Africatown Heritage House

What an inspiration! This is a first rate museum detailing the history, through an audio self-guided tour, of the settlers of Africatown. The settlers were enslaved illegally, long after the Transatlantic slave trade had been banned but shortly before Emancipation. When freed, they built their own town based on their shared African values. We would have liked to take the tour of Africatown itself but time prevented. We hope to be back!

This was one of the highlights of my Alabama trip was visiting the heritage house. When coming to Mobile 15 years ago just a plaque. So happy that now an actual building I didn't rush but took everything in and during it had to stand back and later sit to reflect. As an avid genealogist also like how items used to research family during certain times was displayed to tell their stories. There's a short film at the very end and one of the women in it was there and glad to give more information since she is a descendant. This is part of America history which some don't want to acknowledge. The history of our country is both good and bad and all need to be shown.

I am not sure what I was expecting when I found out about this museum, but I am blown away. The exhibit begins in Africa and ends with descendants speaking about growing up and living in this area. It is thought provoking and chilling to learn this information. I would recommend to anyone at all.

It was AMAZING to learn of this extraordinary history. The museum outlines the resilience of Africans brought to America against their will, and how the remaining ones built a community called AfricaTown. If you love history, it's a must-see in Mobile, Alabama.

October 25, 2025 – Africatown Heritage House This was a really neat tour. The thing that amazed me the most was the beaded regalia—millions of beads covered each piece. I didn’t even know how the beads were made, so I asked, and they told me that the men of the towns created them from glass. I’m assuming the women did the embroidery. The pieces featuring snakes and a lion were absolutely stunning, as were the headpieces and the bags. The amount of time and effort that went into making these works of art was phenomenal. The stories shared during the walkthrough were powerful and moving. Thinking about these people being ripped from their homes and families, and treated like animals, was absolutely heartbreaking. This experience was a powerful reminder of where we once were as a nation and how far we’ve come and a call to never go down that kind of path again.

Fascinating local museum (in partnership with National Geographic and the Smithsonian) centered around the people brought to America on the last known slave ship to land in the country (the Clotilda) and the founders of the town in which the museum is located. Staffed by locals, many of whom are descendants of the original enslaved, then freed, Africans themselves. Exhibits don't take more than an hour and a half to enjoy, reading absolutely everything. Pieces of the wreck of the Clotilda, discovered in 2019, are featured in the last room. Photography is not allowed inside the exhibits.

The Africatown Hertiage House is a very interesting, informative, and educational Museum. The museum shares a lot of information regarding the "CLOTILDA-The Last Ship" that arrived in the U.S.A. and the Community of Africatown.

We did several museums in the Mobile area and this was by far the most educational. The lady at the desk is an actual descendant of a slave and she was a wealth of information. It is not very big but it serves its purpose well.

I am not sure what I was expecting when I found out about this museum, but I am blown away. The exhibit begins in Africa and ends with descendants speaking about growing up and living in this area. It is thought provoking and chilling to learn this information. I would recommend to anyone at all.

Forever learning! Soaked up some knowledge today at the AfricaTown Heritage House. This museum is home to the Clotilda exhibition, accounting the story of the African people, their ancestors... brought here on the Clotilda Ship, sold into slavery. After leaving the heritage house, drive through the AfricaTown community. Rich experience.

I went to visit as part of an outing with my job. I wanted to visit ever since I heard it was opening. Africatown is so full of history and this place captures it. This place is a museum dedicated to the last enslaved people who came to this country. You can follow the exhibit on your own with the use of remote which as a speaker. The exhibit follows Cudjoe Lewis from his home in what is modern day Benin to Mobile. You get to understand his feelings about being taken away from from his home and being forced to work in a far away place. The accounts heard and read through the self guided tour make you understand how cruel the institution of slavery was. Throughout the exhibit you are able to see artifacts from the time including newspaper articles and chains of the enslaved. This was a unique experience and one that everyone should have.

I've been following the unfolding of this horrible, but necessary African American navigation thru our history. The "Clotilda" last known slave shipped has been recovered in the Plateau near Mobile Alabama. This has been on my list to visit for years, so glad its finally open! I've read several books about Cudjoe (Kazoola) Lewis and the decedents of Africatown. Im so surprised when I tell people about Africatown, they ask me "what's that and where". Its very important for me to know my history, and pay respect to these communities. Long story short, in 1860, a ship carrying 110 Africans slipped into Mobile Bay. The Clotilda ship made its illegal voyage 52 years after the international slave trade was outlawed. Years to come, the displaced Africans survived enslavement and established a community as free Americans. You can also see the old houses, cemetery, churches and other sites in the community. Cudjoe's grave is marked with a tall white stone. Its located a few miles from Mobile, Al, very easy to find and navigate the town. The museum will give you maps and other places to visit while in town. I encourage you to visit the other sites while there. Customer service was excellent and knowledgeable. Tips: You must purchase tix online before visiting, and walk around outside to see the garden and other educational markers. I encourage all to visit, don't forget to donate online. Whewww, this is my 1000th review on Yelp! I really should start a blog, so much more to share from my worldly travels. @glampedlife

Taking a walk through African and American history can be horrific but necessary. The history of Clotilda being found in Alabama opened the door for the world to see and understand the atrocities that took place on American soil. The voice of Cudjoe (Kazoola) Lewis Canberra heard throughout this museum. To hear the voice of a slave speaking about his capture and life during and after captivity lends humanity to events that have just seemed like writings in a history book. Every American should go to the Plateu in Mobile and hear the voice of Cudjoe and visit with the descendants of Africatown. Go to the Heritage House and learn about American/Alabama history. Listen to the voice of Cudjoe and meet with the descendants of the Clotilda. This is a MUST see place!

An experience worth taking in to see the history well done , emotional and heart felt. Everyone needs to visit and see this history.

Very informative and interesting! We learned so much, and this is a story that deserves to be remembered. I highly recommend taking a few hours to spend here!