Our adventures in Alabama - Beaches, Confederacy and Civil Rights

Gulf Shores, AL delivered just the beach vacation we wanted. We were there on Memorial Weekend and still had plenty of space on the beach and in restaurants. 

Our 3 day itinerary: 

Day 1: Drive from Pensacola, FL to Gulf Shores AL (one hour). Settle into condo. Rent go-karts in town. Dinner

Day 2: Enjoy the beach in the morning. Do a sunset dolphin jet ski excursion. Dinner at Oso’s.

Day 3: Drive to Mobile, AL stopping in the quaint town of Fairhope for breakfast at Julwin’s 411 Fairhope Ave, Fairhope, AL 36532.  The shrimp and grits was awesome and our omelette was stuffed full. The town of Fairhope is indeed quaint and a nice place to stroll if you have the time.

Continue to the USS Alabama museum. This museum has both a battleship and a submarine to tour. The battleship includes museum displays showing dishes and foods, bedding and equipment used by sailors in the 1940’s. There are also airplanes on display. We spent about 3 hours here.  

We did not have time for the Mobile Ferry at Fort Morgan landing to the  Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary 

USS Alabama

Choosing a beach-front condo to rent

Gulf Shores and the surrounding communities (like Orange Beach) are located on a long narrow strip of beach. That means there are various water-front properties and you can consider if you want ocean-front (the Gulf side) or something on a bay or inlet. If you want big waves, then go Gulf side. The water is warm and it’s shallow for quite a ways out from the shore. 

We had a Gulf-side property. The actual address for the condo we rented is The Edgewater, 1001 West Beach Boulevard, Gulf Shores, AL, room 62. (Rental can be done with Bender Realty).  It was a good choice we would recommend. The condo building itself is smaller (32 units) than most of the buildings around it. This means fewer people in the communal pool and, surprisingly, fewer people on the beach directly in front of the condo. People tended to set up their chairs and umbrellas in front of their access point to the beach, be that a private access from a condo or a public access point. All units have balconies. Ours was light and bright, clean and comfortable.

We had many preconceptions about Alabama, as many from the West or North do, and most of the negative ones were dispelled quickly. We worried about the food since we usually don’t eat much fried fare. While most places do offer many, many fried choices, it was also common to find grilled, broiled and blackened offerings. Redfish is a mild white fish that is caught in the Gulf. Shrimp was fresh and plentiful everywhere. We also enjoyed local fresh oysters and BBQ. Here are some restaurants we recommend: 

Oso’s: this was right next door to our jetski excursion and the perfect way to end our sunset ride. We waited 20 minutes for a table during prime time, during which we played cornhole. We were seated outside, watched a gorgeous sunset while a parade of boats floated past to the dock. Shrimp tacos and pulled brisket tacos were excellent. 

Jet ski excursion to dolphins ended at sunset

After our three-day family vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama, the two of us continued for a few days to Birmingham and Montgomery. 

Birmingham, Alabama: Our schedule for one full day was: Arlington Antebellum Home and Gardens  (opens early in the morning) which is small but interesting and can be done in under an hour. There are NO intact plantations in Alabama as they were all burned during the Civil War.

The Vulcan Park and Museum is also worth a stop. The museum is well done yet compact, with interactive options for children. The view is impressive and the walk up the Vulcan statue is less than 200 stairs.

Civil Rights Museum: one obvious stop is the Civil Rights Museum. It was well done and worth the visit. There is a new exhibit at the Beth El congregation on the Jewish experience during the Civil Rights Era. Requests must be made in advance due to security and space issues. 

Birmingham Museum of Art: a fabulous collection of Wedgewood that collectors seek out. We enjoyed learning the history of this pottery manufacturer and seeing a wide variety of styles beyond the blue and white that we knew beforehand. The museum also has a compact but good collection of Japanese and Chinese art and other Asian art.

Among the places we ate, we really enjoyed a dinner at Cafe Dupont in downtown Birmingham. It had a classy, old fashioned vibe with kind waitstaff and excellent food. They gifted us beignets when they learned we had not had southern beignets before; the chef is originally from Louisiana. We also ordered the peach cobbler which is a staple in these parts and it was incredible. This is saying a lot since Sarah usually counts fruit as a side dish instead of a dessert. We enjoyed our main dishes though Dan’s choice of Smoked Hudson Valley Duck Breast was so amazing that Sarah was jealous, though her scallops were also delicious. The restaurant features locally-grown organic food. 

Montgomery, Alabama

We made a stop in Montgomery on the way back to Pensacola. Half a day was enough here. 

First White House of the Confederacy: a true taste of local history! The house has interesting furnishings and we learned a good deal about Jefferson Davis. While Northern states tend to gloss over anything regarding the Civil War as for or against slavery, the history here about Davis gave a more nuanced look at a politician who was a true patriot with more complex reasons for succession. Of note, when the South lost the war, Davis urged Southerners to support the Union, and to help rebuild as one country. Parking in this area can be tricky. We were here on a rainy day and one of the docents suggested we park in the White House’s driveway while we continued our visit at the Capitol building. 

The Archives and History building museum: literally everyone we met in Montgomery told us to go to this free museum, but it was closed for renovation. It is next door to the First White House of the Confederacy and across the street from the Capitol. 

Alabama State Capitol where we saw the historic senate chambers; here, Alabama voted to leave the Union. The building has a rotunda with paintings inside showing a brief history of the area. 

Rotunda

Old Alabama Town: this collection of historic buildings includes shops, taverns, houses, and meeting halls. They have transplanted original buildings from around Alabama to this location in order to preserve them. The Town hosts large groups of school children during the year, and at these times there are historical reenactments with tradespeople demonstrating old time skills. We were practically the only ones touring on the day we went, and even so we had a lot to interact with, including the most complete cotton gin operation we’ve ever seen. For this alone, it is worth a visit. Nearby, we ate at The Farmer’s Market Cafe.  This was a 5-star experience with 2 star food. All the locals eat here: the Black sheriff,  a bunch of old white guys, young women with tattoos, construction workers, office staff, political staff. They serve cafeteria style, then you sit and the waitress asks for your drink order (everyone has sweet tea), and she gives you a bill. When you are finished with your meal, take the bill to the central cashier for checkout. It is typical Southern food–fried chicken, greens and such.  Below: Old Alabama Town model school (left) and cotton gin house (right)