Baldwin County Heritage Museum

If you drive east from Foley on U.S. 98 to Elberta, a hidden treasure awaits. In an unassuming wooden building with a windmill and few pieces of antique farm equipment out front, a wealth of ordinary and extraordinary treasure is hidden.

“…it holds bits and pieces collected from the daily lives of the men and women who built this county,” is on their website.

That statement says it all. I made my first visit to the Baldwin County Heritage Museum recently and once inside I wished I had been there sooner. It is not your typical stuffy museum. There are a few displays behind glass and a few “do not touch” signs, but most of the articles are within reach and can handle the touch of a hand or two.

The museum sits on 5 acres and has more than 20,000 square feet of display space. Outside of the main building, there is a school, a church, a potato shed, pole barns and a blacksmith shop along with numerous pieces of antique farm equipment and tractors. I’m talking about a real school and real church, not replicas, which were donated to the museum and moved to the property.

Back inside, there are so many small things to see that made up life in years past. One corner is furnished as a 1920s parlor. Exhibits include fishing tackle, tools, wooden wagons, scrub boards, antique sewing machines, clothing, children’s toys and so much more. Every room is filled with beauty, history and humor.

The BCHM is also home to Odyssey’s Shipwreck! Treasures from the SS Republic. This unique exhibit opened in August 2008. The SS Republic, a Civil War-era side-wheel steamship was lost in a hurricane off the Georgia coast en route from New York to New Orleans in October 1865. It was carrying a fortune in gold and silver and other goods to help rebuild the south after the Civil War. The crew of the Odyssey discovered the wreck in 2003. With videos, interactive exhibits and actual artifacts, you can relive the excitement of the discovery of the treasure-laden ship.

I recommend making this little museum a stop while you are enjoying the beautiful Alabama Gulf Coast. It will give a little insight to early years of Baldwin County and how its future was shaped.

The 38th Annual National Shrimp Festival

Starting October 8, 2009, the boardwalk at the public beach in Gulf Shores will be filled with the tantalizing smells of culinary delights. For four days, vendors of food, fine art, arts and crafts and entertainment will take their spaces in the public parking areas and souvenir T-shirts, caps and trinkets will be sold. It is Shrimp Festival time.

Out of all the festivals I have been to in my life, the Annual National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores is my favorite. I don’t know if it is because it is on my favorite beach, or if it is the variety of delicious food, the impressive art or all of the above. I do know another 300,000 (or so) people feel the same way.

For the last 38 years, locals and visitors have gathered on the second weekend in October to enjoy one last fling on the beach with great music food and art. This year’s entertainment includes Lee Ann Womack Friday night and Foghat Saturday night. Favorite local and regional acts will keep two stages “humming” all four days. The kids have their own entertainment as well with live music, games, face painting and too much other fun stuff to list. For those that are artistically inclined, or just love playing in the sand, there is a sand sculpture contest on Saturday.

I always find something I can’t live without at the festival and my visit is not complete until I have at least one Cajun pistol, a pastry filled with crawfish, cheese and spices (among other things). If you haven’t tried one, you haven’t had the full Shrimp Festival experience.

October is a great time to visit the coast and the Shrimp Festival is a good excuse. Plus, during this time of year you can live like the locals and see why we make the Alabama Gulf Coast our home.

Gulf Shores Golf Club video

Visiting An Old Friend

On rare occasions, you get to visit an old friend. You haven’t seen this friend in a while, but as soon as you’re together the time that has passed seems to fade away.

I renewed a friendship last week with the Golf Club of Gulf Shores. The Golf Club of Gulf Shores is the oldest course in the area, having been established in the 1968. The course underwent a complete renovation from tee boxes to greens. The course was lengthened by 300 yards. The par 71 course plays just less than 6000 yards from the white tees. From the “tips”, the course stretches to a robust 6800 yards. The multiple tees allow for an enjoyable experience for all levels of skill. This course has a little bit of everything, doglegs left and right; a few forced carries over water, numerous bunkers also come into play. The greens roll true and fast.

A new clubhouse, restaurant and pro shop are also on site. Try the burgers or the BLT in the restaurant; you’ll be glad you did.

As always, it’s good to see an old friend. Especially a friend that is new and improved. I wish I could say the same for my golf game!

Fishing with the Reel Surprise

A bad day fishing is better than a good day _____________ (you fill in the blank).

I love the water. The bigger the “pond,” the happier I am. So, you know I am ecstatic when I’m floating on the Gulf of Mexico. I recently had the great pleasure of fishing with Captain Randy and Susan Boggs and their crew on the Reel Surprise.

In north Gulf Shores, the sky was blue when I stepped out of my door at 7:15 a.m. with my little cooler of ice. I had taken my generic less-drowsy formula Dramamine and was ready for the day. A quick stop at a beach road convenience store to purchase bottles of water, soft drinks and snack crackers put me at the marina just on time. I was excited; I had not been out with these great people in more than a year.

This time of year, the boats are not as crowded. Red Snapper season is over and folks like me not looking to catch that prize winner can have a great time just fishing. There were less than 15 people on board this morning and it was almost like having a private charter.

Capt. Randy told us we would be going about 20 miles south to some good fishing spots. When we left the marina and passed under Alabama Point bridge, we could see dark clouds south of us. We went through the pass and turned east to avoid the morning thundershowers. The water was a little choppy for a while, but I had experienced much worse and knew the captain would head to smoother waters.

After a pleasant ride, the seas were much calmer when we made our first stop. The deck hands already had the rods and reels rigged and the bait buckets spaced around the rail. We were ready to catch some fish. The man next to me dropped his line in the water and let it go down for what seemed like a long time. The next thing I knew, he was pulling in a nice trigger fish. I just barely gotten my line wet when I felt the faint tell-tale vibration. I starting turning the reel and could feel the fish trying in vain to escape the hook. I finally got it to the surface and it was a nice red snapper. The deck hand unhooked it and back to the water it went. After all, red snapper season was over. That was my first fish of the year. It felt wonderful!

We had a great day of fishing. When the fish would stop biting, we would move to another place. Capt. Randy kept us on fish all day. Someone even caught a queen trigger, a rarity for our part of the world. The queen trigger fish is usually found in the tropical Atlantic waters.

When we pointed northwest and started back to Orange Beach, a couple of the deck hands rigged two rods for trolling. I was sitting on a side bench watching the water go by when I heard the first yell. I walked to the rear of the boat and Susan had picked one of the rods up and was slowly turning the reel. She had a big smile on her face when she landed a king mackerel. It wasn’t too long before the other reel was singing with a catch. It was also a king mackerel.

When we arrived at the marina, we were all a little tired but very pleased with our trip. The next day, I had a few sore muscles, a nice bag of fish in my freezer and some wonderful memories added to my collection.