With much of the usual summer travel and event calendar upended this year, Mobile and Baldwin county residents are finding new ways to enjoy the season close to home. From open-air art walks to backyard camp-outs, a range of local activities are letting families get outside, support small businesses and still keep a safe distance from crowds. The shift has also turned attention toward parts of the region that longtime residents sometimes take for granted, from the galleries of downtown Mobile to the u-pick fields that dot the rural edges of both counties.
ArtWalk returns in a hybrid format
Downtown Mobile’s LoDa ArtWalk has resumed in a modified format, giving visitors a reason to head downtown on the second Friday of the month. Restaurants remain open along the route, and organizers have shifted much of the programming to a virtual format, with performances streamed online even as pedestrians can still stroll through the district in person. The next ArtWalk is set for the second Friday of July, running from 6 to 9 p.m. Organizers say the hybrid approach, mixing in-person walking with virtual performances, is likely to continue for the rest of the summer. More details are available through the Mobile Arts Council at mobilearts.org/art-walk.
LoDa — shorthand for Lower Dauphin — has long been the anchor of Mobile’s downtown arts scene, with galleries, studios and performance spaces clustered along Dauphin Street between the civic center and the cruise terminal. The district’s monthly walk traditionally draws thousands of visitors, spilling out of gallery doorways and onto sidewalks lined with restaurants and bars. The scaled-back version keeps that core experience intact while reducing the density of crowds, and the virtual programming means residents who are not ready to mingle downtown can still take in the performances from home.
For downtown restaurants and shops, the return of even a modified ArtWalk is a welcome boost. The walk has historically been one of the busiest nights of the month for businesses along the route, and the summer edition gives diners a built-in reason to book a table before or after an evening of gallery browsing. Visitors planning to attend are encouraged to check individual venues ahead of time, since hours and capacity have varied from business to business as downtown continues to find its footing.
Picnics in the parks
For a lower-key evening out, a picnic remains one of the simplest ways to enjoy the outdoors without close contact with others. Local parks across both counties are largely operating on normal schedules, making it easy to grab takeout from a neighborhood restaurant, spread out a blanket and enjoy a meal in the open air. Families looking for a spot can check listings of parks in the city of Mobile through the Mobile Parks and Recreation Department, or browse options throughout Baldwin County’s municipalities for a location close to home.
The city of Mobile’s park system alone offers enough variety to fill a summer’s worth of evenings. Large destination parks such as Langan Park offer lake views, walking paths and plenty of open lawn where blankets can be spread well apart from other picnickers, while smaller neighborhood parks in midtown and west Mobile provide quick, close-to-home options for families with young children. Downtown workers and residents can keep it simple with a takeout dinner on the benches of Bienville Square or Mardi Gras Park, both framed by some of the city’s most historic architecture.
Baldwin County’s municipal parks give suburban and rural families similar options without a long drive. Communities from Fairhope and Daphne to Foley, Gulf Shores and Robertsdale maintain parks with pavilions, playgrounds and open green space, and many of the smaller towns keep their parks open into the evening during the summer months. Because picnic gear requires little more than a blanket and a cooler, it is also one of the most budget-friendly outings available, particularly when the meal itself comes from a local restaurant that could use the takeout business.
Blueberry season in full swing
Blueberry picking has also become a popular warm-weather outing this year, with several u-pick farms operating across the region. Growers including Blue Moon Farm, Lyrene’s Blueberry Farm, Oak Hill Tree Farm and Produce, and Powell Blueberry Farm are welcoming pickers this season, with prices typically running between $10 and $20 depending on how much fruit visitors take home. Beyond snacking on the fruit straight from the bucket, many families use their haul for cobblers, blueberry tea or fresh lemonade.
South Alabama sits in the heart of one of the country’s most productive blueberry regions, and the crop is well suited to the Gulf Coast’s sandy, acidic soils and long growing season. The local harvest typically ramps up in late May and runs through the heat of the summer, meaning families who plan ahead can often make several trips over the course of the season as later varieties ripen. U-pick operations also tend to be less crowded than a typical tourist attraction, with rows spread across open fields that make distancing simple.
For families new to picking, growers generally recommend going early in the day, before Gulf Coast temperatures climb, and calling ahead to confirm hours and availability, since heavy weekend traffic can thin out the ripest rows. Most farms provide buckets and guidance on which varieties are producing, and children are usually welcome, making the outing as much a lesson in where food comes from as it is a way to fill the freezer. A gallon of berries picked at the farm typically costs less than the equivalent fruit at a grocery store, and the excess freezes well for use in smoothies and baking long after the season ends.
OWA reopens with new precautions
Families looking for a bigger outing have another option in OWA, the Foley amusement park that reopened this summer with new health precautions in place. Guests are required to complete a health screening before entering, and staff are asking visitors to remain six feet apart; masks are encouraged, though not required, throughout the park. A day pass to ride the park’s attractions runs $22.99. Visitors who would rather skip the rides can instead catch one of the park’s live shows, including a comedy, magic and impressions performance or magician Brandon Styles’ show, each priced at $24. Additional details on seasonal events and showtimes are posted at visitowa.com.
