Chill in Mobile - Mardi Gras and Yardi Gras 2021
When: Monday, February 15 to Wednesday, February 17, 2021 (three nights)
Where: Meaher State Park (near Mobile AL)
Cost: $37/night for full hook-ups ($31.45/night with veteran discount); $4.75 online reservation fee
Bucket List: Mardi Gras Porch Parade; Mo' Bay Beignet Company
Beer: Iron Hand Brewing (Mobile AL)
Trying to avoid the deep freeze back home in mid-Missouri where the lows would get down to -6ºF, we extended our RV trip to spend some time around Mobile, Alabama. During our stay, the lows would get down to 26 ºF, 22ºF, and 29ºF. We took some proactive measures like: (1) disconnecting our hose to the fresh water supply, (2) insulating our pipes with some foam from Home Depot, (3) placing little “handwarmers” from the Dollar Tree on a couple of spots near the exposed pipes, and (4) keeping the RV toasty using both the propane furnace and a space heater. We unsuccessfully searched for a good outdoor heat lamp at a couple of hardware stores. I suspect that other Mobilians had the same idea prepping for the record cold.
Our pipes to the RV kitchen faucet did freeze on the night it dropped to 22ºF. We hunkered down the next morning while we tried to accelerate the unthawing using one of our portable space heaters. Luckily, all of the plumbing worked fine after the thaw.
Iron Hand Brewing
The cold did not stop Mardi Gras. Mobile boasts the oldest annual Carnival celebration in the United States, started by Frenchman Nicholas Langlois in 1703 when Mobile was the capital of Louisiana. Because of Covid-19, the city understandably cancelled the traditional parade and conducted a Porch Parade instead. We were able to enjoy many colorful “house floats” from the comfort of our Jeep during “Yardi Gras.” While there were several official maps of the parade route, we thought the one using Google Maps was the most useful because it integrated with our app. In the video, you’ll see clips of dozens of over-the-top decorated homes.
The other thing that the cold would not stop us from doing was enjoying some good craft breweries. On Monday afternoon, we ventured to Iron Hand Brewing. The brewery isn’t normally open at that time, but owner Ben Ross was there preparing for Fat Tuesday. He told us about the location: a Baptist church built in 1927 that was later a homeless shelter. We chatted with the owner about pine woodwork and old church pews while I enjoyed Ben’s Oatmeal Stout and Kasie reverted to one of their guest taps: the Goat Island Blood Orange Berliner Weisse. When we mentioned our Civil War adventures at Fort Pickens and Blakely State Park, he invited us to a Civil War history group that was meeting there that night. We politely declined, but appreciated both the southern charm and hospitality of the brewery.
On Fat Tuesday, we tried two other breweries early in the day. Old Majestic Brewing was hopping with live music (Symone French) and beads. I tried the Chocolate Moon Pie stout, but was somewhat heartbroken when I realized I would miss the Smoked Bacon porter that would be released the next week. A bacon beer!
Serda Brewing is designated as a Harvest Host venue (where RVers can stay for free but are asked to patronize the establishment). Located near several one-way streets and beautiful oak trees, we concurred with the on-line reviews that this place was better for small RVs. Our bartender could have cared less about us, and the beer was okay. We were getting hangry so perhaps my take on the brewery was influenced by my hunger.
We strolled through the heart of Mobile on Mardi Gras before making an early exit. Between Covid-19 and the extreme cold, the streets were petty sparse. I later read that the attendance on that Fat Tuesday was 1,700 people. By contrast, Mobile’s Fat Tuesday celebration usually draws around 150,000 or more people to the downtown streets.
Mo’ Bay Beignet Company
While staying in Mobile, we also did some touristy things like film all of the statues in the downtown Mardi Gras Park. The Colonial Forte Conde looked enticing, but when we realized it was largely a replica, we lost interest. The History Museum of Mobile also looked promising, but we were pressed for time, and did not feel we would get our money’s worth ($10/person). To me, the prettier, more authentic park was the Spanish Plaza Park located next to Mobile Carnival Museum. Ironically, the museum was closed on Mardi Gras.
Perhaps the best find in Mobile was Mo' Bay Beignet Company. The place was too crowded to visit on Mardi Gras, but we went back there to pick up some beignets the next day. Fresh. Warm. Mounds of powered sugar. But warning: Do NOT eat them in your car. In fact, my advice is to wear a powdered sugar hazmat suit. That stuff goes everywhere….. as you will see in the video.
