"We're where Florida meets Alabama," says Landon Howard, vice president of Marketing and Communications for the Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau. It's an apt description for a once sleepy town coming to life, thanks to downtown revitalization which has attracted Carnival Cruise Lines, spurred residential building and attracted new restaurants and shops. Once the third largest port city in the U.S., Mobile's boosters claim there are 68 ethic groups. As if on cue, pedestrians speaking Arabic and Spanish saunter past on a balmy December day. They nod, smile and greet me. Mobile is that kind of place.

It's been more than 25 years since I've been here. As I walk the clean, safe streets with names like Dauphin and Royal, past lively lunch cafes and lacy, wrought iron balconies, I am reminded of New Orleans -- there's that same Creole flavor. I duck into the A & M Peanut Shop, which has been roasting nuts since 1947, for a bag of the "hostess mix," then admire local artwork at the Cathedral Square Gallery, which offers complimentary coffee.

Exploring the Food and Sights of Mobile

At Three Georges Southern Chocolates, I nab pecan turtles enrobed in dark chocolate and mini pecan pies, before lunching at Café 219 on mushroom soup and a chicken, bleu cheese and cranberry wrap. I am thus fortified for an afternoon of touring, aided by the free Moda! trolley which traverses downtown.

At the Exploreum Science Center, I feign being a weathergirl in the TV studio, learn how "hot" I am with the thermogram, play 20 questions with a mind-reading computer and design my own roller coaster.

The Richards DAR House Museum, listed on the National Historic Register, was built for steamboat captain Charles Richards originally from Maine. Although my father would have throttled me, I skipped visiting the battleship USS Alabama, one of the city's leading attractions (it vies with Bellingrath Gardens for the top honor). A national historic landmark that pays tribute to seven decades of military heroism, I remember walking the mighty gray ship as a teenager.

I'm getting a dose of military history at The Renaissance Battle House. The historic downtown hotel closed in 1974 and reopened following a spectacular renovation in 2007. Originally set up as military headquarters by Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812, it opened as a hotel in 1852. A harpist plays holiday music and a giant tree soars toward the ceiling; it's the kind of place where the check-in clerk refers to me as "Miss Suzanne." Historian/concierge George takes me on a tour which includes the "whispering wall" on the mezzanine level. The Beau Art style lobby—dubbed "Mobile's living room"—features a grand rotunda and paintings in the four corners depict four great rulers of countries that have flown flags over Mobile: France, Spain, England and the U.S.

Ethiopian-born Chakli Diggs is the chef owner of downtown's Noja. With its warm and inviting atmosphere, it attracts both suit and jeans-clad patrons. Tuna tatakai with chickpea fritters, housemade agnolotti pasta, lamb cassoulet and ginger donuts make for a satisfying dinner. Back at the Battle House, a train lulls me to sleep.

The following day, I visit the world's only Carnival Museum -- easy to spot with its two painted jesters on the porch. Although New Orleans gets the glory, Mobile was the real birthplace of Mardi Gras in 1830. The coronations of krewe kings and queens are said to rival that of European royalty, and from the eye-popping gowns and robes and jewel- encrusted crowns and scepters I believe it.

The original Wintzell's Oyster House has been serving cream of crab soup, fried pickles, West Indies crab salad and fried oysters since 1938. I order all the above, plus the oyster sampler (my favorite is the roasted parmesan with garlic) along with a Bushwacker (milkshake spiked with rum and Kahlua).

Fun fact: more than 935,000 tons of oysters are harvested annually in Alabama waters.

Five bodies of water, the Mobile, Spanish, Tensaw, Apalachee and Blakeley rivers flow into Mobile Bay at the Five Rivers Delta Resource Center. The nation's second largest river delta, it comprises 200,000 acres of wetlands some 30 miles long and 12 miles wide. You can rent canoes and kayaks, take a pontoon ride, camp in platforms, check out the exhibit hall and browse the nature shop.

Bellingrath Gardens & Home is named for Walter Bellingrath who made his fortune as Mobile's first Coca-Cola bottler. His immaculately maintained 10,000-square foot home which sits on the banks of the Fowl River has a contemporary appeal that belies its 1932 construction. Strolling through the 65 cultivated acres lush with camellias, azaleas and seasonal blooms and the ecological bayou boardwalk over marshland populated by birds, turtles and is a perennial pleasure.

Fairhope

My final stop is Fairhope, on the eastern shore, where I check into the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort in Point Clear. Hurricane Katrina took a cruel toll on the 160-year old property, which was a onetime confederate hospital during the Civil War. Following a $50 million renovation, it reopened in late 2006. Where once there were weathered clapboard cottages, there are now spa suites with Jacuzzi tubs and plantation-inspired interiors. The 20,000-square foot spa is a warmly lit sanctuary ideal for an afternoon massage. Majestic live oaks dripping with Spanish moss still distinguish the property.

Walking downtown Fairhope's busy, flower-lined streets, you'd never guess there's a Wal-Mart just three miles away. Cars stop respectfully short of the crosswalk and drivers lift a finger from the steering wheel in a familiar, friendly gesture. After passing time at Page & Palette, an independent bookstore, I drop into the Gumbo Shack for a steaming bowl of spicy jambalaya.

Sure, Mobile shares characteristics with its Southern coastal sister cities. But it's got a well-preserved flavor all its own.