John McDonald - Ameriprise Financial Services

When in Mobile, you will surely be aware of the significance of Mardi Gras. To get a little taste of the celebration no matter what time of the year that you visit, check out Toomey's Mardi Gras. This celebratory store specializes in products for parties and special occasions with a special emphasis on events with a Mardi Gras theme. Find such essentials as masks, jewelry, and of course, the infamous throwaway beads.

Getting some good exercise and having a great time don't always go together. Luckily, they do when you spend some quality leisure time enjoying recreation at Mobile's AMF Skyline Lanes. This state-of-the-art bowling facility also features a great arcade, snack bar and also special nights for various local leagues.

Mardi Gras in Mobile takes place over the course of two and a half weeks in February. The city has been recognized as the site of the first ever Mardi Gras celebration in 1703, well before it took place in New Orleans. To continue the tradition of those festivities that were established long ago, many locals and visitors make plans to enjoy the yearly Mardi Gras in Mobile. The festival attracts well over a million people who come to enjoy the parade, masks, the “throws” of beads, as well as all the tastes, sights and sounds that make this party one that should not be missed.

Sometimes, getting a case of the blues can actually be a good thing. And nowhere is that feeling more appropriate than at the Blues Tavern. This one-of-a-kind entertainment venue has been often imitated but never duplicated, as any of the patrons of this blues club will tell you. The blues are very much alive at this no-frills venue, as it features a regular and highly impressive schedule of local and regional performers who all share their unmistakable love of the blues.