Noell Broughton. former owner of restaurant Noell B's, is back in the night club business with Studio 5'4" at 216 Dauphin Street. Disco is alive and well at this high energy club that features hits from the 70s and 80s. Dance the night away to music that launched an entire cultural craze.
Mike Freeman is in the process of opening Big Mike's Deli at 211 Dauphin Street. The restaurant will offer hot dogs and sandwiches for the lunch and late night crowd. We're not sure exactly when Mike's will be open, but we're hoping he's serving up fare for the Carnival crowd next month.
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Retail Happenings
Shopping, Dining & Entertainment News
Clothing, accessories and home accents retailer Inside Up was featured on the front of the Press-Register's Living Section this week. Describing the store as a "treasure-trove of wearable art and home furnishings," reporter Debra Braggs captured the whimsy of the Inside Up shopping experience. Click here to read the full story.
Several downtown merchants and restaurants are participating in a new fundraiser by the Junior League of Mobile. The $30 Shopping Pass with a Purpose entitles holders to discounts at the following downtown establishments: Serda's Coffee Company, 3 South Royal Street; Inside Up, 7 North Conception Street; Southern Market at the Museum of Mobile, 111 South Royal Street and the Gulf Coast Exploreum Gift Shop, 65 Government Street. The proceeds will benefit Junior League programming for children and education. Click here for more information about the program which runs from March 11 - 21.
Bay City Tours is celebrating 34 years of providing sight-seeing tours of our richly textured historic districts. Visitors can enjoy the diverse architecture, natural beauty and exciting history of our city with a great overview of area attractions, restaurants and night spots. Even if you've lived in Mobile all your life, you're certain to learn something new about your community by taking one of these tours. Call 251-479-9970 for more information.
You may have noticed the closing of Hurricane Brewery last week. We understand that the Brewery might not completely disappear from our cityscape, but could reopen with a greater focus on the brewing side of the business. We certainly hope to see the doors open again soon, since Insurance Adjuster Pale Ale can't be found anyplace else.
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Dinosaurs Invade Downtown
Exhibit Opens Saturday!
The Exploreum's new, larger-than-life (literally) exhibit, Dinosaurs Downtown, is a thrilling, full-sensory experience into the world of dinosaurs! Get ready for these dinosaurs to move and roar, and watch out if they decide to spit!
This exciting exhibit will feature ten animatronic dinosaurs that also offer a variety of educational opportunities including how robots work, how dinosaurs interact and how different species have varied eating and predatory habits. The exhibit also features a fossil dig, where younger children can dig in a sand pit for their very own "fossils."
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Local IT Guru Develops Mardi Gras App
Navigating Mobile's Carnival season just got a little easier with the availability of a new I-Phone App. Developed by Jordan Clark, the application has a list of all the Mobile and Baldwin County parades with times, dates and routes. If you can't remember whether the Mobile Mystics roll in the afternoon or evening (and who could possible keep up with the 40 parades in Mobile County alone?), then this .99 app is for you.
Jordan says he's already working on next year's version which will include links to dining, hotels and attractions...making this the perfect Mardi Gras mobile tool for locals and visitors.
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Bike and Pedestrian Safety Study Results
If you think this is a scary intersection (Water and Government) for pedestrians and cyclists, then you're right in line with the findings of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking. Representatives from the Center were in town in October to audit the streets of downtown for pedestrian and bicycle safety. The audit is a project of Healthy Coastal Connections, a partnership of Smart Coast and the Center for Bicycling and Walking.
The study looked at several intersections of Government Street, from Broad to Water, and each one lacked at least one important component of bike and pedestrian safety. The report makes specific recommendations to the city of Mobile, many of which are easily and inexpensively implemented. The long-term solution includes:
The development of a comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian master plan is a necessity.
In the interim, the City should assemble a working group composed of residents, the Mobile Business Improvement District, WAVE representatives, City of Mobile Planning and Public Works departments, local bicyclists, law enforcement, the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission, and Mobile County Public Health to develop a list of locations where priority pedestrian safety improvements are needed.
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Upcoming Events
Happenings in and around Downtown
Mobile Symphony - Great German Masters
Saturday, January 16, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 17, 2:30 p.m.
Violinist Vadim Gluzman makes his triumphant return to Mobile to thrill you after the holidays! You won't want to miss this commanding artist as he performs Bruch's greatest violin showcase, Violin Concerto no. 1. The orchestra struts its stuff with Wagner's dramatic Tannhäuser Overture and the lushly romantic, lyrical Symphony no. 4 by Brahms.
Please call Mobile Symphony Box Office for Tickets:251-432-2010
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Winter Wednesdays at Bellingrath Gardens
Wednesday, January 20
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Bellingrath Gardens
Learn about Mobile's seven historic districts and some of the significant buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places from L. Craig Roberts, Architect AIA.
