Gulf Shores: August 2006

7:59 PM

Gulf Shores : Your Guide to the Alabama Gulf Coast

Summer is here on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Make your plans to visit the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach areas now! We have all your vacation rental needs covered including resorts and hotels. By booking now you can save both time and money. To search for your next hotel or vacation resort on the Alabama Gulf Coast use the links below and you will be on your way to paradise.

Alabama Trails provides outdoor enthusiasts with a great guide to hiking the many trails in the beautiful state of Alabama. This is a must have for anyone who wants to see the spectacular scenery! Get out and enjoy Alabama while the weather is perfect. Click Here to see this and our entire collection of travel and guide books.

Most of the hotels and resort properties require additional phone usage fees when making phone calls to loved ones from your unit. Cell phone coverage varies greatly on the Alabama Gulf Coast so don't be left stranded when trying to make your next call! We have teamed up with Amazon.com and Target to bring you great deals on calling cards.

Auto Rentals: Need some wheels while you are here - maybe an SUV, or a sports car, or even a family wagon? We have it all! Find the greatest deals on the Alabama Gulf Coast

Copyright © 2002 - 2006 All Rights Reserved BeachEffects.com
7:48 PM

Gulf Shores : VACATION PACKAGES

GOLF PACKAGES
If you’re ready for a round or a weekend of golf, we can tee it up. The Gulf Coast is home to numerous championship courses. Each one is unique, sure to test your mettle. Meyer is pleased to recommend a course to challenge your skills. We offer a wide range of Golf Packages to meet every need. We have years of experience finding the perfect getaway accommodations for couples, a fabulous foursome of friends, a large group of “serious” golfers and of course the golf outing during a family vacation. Our wide variety of beach houses, many of which are adjacent to one another, and large concentrations of condominiums in the same buildings makes us the first choice when it comes to finding what you want. Our golf packages include accommodations, green fees, cart, all taxes and fees. We make the arrangements simple, the hardest part will be choosing from the many championship courses in our golf package program. We customize all our packages to suit your specific needs.

FISHING
Looking to land the big one? Meyer offers fabulous fishing fun year-round. Try your hand at catching blue marlin, yellow fin tuna, amberjack, cobia, red snapper and more. Whatever your experience level, you'll find fishing fun on a private deep sea fishing charter.

ROMANCE PACKAGES
Perhaps you’re looking for that perfect place to pop the question. Or a romantic setting to rekindle the passion. Meyer has a variety of romantic getaways for two. You can choose an evening cruise, his and her massages, or even a hot air balloon ride. All packages include accommodations and dinner for two. Packages can also be custom made to fit your needs.

© 2006 Meyer Real Estate
7:32 PM

Gulf Shores : Boardwalk Beach Resort

Florida’s Gulf coast. An extraordinary combination of emerald green waters, pearl white sand, and enjoyable year-round weather. Visitors come here for the magnificent beaches, championship golf, excellent fishing, diving and fine dining. Now, you can add world class resort accommodations to the list.

Start at one end of the property with our all new welcome center. Next, is the newest edition to the resort, a 22 story gulf front condominium (pictured left) that overlooks the Gulf of Mexico and sparkles like a diamond on Panama City Beach’s emerald coast. Then, travel down our unique boardwalk and view the largest private beach on the coast. Over 11 football fields, in fact. And ending your scenic journey is the Convention Center. The largest in the area, too. Along with our choice of accommodations and amenities, all of this comes together to offer a complete resort experience.

Don't need a full size kitchen or condo? The Boardwalk Beach Resort also offers choices in Hotels - always a wise choice and a great value for accommodations in Panama City Beach, Florida. There two buildings to choose from both offering views of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Gulf Coast's most distinguished host is right here at the Boardwalk Beach Resort. From the internationally known Ironman Triathlon to local club meetings, you'll find all the flexible space, both indoor and outdoor, you'll need to make any event nothing short of a success.

Royal American Hospitality, Inc.
12:59 AM

Gulf Shores : Demographics and Climate

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 5,044 people, 2,344 households, and 1,544 families residing in the city. The population density was 105.9/km² (274.3/mi²). There were 6,810 housing units at an average density of 143.0/km² (370.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.54% White, 0.22% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. 1.23% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,344 households out of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.56.

