Escape to Dauphin Island and the Alabama Coast
for an Enchanted Getaway

by Jo Ann Holt

Where do I start in attempting to describe the myriad pleasures to be enjoyed in Dauphin Island, Mobile Bay, and the coastal regions of Alabama?  In an effort not to leave anything out, maybe it’s best to start at the very beginning of my recent October trip to that beautiful  area.

After a short drive from the Mobile airport to Dauphin Island, a barrier island 30 miles south by way of the Gordon Persons Bridge, we met Kathryn Carver, Executive Director of the West Bay and Gulf Coast Tourism Development Council, for a delicious lunch at the locally popular Common Loon Café & Market. 

Chef Adam Alford’s oyster po’ boy sandwiches were gigantic, and his award-winning shrimp gumbo and crab bisque were first-rate, too.  Since I love seafood, it was great to be on Dauphin Island for their Seafood, Science and Celebrity event.

Checking into the Dauphin Inn, it was a thrill to discover my headquarters would be in a spacious beach-front condo, so I headed immediately to walk on the pristine beach.  Since it was a week day, there weren’t any families enjoying the sun and surf.

 I felt slightly guilty since there wasn’t another soul in sight on the beautiful white sand beach, but decided to pretend it was my private island for the afternoon.  The island is only 14 miles long and 2 miles wide.

That evening we visited a famous Alabama tourist destination in nearby Theodore, where we were treated to a reception, a sunset cruise on the Fowl River, and tour of the magnificent 10,500 square foot home, with dinner on the grounds at Bellingrath Gardens.  These gorgeous gardens and palatial 15-room estate are must-see destinations for anyone visiting the Villages South of Mobile.  

Walter Duncan Bellingrath was Mobile’s first Coca-Cola bottler, and in 1917 he bought the riverfront property for a fishing camp.  Bessie Morse Bellingrath, a well-known Mobile gardener, soon started planting some of her famous azaleas and other plants at her husband’s fishing camp. 

In the spring of 1927 they hired George B. Rogers, Mobile’s most prominent architect, to develop the property and their home on the river.  After first opening the property up to the public in 1932 to a great response, the civic-minded couple decided to open the Gardens permanently, charging a small fee to assist in their care and upkeep. 

The Bellingrath Home was completed in 1936, and features all its original furnishings.  Mrs. Bellingrath died in 1943 and Walter D. Bellingrath in 1955, and since the couple had no children Mr. Bellingrath established the Bellingrath-Morse Foundation to maintain the Gardens and Home as a memorial to his wife.

While the 65-acre estate gardens are beautiful year-round, the Holiday Light Display that opens the Friday after Thanksgiving and closes New Year’s Eve has become one of the most popular events in the U.S.  The spectacular display features over 3 million lights in 928 set pieces in 13 scenes throughout the gardens and home.  While Bellingrath’s normal operating hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., these hours are extended until 9 p.m. throughout the Magic Christmas in Lights display.

The next morning I enjoyed another long walk on “my” private beach, although there were a few other people out to enjoy the view and the terrific weather.  I also rode a bicycle for a short distance, but the beach kept calling me back.  For anyone worried about the aftermath of oil spills or hurricanes, the beach at Dauphin Island is absolutely pristine.

After lunch at the Gulf View Grill, next to the Golf Club and managed by the town’s mayor, we toured the Dauphin Island Estuarium and Sea Lab where visitors can examine the wonders of the Mobile Estuary System.  With specimens from the Delta swamps to the busy port of Mobile Bay, and from the sands of Barrier Island to the Gulf of Mexico, Alabama’s Marine Research and Educational Institute was established in 1971 and serves 21 state and private colleges and universities. 

The Estuarium is involved in cutting-edge science to keep the environment healthy and inviting, and Estuarium Manager Robert Dixon was happy to answer our group’s questions.

The 164-acre Audubon Bird Sanctuary also provides a crucial habitat for flora and fauna, especially migratory birds.   The entire island is a bird sanctuary with 347 reported species sighted.

I had really been looking forward to our next event, a tour of Dauphin Island’s historical Fort Gaines that included a reenactment of the Battle of Mobile Bay and blacksmith demo.  First settled by the French in 1699, the island was named for the heir to the French throne, “Dauphin,” in 1707.