OWA has quickly become one of Baldwin County’s signature attractions since opening, drawing visitors from across the Gulf Coast with a mix of thrill rides, family attractions and its downtown-style entertainment district of shops and restaurants. The park’s south Alabama location, a short drive from the beaches, makes it a natural fit for vacationers looking to trade a sand-and-sun day for something different, and the reopened park’s capacity measures mean the ride lines that can define a summer visit are shorter than in a typical season.
The park’s live entertainment lineup gives visitors a second way to enjoy the property without ever boarding a ride. The air-conditioned show venues offer a break from the midday heat, and the separate ticket price for performances means families can build an outing around whichever option fits their budget. Guests planning a visit should review the health screening requirements before arriving, since the entry process adds a few minutes to the morning routine, and check the seasonal calendar, as showtimes and special events shift throughout the summer.
Gardening takes root across the Gulf Coast
For those who would rather stay closer to home, starting a garden has become a popular project this summer for anyone with a little outdoor space and some patience. Whether it’s a small container garden on a patio or full rows of vegetables and flowers in the backyard, local nurseries in both counties are stocked and ready to help. In Mobile, gardeners can find supplies at Laura Kay’s Nursery & Florist, Al’s 5 & 10, Zimlich’s Patio & Garden Center, Stokley Garden Express and A Bloom Garden Center. In Baldwin County, Magnolia Landscape Supply, Perdue’s Flowers, Davis Nursery and Old Tyme Feed & Garden Supply all carry plants and gardening supplies for beginners and experienced growers alike.
The Gulf Coast’s long growing season makes it one of the more forgiving places in the country to learn to garden, though the summer heat and humidity call for a specific playbook. Warm-season crops such as okra, southern peas, sweet potatoes and peppers thrive through the hottest months, while tomatoes and squash, which struggle in peak heat, are better planted for a fall crop as the season winds down. Local nurseries are the best source for varieties proven to handle the region’s climate, and their staff can steer newcomers away from common mistakes such as planting too deeply or underestimating how quickly weeds take hold after summer rains.
Container gardening has proven especially popular with apartment dwellers and families with small yards, since a few pots on a sunny patio can produce herbs, peppers and salad greens all summer. Raised beds are another entry point, offering better drainage during heavy Gulf Coast thunderstorms and soil that warms quickly in the spring. Local extension resources and the nurseries themselves can help gardeners plan watering schedules, which matter during the stretches of dry weather that sometimes settle in between summer storm systems.
Backyard campouts and drive-in movies
And for a low-cost night of fun that requires no travel at all, a backyard campout is easy to put together with items most households already have on hand. A tent, an air mattress, a blanket and a small fire for roasting marshmallows can turn an ordinary evening into a memorable one. Families who would rather skip pitching a tent can instead set up a backyard drive-in, hanging an old bedsheet as a screen, running a projector and settling in with pillows, blankets and snacks for a movie night under the stars.
The backyard campout has long been a rite of passage for young children, and it carries a particular appeal in a summer when overnight trips are off the calendar. Gulf Coast evenings, once the sun sets and the temperature eases, are comfortable enough for sleeping outdoors, and the setup costs almost nothing for families who already own camping gear. Parents can add to the experience with flashlights, storytelling and a nature scavenger hunt around the yard before lights out, and the safety of being just steps from the house makes it a low-stakes first campout for even the youngest campers.
The backyard movie night has become its own summer tradition, fueled by the spread of affordable portable projectors. A bedsheet strung between two trees or fence posts makes a serviceable screen, and a white garage door or exterior wall works just as well. Families with a fire pit can combine the two ideas, roasting marshmallows while the movie runs, and neighbors can hold separate screenings on the same night and compare notes afterward, keeping the fun social without putting anyone in close quarters.
A summer close to home
Together, the options give Gulf Coast families a full slate of ways to make the most of summer while keeping gatherings small and outdoor activity high, without straying far from Mobile and Baldwin counties.
The common thread across all of these outings is that they lean on what the region already has. The Gulf Coast’s network of parks, farms, family attractions and walkable downtown districts was built for exactly the kind of outdoor, spread-out recreation that families are prioritizing this year, and the businesses and organizations behind them have adapted quickly to keep operating safely. In many cases, the modified formats have introduced residents to places and activities they may not have tried otherwise, from a first visit to a u-pick farm to a slow evening in a downtown gallery district.
Local spending matters in a summer like this one as well. A takeout pizza for the picnic blanket, a bucket of berries from a family farm, a day pass at the amusement park or a new pair of gardening gloves from a neighborhood nursery all keep dollars circulating among businesses that depend on community support. Residents can expect updated schedules and details on each venue’s website and social media pages as the summer progresses.