Mobile, Alabama: USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park

Our spring break 2015 vacation took us on a road trip to Orange Beach, Alabama.  My step-mom lives there and a visit was long over due!  During that vacation, we decided to visit the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park.  Here was our experience:

First of all, look for coupons!  After we paid for entry, my husband saw someone else using a coupon.  Then, as I glanced at some marketing brochures, I saw a stack of the coupons right there next to the clerk!  It would have been super easy to save some money ($2 pp) if we would have thought (or known) ahead of time.  At least I can find comfort in hoping that the extra money we spent went to a good cause.  There is an area to eat, shop, and use the restroom all at the main building.

It's insane how HUGE battleships are!

Missiles!

There are plenty of places to explore!  This one is hidden - you climb up a hole to get to it.  

The official tour is a little crazy.  There are 3 options (you can do all 3) but the guide (a portion shown below) is not that easy to follow.  Everything is labeled on the ship but I just found it all overwhelming.  So, we simply walked where we wanted to until we felt we had seen enough.  There was plenty to see!  There are also sections of the ship that are air conditioned (it was very hot out the day we visited), there's some seating, and there is at least one set of restrooms.

Next we checked out a building dedicated to aircrafts.  This is air conditioned, has a vending machine for beverages, and offers a simulated flight ride ($5 pp).  My family found the variety of aircrafts, and the stories shared about them, to be very interesting.

Next on our tour:  USS DRUM.

The tour for this was pretty easy.  You go into one end of the submarine and come out at the other end.

This was a great lessons for my family.  We were all able to put into perspective how large these vessels are and how living on them might seem.  I know I personally realized that I might be a little claustrophobic - especially with the thought of being in water!  We now have even greater respect for our military!