The Magnolia River in Magnolia Springs, Alabama

The Magnolia River in Magnolia Springs, Alabama
Most "Yankees" don’t think about
Alabama’s Gulf Coast when they’re
planning a sun-coast vacation, but they
should. It’s beautiful, not overdeveloped, and with a year round countywide population of only 150,000, the
Alabama Coast is far more attractive
than many parts of Florida.
located at the southernmost tip of
Alabama, 50 miles southeast of Mobile
you’ll discover the charm and beauty
of small towns like Magnolia Springs,
Alabama's coastal beaches are
spectacular. The sand is comprised of
95% quartz. This makes Alabama's
beaches some of the most beautiful in
the world. Plus, the people are friendly
and most hospitable.
When speaking of the Gulf coast
of Alabama, one is usually referring to
23-mile-long Paradise Island, an island
that contains Orange Beach, and further west, Gulf Shores. The island is
Oak St. in Magnolia Springs is picture-pretty.
and 35 miles west of Pensacola.
Fairhope and Point Clear.
Just a short ways north of Paradise
Island, take scenic highway 98 and
Magnolia Springs is one of the
most beautiful little towns you’ll ever
see. A walk down Oak Street is graced
by stately oaks that canopy the length
of this town’s main street. The homes
along Oak Street all back on to the
two-mile-long Magnolia River. This
spring-fed wonder has the distinction
of not only being picture-pretty, but is
also the means by which most all the
town’s residents receive their mail.
Magnolia Springs has the only allwater mail delivery in the United
States. The practice dates from 1915.
Magnolia River still has America's only mail delivered by boat (note mailbox).
At the town’s main intersection,
you’ll find Moore Bros. Village Market. Set your watch back 85 years
before entering this combination general store with adjoining lunch/dinner
restaurant--called Jesse's. Try the
Hummingbird Cake or the Raspberry
Mango Cheesecake.
The building was restored in 1997
to its 1922 condition by owner Charlie
Houser. For nostalgia buffs, it’s a real
charmer. The old Community Hall
across the street holds a get together
pot-luck dinner every Saturday night
for the whole town.
The place to stay in Magnolia
Springs is the Magnolia Springs B&B.
Owner Dave Worthington purchased
this 4700 sq. ft. century-old structure
in 1996 and has faithfully restored it to
A bird's-eye view of coastal Alabama
Golf is an incredible value in
coastal Alabama. There’s over a dozen
excellent public courses and it’s not
at Craft Farms--both designed by Arnold Palmer. The latter was recently
rated “the #1 most playable new
course in the U.S.” by Golf Digest.
There’s also Glenlakes; Golf Shores
Golf Club; Gulf State Park Golf
Course; Kiva Dunes--ranked among
America’s finest courses; Lost Key
Golf Club--another course designed by
Arnold Palmer; Peninsula; and Rock
Creek.
TENNIS
Fort Morgan has served to protect Mobile, Alabama in several American wars.
the way it looked in 1898. It’s curly
pine woodwork is legendary. (www.magnoliasprings.com)
uncommon to play 18 holes for $35,
including cart. The better courses include: Cotton Creek and Cypress Bend
Gulf Shores has 12 public courts.
Orange Beach has two public courts.
And of course, some of the resort
hotels and condos have their own
facilities.
FISHING
Alabama has more navigable waterways than any other state. So it’s
FORT MORGAN
Driving west from Gulf Shores
brings you to Fort Morgan, which
stands guard to the mouth of Mobile
Bay along with its sister, Fort Gaines
on Dauphin Island, an inexpensive
ferry-ride away. Explore both forts and
relive the Battle of Mobile Bay, where
Confederate and Union forces fought
for control of Mobile. While on Dauphin Island, be sure to visit the
Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
GOLF
Sportfishing -- a very popular pastime in coastal Alabama
not surprising that fishing is also big in
coastal Alabama. There’s deep sea
sportsfishing in the Gulf, with over 100
charter boats available out of Orange
Beach for full or half-day trips. An
excellent charter operation is Alabama
Deep Sea Fishing. They can be
reached at 877-783-3474. (www.alabamadeepseafishing.com)
Area fishing includes: red snapper,
grouper, dolphin, mackerel, shark,
blue and white marlin, sailfish, bull
dolphin, mackerel, redfish, trout, pompanos and bluefish. At the Gulf State
Park’s fishing pier, which extends 824
feet into the Gulf, bait, tackle and
supplies can be rented on-site.
The area also includes 400,000
acres of waterways that offer freshwater fishing including the Bon Secour
River, 700-acre Lake Shelby and
395,000 acres of inlets, rivers, coves,
bays and creeks. There’s redfish,
flounder and speckled trout.
