Sunday, March 16, 2014

Spring Was in the Air in Fairhope Alabama

This is the time of year when spring is just starting to crack its way out of the ground.  The Spousal Unit and I hit the road for our third annual trip to Fairhope, Alabama for their spring arts and crafts show.

Fairhope is neat community, south of I10, just as you come off the Mobile Bay bridge.  Of course, just getting across the bay can be an adventure.  I10 takes you through the Mobile tunnel under the bay, and traffic can get backed up for miles in both directions.  Some folks will use the old downtown tunnel and re-enter I10 further down the road, and others will take the suspension bridge. A little north, slightly off I165.  I forgot to turn and ended up looping back into the I10 mess, but with little wait.
The traffic heading west was backed up for miles, spring breakers heading home.

As you approach Fairhope on US98, you are drawn in by a salute of rows of U.S. flags lining the roadway.  The town is bike friendly, as there are  bike paths on several of the major roads within the City.

Our mission for the day was to explore all of the vendor booths and discover a few treasures.  The main downtown area is blocked off for the artisans to display their wares.  The vendors are chosen from the applications submitted.  It is not a given that vendors will be approved each year, depending on the volume of submissions in their category.  Missed seeing Jewelry by Randy this year.

Fairhope is a pet friendly community, as owners and their pets were visible throughout the festival.  The community even had several pet adoption booths located throughout the fair.

You could definitely tell you were in the south, as a dozen or so young ladies were dressed up in antebellum dresses in a variety of colors, and they were eager to pose for a picture with you.

There was even a food court, complete with kettle corn, pork skins, corn dogs, and dozens of other fair foods being sold by a variety of vendors.  The hot food item this year was being sold by friends of ours, Jack and Lisa Beasley, with Funny Face Foods,  a red velvet funnel cake with powdered sugar and cream cheese icing.  It was the bomb!

We finished up our day at the fair, and with rainy weather fast approaching, we decided to head further south to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.  We will be returning in May for a conference, and found the resort.

As we cruised the area, I looked at the clock and saw that it was 4:00.  it was obvious it was condo check in time, as the parking lots were full of college kids and all their stuff.  The girls were lugging suitcases of clothes, and the boys were lugging suitcases of beer.  I think it all works out in the end!

Our tour was complete, and it was a bit too early for dinner, so we decided to head back to Mobile Bay, closer to our hotel.  The restaurant of choice was on old US90/98, a place called Felix's.  There are several restaurants in this area, and all the parking lots were over flowing.  Once inside, we discovered that without a reservation it would be a two hour wait!  Ha!  Not on your life!  Ended up at a Mexican restaurant near the hotel.  We will give ole Felix another shot on the way home.

If you have a lazy weekend, give Fairhope a look. The Marriott Grand Hotel is a few miles further south is you want to stay near the water.  Give it all a try, you'll be surprised at what you will find!

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