue, grabbed some lunch at Fountain of Youth – FOY (extra on this place later) then explored the road.
Throughout the highway from FOY is Bienville Sq., a historic metropolis park within the middle of downtown Cell. It takes up your entire block bordered by the streets of Dauphin, Saint Joseph, Saint Francis, and North Conception.
There’s a pleasant fountain and a few benches to take a seat on to folks watch or watch the squirrels working all over the place. You should definitely take a look at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.
Alongside Dauphin Avenue you discover quite a few eating places, cafes, bars, pubs and shops – we didn’t enterprise out late with children, however you possibly can inform that is the place all of it occurs in downtown.
We additionally loved the structure and vibrant colours. Can be nice to be right here throughout Mardi Gras!
2. Discover the USS Alabama Battleship
Cell performs dwelling to the USS Alabama Battleship and you may journey into America’s navy previous at one of many prime South Alabama sights.
Courting again to 1940, the USS Alabama (“Mighty A”) started her World Conflict II adventures within the North Atlantic in 1943, then later that 12 months went to the South Pacific seas.
She ended up in Cell, Alabama as a Nationwide Historic Landmark and memorial to hundreds of thousands. Alabama performed a key position in a number of battles and is one BIG ship.
You are able to do a self-guided tour of Alabama following a coded map. It was my first time on a battleship for us, and it was so fascinating to see all of the working elements that make up a warship.
And our youngsters actually loved exploring all of the completely different nooks and crannies of the ship – what a distinct playground it was for them!
Sitting beside her in Cell Bay is the Nationwide Historic Landmark WWII submarine USS DRUM (SS-228). The DRUM is the oldest American submarine on public show.
You too can tour the Plane Pavilion, Tanks & Artillery, and Park Memorials.
Enjoyable Information:
- USS ALABAMA earned 9 battle stars
- Nicknamed the “Mighty A”
- The ship was used within the movie USS Indianapolis: Males of Braveness starring Nicolas Cage.
The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is open every single day besides Christmas Day.
3. Gulf Coast Geese
In search of enjoyable issues to do in Cell Al with children? Our children at all times love occurring these duck excursions that are a mixture of sightseeing on land and water.
They’re a enjoyable and informative solution to study a vacation spot with passionate tour guides and the children simply love the novelty of splashing into the bay.
On a tour with Gulf Coast Geese, you’ll hear tales about all issues Cell together with the USS Alabama, Battleship Memorial Park, Cell Bay, the Port of Cell, and the town of Cell.
And, in case your duck will get held up getting into the bay by a items prepare, like ours did, you’ll get to see historic elements of the town not usually on the tour!
4. Oakleigh Backyard Historic District
Seven Nationwide Register Historic Districts make up what is called downtown and midtown Cell.
There’s Church Avenue, Decrease Dauphin (LODA), Previous Dauphin Approach, Leinkauf, Ashland Place, De Tonti Sq., and naturally Oakleigh Backyard Historic District.
We love driving and strolling round Historic Districts, we now have one right here in Raleigh, and cherished exploring the Backyard District in New Orleans.
Cell’s Oakleigh Backyard Historic District was actually spectacular and we spent an hour or so cruising round testing all the attractive and huge historic southern properties.
5. The Richards DAR Home Museum
We first came across the Richards DAR Home (Daughters of the American Revolution Home Museum) throughout our diverted duck tour. It sounded and regarded fascinating, so we returned on our personal for a tour. It’s meant to be haunted so we had been hoping to make some new mates.
As you possibly can see from the surface, its hanging cast-iron facade is from the Italianate model and this lovely townhouse tells the story of Cell throughout its antebellum interval.
The home was inbuilt 1860 by Captain Charles Richards, a steamboat captain, and remained of their household till 1946.
The Very best Cement Firm bought the home from Richards’ descendants in 1946. After being turned over to the town of Cell in 1973, it was leased to the DAR for operation as a museum.
It’s stated to be haunted, and little Savannah was hesitant to enter at first, however we didn’t see or hear something, lol.
6. The Carnival Museum
After experiencing Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans only a few weeks earlier than visiting Cell, our Carnival spirit was nonetheless on a excessive.
Even if you happen to can’t go to Cell or New Orleans throughout Mardi Gras, the Cell Carnival Museum is open all 12 months and is completely devoted to Mardi Gras. Right here you possibly can see a number of the costumes worn within the parade of their everlasting assortment, in addition to see former floats.
It opened in 2005 and is simply $5 for adults and $2 for teenagers.
The museum provides 14 gallery rooms, a pictorial hallway, theater, a den (social gathering space), and a present store. As well as, the house is registered as a historic constructing.
We immersed ourselves extra into the wealthy historical past and traditions of carnival, and checked out the intricate designs and artistry of majestic crowns and robes of Mardi Gras monarchs.
And our youngsters loved dressing up and pretending they had been on a Mardi Gras float.
7. Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Middle
Right here’s a spot our youngsters had an opportunity to get inventive, curious, and play for just a few hours.
