"We are party people. We party hard," says Mary-Lacy Zeiders, explaining the credo of modern-day Mobile, Ala., as we stand in the sanctuary of a stunning church established in 1842.

This claim is relevant, not irreverent, since the church was recently transformed into The Steeple on St. Francis, Mobile's newest event/music hall. It's one of many abandoned downtown buildings brought back to life as a concert venue, restaurant, pub, gallery or theater.

LoDa — Lower Dauphin Street — "has really exploded between us, the Saenger Theatre, Soul Kitchen, Alabama Music Box, the Listening Room, Merry Widow and Moe's," says Zeiders, The Steeple's executive director. Each space is completely different in form and vibe, and all make you want to come back for more.

Music and art are part of the robust creative scene in Mobile, with evidence including nightly live music and colorful murals throughout LoDa, the Lower Dauphin Street district. (Robin Soslow)

Good times rolling

Swept up in the spirit, I caught Delta swamp rock at the Brickyard, funk 'n jazz brass at O'Daly's, the Cupid Shuffle's creator at Kazoola, and a 20-year-old wunderkind channeling Stevie Ray Vaughan at Soul Kitchen. Then I raced with Catt Sirten to Merry Widow for booty-popping bounce rap. With all the good times now rolling through LoDa, lazy southern strolls aren't on my itinerary.

Music brought Sirten to Mobile 34 years ago. Since then, the concert photographer and radio DJ has seen downtown transform from "death throes" into a robust renaissance.

"Mobile has reached a new high point. The vibe is positive, the people proud," she says.

Sirten helped kindle this renaissance, showcasing local talents at free concerts in Bienville Square and on radio shows. Entrepreneurs began opening bars and clubs in abandoned buildings of various ornate architectural styles dating as far back as 1813. Culturally, Mobile has reached critical mass — making it a terrific place to indulge in a long playlist of relatively cheap thrills.

Downtown Mobile is a music hotspot. Here, a musician named Keith plays at a piano by the Lost Garden in LoDa, the Lower Dauphin Street district. (Robin Soslow)

Join the party

Storytelling has always been the heart of this deep South haven. So it's just natural that storytelling musicians, artists and cooks are driving Mobile's cultural renaissance. You get a gumbo of Delta heritage, soul and freaky streaks to spice up the mix. Warning: residents, friendly as they are proud, will try to shepherd you to favorite spots. Don't resist. I went from outsider to insider during my first day in town.

To join the party, simply surrender to these pleasures:

Musical gumbo

This place roils with autobiographical songs mined from rich and reckless experiences. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Eric Erdman can conjure four songs from a single heartbreak and give newcomers instant entry into Old South haunts. A sampling of his lyrics: "Maybe you're not good for me if Alabama's not good enough for you."

Then there are various jam groups, like Slide Bayou, whose sometimes-barefoot members play hooky from their regular bands. They include Harrison McInnis, a troubadour known on the Gulf Coast shrimp 'n grits circuit.

Flashing lights circle the Saenger marquee day and night. Booking manager Chris Penton likens the downtown scene in 1999 to "the wild, wild west." The restoration of the 1927 theater, hailed as "Alabama's Greatest Showplace," kicked off a slow-but-sure neighborhood revival. The Saenger's acoustics, designed before electronic amplification, make for unforgettable performances by traveling acts as well as the excellent Mobile Symphony Orchestra, whose lively roster includes movie-theme shows.

Miss Pinky serves up fried green tomatoes, masterly bloody marys and other zesty fare at Wintzell's, a famous spot in downtown Mobile, Ala. (Robin Soslow)

Grounds for gluttony

The aroma wafting out the doors of A&M Peanut Shop is so thick that I trip over it, forcing me to have buttery, fresh-roasted pecans for breakfast. Brunch immediately follows upon hearing how Panini Pete's dishes are inspired by the chef-owner's travels with Messlords, a group that cooks for U.S. troops around the world.

The veggie-packed bowls at new FOY — Fountain of Youth — would've been good ways to atone if we didn't decide, for research purposes, to eat every drop of the rich sauces and finish with peanut butter raw balls and smoothies. We did eat light with exquisitely seasoned small plates of heirloom radishes, mushroom and okra at Kitchen On George, but backslid into gluttony with cocktails and mocktails — the rationale being that their ingredients were housemade and included tasty herbs grown in the chef's garden. For classic Southern fare and seafood, visit Wintzell's Oyster House for fried green tomatoes, crab cakes and oysters served multiple ways.

Having resorted to stretchy waistbands, I couldn't even sidestep post-club-hopping treats — such as the Admiral Hotel's signature greetings: oatmeal cookies baked daily with honey from beehives on the floor. Touched by Mobilian generosity, I shared mine with two Mobile Symphony Orchestra violists who were famished after a marathon performance at the restored Saenger Theatre.

Paintings by locally based artists are displayed in the Lost Garden on Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile, Ala. (Robin Soslow)

Art with attitude

A young girl danced as she viewed paintings at the Mobile Museum of Art. This glass-walled structure possesses a size and contemporary design befitting a large world-class city. The collection mixes classics, Old South gothics and dynamic new regionally-inspired works such as Rene Culler's glass interpretations of Delta grasses and animals. The museum is 10 miles west of downtown, but has a cool pop-up satellite gallery tucked between LoDa bars.

Mobilians tell good stories and make neat things, says ink artist Sean Herman, manning the new shop in a 1826 building jammed with works by the Serpents of Bienville, a southern Alabama artist collective. Captivated by amazing hand-painted skateboard decks and spectacularly illustrated indie comic books, I make note to check out Sean's blog of stories gathered from generations of Mobile residents.

More light-hearted giftables and local artworks fill LoDa galleries such as Urban Emporium and Mobile Arts Council.

Mardi Gras, family-style

Mobile hosted the first Mardi Gras in 1703, 15 years before New Orleans was founded. Though formalized in the late 1800s by well-connected drunks called the Cowbellians, Mobile's annual Mardi Gras celebrations are family-friendly. Year-round, you can hit the Mobile Carnival Museum, a grand downtown mansion displaying floats and bling-festooned crowns, robes and gowns — and trains so heavy that ball-bearings are embedded on undersides. Heritage-proud appliques include family crests, Delta creatures and plants, and Mobile landmarks like city fountains.

Delta Bike Project, in the LoDa district of downtown Mobile, offers free help and parts for anyone into bicycling. (Robin Soslow)

Loquacious locals

One friend leads to another, and all lead to happening places. Harry Thomas Stewart, a walking compendium of musical knowledge, helps me plot a smoking crawl through LoDa, with highlights including Infant Richard and the Delta Stones, Paw Paw's Medicine Cabinet and Slide Bayou. Ginger and Martin Poynter message me to hot stages during April's SouthSounds Music Festival.

Thomas Carpenter, while helping cyclists fix brakes at Delta Bike Project's bar district headquarters to the tune of Dixieland jazz, explains how walking and cycling are ideal ways to get to Mobile's cool hangouts. His volunteer group has installed artsy bike racks around town. Everyone's welcome at the wildly popular Wednesday night beer rides.

"Mobile is the most magical place I know," says cyclist Liz Smith, a native Mobilian who makes frequent visits home from Florida. "The food, the music, the people — it's where southern charm meets funky."

Robin Soslow, a writer-photographer based in the South, can be reached at rsoslow@gmail.com.