“It’s like someone just plopped a town down in the middle of a National Park”, says the driver of the shuttle. This is true as the city is surrounded by towering, sculpted red rock formations that are incredibly vivid against the clear blue sky. Compared to the Gulf Coast, I felt as if I were on another planet. Every driver we had, and we had a lot of them, marveled at the landscape and called sites to our attention. “ Look at the Spaceship clouds!’ Becky, with Intown Rides, said. Known as lenticular clouds, they are stationary and appear to hover in the sky. 

Anyone who's been to Gulf Shores knows there are beautiful beaches there, but sometimes that's just about all they know. A visit to the city's museum can fill in many blanks.

You are all alone for the rest of your life, stuck on a deserted island, and you could only have one musical artist (or band) to listen to. Who’s it going to be? What goes into the thought process? Are you happy with your selection?

If you haven't been by the big piece of property long known as "the Triangle" in a while, you're in for some surprises. It's now home to Flying Creek Nature Preserve, which is the newest sparkling jewel in Fairhope's shiny crown.

Bucket list items, a quick getaway, and time with friends were the motivations for a 4 day/3-night trip through the Big Bend area of Florida’s Forgotten Coast. I had been to Apalachicola a few times, but I had always wanted to explore the area further South. A seven-hour drive, Crystal River was our destination to swim with Manatees and dive for bay scallops. 

September is shaping up to be an excellent month for the Scenic 98 Coastal community with temperatures (hopefully) starting to cool off, football season in full swing, and a packed slate of events to enjoy. In addition to the Top 5 below, we have linked to other September Events on our radar at the end of the article. As always, be sure to check out the Tidbits and Best Bets section of the newsletter and at Scenic98Coastal.com to see everything going on this upcoming weekend.

As horrible as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was, many incredible projects have been implemented in the Scenic 98 Coastal area with funds from the RESTORE Act, which followed a $20 billion settlement between BP Oil Company and the US Government, specifically the five Gulf Coast states that were impacted the most. Coastal Alabama leveraged this resource and utilized the funds for ecosystem restoration and economic recovery. One such project in Gulf Shores, the Gulf Coast Eco Center, opened in April of this year, and it is something to behold.

George Fuller III is one of Fairhope's true creative spirits, but you can't tell his story without heading up the road to Spanish Fort.