Ashley H.
Yelp
Free, free, free! Now that I have your attention with this place being free to visit, let me tell you how cool it is so you will want to visit.
Walking into the attached Welcome Center, they have tons of brochures about area attractions, and they give you a brief history of the fort. Before constructing the Wallace Tunnel, they were required to do an archeological dig. During this dig, they dug up so many artifacts from where the old fort once stood, they were inspired to reconstruct it. They went to France, got copies of the blueprints (amazing they were still in existence), and reconstructed the fort at one-third the size of the original structure.
Walking through the fort you see many of the artifacts on display, along with a few replicas. Of course, it tells the story of the fort and Mobile under the French, British and Spanish rule, and the role the old fort played during the wars. The French built the fort and named it Fort Conde in honor of Gen Louis II de Boubon, Prince of Conde. Under British rule, the name was changed to Fort Charlotte, in honor of the Queen. Under Spanish rule, it was called Fuerta Carlota, which is Spanish for Fort Charlotte. The Spanish handed the fort over to the Americans in 1813, and it was demolished shortly thereafter.
The top of the fort, which you can walk, lends a great view of the Mobile skyline. A bonus is that it's a great way to see what's above the tunnels, if you've ever wondered. Fort Conde sits right on top of the Wallace Tunnel.
It takes about an hour to an hour and a half to walk around and see all there is to see. It's a great way to stretch your legs if you're driving through the area and looking to stop, or to do a little sightseeing and get a little history lesson in less than an afternoon. Did I mention, it's free?