Gulf Shores, Alabama
With miles of white sandy beaches, Gulf Shores, Alabama is a popular winter destination for tourists and seasonal RVers. The stilted houses in colorful pastels, surf shops, luxury resorts and yachts, plus seafood restaurants and walk-up frozen daiquiri stands give the Gulf Shores its beach town vibe.
Pastel houses along the shoreway.
Marina!
Souvenirs!
Doc’s Seafood and Oyster Bar
Across the front of Doc’s Seafood and Oyster Bar is a banner declaring, :“Best Fried Shrimp in the Entire Civilized World.” We couldn’t agree more! We enjoyed the way the shrimp practically exploded with a burst of flavor in the mouth and our first try of their gumbo has made it a new favorite soup.
Gulf State Park
With over 28 miles of trails, Gulf State Park provided plenty of ecosystems to explore. From wetlands to woodlands and beaches, the wildlife and natural beauty were abundant in this well planned campground and park. Nature Center, boat launch, bike rentals, and fishing, were just a few of the activities available. We looked for alligators along the marsh trail and found a lovely turtle among the water lilies. The Gulf Shore Interpretive Center was closed due to construction, but the white sandy beaches were beautiful.
The alligators were hiding, but we had a great view of the turtles and water lilies.
Not to be deterred, we found baby alligators at the Nature Center and more turtles!
The State Park beach area would be an enjoyable bike ride from the campground, but a little too much of a hike for us in the heat. We opted to drive to the pavilion through the park.
Gulf Shores State Park Beach Pavilion
Fairhope, Alabama
Midway along the east coast of Mobile Bay is the town of Fairhope. With beautiful parks and piers along the water and boutiques, cafes and turn of the century architecture, this is a charming place to spend time enjoying the bay breezes.
Foley Fish Company
Seafood markets abound in this area of the country. Foley Fish Company has been selling fresh seafood since 1921. Inspired by the delicious local dishes, we decided to try our hand at cooking Redfish. Our visit to Foley’s was a fun experience as we selected the freshly caught fillets and watched as they were wrapped up with great care and bagged with ice for us to transport. Thanks to YouTube cooking videos, the Redfish dinner has become one of our all time favorite dining accomplishments!
Just as if a switch had been flipped, the day we left Mobile Bay, the famous Southern humidity kicked in, forewarning us of the challenges we would face during our visit to the swamp and bayou region.
CAMPGROUND REVIEW: ESCAPEES RAINBOW PLANTATION, SUMMERDALE, AL
We stayed at the Escapees’ Rainbow Plantation Park for 10 days. We had a back-in site with full hook ups. Site was dirt / gravel / sand, partial shade, and level. No picnic table or fire ring. Private shower/bathrooms were cleaned daily. Short term section is located near front of park; large amount of long term and permanent resident sites in park. This is a 55+ park and the people we met were warm and friendly. Community center offers a few activities each day plus a lending library, puzzle room, and sewing room. The outdoor pool opened mid-May. The park is located about halfway between Mobile and the Gulf Coast and about a 30 minute drive to either area. No WiFi but cell service was good. We enjoyed our stay in this quiet park and would stay here again during the winter season.
Next up…Bayous and Swamps
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