Fairhope, Alabama

Point Clear and the Grand Hotel Marriott are on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay about half way between the top and the bottom of the bay. About 3 miles north of the hotel, is the picturesque town of Fairhope (http://www.cofairhope.com/). Fairhope is nominated as on of the 10 best places to retire and also has the distinction of being a “Single Tax Community”.

12,000 people live in Fairhope, and from our brief experience, it appears that most of them are either retired or are working hard to make money from the few tourists that pass through the town. The town is off the beaten track. The only hotel of any consequence nearby is the Marriott resort and most people come to the Marriott for the amenities offered by the hotel –golf on two golf courses, the spa, cycling, horseback riding, the beach, the indoor and outdoor pools-. A few people arrive to the hotel in boats and dock at the hotel’s marina.

The location of the town therefore is not conducive to a large influx of tourists and this seems in many ways to have helped the town preserve its character and quaintness. The “single tax community” status appears to have resulted in a budget surplus and this additional funds have been ploughed back to improve Fairhope. Prime example is the Municipal Pier and Rose Park. Even though it is not the right time of the year to see roses blooming, the fountains in front of the pier and the gardens were all very pretty and well maintained.
Patricia and I spent several hours wandering around looking for a painting that would remind us of our visit to Fairhope. We had a picture taken by the town clock which apperars to be one of the most famous architectural features of the town. We visited a co-op gallery in which several local artists are collaborating to display and sell their paintings. Though there were a large number of paintings on display, none of the originals represented a unique view of the area. We also visited a frame shop and gallery, a gift store that was in the process of moving, the maritime gift shop, and then finally a large gallery containing many prints but no originals from the same artist.


So we decided to rest our weary feet at Andre’s Wine Cheese and Things and enjoyed and afternoon snack of wine (for me), tea (for Patricia) and a very nice cheese and fruit platter. Refreshed and nourished we continued our quest and stopped by a news-stand that announced having paintings by locals artists on display. And voila! We found our painting, a watercolor by a local artist, Connie Brandt, of the boat piers that jut out into the bay from the houses that line the beach just south of the hotel. We were attracted to that painting because it reminded us or our morning walks along the seafront.

To end our last day in the area we looked for a restaurant in Fairhope and found The Old Bay Steamer. Though we had no reservation, we were seated promptly in what appeared to be an overflow dining room. The menu was extensive with a nice range of seafood, steak and pasta and a selection of sandwiches and burgers and a small selection of wine and bear by the glass and the bottle. We started with Onion Spirals as an appetizer. Sofia enjoyed Grilled Chicken Alfredo and commented that it was all right, not the best one that she has ever had. Patricia had a Mushroom; Bacon and Cheeseburger served with frozen French fries and said that it was good for a burger. I had a Grilled Garlic Shrimp Kebab served on a bed of yellow rice and it was ok. We drank Abita Turbo Dog beer while we waited for the appetizer and I drank a glass of white Chardonnay with my main course. Total bill was $65 including tip.

Bellingrath Gardens and Home

Bellingrath Gardens are not easy to find. Lola, our Tom-Tom GPS has no record of Bellingrath Gardens though it did find the Bellingrath Holiday Inn and Bellingrath RV park, neither of which are close to the gardens. So we checked at the hotel and the directions they gave us said go to exit 15-A on I-10 and follow the signs to Bellingrath Gardens and Home. So that is what we did. Exited at junction 15-A and turned south on US-90. After almost three miles we turned left onto County Road 59 after almost missing a giant billboard that told us to turn at this particular junction. Another nine miles down this road and we came to the parking lot for Bellingrath.

It was early afternoon but the gas lights that are perhaps intended to illuminate the parking lot – or at least provide ambience - at night were lit. It may be that the cost of gas to keep the lamps lit is less than the cost of sending someone out in the morning to extinguish the lights and again at night to light them with a taper. There were few cars in the parking lot, though it was interesting to note that out of the ten or so cars, seven states were represented on the license plates – Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Texas and Florida.

We paid our $11 each to view the gardens ($19 if you also want to see the house) and started the self guided tour. This was winter so we did not expect much from the rose garden, though the conservatory was full of interesting colors and tropical plants. There were, of course, no butterfly’s in the butterfly garden and the brick patio and great lawn were given over to Christmas light decorations that end to look rather lifeless and stillborn during daylight. But then we got to the Mermaid pool and Fountain Plaza and the gardens sprang to life. The absence of color was hardly noticed as we discovered the water cascading through the Bellingrath Grotto, the delightful views of Mirror lake and the interesting signs and markers on the Ecological Boardwalk.

