2023 Sep 15-18, Trip to Gulf Shores, Fairhope, Daphne, AL. and Pensacola, FL. (4 days)

Day 1:

I had planned a trip to Canton, MS, the day before. The next morning, I asked my Hubby if he wanted to spend a few days in Gulf Shores, Alabama, after we left Canton. He said yes.

He had been discussing going all summer, so we packed our bags for three days and decided to go alone. 

After spending all morning visiting museums and walking around the town, we began our journey to Gulf Shores. 

Shady Acres Village 

We stopped at Shady Acres Village Restaurant, Seminary, MS, for a late lunch. I had a shrimp basket with fries, and Hubby had a 49'er Hamburger with onion rings. 

We also bought several items at their general store. 

It was a four-and-a-half-hour drive to Gulf Shores. 

The sun was setting as we drove through Mobile. We checked into the Staybridge Hotel, and it was dark when we were settled in.

Sunset in Mobile, AL 

We both were too tired for further adventures, so we went to bed. 

Day 2:

The following day, we rushed to the beach to watch the sunrise, but it was cloudy, and a storm was brewing, so we didn't see the sunrise. 

We returned to the hotel for breakfast, and then our adventures began.

Cloudy Sunrise 

We rode to the Outlet Mall to shop. I bought a top and pants at Columbia, spices at TJ Maxx, and a set of Halloween hand towels at TJ Maxx.

Our next stop was OWA Park in Foley. They were having a car show throughout the park, and it was very hot by this time. After I finished taking pictures of most of the cars, we left. 

This was my favorite Car!

We headed down the coastline towards Pensacola, Florida. 

When we arrived downtown, the Arts and Crafts Sales were winding down. 

We had enough time to walk through to see their wear. 

We ate lunch at The Fish House Restaurant on Barracks St., where we enjoyed fried Cod served with creamed potatoes, collard greens, and a salad. 

Fried Cod with Collard Greens, Creamed Potatoes 

It was getting late, so we began our journey back to the hotel. 

Day 3:

Once again, we were up early and heading to the beach for an early morning sunrise, but it was cloudy. Sunrise was at 6:35 A.M.

 Came back to the hotel for breakfast, which included scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit, a bagel, and juice.

We began our journey up the coast in the opposite direction to Fairhope. 

We stopped at the Municipal Park, where they had an Arts and Crafts Tent Sale.  

We stopped to talk to a couple selling spices. (I bought one for my son.)

They saw the camera I was carrying, and we talked about cameras and taking pictures.

The woman was telling me about the brown pelicans at the beach.

Brown Pelicans 

We walked down the long pier, and several Brown Pelicans and various Gulls were present. I took several pictures. 

We rode to Daphne, stopping to eat lunch at Longhorn Steakhouse.

We enjoyed steak with grilled shrimp, creamed potatoes, and Caesar salad. 

We stopped at the Halloween Store in Daphne, where I bought a dress for Halloween. 

We returned to the hotel but stopped at the Story Walk in Loxley. 

Another long day.

Day 4: 

We headed to the beach (6:35 A.M.) to see the sunrise. Today it was beautiful, so I got several pictures.

Sunrise 

Rode back to the hotel, ate breakfast, packed our bags, and began our journey home.

The sun shone on my face, so I napped the first part of the trip home. 

Hubby wanted to stop at Peach Park in Clanton, Alabama, and when I woke up, he said, "I think I have passed Peach Park," and we had.

We did not turn around. We just kept going. 

We eat lunch at Oh Bryan's in Hartselle, AL (his favorite place)

He always orders a steak or baked potato and gets their salad bar.

I ordered grilled chicken and a sweet potato.

We were home way before sunset. 

Another great trip is in the books. 

2015 November 27, 28, 29, Trip to Gulf Shores, Al, Biloxi, MS & Pensacola, Fl

We left mid-morning, heading south on I-65 to Gulf Shores.
At lunch, we stopped at Peach Park in Clanton,n Alabama, where we enjoyed a delicious fried peach pie topped with a scoop of peach ice cream. Hubby also ordered a large order of onion rings and a barbecue sandwich.

fried peach pie topped with a scoop of peach ice Cream

I walked around Peach Park, taking pictures of the giant peach statue sitting on a large bucket with a sign that read, Peach Park, Clanton, AL (do not sit on the peach)
I took pictures of a green birdhouse, several wooden bridges, a pond, the playground area, a large red barn where children could play, a swing, a gazebo, a lighthouse, a red caboose (that is rented as an RV), a rose bush, a tractor, and my husband sitting at a picnic table.

