Joseph Langan Park:66 Years of Beauty

by Preston Brady III, CityofMobile.com

The Mobile Municipal Park opened the year I was born in Mobile, in 1957. It was later renamed after Joseph Langan, a longtime Mobile politician. As a boy I remember my parents taking us to the park, and little family and friend celebrations in the picnic area where today the covered tables still look the same. A different generation of ducks still wait by the water where some people feed them. The park is 720 acres and includes a performance pavilion, a playhouse, one of the largest tennis courts in the United States, a playground, a beautiful botanical garden, baseball, football and soccer fields, the Mobile Museum of Art, a golf course, disc golf course and more. I enjoy taking afternoon walks in the park, and there are days when it seems like it’s just me and the disc golfers. There are miles of side-walked trails and then there are walking trails such as through the Longleaf Pine Forest next to the Botanical Gardens. Every Thursday the Museum is free to Mobile County residents, and features world-class permanent collections as well as travelling exhibits . I am very lucky to live only a 10 minute drive from the park, and I go there often. I definitely recommend the Mobile Botanical Gardens, especially those times of year when certain trees and plants are in bloom. The Gardens are closed certain days so make sure you check first for hours. They are having an annual plant sale October 26-28. www.mobilebotanicalgardens.org