We really enjoyed the walk along the north side of Mirror lake, past the lion statue, across the rustic bridge and then we sat for a while beside a small waterfall and stream cascading across rocks rushing down a narrow gorge towards the lake. It was peaceful and romantic. A great place for Patricia and I to rest a while and absorb the beauty and the calm.

We were not quite finished yet. The last garden on the tour is the Oriental-American garden with narrow path that winds around a lake surrounded by bamboo and crossed by a Japanese bridge. We stayed in the gardens for more than two hours and made a promise that we would return in spring or early summer to see the gardens in full color.

From Bellingrath we asked Lola to take us to the nearest coffee shop. She directed us to Sedia’s Coffee 15 miles north, so we followed instructions until Lola announced we had arrived at our destination, then we switched her off and looked around for the coffee shop in one of the adjacent strip centers. Eventually we found a sign over a store that said “coffee and ice cream” and went in. We were there, except the coffee shop is now called the Joyful Cup Café. The Caramel Machiatto coffee was OK, but not up to the standards set by the chain stores, though Patricia and Sofia enjoyed the ice cream.

From there we went looking for an Italian restaurant and from the selections offered by Lola we set off in search of Bilotti’s Italian Café. Lola found the restaurant without trouble and we enjoyed a homemade Spinach and Artichoke dip with hot slices of crispy toast and a Meaty pizza with extra mushrooms. A good meal in pleasant surroundings with reasonable service. 4 out of 5 stars for restaurants of its type which we would class as small local pizzerias. One appetizer, one large pizza with extra topping and one beer, $40 including tip.

New Years Day in Alabama

Lola, our GPS, said it would take 7 hours and 49 minutes to drive from Houston to Point Clear. The distance was 489 miles. But we stopped a couple of times, once at a mall to look for a swimsuit for Patricia (which we didn’t find), then once at a Macdonald’s for something to eat. Then Lola told us we were at our destination a couple of miles before we got there so we drove around for a little while before finding the entrance to the hotel.

Eventually we arrived a little after one a.m. over nine hours after leaving downtown Houston and were given a small suite for Patricia and I connected to a regular guest room for Sofia. Dropped Sofia and Patricia at the Spa block, where our room was located, then went to look for a parking space. Eventually found a space in the area reserved for valet parking, several buildings away from the Spa block, on the other side of the large central pond. After I made it back to the Spa block we took the elevator to our floor and our room then pretty much all we could do was marvel at the room and the view before collapsing into bed.

We woke late on New Year’s Day, the skies were generally overcast, but the sun kept trying to come out as we looked at the view from our balcony overlooking the small hotel harbor. We could see Mobile in the distance across the bay.

Breakfast was delicious; an extravagant buffet of hot and cold foods, fruits, breads, omelet’s and waffles, so after eating enough for breakfast and lunch, Sofia went to the exercise room and Patricia and I went for a walk along the sea front on a path that ran along the property lines of the beautiful houses lining the beach. Many of the houses had wooden jetty’s leading out over the water to a boat dock. It looked as though most of the houses were unoccupied and we speculated that many of them, even though they were ornate and large with carefully manicured yards, were summer homes and not occupied all year round. Some of the houses may even be rental properties that were only occupied during vacation season.

After our walk we drove to Oak Hollow Farm so Sofia could take a trek on a horse. After arriving at the gathering point on the farm, we were taken for a hay ride to the stables. It was the first time Sofia had been on a horse and she enjoyed riding a pretty brown horse called Tater. While Sofia was on her trek, Patricia and I walked from the stables through the fields back to the gathering point, swung on a two person swing for a while then walked back to the stables after we saw the trail riders approaching.

We then drove into Fairhope and Lola found us a coffee shop called The Coffee Loft where we drank latte and hot chocolate and laughed at the posters promoting Willie Bean as mayor of Fairhope. Willie Bean is the owners Labrador dog and a quick search on the internet for The Coffee Loft turned up dozens of references to Willie Bean and his run for mayor and no sign of a web site for the coffee shop itself, though the coffee and hot chocolate were delicious and the place was very eclectic and comfortable.

After coffee we went on a search for a restaurant and though Lola found us several restaurants, unfortunately it appeared that this part of Alabama was closed on New Year’s Day. We drove to Mobile and back before spotting a Mexican restaurant called El Giro serving “authentic Mexican” on the road between Daphne and Fairhope. Since this was the only restaurant we had seen open in 30 miles of driving, it, by default, became our place to eat. Sofia tried beef fajitas, Patricia tried beef quesadilla and I tried Enchilada Verde, chicken enchiladas served with green salsa and refried beans. The food was plentiful and filling, and including a couple of Dos Equis and a frozen margarita – the first frozen margarita I’ve drank that was green colored – the bill was only $40 including tip.