Contemplating we had been homeschooling our youngsters, any probability we get for interactive and hands-on studying we leap at it.
The Gulf Coast Exploreum has been voted one of many prime Alabama sights and is a enjoyable place for households.
It offers palms on instructional alternatives in a enjoyable studying atmosphere with everlasting and particular displays, and an IMAX.
Plus there’s an onsite cafe and distinctive present store.
8. Eat Breakfast and Beignets at Panini Petes!
Our children fell in love with beignets in New Orleans, so that they had been tremendous excited to begin considered one of our days in Cell with beignets at Panini Petes Cafe & Market on Dauphin Avenue.
Our children rank the beignets right here second solely to those we ate at Cafe Du Monde in NOLA, so seize your self just a few sizzling beignets.
However Panini Pete’s provides extra, and was just lately named one of the best sandwich store in Alabama serving up inventive sandwiches, Angus beef burgers, sizzling canines, hand-cut fries and extra!
9. Eat Dinner at Wintzell’s Oyster Home
Consuming oysters appears to be a type of issues to do in Alabama, and being from Australia and rising up surrounded by contemporary seafood, we love that!
We had our first style of the well-known Wintzell’s Oyster Home in Montgomery and loved one other evening in Cell eating at Wintzell’s, a historic landmark on Dauphin Avenue in downtown Cell.
It’s one of the widespread locations to eat in Cell they usually’re recognized for his or her “Oysters-fried, stewed or nude”.
The inside decor is cool with a lot of witty sayings, and even if you happen to don’t like oysters specifically, there’s a variety of different seafood choices, even steaks and pasta.
10. Strive Seafood at Felix Fish Camp
One other prime seafood joint in Cell is Felix Fish Camp Restaurant which serves up scrumptious, contemporary, Gulf seafood and USDA licensed steaks.
They serve up a few of Cell’s traditional recipes, together with their well-known Gumbo, and don’t miss their crab claws.
Not solely is the meals scrumptious and contemporary, however the location is spectacular too.
Sadly we arrived after sundown so couldn’t take within the lovely views of being located on one of the scenic elements of Cell Bay, so perhaps ebook your dinner for sundown, and even absorb a lunchtime view!
One other delight is the service – tremendous pleasant and impeccable. I do know, it’s what we’ve come to count on within the South however they took it to a different degree.
11. Strive Craft Beers at Loda Bier Garten
This place appeared like an actual native’s favourite throughout our lunchtime go to.
Taking on prime place within the coronary heart of Dauphin Avenue, Loda Bier Garten has a large faucet assortment (over 100 completely different beers) and huge display TVs for watching sports activities, and are well-known for his or her burgers – that’s my kinda place proper there!
We sat outdoors and loved our wings, sizzling canines, and hen salad, and sure I can affirm the burgers are GOOD!
12. Get Wholesome at Fountain of Youth FOY
Being gluten-free and embracing wholesome residing, we search out wholesome and nutritious locations to eat wherever we journey and had been blissful to encounter Fountain of Youth (FOY).
Additionally positioned on Dauphin Avenue, FOY calls themselves Cell’s first fresh-pressed juices and superfood bar and we loved their choices a lot we went again twice in sooner or later!
On the menu are vitality bowls, wholesome smoothies, wellness pictures, tremendous tacos, and naturally contemporary pressed juices. The winner for me was their Energy Paleo Pancakes!
Different locations to eat in Cell prompt by others that we didn’t get too:
- Moe’s BBQ – Apparently the BEST BBQ you’ll ever style!
- OK Bicycle Store – presumably probably the most fascinating Mexican restaurant you’ll ever go to!
- MoonPie Basic Retailer – Meals, ice cream and naturally, a common retailer!
- Callaghan’s Irish Social Membership – Identified for his or her burgers!
- Dumbwaiter Restaurant – Southern classics with a contemporary twist!
In search of espresso in Cell?
Oh, and if you happen to’re searching for good espresso our go too place was Serda’s Espresso Firm.
13. Cell Museum of Artwork
The Cell Museum of Artwork is one of the best place to go to in Cell for artwork lovers and artistic varieties. It has an in depth artwork assortment from everywhere in the world, together with non-western artwork items.
In its everlasting assortment, it has 6,400 works of effective artwork, sculptures, pictures, drawings, prints, and work. The entire assortment shouldn’t be on show, and the items are rotated, so guests see one thing completely different every time they go to.
Among the hottest works within the assortment are Nineteenth-century American landscapes and realist work from the WPA period.
14. Cell Botanical Gardens
Wandering across the Cell Botanical Gardens is without doubt one of the most stress-free issues to do in Cell. They had been based in 1974 and spans over 100 acres of woodlands, walks, and small gardens.
The land that the gardens lie on was traditionally an enormous longleaf pine forest however was principally logged within the 1900s. The concept was to return this space again to an area of nature, which is why 35 acres of the gardens are a forested conservation space.
