A Weekend on Alabama's Coastal Connection

Do you love a great, scenic byway? If you're planning a trip to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, you're in luck. Alabama's Coastal Connection is part of the America's Byways system, a collection of 150 distinct and diverse roadways that include National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads. Specifically, this piece of paradise is located on the National Scenic Byway. Traveling scenic byways has long been a favorite way for road trip families to connect with a destination. As you cruise down Alabama's Coastal Connection, watch the sun sink low into the Gulf of Mexico, take in the storied walls of historic Fort Morgan, watch migratory birds flutter through the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and just simply soak in coastal living on our byway. With a weekend to spare, chose your path to connect, whether it's history, nature, land and sea or even just each other. Connect with the Past Spend one day connecting with the Gulf Coast's past. Alabama's Coastal Connection will lead you through the Civil War and other historical events and places. Visit Shell Mound Park on Dauphin Island, take a walk through acres of manicured gardens and the 1930's home at Bellingrath Gardens and Home, spend time touring Old Town Daphne and, of course, send a few hours at Fort Morgan where Admiral David Farragut proclaimed, “ Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” Connect with Nature Spring and fall are the perfect times to enjoy a nature itinerary along Alabama's Coastal Connection. Begin your tour at the Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary, then take the Mobile Bay Ferry to Fort Morgan, traveling east on Highway 180 for a stop at the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. Here, you'll find opportunities for wildlife viewing on four trails that cover more than six miles. An observation tower found on Pine Beach Trail offers the perfect spot for an elevated view of Little Lagoon and Gator Lake. Be sure to bring your camera along! Plan your trip in conjunction with one of the refuge's guided nature walks for even more great information and fun. Add in an extra day to connect with land and sea aboard dolphin cruises and for a first-hand look at the fishing and farming communities of coastal Alabama. And, if you want to make your road trip even more fun, create an account at www.geocaching.com and hunt for treasures hidden in or along the sites of Alabama's Coastal Connection.