In the city the population was spread out with 16.4% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,826, and the median income for a family was $51,862. Males had a median income of $40,259 versus $22,467 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,356. About 6.8% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Gulf Shores enjoys a very mild climate throughout the year. High temperatures in the winter average around 65 degrees; summer-time high temperatures average around 87. Gulf Shores also averages 61 inches of rainfall per year.

The location of Gulf Shores on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico makes it especially vulnerable to hurricanes. In September 1979, Gulf Shores received the full brunt of category 3 Hurricane Frederic which leveled most of the beachfront of the city. In September 2004, category 3 Hurricane Ivan made landfall only a few miles from Gulf Shores, causing extensive wind and flooding damage. Gulf Shores is still recovering from the results of the storm. Nearby Orange Beach suffered even greater damage from its location east of Ivan's eyewall. Over 800 homes (mainly condominiums) were destroyed by Ivan. Gulf Shores suffered an estimated 1.5 to 2 billion dollars in total damage from the hurricane.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
12:55 AM

Gulf Shores : Gulf Shores, Alabama

Gulf Shores is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 5,044.

Gulf Shores is one of only two major (Orange Beach being the other one) seaside resorts in the state of Alabama. (Dauphin Island also contains a large number of beachfront homes, but is too isolated and vulnerable to hurricanes to be a viable resort). Most of the town is therefore devoted to hotels and a service industry. Because the nearby Mississippi Gulf Coast is protected by barrier islands, Gulf Shores is the only resort with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico between New Orleans, Louisiana and the well-known resorts of Florida. Gulf Shores is therefore more popular with local populations in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana than the Florida resorts, which tend to be dominated by visitors from other regions of the United States. (However, the extensive spring break facilities of Panama City and Destin on the east side and the casinos of Gulfport and Biloxi on the west give Gulf Shores plenty of competition.) Gulf Shores bore the brunt of Hurricane Ivan on September 16, 2004.

Geography
Gulf Shores is located at 30°16'4.069" North, 87°42'5.285" West (30.267797, -87.701468)GR1.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 59.6 km² (23.0 mi²). 47.6 km² (18.4 mi²) of it is land and 12.0 km² (4.6 mi²) of it (20.11%) is water.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3:14 AM

Gulf Shores : Katrina Could Have Been Worse

Katrina was a Category five as it approached the shoreline, just as it was about to hit it was downgraded, why? Well the eye-wall was reforming as they often do along the way. Many Christians attributed to their prayers for the City of New Orleans, the Hurricane then slightly jogged to the right or Eastward. This helped in two ways, one minimized the direction of flow and duration of the storm surge into the inlet area in the direction of the lake.

Yes it could have been worse. People were warned early on thanks to the media weather folks, NASA Storm computer modeling and rapid response from the President to get on the air and tell people; “Please Get Out.” Over 1 million people evacuated New Orleans in 48-hours and you thought your local traffic was bad?

Still the Hurricanes size and time over the City caused weakening of the levee system, which was eventually breached in multiple places, one more than 100-yards wide and water poured into the city. Islamic Radical Terrorists cheered claiming that they have been praying for America to be destroyed and that Allah had answered by attacking the Gulf Coast. While Christians prayers were said to be immediately answered and it looked as if New Orleans was spared, the engineering marvel of 350-miles worth of levees had been weakened by one of the worst storms ever to hit our Nation.

Luckily now the Army Corp of Engineering has a plan it will soon execute to temporarily fix the breach for now, and then use the pumps to slowly remove the water for clean-up. The plan should work and we must hope that we are not hit with back to back storms like last year along the Gulf Shores as FEMA crews and Team USA shows us what we are really made of as Americans. So, you see although the damage is substantial, our early warning saved tens of thousands of lives thanks to NASA, TV Media, and the President’s Team to get the word out. It could have been so much worse.

by Lance Winslow
3:07 AM

Gulf Shores : Feel at Home in Gulf Coast, Alabama

As soon as they hop out of bed, the kids come to you, begging to be taken to the beach. They groan when you mention practical concerns, but agree to grab a few cereal bars from the pantry and eat them while applying their sunscreen. You take a moment to pick up an armload of fresh towels and a paperback from the shelf. The time has come to lead your little ones out the back door and down the path, and within five minutes everyone’s toes have been dipped into the sparkling blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

That was easy, you think to yourself. If only all vacations could be this hassle-free. Good thing you won the lottery, right? Or married that millionaire? Nope. All you did was investigate the vacation rental possibilities before you made your trip down to the Alabama coast. Anyone could do it, really, yet you can’t help but feel pretty proud of yourself as you watch the family have so much effortless fun.

