Bienville Square in Mobile, Alabama, was an unexpected hive of activity. The TV cameras were busily filming, the historic fountain was flowing and the city’s landmark park was positively buzzing with energy on this Friday afternoon.
Sadly, it wasn’t in honour of our arrival in this charming location, but it was a major occasion, with the reopening of the 200-year-old Square after a four-year recovery from the ravages of Hurricane Sally in 2020. And it was easy to see why the locals were cock-a-hoop at the rebirth of their central icon. This gem of a park boasted graceful oak trees, elegant flowerbeds and the cast iron 1896 fountain, lovingly restored to former glories, making for an urban oasis of exquisite proportions.
Mobile itself also proved an enchanting discovery at the start of the final month of our grand year-long RV tour of the US. Established in 1701 as the capital of French Louisiana, it glittered with colonial heritage, full of historic districts that each seemed to have their own version of Bienville Square, an enticing mix of those twin 18th-century city icons Savannah in Georgia and New Orleans in Louisiana.
Read more: Move over New Orleans, Lake Charles is our favourite for Mardi Gras
We had arrived in Alabama from a blissful stopover on Biloxi Bay in neighbouring Mississippi, following the coastal road via Gautier and Pascagoula in the direction of our return to Florida. Home was still 500 miles away, but we were definitely on the final stage of our round-trip cross-country adventure.
Biloxi had proved an admirable host, with miles of easily accessible beachfront, wildlife-rich marshes and fabulous food. Our final meal had been courtesy of The Shed Barbecue & Blues Joint, a ramshackle collection of mismatched buildings, tin roofs and bric-a-brac that looked more like a roadside pile-up than a restaurant, but which served outrageously tasty barbecue ribs, pork and brisket to underline the state’s reputation for hickory-smoked goodness.
Our coastal route brought us to Gulf Shores, Alabama, and another exercise in unexpected beach bliss. From the distinctly RV-friendly Gulf State Park, we found ourselves at the centre of 32 miles of pure white sands that disappeared to the horizon both east and west,…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…