Live Like a Local on Dauphin Island, Alabama

by Casey Hutchison

A feeling of relaxation sets in the moment you cross the three-mile bridge from the Alabama mainland onto Dauphin Island. Perpetual bright sunshine warms your skin, salty ocean breezes swirl around you, and the sound of crashing waves fills your ears. This is a place of constant calm with no stress or worries. It’s best enjoyed from the perspective of a local:  stay where they stay, eat what they eat, and do what they do. And in the process, relax and feel your stress disappear.

Dauphin Island has various places to stay with easy beach access. The Gulf Breeze Motel is the only official hotel on the island.  Staying there can get pretty pricey, though, and the rooms are small. The better option is to rent a house or condo on the beach. A house on stilts on the west end can cost up to $3000 depending on the season and number of bedrooms, but the surrounding area is so open that you have beautiful views of the beach and ocean no matter what window you look out of. The houses there usually have private beach areas as well.  The more affordable option is to rent a condo. Sandcastle Condominiums has access to the beach, a swimming pool, and a variety of units ranging from $600 to $1000 per week depending on the season.

No matter where you decide to stay, cars are almost completely unnecessary. For one dollar, you can ride one of the visitor center’s two buses to any location. The island is only about seven miles long, and well-maintained biking and walking paths cover the entire length. Either bring your own bike, or rent one from the Ancient Mariner gift shop. The bike trails have access to Cadillac Park, which is a beautiful shady spot for picnics, the Oarhouse bar and grill, which serves delicious cheeseburgers and hosts musical performances at night, and the Audobon bird sanctuary, where you can see a multitude of bird species, plant life, alligators, and sand dunes at the beach.

Although they are not directly on the main road, there are many other destinations that are worth a slightly longer bike ride or walk. The Lighthouse Bakery serves fresh, homemade pastries, cakes, and coffee and is always a good place to spark a conversation with a local or visitor. Tennis courts, a golf course, a public pool, and a seafood restaurant are all possibilities to use at Isle Dauphine. For any possible need that may arise, the Ship and Shore has the thing to fix it - they carry everything, including hardware, food, clothes, movies, and fishing equipment. Skinner’s Seafood sells freshly caught Gulf fish and shrimp. At each one of these places, the staff are hospitable, welcoming, and have great stories to tell.

On the east end, history buffs can easily spend a day exploring Fort Gaines, one of the sites of the Civil War’s Battle of Mobile Bay and the location of Admiral David Farragut’s famous exclamation, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” For a few dollars, the fort offers a self-guided tour, blacksmithing demonstrations, countless photo opportunities, and an in-depth look at what it was like to be a soldier living on a fort during the Civil War. Across the street, the estuarium and sea lab illustrate coastal ecology with interactive displays, programs for kids, and aquarium exhibits showcasing local sea life. The gift shop at the estuarium is also worth a visit for jewelry and souvenirs. The east end also offers great views of the offshore oil rigs, which are a surprisingly beautiful sight when lit up at night.

The main activity on any Dauphin Island vacation is a visit to the beach. The water is warm enough for swimming. Grab a novel from the visitor’s center lending library and read for a few hours. Go for a barefoot walk along the shore and watch for herons, gulls, and porpoises. Kayak rentals are also available, so you can explore other small islands further out. If you have the equipment or want to pay to rent it, you can go fishing by the waterside.

Dauphin Island is also a central location for visits to other, more distant attractions. A ferry from the east end can take you to Gulf Shores, a more tourist-centered destination. Day trips to New Orleans, which is about a two-and-a-half hour drive away, and Mobile, which is fort-five minutes away, are fairly easy and offer just the right amount of culture and excitement before returning to the relaxed pace of Dauphin Island.

A visit to the island is worth it for the beach alone, but so many other attractions are available as well. Once you’ve adjusted to the life of a local, it’s hard to go back to the speed of regular society, and you’ll find yourself wishing you were back on the island.

Photos by Casey Hutchison