Later on everyone can get cleaned up in the outdoor shower. Yes, this isn’t your house, but you still don’t want sand everywhere. Then you can pile into the car for a quick trip down the road to Waterville USA or to Dauphin Island for some historical sightseeing. Riding the roller coasters and absorbing a little bit of culture have given your day some extra oomph, and have caused everyone to work up an appetite as well.

Plenty of restaurants will call out to you on the ride home, but if the mood strikes, pick up some fresh seafood from the grocery story and prepare a casual meal back at the house, to be eaten and enjoyed at your own pace. It might even be extra delicious once you realize that you saved a few dollars, too.

The kids can watch a DVD before bed, that is if they can keep their eyes open. And thanks to the sofa sleeper and the bunk beds in the spare room, sleeping arrangement quarrels will be kept to a minimum. The day will end peacefully, with everyone dreaming of the pleasures that tomorrow may bring.

Or, imagine a different scenario. No kids, just you and your partner. You’ve both been working hard and neglecting your health, not to mention each other. Now is the time to forget about everything else and just recharge your batteries. You’ll probably sleep in on your first day there, as the sound of the surf is just as calming as you always thought it would be. Maybe your honey will have the coffee brewing as you arise, and you can both enjoy a few minutes of morning peace out on the patio before your day officially begins.

Since exercise hasn’t been your top priority lately, perhaps it would be a good idea to take a not-too-strenuous hike on Pine Beach Trail, located in the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. Keep your eyes open for birds and wildlife, and breathe deeply as you reacquaint yourself with the pulse of nature and the beating of your own heart as it welcomes the fact that you’ve decided to challenge it a little.

Head back to your cozy cottage for a frolic in the surf, and don’t forget to relish the feeling of the warm, sugary sand beneath your bare feet. There might be time to squeeze in a nap before evening, when you and your spouse will decide to freshen up and hit the town. Whether you choose to book a dinner cruise or snag front row seats at a musical performance, romance will be running high as you finally give priority to the one you love the most. With no bosses, cell phones, or responsibilities to get in the way, you’ll find yourself wondering why it has taken you so long to get here.

No matter what amenities you seek or who you’re traveling with, there’s a place for you along the shoreline of Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Beaches, historical sites, and frivolous activities will compete to fill your days during your stay here, but ultimately you’ll end up doing just as you please. Taking that into consideration, spend a little time online and sort through the numerous Gulf Coast Vacation Rentals. There are lots to choose from, but it only takes one special property to make your upcoming trip all that you want it to be.

By Caitlin Moore
2:52 AM

Gulf Shores : Commercial airliners may soon fly into Gulf Shores

GULF SHORES, Ala. Commercial airlines could be using Jack Edwards Airport in Gulf Shores within five years if a private engineering firm's recommendations are approved.

The airport now provides service only for private air travel. According to consultants, nearly 38 (m) million dollars in construction projects have been proposed in a report the city commissioned to determine the area's aviation needs by 2025.

The first stage of the plan includes a 32-thousand-square-foot commuter terminal with waiting areas as well as ticketing and baggage services accommodating commercial flights. The projects would be completed in three-stages over the next 20-years.

According to the report, about 80-thousand flights were recorded at the airport last year -- a figure that could double by 2025.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
10:22 PM

Gulf Shores : Tigers doing more skill work

T.R. Miller Tigers football coach Jamie Riggs did not make many changes to his summer workout schedules for several years.

That has changed a little bit the last couple of summers with the evolvement of seven-on-seven competition.

“We probably do more skill work than we used to do and a little less outdoor conditioning. I don't know if one thing is better than the other. We're probably doing about the same amount of work. We've just exchanged one area for another,” Riggs said.

Riggs returned to work with the Tigers at the start of summer workouts after he underwent double bypass heart surgery the last week of April.

“I feel good. The summer has given me a chance to gradually work my way back. It's given me a chance to get acclimated to working again,” Riggs said.

