Illustration by Brainstorm
Southwest Alabama is a land dominated by water, from Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico to the Magnolia River and the Mississippi Sound, as well as a host of lakes and lagoons, swamps and sloughs, bogs and bayous. As such, travelers along Alabama’s Coastal Connection, a National Scenic Byway, will be treated to plenty of stunning water views.
This part of Alabama is also a point of cultural confluence, where staples of traditional Southern culture (azaleas, oak trees, gumbo) combine with iconic elements of the beach scene (frozen cocktails and charter cruises). Sweet tea meets sugar-white shorelines, and pine trees—longleaf and loblolly—outstrip palms.
Expect ecological diversity as well. A major migration route for more than 400 avian species, the area is renowned for birding, and those plentiful bodies of water foster an abundance of marine life and freshwater creatures. For visitors, that means endless opportunities for fishing—from high-adrenaline deep-sea charters to peaceful mornings on the glass-smooth lakes or slow-moving rivers—as well as outstanding seafood. And at the heart of the region sits coastal Alabama’s crown jewel, Gulf State Park, encompassing more than 6,000 acres of marshes and woodlands, spring-fed lakes and pine savannas, and coastal dunes and beaches, crisscrossed by a 28-mile paved trail system that opens the park to bikers, hikers, skaters, and runners.
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Fairhope
This idyllic town on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay exudes a spirit of welcome, from its charming brick sidewalks to the hundreds of planters, baskets, and beds spilling over with flowers. Plan to spend a couple hours shopping the many downtown boutiques and shops (antiques abound), including Page & Palette, one of the South’s best independent bookstores. Stop by the Barn at the Hope Farm, a couple miles east of downtown, for a light lunch (the BLT on housemade sourdough is excellent), then head across the street to Fairhope Brewing for a pint of cold, crisp Cheap Sunglasses golden ale.
Courtesy Jumping Rocks
Magnolia Springs Bed & Breakfast
The setting, beneath a canopy of centuries-old oaks just a stone’s throw from the mirror-like Magnolia River, is magnificent. The inn, a late-Victorian house constructed in 1897 of local pine and showcasing original heart pine floors and curly pine trim work, is a stunner. But it’s the care longtime innkeepers David Worthington and Eric Bigelow lavish on their guests that has kept this establishment on “best” lists for almost three decades. Enjoy breakfast on the wraparound porch, kayaking excursions outfitted by local operator Mandi-Jo’s, and a lazy afternoon reading a book.
Jesse’s Restaurant
Situated in the former general store that served the townspeople of tiny Magnolia Springs for decades, this restaurant prized for its dry-aged steaks has been a gathering place for locals, as well as a destination for travelers, since its 1999 opening. Indulge in favorites including baked brie with roasted apples and pecan praline sauce, crabcakes with jalapeño tartar sauce, and crawfish mac and cheese. The classic but casual atmosphere, exceptional service from a friendly, well-informed staff, and excellent bar program ensure an unforgettable evening.
Orange Beach History Museum
Small museums, like this one set in a restored 1910 schoolhouse in Orange Beach, are the stuff of roadtrippers’ dreams. Wandering through the assemblage of artifacts—wooden ship wheels, whaling spears, vintage rods and reels, and petrified shark teeth—feels like diving a wreck or climbing into a sea captain’s attic. Also on display are Choctaw and Creek Indian pottery, arrowheads, and pipe bowls, as well as a host of taxidermied sea creatures, from horseshoe crabs and bulldozer shrimp to sailfish and marlins.
Courtesy Anonyme Cruises
Anonyme Cruises
Captain DD Russo comes from a family of sailors and has worked on boats her whole life. Today, she takes passengers into the back bays of Orange Beach, where she spent childhood summers sailing and skiing, aboard her electric Duffy boat, Anonyme II. The intimate cruises for six travel quietly through the no-wake zones of Terry Cove, Perdido Pass, Cotton Bayou, and Old River, past Robinson and Bird islands, and along inlets and canals. Spot attending pods of dolphins, flocks of seabirds, and nesting ospreys, as Russo shares stories of the local waterways—amassed during a life spent navigating them.
