Anniversary Trip to Fairhope, AL

In April, My hubby and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary in Fairhope, Alabama. How have I missed this charming little town? If you want a romantic getaway, Fairhope should definitely be on your list of places to visit with your hubby or wifey. 

Joseph and I have made it a tradition to take a trip on our anniversary for just the two of us. It is always good to step away for a little while and reconnect. I highly recommend starting this tradition with your spouse. 

There are a number of hotels in Fairhope. There is even a beautiful resort called The Grand Hotel. It is gorgeous and right on the bay. It is definitely worth the drive to see it, but The Grand Hotel is not located in downtown Fairhope. We had planned to stay there initially, but decided not to because it is not downtown.

We lodged at The Hampton Inn Fairhope- Mobile Bay. The location of this hotel is everything. We were in walking distance of all the shops and restaurants that Fairhope has to offer.  I highly recommend this hotel. It was super affordable and all the staff were very helpful and kind. They offer a continental breakfast, but we did not partake because we wanted to indulge in the local breakfast restaurants around town. 

This was a weekend trip so we didn't have much time, but we had all the time that was needed to enjoy Fairhope. We arrived late in the afternoon just in time for window shopping and dinner. We ate at Locals, which is a farm to table restaurant. The food was oh so good!! 

We enjoyed the olive oil strawberry shortcake for dessert. The staff was amazing and the atmosphere is so romantic. We dined outside and enjoyed all the beautiful flowers and little birds that surrounded us. 

After dinner we walked to the Fairhope Municipal Pier to watch the sunset. This was really cool and a great photo opportunity. You can look across the bay and see the city lights of Mobile. 

We began Saturday bright and early with breakfast at Julwin's Restaurant. We enjoyed Julwin's so much that we ate their twice! They serve pancakes, traditional breakfast platters, delicious biscuits, and much more. The food was really great. 

We spent our morning shopping downtown. There are so many local shops. If you are looking for something unique, you will find it in the many eclectic shops downtown. 

Joseph and I love history and we couldn't leave Fairhope without stopping in the Fairhope Museum of History. It is a very small museum, but it has some very interesting items. I would say that it is worth your time to stop in and take a look around. Of course, I had to snap a picture of the old printing press. I thought this was such a creative idea on how to show the life of their newspaper that is still printing today. 

Gulf Shores, AL is only a 30 minute drive from Fairhope. Joseph and I took the opportunity to drive to the beach since we were so close. 

We had not made any definite dinner plans on where we would celebrate our 10 year anniversary. While shopping, I asked one of the local shop owners about his dinner suggestions. This is one of my #1 rules of travel- always ask a local. They know way more than Yelp and Trip Advisor. He suggested that we try the Camellia Cafe. Reservations are required and I quickly got on the phone and was able to snag two seats at the bar. This is probably the BEST food I have ever eaten. The staff there is incredible. We told them we were celebrating our anniversary and they happily brought champagne and a rose.  

 

Joseph had a very fancy, schmancy burger and I had duck. The burger was amazing. Definitely not your average burger. This burger was indescribably delicious. Some locals (here we go again- it's always smart to talk to the locals) suggested that we go to the Tongue and Groove for after dinner drinks. 

I ordered the Not Into Yoga cocktail. This is a must try. The atmosphere is very intimate- meaning you can actually have a conversation with someone without having to yell over the music. The drinks are phenomenal. 

We had such a wonderful weekend in Fairhope. If you have never been, I recommend that you begin planning your trip now.

 Happy Travels, Ya'll!