While visiting Gulf Shores, enjoy a stroll down the streets of a town internationally recognized for its landscaping design or plan an adventure to explore a historic fort.
Also remember to pack your walking shoes and wallet for a visit to a town noted for shopping.
Art and Blooms
Set on the bluffs overlooking Mobile Bay is the picturesque town of Fairhope, where lush cascading floral explosions are sprinkled along the streetscape.
“Fairhope brings to mind a manicured village square with overflowing flower boxes, charming shops and cafes, shady parks and outdoor festivals,” said Sherry Sullivan, director of senior services and special events for Fairhope.
“Nationally distributed publications like The Wall Street Journal and Southern Living have celebrated its beauty and charm,” she said.
According to Sullivan, in 2000, the city placed third in its population category in the international competition Nations in Bloom.
Now known as the International Awards for Liveable Communities, the organization solicits entries from communities from around the world to participate in an environmental management competition.
Numerous art and unique specialty shops also line the streets of town, providing an afternoon of treasure-seeking for tourists.
For information call 251-990-0218 or visit www.cofairhope.com.
Fort Morgan
Located 22 miles west of Gulf Shores, visitors can explore historic Fort Morgan.
According to Bebe Gauntt, public relations manager for the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, the fort was completed in 1834 to guard the entrance to Mobile Bay but abandoned in 1842.
The fort was not used again until 1861 when the Alabama Militia seized it during the Civil War.
On Tuesday evenings during the summer, the fort’s living history program “presents a passport back in time to witness some of the fort’s dramatic moments,” Gauntt said.
Living history interpreters dressed in period costumes re-enact fort life for visitors during candlelight tours, which begin around 7 p.m.
Visitors can tour the brick chambers of the fort and enjoy the museum as well.
The museum is home to a variety of Civil War artillery and fort artifacts, such as the menu from the 1912 Christmas dinner for the 170th Company Coast Artillery Corps.
For information on Fort Morgan, call 251-540-7125.
For information about other Gulf Shores attractions, call 1-800-745-SAND or visit www. gulfshores.com.
Shopping in Foley
Take a break from the sun and sand for a shopping trip in Foley. The city is home to several antique malls and specialty shops and one of only two Tanger Outlet Centers in Alabama.
Located just eight miles north of Gulf Shores, the outlet center is home to more than 125 designer and manufacturer outlet stores, said Marla Warner, assistant general manger of the outlet center.
Warner noted that center amenities include wheelchair use, stroller-rental service and centerwide gift cards.
Tour groups that contact the center 72 hours in advance receive coupon books for all participants.
Another shopping opportunity can be found at the antique malls — featuring more than 300 dealers — located in and around Foley.
For information on the antique malls and the Foley area, call 251-943-1200 or visit www.foleycvb.com.
For information on Tanger Outlet Center, call 1-866-665-8678 or visit www.tangeroutlet.com and select the Foley center.
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