 A large red barn where children could play

Back on the road for another four hours, stopping only for fuel and to use the restrooms.

The Rat Pack (Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra

We stopped in Bay Minette, Alabama, to get our oil changes at Chuck Stevens Dodge.
Inside the deanship, I noticed paintings of several famous people hanging on the wall.

I asked the owner if I could take a picture of the paintings, and he said he would sell you all of them for $100 each if you took them all.
They were paintings of Sammy Davis Jr (notice the ring on his right hand), Frank Sinatra (big smile), and Dean Martin (The three members of the Rat Pack).
Lewis Armstrong (with his trumpet), Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Jimmy Dean, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lewis, Glen Miller, and Madison Bourbon Jazz.
In the painting of Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Jimmy Dean, they all appeared with a cigarette.

I told him that someone had done a great job, but I did not want to buy them.

Clock Belltower 

We saw a Christmas display in Robersdale.
After we checked into the Staybridge Hotel, we rode back to Foley's Heritage Park.
In the park was a Christmas village, a clock chime, angels, and a flowing fountain.

Gulf Shores Beach 

We ate dinner at Chick-fil-A in Foley.
I ordered some chicken nuggets and a Peppermint milkshake, and my husband ordered a strawberry milkshake and a grilled chicken sandwich.
Before we went back to the hotel, we went to Gulf Shores beach, but it was too dark to take pictures.

It had been a long day, so after we both had a hot shower, we climbed into bed for a long winter's sleep.

Saturday morning, we were both up before the rooster crowed.
We dressed and headed to the beach to watch the sunrise, which was at 6:27 A.M.

Sunrise

I was an awesome, white, and dark cloud overlooking the blue gulf.
There was a hint of pink, blue, white, and yellow as the sun poked its head through the clouds.
Slowly, this ball of fire raised its head higher and higher, changing from yellow to a bright orange, then back to a bright yellow, with clouds floating all around it, until you could no longer look directly into its face.
A couple was sitting on a blanket that they had spread out on the sandy beach to watch the sunrise. It was still chilly, so they were wearing light jackets.

Watching the sunrise 

As the sun peeked, the sky cleared, and you could see the waves that splashed happily upon the sandy beach.
We rode back to the hotel, where we enjoyed a nice breakfast of link sausage and an omelet. We had cranberry juice to drink.
We stopped to take a picture of the Bell Tower in Foley's Heritage Park.
The 52-foot Bell Tower has four clock faces facing north, south, east, and west, each with 32 brass bells. The Bell Tower and Plaza were built to celebrate Foley's Centennial on January 8, 2015.
Across the street is the Hotel Magnolia, one of Foley's oldest buildings, which is now for sale.

Bell Tower 
We took I-10 from Foley to Mobile, driving through the George Wallace Tunnel across Mobile Bay.

As we approached Mobile in the distance, we could see the RSA Battle House Tower, the RSA Bank Trust Building, and the Van Antwerp Building.
We stopped at the Antebellum Welcome Center in Jackson County, Moss Point, Mississippi.
The Welcome Center was built to resemble an antebellum home with its spiral staircase, arched doorways, and chandeliers. It is filled with antique furniture and sculptures by Marlin Miller.

Sculptor Marlin Miller is working on a large oak near Hard Rock Casino Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi. It is named "Marlin's Marlin". This is just one of his many pieces.

We traveled the Gulf Coast freeway, crossing the swampy area of the Escatawpa River, through Pascagoula, Gautier, Ocean Springs, and to Biloxi, MS.
As we topped the I-10 in Biloxi, we could see several casinos, and as we exited the interstate, we could see the Gulf, the beautiful white-sand beaches, and the Biloxi Lighthouse. We rode past the casinos to Veterans Memorial Park, where we stopped to take pictures.
We rode back to the welcome center to find out where we could buy trolley tickets.

