Fairhope, Jubilee Fish -- Time for Art, Antiuqes

Touring Alabama proved a feast of art, soul & gourmet food, and charm. After two days in Mobile,on Tuesday my tour mates hopped a bus and drove to Fairhope, about a 40-minute drive across Mobile Bay. Gorgeous bay vistas greeted us as we crossed on the low-rise bridge. Our driver took the scenic route so we saw canals, local landmarks, and oaks. No alligators, though.

On the bus we met Alex Robinson, the young chamber of commerce representative from the Fairhope, population 16,000.
An animated Fairhope native, she excitedly told us, “There’s one thing we have here that only happens in one other place in the world -- the Jubilee."

This is natural phenomenon in Mobile Bay on the Eastern Shore causes fish and shellfish to head for land in the summer as oxygen levels drop in the Gulf. Sometimes it gets so low that all of the fish, crabs, eels, flounders, catfish, crabs and shrimp head for the shallowest water near the shore, beaching, trying to get more oxygen. Locals then pounce on all of this fresh free seafood to bring home in ice chests to their freezers. “I even saw a doctor in his scrubs here once.” When the jubilee call goes out, the whole town turns up to scoop up free seafood.

Well, we didn’t get to go to a jubilee but we did arrive in Fairhope, a lovely “arty” small town. We just missed the annual the 57th Annual Arts & Crafts Festival in Fairhope, sponsored by the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce. Over 200 exhibitors from throughout the nation show and sell work in this juried event. This year, more than 200,000 visitors attended the three-day event.

We began our visit at the excellent Fairhope History Museum where Mayor Tim Kant explained, “the Utopian idealists who founded the town kept the Mobile Bay waterfront, the bluffs, and pier public property. “


Now 100 years later, Fairhope continues its Utopian dream. Check out the pier jutting into Mobile Bay, the old ferry site that used to run from Mobile to Fairhope. It’s the popular place for strolling and trolling for fish (license needed). The Clock is a city landmark as are the downtown flowers and outdoor sculpture. It creates a romantic, colorful feeling in this small town. I toured an outstanding Art Glass exhibit at The Eastern Shore Art Center. Dozens of art galleries line the town along with topnotch boutiques and antique shops. I bought a new pocketbook from boutique.

Walked through the French Quarter, shopped for antiques and collectibles. We lunched at the Old Bay Steamer. Oysters, natch, and fried crabs, fish and huge desserts.

Noted Alabama-born artist Nall lives in Fairhope and Vence, France, and his work hangs throughout the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort Golf Club and Spa in Point Clear, the Battle House Hotel in Mobile, and other RSA properties for which he has selected "Alabama Art" from other artists.

IF YOU GO -- For more information, visit www.alabama.travel.com or call 1-800-ALABAMA.
Stay: The Battle House Renaissance Hotel, Mobile, 26 North Royal St., Mobile, Alabama, 36602; spa reservations, 251-338-5700.
Grand Hotel Point Clear Resort & Spa, a Marriott Hotel, One Grand Boulevard, PO Box 639, Point Clear, AL 36564-0639, www.marriottgrand.com; a resort on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, www.rtjgolg.com, 251-928-9201, 800-544-9933.
The Riverview Plaza Hotel, Mobile,
To Do: The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail begins in northern Alabama and links towns through the state all the way to the Grand in Point Clear. This is considered the top golf courses in the state. For information on the RTJ golf trail, visit www.rtjgolf.com.
Bellingrath Gardens -- at 12401 Bellingrath Gardens Rd., Theodore, 251-973-2217, www.bellingrath.org.