The Gulf Coast of Alabama and Mississippi

Leg 4 – Taking it Easy on the Gulf Coast

05/07/2023 – 05/13/2023

Our next stop is going to be Spanish Fort AL and it is about a 6 ½ hour drive from Fort Payne. That’s a long drive day for us but fortunately we will be driving backroads 95% of the way. One thing we have discovered is the backroads are much more relaxing to drive. There isn’t as much traffic and what traffic there is, isn’t buzzing by you at 80MPH. There isn’t as much road construction and the conditions of the roads are usually better than the freeways and it really doesn’t add that much more time to your drive. I highly recommend getting off the freeway so you can experience a different perspective of travelling from Point A to Point B, wherever that may be.

Meaher State Park

Home for the next few days is Meaher State Park, located on Mobile Bay. State parks are not normally on our radar because our rig is usually too big. Thanks to this new app I’ve started using for trip planning, that has changed. I plug in all our rig specs on the app and in return I am given all the parks in any particular area that can accommodate us, including county, state and national parks. It made me very happy to realize there are A LOT of state parks we can get into. Meaher State Park is one of them and I have reservations at two more down the road. 😊

Five rivers flow into Mobile Bay making this the second largest delta in the continental US. Our site was HUGE and had a nice view of the water. Bill and I enjoyed our daily 2-mile walk here each morning, looking out over the bay and searching for gators. I think one morning we counted eight!

A Little Down Time

After a fun and action-packed week up in Fort Payne it was nice to have a little down time this week.  We did not have a lot of sightseeing planned while we are here and that’s okay. Sometimes this journey is just about enjoying the place you are in and I am definitely enjoying the peacefulness of this state park.

While Bill was working, I was feverishly working myself. I finally got caught up with all my journaling and now I needed to get everything posted on our website before I could start telling you about our new adventures. Did I get it done? You betcha!

All our adventures from last fall and winter are now posted. Check them out, we saw a lot of cool stuff.

Mobile

We couldn’t come to Mobile though and not do a little sightseeing. We were able to sneak over to the city one morning and see a few things. Bill’s job was in Hawaii this week which meant his workday did not start until 2PM. Nice.

Mobile ranks high for places to live and it is easy to see why. The city was clean and the neighborhoods are charming. After a quick stop in to the Visitor Center we took a quick walk around Mardi Gras Park.

Mardi Gras in Mobile?

That’s right, Mobile was once the capital of French Louisiana and is known as having the first official Carnival celebration in 1703. Even though New Orleans is now known for its Mardi Gras celebrations, Mobile still hosts an impressive number of parades and festivities. We might have to come back for that some time.

Scattered around Mardi Gras Park are some colorful statues representing the various characters associated with Carnival. Nearby is the Mobile Carnival Museum, which we did not get to visit due to their limited hours.

Also located on the park grounds are the only architectural remains of Colonial Mobile. There is a small, fenced area of bricks that were once part of the second Fort Conde, built by the French in 1732.

Driving Tour of Mobile’s Historic Districts

Due to our limited time in the city the gentleman at the Visitor Center recommended a driving tour of the historic districts. He provided us with a map that highlighted different houses and sights along the route and if you feel like walking and have time, there is a waking tour mapped out as well.

All the neighborhoods were stunning. Almost every house in every neighborhood displayed its own character and oozed charm. My favorite neighborhoods though, were Oakleigh Garden and the Old Dauphin Way District.

Oakleigh District

Oakleigh District is also known as the Garden District. This neighborhood was initially designed after the Civil War. In this neighborhood you will see cottages and shotgun houses nestled in with the mansions. Washington Square is the heart of this neighborhood.

As we drove around the square, I felt it was necessary to get out and walk around to fully take in this area. The pretty fountain in the center of the square is surrounded by stunning and very old oak trees and surrounding the park are beautiful old homes. I could live in any one of these.

