Alabama’s Dauphin Island – Why You Need To Visit

Are you looking for a vacation spot that is a little laid back?  A little slower-paced?  Then, you need to visit Alabama’s Dauphin Island.  

Last year we vacationed at Gulf Shores, Alabama, and loved the variety of restaurants and things to do.   I love that place!  This year we chose to rent a house on the beach versus a condominium.  The beach at Gulf Shores is pretty crowded, which just makes sense, doesn’t it?  Condos and all those fun things to do draws a lot more people.

The current 2019-2020 population of Dauphin Island is 1238.  You can find the current population demographics and stats◄ here.  That pretty much says it all.

While vacationing on an island in the path of a tropical storm definitely was not our plan, we weren’t deterred by it either.  In retrospect, maybe that resulted in our vacation being even more laid back!  The kids didn’t really seem to mind staying in and taking it easy.

Dauphin Island Vacation

Alabama’s Dauphin Island – Why You Need To Visit

Photo Credit: myhumblehomeandgarden.com

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Dauphin Island Vacation – A Fantastic Place You’ll Want To Visit

Photo Credit: myhumblehomeandgarden.com

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Trip To Dauphin Island

We headed south to Dauphin Island on June 6th.  Tropical storm Cristobal was heading north to the island at the same time.  We had mostly sunshine and blue skies through Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama until we were close to the bridge to the island.  The formal name of the 3-mile long bridge is the Gordon Persons Bridge but it’s known as the Dauphin Island bridge.  You can see the choppy waters in the picture below.

 

Rain pelts the windows as we approach Bienville Boulevard and catch sight of the water tower welcoming us to the island.  Our rental is on the west side of the island so, we take a right at the water tower.

After driving for over 12 hours, we decide to settle in and just make do with the groceries we brought with us.  A quick note here, there is a Walmart located at the Dauphin Island exit.  You might want to stop there and pick up anything you might need for your stay.  There is not a grocery store on the island.  It was a 45 minute trip to Walmart from our rental house.

Bring Food and Supplies!

There is not a grocery store on the island.  You will want to bring necessities and food for any time you won’t be planning to go to a restaurant.  

Also, be advised that if there is a tropical storm while you are vacationing on the island, parts of the roadway might be shutdown.  Dave and Matt went to Walmart the next morning and were almost denied access to the road back to the beach house.  The police had set up a checkpoint just to the east of us.  I had to send Dave a copy of our contract for the beach house so they were able to pass.  By the time they got back, the road was not in good shape.  It was almost completely covered with water.  Fortunately, the guys have 4-wheel drive trucks.

Tropical Storm Cristobal Over Dauphin Island

My goodness!  On the morning of the 7th of June, while the guys were gone to Walmart, we braved the 40 miles an hour wind and checked out the beach.  Notice the beam the kids are using as a seat in the first picture is gone in the bottom picture taken the next morning!

 

It can be a little frightening, but isn’t the power of water amazing?  We found the beam and the two attached posts in the parking lot next to our beach house.  The parking lot is for public access to the beach.

Even though this tropical storm hung around for a couple of days, we managed to go out onto the beach and walk along the edge of the water each day.  Little pockets of decent weather presented themselves and we took advantage.

 

Dauphin Island Cleanup

Watching the heavy equipment clean up is a mesmerizing thing whether you’re a child or an adult.  The amount of sand these guys have to move is incredible.  The bank of sand in the parking lot is at least 10-feet tall!

 

Clearly, there was no parking space available!  Our end of the island was shut down to anyone who wasn’t operating this machinery or did not rent or own homes there.  The other end of the island did not seem to be bothered much by the storm.

Capt’n Snapper’s on Dauphin Island

 

Capt’n Snapper’s

Marina Bar & Grill

Tuesday, the 9th of June, we finally ventured out to a restaurant for dinner.  A restaurant we saw on our way onto the island at 698 Lemoyne Drive, Capt’n Snapper’s Marina Bar & Grill is our destination.  

Matt, Danielle, and Aidan order the crab legs and all say they are amazing.  They look so good!

 

Shrimp with grits is one of my favorite meals and that is what I order.  The shrimp is seasoned and cooked perfectly.  The grits are creamy and delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is not a fancy place but we all agreed the food is really quite good.   Just look at those crab legs!  The service was good, too, even though they were pretty busy.

 

You can expect to see the typically mounted fish decorating the walls and a nautical figurehead of a mermaid in the restaurant.

 

 

Lighthouse Bakery

Don’t miss stopping in at the island bakery.  One morning, Dave and some of the kids picked up breakfast at the Lighthouse Bakery at 919 Chaumont Avenue.  They brought back Danish pastries, pigs in a blanket, cinnamon rolls, croissants, and a variety of other pastries.  Baked fresh daily, these are seriously delicious!

Shops On Dauphin Island

 

On Friday, we stopped in to shop at a couple of the little stores on the island.  Beach Planet is located at 20 Lemoyne Drive.  This little shop has T-shirts, bathing suits, a variety of beach supplies, and gifts.  Of course, the kids found a few things that they desperately needed.

 

 

I love the little shop The Silver Pearl at 1514 Bienville Boulevard.  The man who was running the shop was so nice and polite.  The store offers an eclectic mix of home decor, apparel, and local art.  There are lots of metal beach themed serving pieces and kitchen items which caught my eye.

I missed The SandBox, The Hippie Fish, and The Happy Octopus, three more shops located on Dauphin Island but if you visit, be sure to visit them, too.

Wildlife on Dauphin Island

It does seem that I have an affinity for birds and this island has so many!  I have pictures…

 

There are cranes,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

terns,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pelicans and even Osprey nesting on Pelican Point on the East end of the island.

 

The beach is home to lots of these little sand crabs, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mermaid Photoshoot on Dauphin Island

 

But the cutest little thing on the beach is this little mermaid, Memphis Belle, my granddaughter.  Memphis thought up and planned this photo-shoot and made sure Danielle packed the mermaid swimsuit and mermaid blanket for it.  Unfortunately, Dave and I were on the other end of the island when the shoot took place.  Memphis’ Aunt Tiffany gets credit for the photo.

If you have a little mermaid, you can steal her idea!

Yes, I think another trip to this island is inevitable.  We all enjoyed our stay even with Calistabel.

 

If you visit Dauphin Island, please post a picture of it on social media and tag us #myhumblehomeandgarden.

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