 At that time it was the capitol of the Louisiana Territory, which equaled almost 2/3rds of the U.S.  In 1813 the U.S. seized the territory around Mobile Bay, but the British captured Dauphin Island to use it as a base for their proposed campaign against the city of Mobile— before learning the War of 1812 had already ended.      

That war showed Americans they needed better defenses for their long coastline, and construction of a fort on Dauphin Island began in 1819.  One setback after another kept the army from gaining clear title to the land until 1853, but Chief Engineer Joseph G. Totten designed a completely new fort that incorporated the most advanced ideas in military architecture.  In 1853, Congress named the fort for the late Gen. Edmund Pendleton Gaines.  While most of the fort was completed by 1861, the outbreak of the Civil War left final completion to be handled by the Confederate States of America in 1862. 

Fort Gaines would find fame in the Battle of Mobile May in August of 1864.  Mobile was one of the last open ports accessible by blockade runners supplying the Confederacy, so U. S. Admiral David Farragut assembled a large strike force of soldiers and ships to capture the forts guarding Mobile Bay entrance. 

Over 1,500 troops landed on the Western End of Dauphin Islands, driving the Confederate garrison towards Fort Gaines.  Admiral Farragut’s 14 wooden hulled frigates led by four ironclad monitors planned to run between the guns of the two forts, but Confederate cannons kept up a steady bombardment, sinking the U.S.S. Tecumseh and causing the fleet to falter. 

Farragut’s famous battle cry, “Damn the torpedoes.  Full speed ahead,” eventually caused Fort Gaines to surrender after a valiant defense.  Fort Gaines is now open to visitors seven days a week.

That evening we were invited to watch the sun set over Mobile Bay at the gorgeous multi-level home of civic boosters Skip and Lisa Cortese, with Celebrity Chef Wesley True from Mobile creating seafood specialties ranging from a special version of fresh oysters to Royal Red shrimp, pickled shrimp, Asian and barbecued shrimp, plus red snapper served with collard greens and ribs.

 The great food was accompanied by fine wines chosen by his wife and sommelier, Bobbi Heithoff-True, and his delicious fresh food recipes can be found at his popular Mobile restaurants:  True and True Midtown Kitchen. 

Sunday morning we boarded the Kimberly Dawn, a retired shrimp boat owned by fourth-generation fishing family Perry and Jan Zirlott, for a short but educational cruise around Bayou La Batre.  As the weather continued to be absolutely beautiful, we were all sad to have to leave this island paradise, but the promise of lunch at Mary Scarcliff’s legendary Lighthouse Bakery cheered everyone up. 

The restaurant, in an old house, lived up to its reputation with homemade breads, lovely salads, Deli sandwiches, teas and pastries.  A quick shopping trip to some local stores such as Mack ‘n dd’s Emporium rounded out our island experience, and allowed me to buy a beautiful necklace created by our hostess of the night before, artist Lisa Cortese.

Several of us opted to spend a night in Mobile to take in the closing night of Bayfest, with performances by headliner Toby Keith and musicians on gospel, R&B and other stages drawing huge crowds downtown.  The highlight of that trip turned out to be breakfast at the Spot of Tea (famous for their Bananas Foster French Toast) in the Lower Dauphin Street Historic Commercial District Monday morning, owned by Tony and Ruby T. Moore. 

Ruby gave us a tour of the 28,000 landmark building, which once housed a neighborhood grocery store.  The Moores took over the brick Georgian edifice in 1994, which has been expanded to include a terrific people-watching spot from their sidewalk café, and they have added an after-five club “Insanity” and the Vegas-style supper club, Ultra Lounge.

Annual events for the area include October Art Trail and the Seafood, Science and Celebrity event, Dauphin Island concert series, Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, April Sailboat Regatta, Gumbo cook-off, Blessing of the Fleet at Bayou La Batre in May, Colonial Isle Dauphine and Siege of Fort Charlotte at Fort Gaines, and the Magical Christmas in Lights at Bellingrath Gardens and Home.

 After experiencing the Alabama Gulf Coast’s wonderful attractions, I can’t wait to take my family back with me.  This is a great destination for beach, bird, boat, flora, fauna, or history lovers, and the seafood is incredible too!

 www.AlabamaCoast.org

www.bellingrath.org

www.dauphinisland.org

www.theinnatdauphinisland.com

www.dauphinisland.org/fort.htm

www.truedine.com

www.mackndd.com

www.mobilebay.org

www.alabamacoastalconnection.com