Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Saraland, AL

This celebration of libations gains new popularity each year, as thousands of beer aficionados and casual observers...

This celebration of libations gains new popularity each year, as thousands of beer aficionados and casual observers flock to sample quaffs on tap at area watering holes. International brews from Japan, Czechoslovakia, Holland, and Ireland are usually in attendance, along with domestics and microbrews. The admission price includes a map of participating restaurants, a wristband, a list of beers, and a ballot for choosing "Best Beer."

Hours: Sat, Aug 25, 2012: 6pm - 9pm

Featuring nine stages of live music and activities for the entire family, BayFest has earned a reputation as one of the...

Featuring nine stages of live music and activities for the entire family, BayFest has earned a reputation as one of the area's best and largest annual festivals, surpassing even Mobile's famed Mardi Gras festivities. Past performers have included legendary stars like B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Buddy Guy, the Doobie Brothers, and Hank Williams, Jr., as well as modern rockers and country crooners like Daughtry, Blues Traveler, Travis Tritt, Cake, Creed, Keith Urban and 10,000 Maniacs. Supporting and showcasing aspiring musicians, one of the festival's stages is The Launching Pad which is designed to help those acts reach for musical greatness.

Hours: Fri, Oct 5, 2012 Sat, Oct 6, 2012 Sun, Oct 7, 2012

Moonpies, deep-fried chicken, parades, and plenty of beads: this is Mardi Gras Mobile-style. The city's pre-Lenten...

Moonpies, deep-fried chicken, parades, and plenty of beads: this is Mardi Gras Mobile-style. The city's pre-Lenten celebration is older than the one its big sister celebrates over in the Big Easy (older, in fact, than the city of New Orleans itself), having started way back in the early 1700s. However, it isn't nearly the all-out party scene, and Mardi Gras in Mobile has earned fame as a laid-back, family-friendly spectacle where great food and good times converge with marching bands, fistfuls of tossed candy, and elegant debutantes.

Hours: January 2013 February 2013

This event offers folks the chance to see some of Mobile's most beautiful and historic homes. Tours lead up and down...

This event offers folks the chance to see some of Mobile's most beautiful and historic homes. Tours lead up and down tree-lined streets, passing immaculate gardens and mature lawns, and affording glimpses of breathtaking Victorian, Queen Anne, and Greek Revival residences. Featured homes in the past have included the historic Oakleigh House (1833), the Neo-classical Blacksher Hall (1901), and the Italianate Davis-Haas House (1871).

Hours: Event times vary; call for details Fri, Mar 15, 2013: 10am - 4pm Sat, Mar 16, 2013: 10am - 4pm

A celebration of Mobile's cultural diversity, this unique festival has earned national fame by bringing in...

A celebration of Mobile's cultural diversity, this unique festival has earned national fame by bringing in representatives from such faraway places as Benin, Egypt, Philippines, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. In addition to the booths and food stalls of the International Food Square, the festival also hosts a biergarten where beer connoisseurs can sample brews from around the world. Live music and entertainment round out the unique affair, and audiences of all ages are treated to performances by Kenyan acrobats, Greek folk dancers, Celtic folk bands, and more.

Hours: Thu, Nov 15, 2012: 10am - 5pm Fri, Nov 16, 2012: 10am - 5pm Sat, Nov 17, 2012: 10am - 5pm

Fun for the entire family, this 10-day October event offers attractions that appeal to people from all walks of life....

Fun for the entire family, this 10-day October event offers attractions that appeal to people from all walks of life. Indeed, from arts and crafts exhibits to concerts, livestock expos, and petting zoos, the Greater Gulf State Fair offers a little bit of everything. In addition, the fair hosts the PRCA Rodeo and the Great Gulf State Gun & Knife Show, where collectors can buy, sell, and trade wares. Past music lineups have included such big names as Travis Tritt and Keith Sweat.

