After making the decision to be more active and spend more time outdoors, Steven and I began looking for things to do near our home in Pensacola. Steven began an online search of biking and hiking trails. He stumbled across another blogger's post about The Eastern Shore Trail. The Eastern Shore Trail is a paved path that runs along the eastern shore of the Mobile Bay in Alabama. It runs about 24 miles one way through the charming towns of Point Clear, Daphne and Fairhope along Scenic US 98A.
After reading the wonderful reviews of the trail and surrounding areas, we decided to load up our bikes, the bike trailer and the kids and head to Fairhope. The trip down 98 through Foley and several other small towns was not very remarkable. This changed as soon as we entered the beautiful town of Point Clear. Large Oak Trees draped in Spanish moss shaded the road and large, magnificent homes sat along the bay. The homes and their grounds were breath takingly beautiful.
When we arrived in Fairhope, you could feel the old town charm. The homes were old, historic homes. The oak trees and bright pink azaleas helped add to the southern charm of this town. Since we arrived around noon, we decided to head into downtown to have lunch. There were several antique shops, boutiques and small diners with outdoor eating. After lunch we headed back down to the bay and hit the trail!
The trail was very nice. It ran along the bay giving a relaxing view as your ride your bike or walk. There were several park benches along the way in case you needed to stop and rest. There was a small beach area where lots of seagulls and pelicans were enjoying the water.
After our bike ride, we headed to the Fairhope Municipal Pier and Park. There was a huge water fountain in front of the pier where a wedding was taking place. There is a restaurant at the pier, though it was closed while were there. It was peaceful and nice, though the water in the bay is not nearly as clear or blue as the water we are used to in Florida. From the pier you could see another part of the park, which requires a fee to enter. It has a beach and several beach volleyball nets set up.
Overall, this was a wonderful trip! Steven, the kids and I all had a great time. We can't wait to go back!
You can visit http://www.cofairhope.com/ser_parks_trails.php for more information.
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