Riggs said the Tigers two-days-a-week program during the summer usually draws about 90-95 percent player participation. Sessions run two hours in length.

“We've got just over 50 varsity players involved in the program. Most days we get about 45 to 48 players. There are always going to be days where somebody has to miss for some reason, but those players make up that work when they come back,” Riggs said.

T.R. Miller also has a combined 45 freshmen and Brewton Middle School players involved in summer workouts.

“We've gotten good participation form those players this year. I like mixing the freshmen in with the BMS kids. It gives them a chance to work together. Those players are going to be the core group of our varsity in a few years,” Riggs said. “We teach the freshmen and middle school players how to lift weights and what techniques they need to use. We also do some skill work with them.”

T.R. Miller sent 25 players to a seven-on-seven competition at Gulf Shores.

“We did well there considering we didn't put a lot of emphasis on it in the days leading up to the competition. We went 2-0-1 with wins over Spanish Fort and Robertsdale plus a tie against Gulf Shores,” Riggs said.

T.R. Miller's biggest activity for the remainder of the summer is next week's Offensive Skills Camp.

“It's a three-day camp where we'll work on various offensive drills and techniques. We'll also probably try to install a little bit of our offensive schemes,” Riggs said.

The T.R. Miller skipper said a change he is appreciative is the Alabama High School Athletic Association's decision to allow players to use helmets during summer work.

“Seven-on-seven led to the change. It's a good change. It's decreased the risk of head injuries immensely. Player can run with a lot less worry about colliding heads with another player,” Riggs said.

College offers and preseason accolades continue to pile up for W.S. Neal senior offensive lineman Jared Cooper. Cooper's stock rose quickly after a strong junior season and his participation in last winter's north-south all-star game for juniors. Photo by Bruce Hixon

Cooper waiting as offers pile up

The offers keep coming. So do the preseason accolades.
Digest

BMS, NMS announce football schedules
Playoffs have intriguing possibilities

Class 4A Region 1, where both T.R. Miller and W.S. Neal will reside for the upcoming season, has been paired up against Region 2 in the opening round of this season's Alabama High School Athletic Association football playoffs.
Tackling the tackle spot

It is no pun to say Trent Davidson is trying to tackle the tackle position.
WSN summer work heads down home stretch

If nothing else, the W.S. Neal Blue Eagles football team is farther along at this point of the summer than a year ago on stability alone.
Tigers doing more skill work

T.R. Miller Tigers football coach Jamie Riggs did not make many changes to his summer workout schedules for several years.

By BRUCE HIXON
10:19 PM

Gulf Shores : BUFFETT IN THE BAY

BAY ST. LOUIS - Between nibblin' on sponge cake and watchin' the sun bake, Jimmy Buffett plans to use the Fire Dog Saloon today as a backdrop in a new music video about a devastating hurricane.

But hold on to your flip-flops, because here's the pop-top: It's probably not the same devastating hurricane you're thinking of.

According to Bay St. Louis officials and the parent company of the Fire Dog, the "Margaritaville" crooner is planning to use the blown-out shell of the beachfront tavern in the Bay for a music video about Hurricane Ivan's effects on the Flora-Bama, a beach bar in Gulf Shores, Ala.

"When I first heard about it, I thought it was going to be about Katrina and Bay St. Louis," said Greg Iverson, operations manager at Fire Dog Inc., which owns the Bay saloon and several other Coast bars, including Adventures in Biloxi and The Daq Shack in Gulfport.

Workers spent most of Thursday carefully pouring four truckloads of fresh white sand into the Katrina-wrecked remains of the Fire Dog for today's video shoot.

Set designers painstakingly spread the sand around the concrete columns to give the Fire Dog that just-been-through-a-hurricane look, which appeared to be an easy job to do.

HK Management, the Los Angeles firm that represents Buffett, declined to comment on the video shoot in the Bay, but did say the song is expected to be the first release from Buffett's new album, due out in October.

Buffett, who attended the University of Southern Mississippi and worked for a short time as a reporter for Billboard Magazine, is not currently doing media interviews, according to his management company.

Buffett's management company would not say when the song was first written nor would they release the name of it, but city officials said it's likely the song was inked long before Katrina pounded the Bay.

Iverson said he first learned Pascagoula-born Buffett wanted to use his bar for a video about Gulf Shores when the singer's management asked to paint Flora-Bama logos over the Fire Dog logos on the front of the building.