Courtesy Flora-Bama
Flora-Bama Lounge
Since 1964, this waterfront bar on the Florida-Alabama border has been a favorite destination for visitors looking to cut loose and get their beach on. The rambling, multilevel roadhouse, invitingly warm and weathered (like many of its longtime bartenders and regulars), is renowned for its secret-recipe version of the Bushwacker, a boozy milkshake traditionally featuring rum, coffee liqueur, and cream of coconut. Enjoy the sweet concoction with a plate of Cajun oysters as you watch the sun drop into the Gulf, then head to one of five stages for live music and dancing.
Courtesy Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism
The Lodge at Gulf State Park
A model of sustainability in design and hospitality, this resort was reborn in 2018 as part of a massive enhancement plan for the iconic Gulf Shores park (funded by an $85.5 million payout from BP following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill). It’s also the ideal base camp for exploring the sprawling 6,000-acre park. The lodge offers complimentary bike rentals; kayak, paddleboard, and bike tours; and an impressive slate of classes and programs at the Learning Campus, from stargazing and snake encounters to organic gardening and seashell identification.
Photo by Mike Buck
LuLu’s
Move over, Margaritaville. This festive, family-friendly entertainment complex in Gulf Shores, the flagship of Lucy Buffett’s coastal culinary empire, raises the bar on waterfront fun. Fill up on favorites such as shrimp and grits, gumbo (a generations-old family recipe), and the Key West Bowl, featuring blackened grouper, Cuban rice, black beans, and turnip greens. Stick around to play cornhole or vintage arcade games, sit for a caricature, and groove to great live music (as you’d expect at a joint dreamed up by Jimmy Buffett’s kid sister).
Photo by Seth Wickman
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
From the French for “safe harbor,” this aptly named refuge provides both a stopover for millions of migrating songbirds and protected habitats for threatened and endangered animals, including the Alabama beach mouse and a trio of sea turtle species. In addition to the birds passing through on spring migration, avian enthusiasts may encounter year-round residents, such as brown pelicans, pine warblers, ospreys, and brown-headed nuthatches. Stop by the visitor center to get a lay of the land and pick up maps of the 7,000-plus acres of shifting sand dunes and maritime forests.
Courtesy Fort Morgan Historic Site
Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines
Begin your journey into the history of the fortifications that have guarded Mobile Bay since the early 19th century at Fort Morgan (on the bay’s eastern shore), where a century of military life is brought to life with reenactments. Then it’s all aboard the ferry for a 40-minute cruise across the bay to Dauphin Island and Fort Gaines. Spirited tours of the fort, amplified by cannon-firing demonstrations, include the anchor from the flagship of Union Admiral David Farragut, who famously damned the torpedoes and ordered his fleet “full speed ahead” during the Battle of Mobile Bay.
Bayou La Batre
This sleepy fishing village set along the shores of its namesake waterway—a shallow, slow-moving tidal river—is known as the Seafood Capital of Alabama. But perhaps its greatest claim to fame is as the home of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in the Oscar-winning 1994 classic Forrest Gump. While the company was fictitious (and the scenes shot in South Carolina), visitors will find plenty of picture-perfect settings in the harbor and a bounty of stellar seafood. Stop in at the Lighthouse Restaurant for a basket of fried crab claws or drop by Murder Point Oysters for a bag of coveted bivalves to go.
Bellingrath Gardens & Home
With the fortune he made as the founder of the Mobile Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Walter Bellingrath and his wife, Bessie, an avid gardener, transformed their weekend home in Theodore into a year-round residence and the surrounding property into a nationally celebrated garden, often called “the charm spot of the Deep South.” Since its opening in the 1930s, the garden has enchanted guests with its riotous displays of azaleas and camelias. Today’s visitors can also tour the English Renaissance mansion, stroll the Asian-American Garden, and explore the bayou from a winding boardwalk.
This article appears in the Spring 2025 issue of Southbound.
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