Dauphin Island, AL: An Idyllic Beach VacationWritten by Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach
Part of fun of vacationing on Dauphin Island is driving there. Coming east on IH-10 from Houston, you will watch landscape change dramatically as you experience states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and finally Alabama. And then you can easily include Florida while you’re there, too. As you near your destination, you’ll see men wearing big white boots for clamming, known locally as “ Baldwin County Nikes”. You’ll drive through casino land, then, turning south from Mobile, enter beautiful Baldwin County, AL. To me, roads are exceptional and scenery peaceful and pastoral. I love that there are both trees and water, and farm country is very peaceful. Dauphin Island, AL is a barrier island located about 30 miles from Mobile, AL. It’s 17 miles of white sand beaches with some of most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen, and is surrounded by Mobile Bay, Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi Sound. How to get there? Here is a map: http://dauphinisland.cc/map.htm . You can get there by ferry or by car. First colonized in 1600s, it was named “Dauphin Island” in 1707, after heir to French throne (dauphin = prince). At this time it was capitol of Louisiana territory, which you’ll recall at time was about two-thirds of United States. In 1954, a bridge was built connecting Dauphin Island to mainland and Dauphin Island Park & Beach Board was created. The sand dunes which had covered walls of FORT GAINES were excavated, piers built and recreational amenities begun. Fort Gaines is now an historical site you’ll want to visit when you’re there. Once you enter island, part of your adventure can be driving through Tupelo Gum Swamp. Here is a photo: http://chris.dauphinisland-info.com upelo.html . THE AUDOBON BIRD SANCTUARY Dauphin Island was recently named one of top four locations for viewing spring migrations by Wild Bird Magazine, and one of ten most important sites for migrations globally. Located at Eastern end of Island, it includes 64 acres of maritime forest, marshes, and dunes, including a lake, a swamp and a beach. THE DAUPHIN ISLAND SEA LAB The Sea Lab is also located on eastern end of island, spanning it north-south, and is a five-minute walk from Mobile Bay Ferry and Fort Gaines. An educational facility, it includes Estuarium / Public Aquarium (http://estuarium.disl.org/ ), with touch tanks (“Get hands-on experience with aquatic animals”), a living marsh walk, and a weather station. For map and driving instructions, go here: http://www.disl.org/location.html EXCURSION CRUISE Along with swimming and fishing, you can take a two-hour excursion cruise (http://gulfinfo.com/cruises/index.html ) starting in Little Dauphin Bay and heading east past Fort Gaines, Ferry landing and Sea Lab. You’ll then enter Gulf of Mexico where you can see shrimping, and, says captain, sometimes dolphins will come play alongside yacht. You’ll also cruise near an oil field platform. A 3-hour cruise is also available.
| | Top Ten Most Searched Cities in 2003 for Online Hotel ListingsWritten by Katie Glaser
Top Ten Most Searched Cities in 2003 for Online Hotel ListingsJanuary 19, 2004, Virginia Beach, Va. – RoomSaver.com, Web’s most comprehensive source for hotel discounts, today announced that RoomSaver.com’s (www.RoomSaver.com) most-searched cities for discount hotel coupons in 2003 were Orlando, Fla. and Las Vegas, Nev. Recent data show top ten most-searched cities on RoomSaver.com in 2003 were Orlando, Fla., Las Vegas, Nev., Miami, Fla., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., New York, NY, Kissimmee, Fla., Los Angeles, Cal., San Diego, Cal., Tampa, Fla. and San Francisco, Cal. While RoomSaver.com features a national listings database as well as Canadian provinces, this information corresponds with markets that are historic strongholds for RoomSaver.com’s affiliate travel guides, Traveler Discount Guide, Travel Saver Guide, U.S. Travel Guide and Travel Coupon Guide. Additionally, these top destinations correspond with those that are characteristic of International travelers, according to “Top 10 U.S. City Destinations for International Travelers, 2000” from Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). "We are very pleased that search activity on RoomSaver.com is increasing," said Brad Petersen, business development manager of RoomSaver.com. "This shows that more and more travelers are using Internet as a key resource when searching for hotel discounts."
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