For Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan, see PART 1
In my last post, I discussed family-friendly things to do in the Coastal towns of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan. In this installment, I will be going over unique family things to do in Pensacola, Dauphin Island, Foley, The Eastern Shore, Mobile and Biloxi MS.
So now I’m going to go over some stuff to do in the surrounding regions of Alabama’s Gulf Coast. First stop:
PENSACOLA
Pensacola is a historic town with lots to do besides the beach (which is technically in Pensacola Beach, not Pensacola. They're different) There are restaurants, museums, playgrounds, galleries, shops and even a Graffiti Bridge! The Main Street to check out as a tourist is Palafox. There are many great restaurants there’s a park that often has festivals. You can find the pensacola events schedule here.
Before I go on let's talk for a minute about the FLAGS.
The flags are posted at every public beach and they are like a code that tells everyone whether it's safe to go in the water or not. Here's the code:
PLEASE Abide by them. When you don't listen, that's how people get hurt.
Ok so on to the fun stuff.
The graffiti bridge may be your only opportunity to contribute to graffiti legally! The artwork on this famous bridge changes nearly daily and it is considered a local landmark. Even if you don’t contribute it’s fun to check out.
If you like organic food, nearby organic grocery store Everman will fullfill your every organic hope and dream. Seriously. Just don’t eat at the buffet. It's overpriced and tastes like cardboard. There, I said it. And you can't say I didn't warn you.
The Naval air base in Pensacola is really awesome. They have a museum with All kinds of planes on display from many eras. Kids can even sit in a couple of them!
Much of the museum is inside but There's also a trolley ride tour to see outdoor exhibits. It’s fun for adults too. And it’s FREE! It’s on the naval air base so bring your photo ID or passport.
It was closed for several years so we're blessed to have it back.
Also on the base is a lighthouse you can tour. Definitely NOT for people with vertigo.
If it’s rainy you can check out the Mess Hall in pensacola which is a hands-on kids science museum. It’s Small but packed full of activities.
If it’s nice out of course there’s Pensacola beach but there’s also
Fort Barrancas & Fort Pickens which are civil war forts if you haven’t visited one in yet. Barrancas will reopen in May 2024. Pickens is closed due to renovations. If this Fort isn't open You can always check out Ft. Morgan which Is open to the public.
If you want more animal encounters, there’s the Gulf Breeze Zoo which isn’t too far from Pensacola and has a really cool aviary where budgies fly and land on you. If that gives you Alfred Hitchcockian nightmares FYI it’s optional. You can also feed the giraffes for about $5. Did you know they have black tongues?!?
If you like aquariums there’s the Gulfarium. It’s a smallish aquarium about an hours drive west from orange beach in gulf breeze but they have DOLPHIN ENCOUNTERS, As well as other animals encounters such as sharks and stingrays and penguins. We did the dolphin encounter with my son for his birthday and he had the time of his life! TOTALLY worth the money
Heading north/west
FOLEY
You can check out the Tanger outlets in Foley off the 59, which is mostly just shopping, but they DO have a nice playground for when your kids have had it!
Other foley stuff to do includes
The Train Museum which has trains to climb on on the outside of the museum and hosts a large miniature area with a Where's Waldo-esque scavenger hunt on the inside.
The inside has limited hours so plan ahead.
There's a cool store across the street called Action Games and Movies which sells used video games and dvds. My kids LOVE this place
And within walking distance is either yabbas wacky snack shack or Stacy’s old time soda fountain which is worth a look-see for the trains going around the top of the room and cool 50s decor. The ice cream is pretty good too!
Nearby is Mama Mia’s Pizzaria which is our personal family fave. If it’s nice out eat out back in the courtyard, it’s lovely back there. Just go take a seat, a waitress will be with you shortly :)
Alligator alley is a fun time right in Foley where you can touch or even hold a baby alligator (They tape their mouths shut). You also can watch them feed the big gators. It is mostly outdoors so you’ll want to save it for a sunny day. Not to be confused with the Gator boardwalk in Daphne. See under Daphne section, below.
Magnolia springs
Jesses restaurant is on the way from Foley to Fairhope and is a fine dining experience you won’t want to miss. They opened a second location last year in Ft. Morgan which is just as good AND has sunset Views over the water. This is 5 star dining with a 5 star price but totally worth it.
Wales west rv park has a real working steam train you can ride which they decorate and go all out for various holidays including Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. Christmas is the most spectacular. Seriously - don’t miss it.
The train goes to see Santa’s workshop and the sheer amount of lights is flabbergasting. They have all kinds of activities as well including the grinch and most of them are FREE. In the summer they have a water slide and pool available for a modest fee. You don’t have to stay at the rv resort to enjoy the amenities, and many of them are free.

EASTERN SHORE is comprised of several towns that border Mobile Bay. They include Point Clear, Fairhope, Daphne, Spanish Fort, and Malbis. And maybe a few smaller ones too. Take the scenic route 98 if you’re headed to Mobile, it’s not much longer but the views of Mobile Bay are lovely.
Fairhope is a super cute little artsy town (that I happen to Live in) that has lots of posh shops, galleries and restaurants. it's been featured in moies because of its small town feel, including "The Map of Tiny Perfect Things" and "Jesus Revolution," and both are clean and actually pretty decent films. Don’t miss their tiny French Quarter! It's labelled "Frenchman's corner" on google maps.
While there Try my whole family's favorite, Panini Pete’s for lunch and
Mr genes beans for dessert. You can also run off some of your lunch at
Fairhoper’s Community park - the within-walking-distance, pirate-ship-themed, playground-and-splash pad (whew!).
