The Gulf Coast is an area rich in the remnants of the past. Port cities such as Mobile developed very early in our country's history, with a diverse and eclectic population bringing with them treasures from their European pasts. Mobile began as the first capital of colonial French Louisiana in 1702, and has progressed into a vital city with top notch arts, entertainment, and shopping. Peaceful, sugar-sanded beaches, world class golfing on the Robert Trent Jones golf trail, historic military forts, seven beautiful historic homes districts, the battleship USS Alabama, the Oakleigh Historic Museum, Bellingrath Home and Gardens, and the Mobile Mardi Gras Museum are just some of the attractions that make the Gulf Coast the prefect travel destination. The antiques of Olde Mobile are of a quality and caliber that is incomparable.