Dauphin Island is located in the Gulf Coast in Mobile County. This barrier island is fourteen miles long and less than two miles wide. The only way to access the Island is by boat or the two lane bridge that leads onto the island. In earlier years, before hurricane Fredrick hit back in 1979, the bridge was an old fashion draw bridge that might make you wait before crossing due to the local barge traffic. I cherish many childhood memories here because this is where my family for many years vacationed during the summer. Coming from a large family it was hard to find a vacation spot that we could go to that was reasonably priced.
My family would rent one of the many old style beach cottages that the island offers. We would load up our old station wagon with all of the supplies we would need for the week and head down to the island. It was not a long drive considering we lived in the city of Mobile, Alabama. We would have no idea what the cottage had to offer until we reached our destination. Unlike in today’s social media world where you can view your choice of destinations before renting, we had to just hope for the best that it was a decent place.
I would always pick the screened in porch as the place for me to lay my head down. I enjoyed the sound of the ocean, with the waves breaking on the beach to put me to sleep and wake me in the morning. Being that I was a young man at that time stuck in the middle of several sisters, my dad and I would wake up early in the morning so that he and I could spend quality time together. We would load up that old station wagon with several nets for crabbing (blue crabs that is) and head out to the east end of the island.
This end of the Island has so much to offer anyone interested in history and beauty. From this point one can view the many boats that head out into the Gulf of Mexico for a day of fishing. There is the Sand Island Light House that can be seen as well as the Historical Civil War Fort (Fort Gains). There is an abundance of history that goes along with this Island. For anyone interested in history as well as small children that want to play and learn about American history, Fort Gains is an amazing place to visit. Several times a year they have Civil War reenactments that are open to the public. Looking across the channel one can also view Fort Morgan, another part of history as the two Forts protected the entrance to Mobile Bay during the Civil War.
If you have the opportunity to visit the area, I highly recommend visiting this secluded Island, Dauphin Island. The entire Island has been designated as a bird sanctuary with many different types of birds that migrate at varies times of the year. You can take a ferry across the channel to visit Fort Morgan while enjoying the sea life such as dauphin swimming alongside the ferry.