We were told we had to hurry to catch the trolley because it was leaving in a few minutes.
We walked down the hill, across four lanes of traffic, to catch the trolley that was leaving the station.
I caught up with the driver, Carla Beaugez Taconi, who said to climb aboard, that she had not collected for the ride.
So we climbed aboard the back of the open-air trolley, so I could take pictures.
We introduced ourselves as the newcomers to the ride, and then off we went, hair blowing in the wind.
When Carla wasn't telling stories about Biloxi, she was playing upbeat music from the area.
As we rode down the street, many residents waved to us, and we waved back. Carla knew many by their first names, and they knew her name.
Carla showed us what authentic southern hospitality is all about, the way she greeted everyone she met.
Carla made you feel like you were a part of her family and her neighbor.

We rode past many vacant store buildings and empty lots that Katrina had destroyed with her violent winds and waters.
We saw old mansions and homes that had survived the storms of time.

We stopped at the 12-foot-high Hurricane Katrina Memorial, where we saw a glass case containing various items found after the storm and a black marble wall listing the names of those who died or were lost during the hurricane.

We stopped at the Magnolia Hotel Museum, built in 1847 as a lodging establishment and now a Mardi Gras Museum.
In it, we saw memorabilia from carnival celebrations with a variety of colorful Mardi Gras costumes.

Trying on the colorful Mardi Gras costumes

We ended the tour by riding past the works of art on Beach Boulevard, which is a sculptured garden teeming with pelicans, egrets, seagulls, blue marlin, and a shark.
After Katrina destroyed most of the trees along Beach Blvd, a chainsaw artist carved six oak trees into marine sculptures, now displayed along the median.

Katrina Sculptured Garden 

We thanked Carla as we exited the trolley.
We walked along the beach to the pier, where I took a few pictures.

We had to cross four lanes of traffic back to the Visitor Center.
The Visitor Center is a museum in itself; it has a wealth of information, a gift shop, multimedia exhibits, Biloxi Memorabilia, and, on the second floor, a 67-seat movie theater. The Visitor Center has a striking resemblance to the Dantizier House that once stood on this site, with two-story porches, a grand staircase, and floor-to-ceiling windows.

We started our journey home, stopping at Taco Bell for a snack.

We arrived just in time to see the sunset in Gulf Shores. The sunset was at 4:50 P.M.

Sun Setting 

We stopped at Lucy Buffett's Lulu's for dinner.
We ordered the Seafood Sampler with iced tea.
It had been a long day, and we were both too tired to do anything else.

Seafood Sampler at Lulu's 

The next morning, we slept a little later, got dressed, and went down for breakfast. We came back upstairs, packed our bags, and checked out of the hotel.

We rode to Pensacola, Florida.
We rode through the historic area of Pensacola, toured the Historic Village, and took many pictures.
The village consists of 20 properties in the Historic District, including the Museum of Commerce and Industry, Julee Panton Cottage, Manuel Barrios Cottage, the McMillen House, Lavalle House, Lear-Rocheblave House, Dorr House, and the Old Christ Church. All were closed on Sunday.
We also walked through the park, stopping to take pictures of the T.T. Wentworth Florida State Museum and many other historic state buildings in the historic town.

We went inside the Atlas and Fish House, which is along the riverfront, to use the restrooms.
 Some of the famous people who have eaten here are American Pickers, Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan (Astronauts), Elton John, Steve Martin, and Mariah Carey, just to name a few.

Historic Village in Pensacola, FL 

Old Christ Church 1832

I took pictures of John Wesley Hardin (Criminal turned lawyer), the First Baptist Church site, Old City Hall (1907), Mooring Anchor, "I never throw anything away," gateway to Florida's History, and many others.
We stopped for gas in Cantonment, Florida, near the Paper Mill, which was emitting an awful cloud of steam.
We ate lunch at Burger King.
On the way home, we stopped in Flomation, Alabama, to take pictures of the marker, L & N train car, and Train Depot, now a visitor center.

The closer we got to Montgomery, the heavier the traffic got; it was bumper-to-bumper because of the Thanksgiving Holiday.

We took a detour along Highway 31, coming out at Calera, where we stopped to eat at Cracker Barrel.
We headed back to I-65, hoping the traffic had moved on, but no, it was worse.
We saw wreck after wreck and traffic backed up for miles, but this time it was headed south.
It took several hours longer than we expected to get home. With my intestines in knots, we finally made it home. I think the break on my side of the card did not work too well.