NATURE TOURS
Caribiana Cruises offers nature
discovery tours among the inland waters of coastal Alabama. You can see
species and is nesting site for green
and loggerhead sea turtles. The habitat includes sand dunes, scrub forest,
fresh and salt water marshes, fresh
water swamps and Alabama’s version
of Cape Cod’s “piping plover” -- the
endangered "Alabama beach mouse."
There’s hiking trails, bird and wildlife
observing, as well as fresh and saltwater fishing. (http://bonsecour.fws.gov/)
The Gulf State Park in Gulf
Shores is in the center of Paradise
Island and boasts 6,000 acres of land
with 2.5 miles of beach, fresh water
lake, nature trails, and beach pavilion.
The park has a resort/convention complex that includes a 144-room beachfront resort hotel with a restaurant
and cocktail lounge. (www.dcnr.state.al.us/parks/gulf_1a.html)
BIRDING
When visiting Coastal Alabama,
be sure to bring your binoculars,
especially during spring and fall migratory periods. The area is a prime
destination for birders because it is
located in a major route for migratory
birds. A 51-page booklet is available
not surprisingly, seafood is king here.
There’s an impressive variety of
shrimp, crab, oyster and fish offerings
on most restaurant menus.
Nolan’s Restaurant, in Gulf
Shores, since 1987, has been known as
the area’s finest steak house. Try their
filet mignon. It’s the best you’ll ever
have. The Greek style snapper is also
interesting. Live entertainment Tuesdays through Saturdays.
The Gulf Shores Baking Company
is open for lunch and dinner. The
menu includes salads, sandwiches, pastas and fresh seafood and meats from
the grill, along with a great wine
selection.
(www.gulfshoresbakingco.com)
King Neptune’s Seafood Restaurant is a great lunch and dinner spot
for casual dining. They offer traditional fried, steamed, grilled, broiled,
sautéed, blackened, baked, boiled seafood and, raw half-shell Bon Secour
oysters. (www.kingneptunes.com)
Calypso Fish Grille & Market
opened in 1998--a longtime dream
became a reality for owner Bob Baumhower, the all-pro defensive lineman
with the Miami Dolphins. They serve
fresh seafood, hamburgers, salads, and
sandwiches in a location besides the
grandest yachting facility in the area,
the Orange Beach Marina. (www.calypsomango.com/calypso/story.htm)
ACCOMMODATIONS
A Caribiana Cruise in search of Egret nests along a coastal bayou
everything from bottlenose dolphins to
nesting Egrets. (www.caribiana.com)
The 6700-acre Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge was established
in 1980 at the western end of Paradise
Island (Fort Morgan peninsula) and
includes Little Dauphin Island. It
serves as a natural refuge to many bird
that maps out the Alabama Coastal
Birding Trail for you. For your copy,
call 800-745-SAND or email [email protected].
DINING
There are any number of different
dining experiences available. However,
There are more than 13,000 hotel,
motel and condo units available in the
area. Also private homes and condos
are available through local rental
agencies and on the internet. Many of
the 200 or so beach houses you can
rent are right on the beach!
Some of the best places to stay
include: The Beach Club, a lovely
high-rise condo where you can open
your patio doors and fall asleep to the
sound of pounding surf. The sprawling
complex includes several tennis courts,
a beach club with lovely dining facili-
One of several pool areas at The Beach Club in Gulf Shores
ties and several beautiful pools with
hot tubs. It also includes “The Spa At
The Beach Club,” where there's everything from massage to waxing to make
sure you’re truly pampered (www.beachclubal.com).
There’s also the Gulf Shores Plantation, which offers a complete resort
complex with all the amenities you'd
expect.
(www.gulfshoresvacations.com).
The Beach House Bed & Breakfast has an unpretentious exterior that
belies what’s inside--one of the most
gorgeous B&B’s you’ll ever see. Plus,
you can step out right on the beach.
(www.bigbeachhouse.com).
Special golf, shopping or spa pack-
ages, are available at area resorts,
hotels, motels and condos. For more
information, go to (http://www.gulfshores.com/packages/default.asp)
GETTING THERE
Major airports in nearby Pensacola, Florida and Mobile, Alabama
provide regularly scheduled air service.
U.S. Airlines has several daily flights
available. Gulf Shores also has a
modern private plane airport.
For more information, contact the
Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and
Visitors Bureau at P.O. Drawer 457,
Gulf Shores, Al., 36547, or call 251974-1510. For vacation information,
call 800-745-7263 or visit www.gulfshores.com, or www.orangebeach.com.
And thanks for travelling.