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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.