Katrina's winds flung enough sand and debris at the Fire Dog to scrape away a lot of the outdoor paint and nowadays the logos are difficult to see, but Iverson declined Buffett's offer of a new paint job.

"They asked if they could paint the front of the building and take our logo off," Iverson said. "Obviously, I was real disappointed that the song and video wasn't about us and I'm sure some other people will be, too."

In addition to cheeseburgers and frozen concoctions, Buffett's carefree list of songs includes such titles as "Pascagoula Run" and a ballad simply called "Biloxi."

Mayor Eddie Favre said he is excited to have the laid-back singer-songwriter in the Bay, because Buffett's presence alone could do great things for the city.

"When I learned that the song was about the Flora-Bama, I was a little disappointed," Favre said. "But once he gets here and sees what the situation is, maybe we can get a return trip to do something, not about the Flora-Bama, but about the Fire Dog, the Good Life, Daniel's and all the Old Town businesses."

Last year, Buffett performed with Dave Matthews during a Katrina benefit concert at New York's Madison Square Garden, and this summer, he played the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans.

Like Iverson, Favre is hopeful Buffett will someday return to write a song and film a video about Bay St. Louis' shellacking from the most devastating natural disaster in U.S. history.

"Hopefully we can convince him to come back to do something for us," he said. "He's done songs about San Francisco, Key West and Biloxi, and it sure would be nice to have a song about Bay St. Louis."

By RYAN LaFONTAINE
10:14 PM

Gulf Shores : Retired Baldwin County DA takes job as Gulf Shores city attorney

MOBILE, Ala. - Former Baldwin County District Attorney David Whetstone is back in public office after a brief foray into retirement.

The Gulf Shores city council voted unanimously this week to retain the national law firm Adams & Reese, where Whetstone is employed, the Press-Register reported in an online story Tuesday.

Whetstone retired from his district attorney post in March and his new position as the city attorney for Gulf Shores became effective immediately after the council's vote on Monday.

The firm has an office in Mobile and is planning another one in Foley.

State Sen. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, is also employed at the firm.

Whetstone spent 22 years as a county prosecutor and handled the case against former Gulf Shores Mayor Steve Russo, who resigned in January amid allegations of public corruption and drug possession.

by Associated Press
1:45 AM

Gulf Shores : Policy Separated from Politics

Alexander Hamilton – Policy Separated from Politics:

I am related to Hamiltons who came to Canada as United Empire Loyalists but I cannot say for sure they were related to this man who clearly was also a monarchist. William Hamilton Stewart is one of the Stuart historians I have quoted and his name is proof for the Hamiltons being part of the Stuart Hibernian and Merovingian continuum. This man says his family history goes back to the Berbers for at least 20,000 years and I think he could go further than that if he wanted to use archaeology and the work of Gimbutas.

Here is Noam Chomsky making a most important connection. Politics has become something totally absurd. We see Mr. Chomsky makes a good case for something quite the opposite of what people call democracy, being in fact, social engineering by elites.

“A similar move from Stalinist commissar to celebration of America is quite standard in modern history, and it doesn't require much of a shift in values, just a shift in judgment as to where power lies.

Independently of Jefferson and Bakunin, others were coming to the same understanding in the nineteenth century. One of the leading American intellectuals was Charles Francis Adams, who in 1880 described the rise of what is now called the "post-industrial society" by Daniel Bell and Robert Reich and John Kenneth Galbraith and others. This is 1880, remember. A society in which, Adams says, ‘the future is in the hands of our universities, our schools, our specialists, our scientific men and our writers and those who do the actual work of management in the ideological and economic institutions.’ Nowadays they're called the "technocratic elite" and the "action intellectuals" or the new class or some other similar term. Adams, back in 1880, concluded that ‘the first object of thinking citizens, therefore, should be not to keep one or another political party in power, but to insist on order and submission to law.’ Meaning that the elites should be permitted to function in what's called "technocratic isolation," by the World Bank -- I'm being a little anachronistic here, that's modern lingo -- or, as the London Economist puts the idea today, ‘policy should be insulated from politics.’ That's the case in free Poland, they assure their readers, so they don't have to be concerned about the fact that people are calling for something quite different in free elections. They can do what they like in the elections, but since policy is insulated from politics and technocratic insulation proceeds, it really doesn't matter. That's democracy.

