Alabama Road Trip with Kids: Coastal Creatures, Carnival Magic & Battleship Goodbyes (Day 13)
Welcome to Day 13: Dauphin Island & Mobile Bay
If you’re looking for fun, educational things to do with kids on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, Day 13 is the perfect grand finale. From sea creatures and Mardi Gras sparkle to maritime marvels and a mighty battleship, this day ends the Ethan & Oliver Adventures: Great Alabama Road Trip with a splash—and a salute.
📍 Itinerary Overview – Day 13
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab Aquarium (Start around 9:00 AM)
→ Spend ~1.5 hrs exploring exhibits and touch tanks - Mobile Bay Ferry Ride (Departs ~11:00 AM, depending on tide/schedule)
→ Ferry ride is ~40 minutes
→ Arrive at Fort Morgan around 11:45 AM
(Be sure to check ferry schedule ahead of time and arrive early!) - Drive to Mobile Carnival Museum – ~1 hr
→ Arrive around 1:00 PM, explore for ~45 minutes - GulfQuest Maritime Museum – ~5 minutes away
→ Arrive around 2:00 PM, spend ~1–1.5 hrs - USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park – ~10 minutes away
→ Arrive around 3:30–4:00 PM, explore for 1–2 hrs
Stop 1: Alabama Aquarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab
🔗 Visit Website
What to Expect: Touch pools with stingrays, moon jelly tanks, and fascinating exhibits about Alabama’s estuaries and coastal life.
Kid-Friendly Tip: Let your kids touch a horseshoe crab and explore the tunnel that simulates underwater ecosystems.
Educational Tie-In: Coastal biology, marine habitats, and estuary ecosystems.
Notebook Prompt: What sea creature surprised you the most?
Faith Tie-In: Psalm 104:25 — “There is the sea, vast and spacious… teeming with creatures beyond number.”
Stop 2: Mobile Bay Ferry Ride
🔗 Visit Website
What to Expect: A breezy ride across the bay—watch for dolphins, pelicans, and Navy vessels.
Parent Tip: Arrive early—ferry schedules shift with the weather.
Notebook Prompt: What did you see from the ferry that you couldn’t see from land?
Stop 3: Mobile Carnival Museum
🔗 Visit Website
What to Expect: Colorful Mardi Gras floats, royal robes, and festive Mobile history.
Kid-Friendly Tip: Try the dress-up area and let them design their own parade float.
Notebook Prompt: If you had your own float in a parade, what would it look like?
Faith Tie-In: Psalm 30:11 — “You turned my mourning into dancing.”
Stop 4: GulfQuest National Maritime Museum
What to Expect: Hands-on exhibits about navigation, hurricanes, shipping, and life at sea.
Educational Tie-In: Geography, weather systems, STEM concepts, and naval history.
Notebook Prompt: If you had a boat, where would you sail?
Stop 5: USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park
🔗 Visit Website
What to Expect: Explore a WWII battleship, walk through a submarine, and admire vintage aircraft.
Kid-Friendly Tip: The ship is huge—wear good shoes and bring water.
Memory Maker: The boys stood at attention where Mom had her Navy commissioning ceremony. “Permission to come aboard, sir!”
Navy Tie-In: Tugboats, Mooring Lines & Salutes at Sea
Today’s a great chance to sprinkle in a little ship talk—Navy style.
Tugboats may look small, but they’re incredibly powerful. They talk to each other with horn blasts (just like secret whistles!) and help massive ships like the USS ALABAMA dock safely. Their job is kind of like being the strong little sibling who can still move the couch.
Mooring lines are the heavy ropes that keep a ship tied to the dock. The bigger the ship, the more lines you need—and in storms or strong currents, crews sometimes double them up. Learning how to tie up a ship is one of the first things a new sailor practices.
Teach your kids this trick to remember ship directions:
Port is the left side (both have four letters),
Starboard is the right side.
You can even play a “port and starboard” game while waiting for the ferry!
And if you see the American flag flying at half-mast, it’s a sign of honor and mourning—a quiet way the Navy, and our nation, shows respect when someone important has died.
From ferries to battleships, today’s journey is full of little lessons in leadership, strength, and tradition—just like life in the Navy.
Notebook Prompt: What was your favorite part of the ship?
Faith Tie-In: Psalm 46:1 — “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Bonus Resource: USS ALABAMA Homeschool & Education Resources
Evening Wrap-Up: Journey Home
As the sun slipped behind the bay, the family headed west toward San Diego—hearts full of stories, souls full of sunshine.
Notebook Prompt: What did this trip teach you about being brave?
Faith Reflection: Hebrews 13:8 — “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Check out our tailgate send off as we wrapped up our alabama road trip with snacks on the tailgate
What We Learned Today:
- God’s creativity shines through sea life, celebrations, and ships.
- Sometimes the best lessons are the ones you can climb on or touch.
- Farewells are easier when they’re filled with gratitude.
Read the Story Version:
Catch this final chapter in Ethan & Oliver Adventures: Great Alabama Road Trip—a story of bold boys, Gulf breezes, and one last salute.
📬 Thanks for Following Along!
Missed a day? All things Alabama are Located here!
Roadtrippers route for Alabama
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored or affiliated with any organization, attraction, or company mentioned. All opinions are my own, and all recommendations are based on our personal family experiences while researching and writing the Ethan & Oliver Adventures series.