Old Dauphin Way Historic District

My other favorite neighborhood is the Old Dauphin Way District. Shepard house is an exquisite house in this neighborhood. This house was ordered from a catalog and delivered in 13 rail cars in 1897. It was occupied by the Shepard family until 1910 when one of the daughters opened a private boarding and day school. It remained a school until 1952.

When we turned down N. Monterey Street, we were greeted by a subdivision of American Foursquares and Bungalows. I blurted out, “I want to live on this street!” Every house was incredible; a tree lined street, inviting porches, beautiful landscapes and American flags waving from almost every porch. Sigh… I am always looking for that perfect neighborhood in that perfect small town, kind of like Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls. Do places like that really exist? I don’t know, but this one comes close.

Another Cousin (Can you believe it?)

Guess what? Bill has yet another cousin and she lives in Spanish Fort. We were able to meet up with Sheryl and her family for dinner one night and then they were able to join us at camp one night for dinner. I cannot believe I did not think to snap a picture of everyone! Fail. What I do have, though is a picture of her and her sister when they served as the cutest flower girls in our wedding, 34 years ago. 😉

Biloxi, Mississippi

Trying to check off the rest of the southern states, Mississippi is next on the list. Halfway though the week we moved a short distance over to Biloxi. I have to admit, I didn’t know much about Biloxi other than it is on the beach and there are casinos. Oh and didn’t Matthew Broderick make a movie here?

We stayed at the Cajun RV Park right across the street from the gulf and our site was angled so we had a glimpse of the water if we were sitting outside. Every morning Bill and I walked over to the boardwalk and got our 2-mile walk in. This view makes getting out for a walk so much easier, I mean I complained a little bit because it was so stinking hot! LOL

Fresh Shrimp

Friday afternoon rolled around and we went out to explore the area a little bit. We were driving by the casinos when I spotted a lot of shrimp boats. Stop! I need a picture! Well that stop turned in to us buying some fresh shrimp off the back of one of those boats which in turned led us to having a very delicious dinner. Gulf shrimp are the best!

Katrina Memorial

Across from the Hard Rock Casino and marina was a memorial for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I remember seeing the devastation Katrina caused in New Orleans, but I couldn’t recall anything about Biloxi. On August 29, 2005, Biloxi and other Mississippi coastal towns were hit with Katrina’s strongest side causing a 22’ surge and 34’ waves. She took the lives of 53 people and destroyed almost 20% of the town. Some of the devastation is still visible today.

Peace by Piece

Next on the list of stops was the local quilt shop, Peace by Piece (don’t you love the name?) I always try to visit a local shop and buy a little fabric from each state we visit. One day I will be making a “States Quilt” with all the fabric I have collected. Sadly, I was not able to find a store close to where we were staying in Alabama so I took advantage of this cute little shop and purchased fabric for Alabama and Mississippi and unsure if I would find a store in Louisiana, I went ahead and picked some fabric for that state as well. Do you know which states these fabrics will represent in my quilt? Crawfish is for…? Mardi Gras is for…? Magnolia’s are for…?

Gulf Coast Scenic Byway

Finally, we are off to do a little gambling. Bill wanted to take a ride over to Gulf Port, which is 13 miles west of Biloxi and part of the Gulf Coast Scenic Byway. The byway follows the shoreline for 75 miles from Henderson Point to Biloxi. But get this… the beach is man-made. In 1926 a seawall was built to protect the area from tidal surges. Learning what I just did about Katrina, it either didn’t work or it did and the losses could have been much worse had the seawall not been built. At any rate, the beaches are nice and the drive to Gulf Port was scenic.

We finally made it to the casino and an hour later we were on our way home a little lighter in the pocket. Oh well, can’t be a winner all the time. LOL

What’s Next?

It was a nice easy-going week and for that I am thankful. Next week will be a busy one, we will be going to New Orleans, Avery Island and a Cajun restaurant in the middle of crawfish country!