A decade earlier, in 1870, Adams had warned -- they were worried then about universal suffrage, people were fighting for the right to vote -- he warned that universal suffrage would ‘bring the government of ignorance and vice, with power in the hands of the European and especially Celtic proletariat on the Atlantic coast,’ those horrible Irish people, ‘an African proletariat on the shores of the Gulf and a Chinese proletariat on the Pacific.’ Adams didn't foresee the sophisticated techniques that would be developed in the twentieth century to ensure that policy remains insulated from politics as the franchise was extended through popular struggle and to guarantee that the general public would remain marginalised and disaffected, subdued by the new spirit of the age and coming to see themselves not as free people who have a right to dignity and independence but as atoms of consumption who sell themselves on the labour market, at least when they're lucky.

Adams was in fact expressing an old idea. Eighty years earlier Alexander Hamilton had put it clearly. He said there was the idea that your people are a great beast and that the real disease is democracy. That's Hamilton. These ideas have become ever more entrenched in educated circles, as Jefferson's fears and Bakunin's predictions were increasingly realised. The basic attitudes coming into this century were expressed very clearly by Woodrow Wilson's Secretary of State, Robert Lansing, attitudes that led to Wilson's Red Scare {While the real power behind Wilson was supporting Trotsky and the Russian Experiment - Col. House.}, as it was called, which destroyed labour and independent thought for a decade.” (1)

The Hegelian Dialectic that sees both ends played against the middle and all other perspectives clearly was at work as Lafitte was followed by Colonel House who had lived in the same house in Galveston where his father took over the business of blockade-running that Lafitte had made a fortune doing

By Robert Baird
1:42 AM

Gulf Shores : Mobile Alabama

Mobile, a port city in Alabama, is situated in the center of the Gulf Coast. The city’s art, architecture, food and culture reflect the legacy left by exotic travelers who passed through its shores a few centuries back.

There are direct flights to Mobile from Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Orlando, Cincinnati and Charlotte. The three regional airports are: Mobile Regional Airport situated at 8400 Airport Boulevard, Mobile, AL 36608; Pensacola Regional Airport, 2430 Airport Blvd., Ste. 225, Pensacola, FL 32504; and Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, 14035 L Airport Road, Gulfport, MS 39503. These airports serve interstate passengers to arrive at Mobile.

There are several national car rental agencies at these airports to take the traveler to downtown Mobile. From these airports, it is less than an hour’s drive to downtown Mobile. On land, Greyhound Bus Lines connects Mobile Bay with cities all over the United States. The bus terminal is located at 2545 Government Blvd, Mobile Bay. A traveler by car can take Interstate highways I-10 and I-65. By rail, people can reach Amtrak's Station as the landing point. Many people also use Mobile's vibrant waterfront to cruise in to Mobile Bay.

Perhaps the best sightseeing option in the city is to use the Moda - the city’s electric trolley. It is a free, fun-filled and funky electric trolley. This environmentally friendly trolley service is available Monday through Friday, from 7am - 6pm. It has 22 stops, including Government Plaza, the courthouse, restaurants, bars, shopping malls, parks, historical districts and much more. Also, a public transit system known as the Wave operates throughout Mobile County.

Mobile Bay is well known for fresh seafood, including shrimp, blue crabs, oysters, amberjack, flounder and much more. Whether fried, broiled, grilled, sautéed or blackened, they come to the dining table in a tantalizing and delicious spectrum of styles. Apart from this, there are juicy barbecue, spicy Creole, Cajun dishes, and many unique products of down-home Southern cooking.

The mild and comfortable climate in the city provides plenty of opportunities for year-round outdoor activities, including fishing, golf, football and many more. The Annual Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo attracts fishermen from across the nation.

The city’s entertainment district is filled with several restaurants and live music venues situated within walking distance of the downtown hotels. The city’s bars, nightclubs and live music venues provide a range of musical entertainment.

The Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, a star attraction in the city, offers 55 interactive exhibits on the basics of electricity, simple mechanics, and many more science concepts that will make young and old enjoy science. Its Theater is open at select times and the admission is free.

Mobile Bay offers all the big city comforts at small town prices.

By Josh Riverside