Explore Mobile’s unique Historic Districts: LoDa

Mural At Loda Bier Garten
Mural at LoDa Bier Garten, downtown Mobile. Photo by Liv George for The Bama Buzz.

Hello and welcome to the second installment of exploring Mobile’s Historic Districts, mini-series covering all the beauty and wonder of Mobile’s historic districts. Last week, we took a look at the Church Street East historic districts. This week, we’re covering LoDa, or the LOwer DAuphin District.

A quick review on the historic districts

Historic Districts Of Mobile Map
Historic districts of Mobile Map. Rendering via Mobile.org.

In the City of Mobile, we have registered 7 different districts on the National Register of Historic Places, and a few more locally recognized and maintained as historic districts even if not on a registry. Here’s a list of the historic districts in Mobile:

  • Church Street East
  • Lower Dauphin (LoDa)
  • Oakleigh Garden District
  • Old Dauphin Way
  • Leinkauf
  • Ashland Place
  • De Tonti Square
  • Midtown Mobile
  • Africatown and the African American Heritage Trail

The easiest way to tell if a building is historic, especially in Mobile, is to look for a certain plaque issued by the Mobile Historic Development Commission. They look a bit like this:

Mobile Historic Development Plaque
Mobile Historic Development Commission plaque. Photo via MobileHD.org.

LoDa District

Loda Historic District Map
LoDa Historic District Map. Photo via Mobile Historic Development Commission website.

So, if you scroll up just a little to check out that first map we’ve got in here, you’ll notice that the LoDa district and the Church Street East historic districts kind of blend into one another, with the only gaps being a couple blocks to the North of government street. This makes for a very fun and easy way to explore multiple historical districts in one day or one trip to Mobile. Let’s take a closer look at some cool stuff in LoDa.

The LoDa Historic District’s main brag is being central to the arts. On top of hosting the Saenger Theatre, the LoDa district is also home to art galleries, like the Sophiella Art Gallery. Furthermore, the Alabama contemporary Arts Center and the Mobile Arts Council lie within the LoDa district boundaries as well. Most distinctly, however, is the LoDa Artwalk, a monthly celebration of and exhibition of local artists.

ArtWalk

Artwalk Pictures
A snapshot of LoDa Artwalk. Photo via the Mobile Arts Council website.

On the second Friday of the month, from 6-9 p.m., the city shuts down Dauphin Street and the local businesses and artists come out to play. It’s seriously just a ton of family-friendly fun, right in the heart of downtown Mobile. Local artists set up booths to sell their wares, restaurants run ArtWalk specials, sometimes you can even go rollerskating in the streets with Roll Mobile!

The absolutely fantastic time you can have downtown at ArtWalk cannot be understated. It’s always a little different each month, for example, July was “National Culinary Arts Month,” and ArtWalk worked to highlight local chefs in the area. In June, ArtWalk was Pride themed, etc. For all the info on August’s ArtWalk, you can check out the LoDa Artwalk Facebook!

LoDa fun all month long!

Now, the LoDa district is known for ArtWalk, but that’s not all it has to offer!

Food & Drink

&Quot;The Souls Of Mobile&Quot; Mural
Mural entitled “The Souls of Mobile” outside of Hayley’s Bar on Dauphin Street. Photo by Liv George for The Bama Buzz.

Hayley’s Bar, the oldest in Mobile, is located in the LoDa District, Check it out for the perfect dive-bar experience with an old-school Mobile flair.

The Merry Widow In Downtown Mobile
The Merry Widow in Downtown Mobile. Photo via Liv George for The Bama Buzz.

The Merry Widow is a fantastic bar that features live performances, which sometimes are burlesque shows.

View From Dauphin'S Downtown
View from Dauphin’s downtown. Photo via Dauphin’s facebook.

Dauphin’s is a higher-class dining experience on the top floor of one of Mobile’s skyscrapers. You can also (if you know the password) check out Las Floriditas, Mobile’s own speakeasy!

Shopping & More!

C&Amp;C Candles
Citrus & Cane Candles. Photo via Citrus & Cane Facebook.

Citrus & Cane is an excellent store full of homemade soaps and candles. Being in the LoDa district, they sometimes work with local artists, who help design the packaging and sometimes even the scents!

Urban Emporium Storefront

Urban Emporium is an absolutely expansive shop featuring everything from antique mall style wares to the newest releases by local artists.

Inside Bienville Gift Shop
Bienville Souvenir & Gifts. Photo via Bienville Souvenir & Gifts on Facebook.

Bienville Souvenir & Gifts has all the Mobile Mardi Gras flair you could ever want, and then some!


If you love the LoDa district as much as we do, check out their page on the Mobile Arts council website, where you can learn so much more about this awesome area of downtown.

Thanks for stopping by this week’s issue on Mobile’s Historic Districts. Check in Next Wednesday when we cover the Oakleigh Garden District.

What’s your favorite LoDa district spot? Tag us @thebamabuzz & let us know!

Liv George
Liv George

A Georgia native soaking up the sun on the Gulf Coast. Lover of Mardi Gras, beach days, and historical sites.

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