Be certain to take a look at the lake in Langan Park, which was once Cell’s water provide till the Fifties.
15. See Historic Mansions: Bragg-Mitchell Mansion & Bellingrath Mansion
The Bragg-Mitchell Mansion is a Greek revival-style mansion that was the previous dwelling of Decide John Bragg and was inbuilt 1855. At present, it’s a museum and one of the photographed buildings within the metropolis.
The 13,000-square-foot dwelling was constructed as a vacation residence for the Bragg household throughout Thanksgiving by Mardi Gras.
When Decide Bragg died in 1878, 4 households owned the house since, the final being A.S. Mitchell who owned the home since 1931. He lived right here till 1965 and took loving care of the house since by this time it had turn into an iconic constructing within the metropolis.
The home was donated to the Discover Middle within the late Seventies and was restored to the grandeur you see right this moment.
The house was positioned on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations in 1972.
One other historic dwelling price visiting in Cell is the Bellingrath Gardens Museum and House. The house belonged to Walter and Bessie Bellingrath as their weekend dwelling and was inbuilt 1934. Because it was constructed, the couple has opened their 15-room, 10,500-square-foot dwelling to the general public.
The house is one other instance of grand, extravagance in Cell. The gardens are notably spectacular.
16. Take a Journey to Meaher State Park
The Meaher State Park is a big 1,327-acre wetland situated in north Cell Bay. It’s a scenic space recognized for being a sizzling spot for picnics, tenting, and boating.
You’ll be able to go fishing on the fishing pier or stroll alongside the boardwalk and take within the gorgeous views.
After visiting the park, yow will discover extra out of doors adventures within the close by Cell-Tensaw. This can be a widespread place for seeing wildlife viewing and has a theater, present store, and canoe or kayak leases.
17. Historical past Museum of Cell
I discussed earlier that Cell has a protracted historical past, and if you wish to study extra about Cell historical past, there’s no higher place than on the Historical past Museum of Cell.
Positioned within the Previous Metropolis Corridor, the museum itself is an enormous a part of Cell historical past. It incorporates artifacts and hands-on displays that assist carry Cell’s historical past to life.
Even if you happen to don’t enter the museum, it’s price passing by to see the gorgeous structure of this Nineteenth-century constructing, which was designed in an Italianate model.
18. Go to Colonial Fort Conde and Fort Morgan
Being a coastal metropolis, Cell was the primary level of protection and has just a few main forts and battlegrounds price testing. The primary is Colonial Fort Conde, which was constructed by French explorers in 1723.
You’ll be able to see the remnants of the unique fort in Mardi Gras Park, dealing with Church Avenue.
A duplicate of the fort opened in 1976, and about one-third of the Fort has been reconstructed.
One other fort price testing is Fort Morgan, also called Fort Bowyer. That is situated on the west of Cell Level, on the historic Fort Morgan peninsula, on a barrier island known as Dauphin Island.
The fort was inbuilt 1834 and is now a historic navy web site and Nationwide Historic Landmark.
This fort had an vital position in the course of the Civil Conflict period and was the place the well-known Battle of Cell Bay came about. It was right here that Union Admiral David Farragut ordered his fleet to assault the closely mined bay on August 5, 1864.
19. Gulfquest Nationwide Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico
Given its coastal location and gigantic port, you possibly can wager that Cell has an in depth maritime historical past. The perfect place to study all about it’s on the Gulfquest Nationwide Maritime Museum.
It was accomplished in 2015 and was created as an academic useful resource, specializing in hands-on experiences to assist its guests perceive and recognize the heritage of the Gulf of Mexico.
The museum is exclusive in that it doesn’t have a everlasting assortment of artifacts, however it has non permanent displays displaying maritime artifacts, guaranteeing each customer sees one thing distinctive every time they go to.
It has 90 displays, theaters, and simulators, that provide a novel perspective of the Gulf’s maritime previous.
The place to Keep in Cell
We stayed in the guts of downtown Cell on the Renaissance Cell Riverview Plaza Resort which is at 64 South Water Avenue.
This lodge is trendy and stylish with out being too excessive for us and our youngsters and we had a stunning sundown view from our room.
It was proper close to the beginning of Dauphin Avenue and a simple stroll to all of the spots talked about above, together with a brief 5 minute stroll to Bienville Sq., Serda’s Espresso is a 2 minute stroll away, the Exploreum Science Middle is throughout the road and the Duck Excursions is a stroll away.
In addition to strolling all over the place, we might simply drive to the opposite Alabama sights, together with a 5 minute drive to the USS Alabama.
And if you happen to’re on the town for a conference, there’s a direct connection to Cell Conference Middle by way of a skybridge.
It got here with all our requirements together with complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, 24 hour health middle and pool.
Earlier than You Go
Our keep in Cell was hosted by Go to Cell, however all of the ideas, opinions and concepts expressed on this information are our personal.
Pin to Save on Pinterest:
Supply: Breaking Travel News
