Summer in the South should have this weekend in its definition.From fireworks and live music to food specials and clear surf breaking on sugar-white sand beaches, it doesn't take too much …
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Summer in the South should have this weekend in its definition.
From fireworks and live music to food specials and clear surf breaking on sugar-white sand beaches, it doesn't take too much investigating into why people flock to the Alabama Gulf Coast over the July 4 holiday. But once you're here, what should you do?
Some people plan their vacations out a year in advance. Others get here and wing it. And there are two types of locals: those who want to try something new and those who want to know where the tourists will be and pick another plan.
Whatever category you fall into, here are some things to know and places to go if you're around this holiday weekend, taking into account it might rain. This and much more information can be found in Gulf Coast Media's annual Big, Beautiful Baldwin magazine, a complete guide to the county for newcomers and locals alike. It will be published in July.
For specific events happening this holiday weekend, go to page B1 and B2.
GO TO THE ZOO
The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Special adventures include encounters with kangaroos and sloths, lemurs and giraffes. Home to over 199 species, 31 sub-species and haven to eight endangered species. They even recently welcomed three new lions to the "Little Zoo that Could."
RAINING? PLAY MINI GOLF INSIDE
Jurassic Golf is an 18-hole glow-in-the-dark dinosaur adventure. Handicap-accessible, located in Pelican Place Shopping Center in Gulf Shores.
VISIT HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS
BICENTENNIAL PARK
Gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy the natural attributes of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta as they take in the beauty of the two-mile walking trail within the park. The park's displays chronicle Native American culture circa 1780s through the settlement by Europeans in the 19th century.
HISTORIC BLAKELEY STATE PARK
Offering opportunities to tour a preserved Civil War battlefield, visit the site of one of the oldest towns in the state and learn about the plants and animals that inhabit Mobile Bay and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. Examine more than five miles of Confederate and Union breastworks within the park that marks the site of the last major battle of the American Civil War. Relive the beginning of Baldwin County's heritage at the Blakeley town site in the park. While there were hotels, stores and churches serving about 4,000 people in the 1820s, the site has since been reclaimed by nature and is home to majestic oaks that line what were once busy streets.
FORT MIMS
On Aug. 30, 1813, a band of 700 Red Stick Creek Indians destroyed Fort Mims in northern Baldwin County and killed about 250 of those defending the stronghold. During the last weekend in August each year, the Fort Mims Restoration Association commemorates the 1813 battle during a weekend-long reenactment.
FORT MORGAN
This brick-and-mortar fortress located at the mouth of Mobile Bay served American forces during the Civil War, Spanish-American War and both world wars. The 479-acre site includes concrete artillery batteries and historic buildings dating from 1899 to 1910. Also located onsite is a museum that features a complete history of Fort Morgan.
SWIFT-COLES HISTORIC HOME
The Swift-Coles Historic Home was originally built around 1882. In 1898, the Charles A. Swift family moved into the home, and as the Swift family grew in size, the home was expanded to its current 6,000 square feet, which includes 16 rooms, 10 fireplaces and 3,500 square feet of porches that look out onto the home's grounds. In the summer of 2009, the home and grounds were opened to the public for tours. In addition, the home is decorated during the Christmas holiday as it would have been in 1900s.
GO TO A MUSEUM
AMERICAN SPORT ART MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES
BALDWIN COUNTY HERITAGE MUSEUM
BLACK EDUCATION MUSEUM
FAIRHOPE MUSEUM OF HISTORY
FOLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM
GULF SHORES MUSEUM
HOLMES MEDICAL MUSEUM
MARIETTA JOHNSON MUSEUM
DAPHNE HISTORY MUSEUM
ORANGE BEACH INDIAN AND SEA MUSEUM
Note: Groups of five or more should make reservations by calling 251-981-6039
SPEAR HUNTING MUSEUM
STOCKTON HERITAGE MUSEUM
SUMMERDALE MUSEUM & ARCHIVES
PLAY DISC GOLF
RENT JET SKIS
TAKE A DOLPHIN CRUISE
