Our travels this year took us along the Gulf Coast of Alabama. We decided we wanted to try to save some money on campgrounds so we decided to check out Meaher State Park near Mobile, Alabama.
Meaher State Park
This Alabama State Park is a beautiful place to stay. They have 61 RV sites and many of the sites have full hookups. Meaher State Park is situated on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta which consists of approximately 20,323 acres of water. This is the second-largest delta in the contiguous US. Meaher State Park is the perfect access point to this large natural wonder. The Mobile-Tensaw Delta is formed by the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers. It is a complex network of tidally influenced rivers, creeks, bays, lakes, wetlands, and bayous. The sunsets are amazing!
Our campsite was situated right off the main road. It was the perfect place for us to set up the hammock and let the kids play. We met a few other families and pretty soon our campsite at this Alabama State Park became the “hangout” for making s’mores.
USS Alabama Memorial Park
Just a short drive away is the USS Alabama Memorial Park. Here we were able to see the USS Drum (a retired submarine), and many World War II-era aircraft and tour the impressive USS Alabama Battleship.
If you go: Plan for the whole day to tour the ships and displays at the Memorial Park. For instance, we arrived at about mid-day and we felt rushed towards the end of the day so a word of advice if you go – plan for more time!
Both the USS Alabama and the USS Drum served during World War II. These vessels are now retired and on public display. Taking the tour is a great history lesson coming to life! We toured all of the decks that are open to visitors and many of the sleeping areas contain beds that are stacked on top of each other. Being on this ship, really makes you think about what life would have been like for the soldiers on the ship. We were laying the beds thinking what it must have been like for the bottom bunk person!
Even though the tour was “self-guided” the tour map was very informative and it gave you a great description of the areas on display. There are several artifacts displayed throughout the ship. There are mannequins set up in some of the areas like the kitchen to give an idea and feel of what life would have been like on the ship.
Daphne, Alabama
We decided to drive over to the small town of Daphne, Alabama. This little town was very quaint and we had a great dinner at a little Italian restaurant called Guido’s. They served some kid-friendly food choices as well as Italian favorites. After we ate and picked up groceries, it was only a short drive back to the State Park.
We highly recommend putting this particular area of Mobile, Alabama on your list of places to see!
That’s our home state. We do the Gulf a couple of times per year.
Normally spend thanksgiving week there.
We’ve heard great things about Montgomery COE park Gunter Hill too. If your going North on I65 might try a few nights there too. Maybe check out the state capital.
Stay safe.
Over in Pensacola with a toy hauler…this would be a great first run for us.