Hours: Fri, Oct 26, 2012: 4pm - 2am Sat, Oct 27, 2012: Noon - 11pm Sun, Oct 28, 2012: Noon - 11pm Mon, Oct 29, 2012: 4pm - 11pm Tue, Oct 30, 2012: 4pm - 11pm Wed, Oct 31, 2012: 4pm - 11pm Thu, Nov 1, 2012: 4pm - 11pm Fri, Nov 2, 2012: 4pm - 2am Sat, Nov 3, 2012: Noon - 11pm Sun, Nov 4, 2012: Noon - 11pm

Many of NCAA football's best and brightest upperclassmen take the stage at this annual bowl game. Pitting the North...

Many of NCAA football's best and brightest upperclassmen take the stage at this annual bowl game. Pitting the North against the South, the Senior Bowl provides these athletes one final opportunity (before the NFL draft) to showcase their skills against their peers. Among past collegians who used the Senior Bowl as a launching pad for success on the next level were Indiana's Antwaan Randle El, Texas Christian's LaDainian Tomlinson, Marshall's Chad Pennington, and Florida State's Derrick Brooks. More recently has been Florida's Chris Leak, Heisman winner Troy Smith from Ohio State, Cadillac Williams from Auburn, and Carson Palmer from USC (Southern California).

Hours: January 2013

Held each year in early spring, the Festival of Flowers stands as one of the state's largest floral and horticultural...

Held each year in early spring, the Festival of Flowers stands as one of the state's largest floral and horticultural events. The gardening extravaganza features more than 100,000 square feet of exhibits and activities, along with the informative seminars and demonstrations.

Hours: Thu, Mar 21, 2013: 9am - 5pm Fri, Mar 22, 2013: 9am - 5pm Sat, Mar 23, 2013: 9am - 5pm Sun, Mar 24, 2013: Midnight - 5pm

During the holidays, the 1935 Bellingrath home is festooned with greenery and poinsettias. The gardens are known far and...

During the holidays, the 1935 Bellingrath home is festooned with greenery and poinsettias. The gardens are known far and wide for their fantastic displays incorporating over 3 million twinkling lights. Tours of the Bellingrath Home are every hour and half hour until 8pm.

Hours: Sat, Dec 1, 2012 Sun, Dec 2, 2012 Mon, Dec 3, 2012 Tue, Dec 4, 2012 Wed, Dec 5, 2012 Thu, Dec 6, 2012 Fri, Dec 7, 2012 Sat, Dec 8, 2012 Sun, Dec 9, 2012 Mon, Dec 10, 2012 Tue, Dec 11, 2012 Wed, Dec 12, 2012 Thu, Dec 13, 2012 Fri, Dec 14, 2012 Sat, Dec 15, 2012 Sun, Dec 16, 2012 Mon, Dec 17, 2012 Tue, Dec 18, 2012 Wed, Dec 19, 2012 Thu, Dec 20, 2012 Fri, Dec 21, 2012 Sat, Dec 22, 2012 Sun, Dec 23, 2012 Mon, Dec 24, 2012 Tue, Dec 25, 2012 Wed, Dec 26, 2012 Thu, Dec 27, 2012 Fri, Dec 28, 2012 Sat, Dec 29, 2012 Sun, Dec 30, 2012 Mon, Dec 31, 2012

Rooted in a centuries-old Mediterranean tradition, prayer for safe journey and plentiful catches is offered at the onset...

Rooted in a centuries-old Mediterranean tradition, prayer for safe journey and plentiful catches is offered at the onset of Bayou La Batre's annual shrimping season. As brightly adorned ships and boats parade past cheering crowds, a priest from St. Margaret's asks the Lord to bless each vessel in the local fleet. Weekend events also include games, plenty of boiled shrimp and gumbo, arts and crafts booths, an antique car exhibit, and a Sunday morning mass.

Hours: Sat, May 4, 2013 Sun, May 5, 2013