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Roberts, a graduate of Auburn University School of Architecture, has practiced architecture in Mobile, Alabama for over 30 years and has completed more than 140 residential projects along the Gulf Coast. His projects have been featured in Southern Living, Southern Accents, Better Homes and Gardens and on HGTV.
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Upcoming Winter Wednesday Programs at Bellingrath:
Easy Gardens For The South - January 27th 10:30 - 11:30 AM
Camellias - February 3rd 10:30 - 11:30 AM
Rose Pruning - February 10th 10:30 - 11:30 AM
Click here for more information about Bellingrath Gardens and Home.
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A special evening of Jazz starring Jesse Cook with special guestsRoman Street.
Thursday, January 21
7:30 p.m.
Saenger Theatre
Sponsored in part by International Assurance: A Benefit for Cystic Fibrosis.
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Engaging the Next Generation
Thursday, January 21
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Space 301 on Cathedral Square
If you are between the ages of 21 and 39, this year is an excellent time to get connected with your community! Money is tight for all of us right now, but you have something that's more valuable: your time and your abilities!
Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood is partnering with Mobile United/Leadership Mobile, Mobile Arts Council, The YWCA, Spring Hill College, Legacy 166, Volunteer Mobile, MAYPA, and Centre for the Living Arts to present Engaging the Next Generation.
This free, public gathering includes representatives from 65 local nonprofit agencies that will be on hand to give information and answer any questions about what their organizations do for the community.
For more information, email Katherine Phillips at
[email protected].
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Casino Royale at Cafe Royal
Thursday, January 21
6:00 p.m.
Cafe Royal, 110 Dauphin St.
Benefit for Camp Rap-A-Hope
For information about Camp Rap-A-Hope
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Gov't Mule
Saturday, January 23
7:30 p.m.
Saenger Theatre
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Open House Blitz
Sunday, January 24
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Throughout Downtown
Mobile area Realtors will be showcasing downtown living options during this special open house blitz. More than 30 lofts, condos and townhouses will be open for tour. Look for the signs as you walk or drive around.
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Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artists Tour
Monday, January 25
7:30 p.m.
Mobile Civic Center Theater
In celebration of the King of Rock 'n' Roll's 75th birthday in 2010, On Stage Touring, LLC, in association with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. has announced the launch of the first-ever Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artists Tour. The 26-city nationwide tour will visit Mobile on January 25, and tickets for the performance are on sale now.
Mobile Civic Center Information
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Wine Down
Thursday, January 28
6:00 p.m.
Space 301
The Centre for the Living Arts is hosting an event that puts the fun in fundraiser! Wine Down is a wine tasting and wine competition with the winning team taking home dozens of bottles of wine. Heavy hors d'oeuvres and live music.
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Gallery and Museum Exhibits
Pillars of the Community
Mobile's Greek Revival Movement
Museum of Mobile
111 S. Royal Street
The love affair of the city and its architecture is a story retold in The Museum of Mobile's newest temporary exhibit, Pillars of the Community-Mobile's Greek Revival Movement.
As a companion piece to the new book by John Sledge, The Pillared City - Greek Revival Mobile, the exhibit explores the people who in the 1820s changed the region physically from a fortified colonial town to a more modern American city. Images of the South made popular in books and films receive new attention as the visitor is introduced to a cast of characters from the real-life saga of how the face of the South was transformed to its lasting iconic perfection.
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Moving Vehicles
Through Sunday, March 7
Space 301
Curated by Mia Kaplan, Co-Owner, AMMO Gallery, New Orleans, LA
When we think of "Moving Vehicles", we think of something mechanical, or of transportation. We become aware of the presence of something that is in motion, driven by a mysterious science. How often do we think of each other? Each one of us is a moving vehicle in our own right - an entity that is similarly mechanical, driven by events, beliefs, propaganda, goals, and an array of possibilities. What evidence has been left of these experiences? What vehicles have we created on our own, both literally and with the metaphor provided, that have taken us to where we are now?
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Also, the commissioning of the LCS-2 USS INDEPENDENCE will be tomorrow (ticket only) at Cooper Riverside Park. This ceremony gives the ship its official USS name. The LCS-2 is a shallow water (littoral) vessel capable of more than 40+ knots. This ship is revolutionary for the US Navy- from its smaller but exceptionally trained crews, to the aluminum tri-maran hull, to the water jet propulsion system (think jet ski), to the plug and play interchangeable mission packages. This ship also utilizes the latest technologies- a joy stick replaces the wheel, it works with unmanned aircraft, and the LCS can be controlled via laptop from anywhere on the ship. This is the first time a ship has been commissioned in Mobile since WWII, and is one of only a few times that a ship has been commissioned at the same port where it was built. Let's hope Austal (the ship's builder) wins the contract for another 51 of these beauties to be built right in downtown Mobile!
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