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Eastern Shore, AL

Tourism

Fun abounds for the young and young-at-heart on the Eastern Shore. Many residents and visitors believe that the area’s most bountiful attractions are the great outdoors and the endless variety of recreational, hobby and sport activities. The area’s mild climate invites residents and visitors alike to enjoy outdoor activities year-round.
You’ll also discover excellent shopping on the Eastern Shore. Enjoy our fine dining and exciting attractions. Visit our impressive historic sites and take in the gorgeous scenery. There’s fun to be had on land and sea, and the choices are limitless.

Our Great Outdoors
Historic Blakeley State Park in Spanish Fort is where the last major battle of the Civil War was fought on April 9, 1865. With its 3,800 acres of pristine wilderness, the park is the largest National Register site east of the Mississippi River. Civil War breastworks may still be seen on the grounds. The park has a new RV campground and primitive tent camping. It also features 10.5 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. We invite you to explore the boardwalks on the Tensaw River. Visit the new Whele Nature Center, and enjoy guided boat tours on the Delta Explorer.

Meaher State Park, on the Battleship Parkway in Spanish Fort, is on beautiful Mobile Bay. The park features the Black Willow Nature Trail, with a 1,200-foot boardwalk through the delta for walking, bird watching, fishing and crabbing. In addition, the park has a fishing pier, playground equipment, a picnic area with covered pavilion, a boat launch, and facilities for RV and tent camping.

U.S.S. Alabama Battleship Memorial Park on the Causeway is home to the World War II battleship U.S.S. Alabama and the submarine U.S.S. Drum. The Aircraft Pavilion features military aircraft from World War II to today. The park also has Vietnam Veterans and Korean War memorials and other military displays.

The vast wilds of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and the peace of our bays invite the water enthusiast and naturalist alike to explore. The Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve has over 6,000 acres of coastal wetlands that provide abundant and diverse habitats for a variety of fish, crustaceans and shellfish, as well as unique and rare plants. The Weeks Bay estuary, “where rivers meet the sea,” is an important location for scientific research on estuarine ecology. The Interpretive Center features exhibits of coastal habitats, live animal displays, and collections of animals and regional plants. There are self-guided trails through the wetlands, marshes, bogs and forests.

Gator Alley Boardwalk, part of the Baldwin County Trail, is a fun and easy walk over D’Olive Creek and under I-10 in Daphne. Just remember not to feed the alligators you’ll see sunning on the banks or swimming in the creek.

May Day Park and Pier is at the end of College Street in Daphne. The park includes a playground, boat launch and bandstand area, as well as picnic tables with grills. Village Point Park Preserve, located on Scenic Highway 98 in Daphne, is home to seven Alabama State Champion trees, including the massive Jackson’s Oak, where Gen. Andrew Jackson camped during the War of 1812. The park features waterfront strolls and woodland hikes and a boardwalk to the beach. As you enter this park on Main Street, you’ll see the fabulous picnic pavilion and public rest rooms.

Baldwin County Trailblazers, a nonprofit corporation founded in 1996, oversees a 33-mile hiking, biking and jogging trail that connects five waterfront communities. The trail begins at the U.S.S. Alabama and ends in the waterfront park on Weeks Bay. It is an ideal way to enjoy the scenic route from Spanish Fort through Daphne and Montrose to Fairhope, and to the Grand Hotel at Point Clear.

Oak Hollow Farm, located on 300 acres of scenic farmland about eight miles south of Fairhope, offers horseback riding, hayrides and fishing, plus special-event facilities.

The Eastern Shore loop of the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail winds through the Eastern Shore from Weeks Bay to Historic Blakeley State Park. The trail features dozens of prime bird-watching locations.

At the end of the day, we invite you to join those who watch sunsets at the Fairhope Pier. While there, we know you will enjoy the pier, fountain, Rose Garden, Tree Trail, picnic areas, sandy beach and duck pond.

Make sure to visit Tolstoy Park in Montrose. Step inside Henry Stuart’s hut, a small, round, hurricane-proof dwelling the Hermit of Montrose built in the 1920s when he moved to Fairhope.

Tours
Want to learn more about the Eastern Shore? Why not hire a guide? The Delta Explorer offers guided boat tours at Blakeley State Park. The Delta Airboat Express provides excellent eco-tour experience and airboat rides through the delta. Landmark Tours has customized guided tours to many of our Eastern Shore attractions, if the selection makes it difficult to know where to start.

Shopping & Dining
Yes, you can shop until you drop on the Eastern Shore! You’ll find that a day of shopping on the shore is a delightful pastime. Every type of shopping experience can be found within a short drive.

Downtown Fairhope is a shopper’s paradise with its boutiques, art galleries, antique shops, independent bookstores and the Eastern Shore Art Center. Stroll around the beautiful downtown with its curbside flower gardens, and start your day with breakfast or brunch. Or, try one of the many cafés and restaurants for lunch.

Just up Scenic Highway 98, you’ll find Olde Towne Daphne, with its restaurants and shops. We encourage you to explore the variety of stores found on U.S. Highway 98, including Jubilee Square on Highway 90.

Of course you have to visit the new Eastern Shore Centre in Spanish Fort. Strategically located at the northeast intersection of I-10 and State Highway 181, the Eastern Shore Centre offers an extraordinary shopping experience with unique specialty shops, boutiques and restaurants.

Getting hungry from all that shopping? Enjoy a meal or a snack at any of the locally owned or nationally known restaurants at the Eastern Shore Centre or Jubilee Square. Or, for great local seafood, head to the causeway and Spanish Fort’s Ed’s Seafood Shed, The Original Oyster House, Felix’s Fish Camp, Blue Gill Restaurant and Beach House Grill. Just a short drive back to Fairhope, you’ll find Fairhope Inn, Andree’s, Old Bay Steamer, Mateer’s, The Colony Grill or Randy’s Bar & Grill. Daphne has Doc Green’s Gourmet Salads, The Nautilus, East Shore Café and Will Hughes Market, just to name a few.

Lodging
Take advantage of our variety of lodging choices on the Eastern Shore, from national chains and a four-star resort to charming bed-and-breakfasts and inns.

The 550-acre Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa features a golf course that is a jewel on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. The four-star hotel is a premier vacation spot as well as the perfect setting for weddings, balls and corporate retreats. In addition to its luxurious guest rooms, the resort’s features include a pool, North Beach, a world-class spa, two renovated golf courses, a marina and afternoon high tea. Discover this gem, tucked away from the mainstream.

Hotels in Fairhope include the Holiday Inn Express, Key West Inn and Barons by the Bay. There are charming bed-and-breakfasts and inns, including the Fairhope Inn & Restaurant, Away at the Bay, Bay Breeze Guest House, Fellers Cove, Point of View, Magnolia Springs Bed & Breakfast, and Storybook Guest House (the extraordinary home of sculptor Craig Sheldon) across from the Eastern Shore Art Center on Oak Street.

In Daphne, visitors can choose from Comfort Suites, Hampton Inn, Microtel Inn, Eastern Shore Motel, Hilton Garden Inn and Holiday Inn Express. There’s also the Montrose Hideaway Bed-and-Breakfast, located on Scenic Highway 98 between Montrose and Daphne.

Traveling by RV? Make sure you check out Driftwood RV Park and Wales West in Fairhope. Unique Wales West features an indoor pool and exercise room and an authentic antique Welsh railroad engine that takes visitors on a loop around the grounds. Historic Blakeley State Park is developing the Apache Wilderness RV Park in the Forever Wild area.

Visit ESchamber.com or call 251-626-8222 for more information about lodging choices!