As you cross Mobile Bay a huge, grey battleship dominates the horizon. It's the USS Alabama and is open to the public at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile. I've always been curious about the battleship as we see it every time we go across the bay, so we finally found time for a visit.
First a bit about the ship...it's 680 feet long and 108 feet wide and normally had a crew of around 2,500 men (after walking around the battleship I can't imagine being on board with that many grown men in such close quarters...). The USS Alabama was heavily involved in the WWII war in the Pacific (read all about it on the website I posted above if you're into history!)
I was a little snap-happy on the ship, so go grab a drink and a snack and start scrolling! (Sorry for the photo quality in some of the shots...lighting definitely wasn't ideal.)
Sponge cake!! (If you can't tell, their fake sponge cake was actually sponges!!)
Butcher
Yay! You made it!
The tour of the battleship is self-guided, and there are three different routes. You'll need to follow each to see the whole ship, but you can do them in any order you wish. It took us about 2 hours, and I'd say we saw about 90%, so give yourself at least that long to have a leisurely wander! Be warned - the spaces are cramped and you'll have to climb through small doors and go up and down steep stairs, so wear comfy shoes and mind your head! It was also quite hot throughout most of the ship, so if you're sensitive to the heat, maybe wait until late fall or early spring to visit.
Admission is $15 for adults, but check the internet for coupons - we found a 2 for 1 deal on Groupon which saved us a pretty penny! Your ticket also gets you into the Submarine USS Drum and the Aircraft Pavilion, but more on that later, so stay tuned!
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