Those who don't study history are bound to repeat it, but those who completely immerse themselves in historical study are bound to develop an affinity for old-timey bathing costumes. Dive into the past with today's Groupon: for $5, you get two adult tickets to Condé-Charlotte Museum House (a $10 value).
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Condé-Charlotte Museum House has collected artifacts from Mobile's distinct periods under French, British, Spanish, American, and Confederate control and preserved them under the roof of this 19th-century Colonial-style townhouse. Originally erected as an 1822 jail house, the building was converted to a residence in 1850, when it was expanded with handmade bricks and expunged of all loitering ghosts. Imagine yourself in 1711, relaxing among the floral drapes and pale pink upholstery in the museum's French bedroom, then calibrate your consciousness to 1775 in the British "commandant's room," where a gleaming silver tea set enhances historical veracity by whining about colonists and demanding more Yorkshire pudding. Artifacts of American heritage include the lavish red-velvet sofa in the Confederate parlor, the white-laced four-post bed in the original master bedroom, and a to-scale replica of Teddy Roosevelt's mustache in the closet. Finally, move outside to explore the kempt hedges forming brick-and-tile corridors through the sun-washed garden, an homage to the late 18th- and early 19th-century Spanish presence. Tourists who wish to know the age and origin myth of each artifact can join a guided tour, which lasts 45 minutes.
Condé-Charlotte Museum House
The five flags in front of the Condé-Charlotte Museum House represent Mobile’s tumultuous history under the rule of five countries: France, Spain, Britain, the United States, and the Confederate States. Within the house, visitors can see antique furnishing that correspond to each of these periods in time, with a different theme in each room—for example, the British room holds antiques from 1763–1780, when the British occupied the city. The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Alabama run the house and operate its tours, which traverse both inside and the outdoor, Spanish-themed garden.
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