Welcome toCroeso i

LOCAL AREA ATTRACTIONS

A list of the fun things locals like to see and do in the area that we keep secret from the tourist.

A note from the owners: Dear potential customer: we have lived in the area for almost sixty years. Over the decades we have seen our sleepy little area grow and grow for all sorts of reasons. The Gulf of our childhoods with miles of deserted beaches has become a concete mountain range. Old highway 59 with it's occasional gas station and fruit stand has turned into a 4 lane traffic jam with malls and burger joints on either side of the road. Some call that progress but most of us that remember what we had and tend to stay away from it all.

Don't get us wrong. There's nothing wrong with malls, condos, trinket shops, and crowded beaches, if that's what you like. If you stay with us your only a few miles from all of that. We have added this page to our site in case you would like to experience something different during your stay. This handy guide is a work in progress. It will direct you to spots where locals go and show you what remains of the places of our childhoods.

Fish River swim area: also known as Bohemian Park is located a short 1.8 miles from the resort. The crystal clear ( cool ) water is ideal for waterplay. The banks on either side of the river are lined with Cedar, Juniper, and Pine that covers the sand banks with wonderful shade all summer long. The park is free of charge and has good parking, covered picnic area, grills, rope swings, and a sandy beach. This is a must go for summer families!
Historical Honey Road Landing: Located 3.5 miles south of the resort (where that darn Yankee Admiral Farragut landed his troops for the siege of Blakely ) is where the locals launch their boats for a day of fun on Fish River. This local launching spot has parking and is free of charge. Whether your a fisherman, water skier, or just out to see the beautiful homes and woodlands along the river, this is the best place to launch the good ship "Lolly Pop".

BIG DADDY'S: is the local watering hole perched right on the river bank 3.5 miles south of the resort on the other side of the river from Honey Road landing. This is a working marina where lots of locals keep their boats. It is also a great family friendly place to sit back and relax with great seafood, burgers, and spirits. In the winter you can always find a few snowbirds sitting on the back porch swapping stories.
THE SHRIMP SHACK: A rustic seafood place where the food is great, the price is right, and locals keep the place packed. This is as family as it gets. The owners are long time area locals that treat everybody that comes through the door like a long lost cousin. If you like shrimp, oysters, and just about anything else that swims or wiggles for dinner just drive about 5 miles west from the resort and dig in. Tell them Ken and Ann sent ya and say high to the guy frying the fish, our son, Ken Jr. He graduated with honors from the Auburn School Of Business in 2007. When he's not frying up all that great food he runs the day to day operations here at Wales West.

THE NEW WAL-MART: is not exactly a local mom and pop shop but it does have it's uses. This new monster is so big you can see it from outer space and yes folks when you walk through the door it smells like China. It also has everything anyone could ever want or need under one big roof and it is only 4 miles from the resort on the way into Fairhope.
DOWN TOWN FAIRHOPE: Most tourist coming to the Eastern Shore think that all the good stuff is in Gulf Shores. They couldn't be more wrong! If you want a day of shopping you will always remember, stay out of the trinket shops and factory malls along the coast and come here instead. The down town is just 6 miles west of the resort and is everything Wal-mart and the malls will never be. A walk through the down town is a shoppers dream come true. Thanks to a bunch of determined local merchants the town looks and feels like a village from the old world. There is shop after shop stuffed with unique gifts, cloths, antiques, toys, and goodies. Shade trees line the sidewalks,they keep you cool as you explore the shops, and relax at one of the many restaurants, serving anything from a snack to a four course meal.

A BIT OF HISTORY: The town was originally settled by Yankees ( one was my great, great, grandfather ) that wanted some tax relief. That dream lives on with the single tax colony, owning large parts of the town. The founding fathers placed the town on a well drained bluff overlooking Mobile Bay because of the cool breezes off the bay. That along with all the large pines keep the mosquitoes away. In the 1800s that was a good idea because Malaria and other diseases spread by insects.

BAY FRONT PARK: on beautiful Mobile Bay is located at the foot of the bluff Fairhope is situated on. It is just 7 miles from the resort and one of the areas best kept secrets. Locals have been coming here for hundreds of years to fish, swim, launch boats, get married ( we did at the north end of the park ), eat, relax, exercise and cool off on a hot day. With a 1500 foot long fishing pier complete with marina and the local favorite Yardarm Restaurant, boat launches and public swimming areas this spot has it all. If your tired of the traffic jams going to or from the Gulf then step back and relax because you can have your toes in the water in fifteen minutes or less with a traffic free drive from the resort. There is a small charge to use the boat ramps and public beaches just north of the pier. It is a small price to pay ( a lot less than a parking spot at the Gulf ) for the restrooms, picnic tables, playgrounds, duck ponds, and covered pavilions you'll find there. If you prefer free stuff there is a wonderful free beach and boat ramp a 1/2 mile south of the pier. Everything is beautifully maintained and you will meet friendly local folks at every turn. Give the bay front a try and you'll see why the locals never go to the Gulf..