There are many other great independent restaurants in Fairhope. I haven’t even eaten at them all. A few of my faves include Tamara’s, Gambino's, and Kravers.
If you get a chance, the Grand Hotel has beautiful grounds to check out right along mobile bay as well as a very nice restaurant. I have drawn caricatures several times here at their convention center which surprised me with its size. A gorgeous & relaxing place to have a convention!
Fairhope also has another large park that boasts a fishing pier along mobile bay and also has their own beach with playgrounds, restrooms and pavilions. Walking or Fishing From The Pier is free . The beach is $20 per car.
There’s a new restaurant that’s right on the pier which I haven’t tried yet called the Blind Tiger . Taking a walk on the pier is nice and the pier is free and open 24/7 and a good place to go fishing. This park/beach/pier is the gem of Fairhope’s crown. Don’t miss it. The beach nearby has playgrounds and a nice walk but will set you back $20 per carload or $5 per person. This is a new Development and the entire town is in an uproar about it. We'll see how long it lasts.
Daphne
There are real, live gators in mobile bay, and 2 good places to see them (from the safety of a raised and enclosed boardwalk of course) would be these parks in Daphne AL:
Park and walk down towards the overpasses. Follow the trail to the right. Anywhere along the bayou here you might see some gators.

And there’s also Bay Front Park
Take the trail to the left and stop at the first bridge. You may get lucky!
There's more to Daphne than gators!
One of my favorite little cafes is in Daphne. It’s called the East Shore Cafe. They serve some seriously awesome stuffed French toast, among other things.
I also have heard good things about Rock the spectrum, an inclusive indoor play place. My kids are too old so I haven’t checked it out personally but it’s worth a look.
Spanish Fort
For more shopping and dining try
Eastern Shore Centre in Spanish fort, off the 10.
They have an indoor mini golf, axe throwing, build a bear workshop, bookstore, and cinema and bowling alley that’s more of a family entertainment center. There's some nice dining choices here and the price point is generally cheaper than the beach. They also have seasonal artisan events where local artists come and sell their wares. (I’m one of these! Come get a caricature drawn by yours truly at these events.
Join my mailing list to get informed of when I’ll be performing here
There’s also urban air which is an indoor trampoline park similar to the factory but is in Spanish fort and has other offerings such as a ropes course and a rock climbing wall.
Nearby is Blakely state park which actually has a Civil War battlefield you can go to and a Civil War era ghost town. It’s also not expensive.
If you like nature there’s a nature center there near Blakely park. It’s free. Five rivers delta nature center
There’s also river cruises from there that have different themes throughout the year.
MOBILE
(Or "mobil" as my phone likes to call it)
The Battleship USS alabama in mobile is a unique living history museum. Included in your ticket is a self-guided tour of a real battleship and a submarine too! My boys love this. It’s Not terribly wheelchair or stroller friendly however. (The doors all have “lips” you must step over because it was a working battleship).
Nearby in the museum district is a pre-revolutionary war fort, fort conde.
It was eye-opening for me to find out that Mobile was a colony before the constitution was signed. The reason it’s not considered one of the 13 original colonies is because they sided with the British! Fort conde tickets are free with a history museum ticket.
A couple of nearby museums include the Exploreum and gulf quest which is HUGE , indoors, and great for a rainy day.
South of Mobile is Bellingrath Gardens. I went there this Christmas to see the lights for the first time and I was really impressed.
MISSISSIPPI
BILOXI - This could be a whole other vacation but it’s worth a peek. Only about 2 hours drive from Gulf Shores and they have lots of casinos, an awesome arcade for the whole family in margaritaville and right next door is
Paradise pier fun park which has actual carnival style rides, only newer and safer looking.
And finally there’s a really awesome Traintastic museum in Mississippi which isn’t that far away in gulf port.
They recently changed its name to “Traintastic”. They Claim to be the largest model railroad museum in the world and I'm not going to argue with them. Seems Legit to me.
It used to be free but now they charge a modest fee to get in. I believe it s $12 for kids and $15 for adults. Seniors and military get a small discount. It’s still pretty cool, and once you pay to get in everything is covered including all the various train rides.
They have play areas for kids, models of legos and trains like you wouldn't believe, trains to ride and a LOT to see. You could spend a whole day here. However, we arrived late last time we went which was actually a blessing because we found out we could get in for only $5 each after 4pm (they close at 5) My kids are older now but they still enjoyed it. The lego sets displayed here are pretty amazing too. If you like legos or trains it’s definitely worth the ride.
Plan on spending at least half a day here. Then go for a dip in the gulf and some dinner at Shaggy's for some interesting food or just some good burgers. OK ok, yes it's a tourist trap. But a good one!
Finally I am going to give myself a plug. you cant blame me, right?
My name is Kathy Buskett.
I’m a Traveling Caricaturist And I come to you to create each of your traveling companions a bucket-list caricature that is flattering, fast and fun. Please check out the rest of my website!
I am going to be working at the beach club resort this summer on Mondays and Wednesdays drawing caricatures for $15 per person. It’s open to the public.
(The money goes to the resort not me so please consider tipping!)
You can hire me to come to private parties, weddings, trade shows and more. Check out the rest of my website www.caricaturesbykathy.com
Follow my
Facebook page to see where I’ll be drawing in public next
contact me
or message me
Here’s some more places I’ve listed on Yelp
to help you have a fun vacation!
Hope you have a lovely vacation and I hope all that was helpful!
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