3 ways to experience a Mobile Delta adventure now

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Many Alabamians will head south to our beaches this summer, so we’re here to draw your eye just west of the route to one of our less-explored natural treasures you have to see to believe: the Mobile Tensaw Delta.

This National Natural Landmark is the second-largest river delta system in the country and one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in North America, earning the name “America’s Amazon.”

The region is definitely worth a detour on your beach trip—and even more special when you build a whole trip around it. Make Mobile your home base, which is just 250 miles from Birmingham.

We’re here with tips to guide you through the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta from the marshes to Mobile Bay.

1. Mobile Delta education attractions

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Before you set out to explore, take time to learn about what you’ll see—it’s a lot! According to The Nature Conservancy, the delta region spans over 200,000 acres home to:

🐢 Two imperiled turtle species that can’t be found elsewhere
🐟 The greatest number of freshwater species in the U.S.
🐊 The state’s largest population of American alligators
🐦 300+ species of birds, some resident + others migratory

Make a first stop at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf, where you can step into the re-created field lab of the late, renowned natural scientist E.O. Wilson, who developed his passion for biology as a boy growing up in Mobile. While his work took him around the world, he maintained that the delta region was the most fascinating.

Check these out for more excellent educational experiences:

• Alabama Aquarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab
• Audubon Bird Sanctuary
• Alabama Wildlife Federation Delta & Bay Conservation Center
• Longleaf Pine Treasure Forest at Mobile Botanical Gardens

2. Mobile Delta boat tours

Continue your Mobile Delta adventure with a boat tour through the marshes and wetlands. Experiences range from leisurely kayaking to high-speed airboat “fun runs.”

Here’s a sampling:

😲 AA Airboat Express: Fun Runs, Eco Tours, Sunset Cruises, Alligator Adventure Night Tours via airboat
🪶 Chappelle Excursions: Birding + Nature Tours via a 24’ Sea Hunt or a 21’ commercial-grade aluminum boat
🐊 Historic Blakeley State Park: Delta Discovery Tours, Sunset Cruises + Alligator Tours via the Delta Explorer covered boat
🧭 America’s Amazon Adventures: Extensive all-day tours for groups of up to six on the upper + lower delta + Clotilda trips, all led by Charter Captain Ben Raines, an award-winning journalist + filmmaker who discovered the Clotilda

3. Cruise the Mobile Bay + fish the Gulf

End your trip where the delta’s five rivers unite in the nation’s fourth-largest estuary, Mobile Bay.

Get a bird’s-eye view while enjoying a meal during a dinner cruise aboard The Perdido Queen paddlewheel riverboat.

For those who want to go with the flow even further, consider a charter with Captain Mike’s Deep Sea Fishing, which offers trips ranging from four hours to three days into the Gulf.

And if your sense of adventure calls you to slightly more distant waters, Mobile is your home port for cruises, including Carnival Cruise Lines excursions to the Bahamas and American Cruise Lines Gulf Coast tours.

Ready to set out on your Mobile Delta adventure? Go to mobile.org to book a stay now.

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