A little more history: The pier as been around in many forms for as long as Fairhope has. Until the highway across the bay was built in the 1950s the only way you could get to this side of the bay was by steam boat. These boats came to this long pier to insure the water was deep enough water to keep the steamers from grounding. There was even a railway from the pier right up through the middle of town. You can learn all about it at the museum in town.
Quail Creek Gulf Course: This very beautiful course was started by locals that did not want to take out a loan to pay their greens fee. It is everything you could ever want for a round of golf, and it is only five miles west of the resort. Open daily you will be sharing the fairways with locals that by all reports are pretty darn good at the game.

The Grand Hotel Golf Course: If you don't mind rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, this is the place for your next game. The hotel has been open for over one hundred years and the list of guests that have passed through even has a few kings and queens on it. Known for unsurpassed beauty, a round here is something you will remember. The club house is about seven miles west of the resort down scenic old Hwy. 98. There is Spanish Moss hanging from the trees, the sent of pine in the air and wheeler dealers on every green. Who knows you may even meet the local chairman of the board.

History lesson: The original hotel was started before the civil war. During the war ( of northern aggression) it was converted into a hospital for wounded troops. After the war different well to-do-locals bought and sold the place as it evolved into a world class 5 star resort. The un-matched beauty of the grounds, 4 star restaurant, Polo fields, and golf course have attracted a who's who cliental. Unfortunately the last of the local owners sold out to the Marriot Corp. some years ago but they have done a great job keeping the place as it was. We recommend that you show up for a walk along the sidewalk that starts on the beach at the hotel and heads south past one mansion after the other. When your done with your walk you can take "Hi-Tea" in the fantastic great room that was the first building of this local gem.
The Wash House Restaurant: When us locals have a few bucks to burn on a really great meal this is one of the places that comes to mind. A locally owned restaurant on the edge of Mobile Bay, along side "old moneyed" bay homes. A visit here and drive up old Hwy.98 will give you a good idea of what the Eastern Shore meant to the movers and shakers coming out of Mobile in the good old days.

Bay Front Park: This is the free beach area south of the fishing pier. The ramps were built several years back and can handle big boats. There are nice public rest rooms and almost a half mile of nice sandy beach with several small piers to fish from. Everything is shaded with large pines and Live Oak trees. Parking is limited but the place is never crowded except during holidays. Even then there's room for everyone, once you get parked. Locals come here all day to walk, swim, fish, read a book, or just relax on a shaded bench. It's all just south of the pier about 7.5 miles west of the resort. When we were young we would spend the summer nights on this beach with a bonfire as we waited for a Jubilee. During the summer a lot of locals still do.

Jubilees are something that only happens on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. When the tide, moon, and oxygen in the water are just right all the fish and crabs in the bay swim right up to the shore line. You can pick them up by the wash tub full and eat like a king for weeks if your there when it happens. Imagine seeing one of the rarest marine events on the planet while your buddies at the Gulf are nursing their Jelly Fish stings. Now that you know about it, maybe we will see you there.

American Legion: Here's another place our parents went to for dances when we were kids. The building is perfectly preserved right down to the two WW1 cannons aimed at the bay. Still open, still serving drinks, still having barbeques and dances, some good things just stand watch over our memories. Located at the south end of the south beach this is a great place for a cold one or a snack. There's a pier and benches with plenty of shade so let the kids blaze away at the Mobile sky line with those big old cannons as you relax and smell the breeze off the bay.
Ben's: What is only open a few hours a day and is surrounded by every type of vehicle known to man when open. When open, it has a line hanging out the door, ten people deep pushing to get in the place. The answer is Ben's----It's the local mom & pop burger joint of course.

All the help wear tie-dyed tee shirts. New tables were put in a few years back ( our ad is on them) but the new chairs are on hold, so we just keep sitting on the old chairs, as we smack our way through another wonderful lunch. Located about six miles west of the resort on the north side of Fairhope this is the command post for all things local. You can chat with the mayor or local banker while having your lunch. This place is home and we would love to share it with you. It's just minutes from the resort but be warned--If you,re late, you'll wait, but the food will make up for it and the price is right.

To be continued!