Oakleigh Garden Historic District

Are you hungry for a taste of the Old South?  Then grab your straw hat and an ice cold glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade and head on down to the Oakleigh Garden Historic District for a look at some of the most beautiful homes in Mobile.

Every year the Historic Mobile Preservation Society presents the Oakleigh Porch Tour – a fun-filled day of porch-hopping from one beautiful property to the next.  See the painstakingly restored facades and lush, vibrant gardens of some of the most opulent historic homes in Mobile.

Front porches are often referred to as the Parlors of the South according to Renea Greene, the Porch Tour chair.  It’s a place to converse with your neighbors and tell stories, and on this unique tour you’ll understand the history of how some of these gorgeous porches came to be.  It’s like stepping back in time for a day out in Oakleigh, and celebrating the beginning of a long, beautiful summer.  Bring the family, the dog and have a picnic on the grounds of the Oakleigh Mansion or Washington Square.  You can also grab a tasty cheeseburger at neighborhood pub Callaghan’s, or a delicious ice cream cone at Cream and Sugar.

The tour features lovingly restored homes along with lemonade stands, watering stations for your pooch, and entertainment all along the way.  More information about the upcoming event can be found at the Mobile Historic Preservation Society’s website.

The Historic Mobile Preservation Society was founded in 1935 as a way to help preserve tangible links to the past for all our future generations to enjoy.  The Society also operates the Oakleigh Historic Complex, a 19th century museum and archival repository in the heart of Mobile’s historic district.

At the Oakleigh Historic Complex, guides in period costume lead you through an unparalleled experience on 19th century Gulf Coast living in a truly authentic setting.  Oakleigh’s three house museums show modern folks what life was like for three aspects of society at that time – the upper class, the servant class, and the working class.

The Oakleigh Mansion is complemented by the Cook’s House on the southwest area of the property.  Built in 1850, it served as a quarter for slaves who formed the backbone of the Oakleigh property.  This three-room building shows us what life was like for the craftsmen, laborers and domestic servants of the time.

Oakleigh Garden Historic District Mobile is located five minutes east of the intersection of Government and Catherine Street.