We love what’s going on in entertainment districts along the Scenic 98 Coastal area. Revitalization among downtown areas in Mobile and Pensacola is attracting excellent new food offerings, bars, shops, and music venues making life along the Gulf Coast better and better each year. One venue we notice each week is Vinyl Music Hall, so we dug a little deeper…

Do you need elevated, one-of-a-kind decorations for an event, a private party, a wedding, a birthday, a bridal, or a baby shower? Do you hope to find special gifts? Maybe you’re searching for unique table decor, eye-catching balloons, delightful party favors, all the accessories… Pop & Pour Party Company is your one-stop shop for an all-things party supplies extravaganza.

Last weekend, The 10th annual Fairhope Film Festival was held in Fairhope. I worked as a volunteer for the event for the first 4 or 5 years and still feel connected to it. Walking to venues throughout the town with stops for drinks and meals in between showings is my version of a perfect weekend! 4 Days, 40 films, is the tagline of the festival, so it's often hard to choose what to screen. I opted for six movies, four that I loved and two not so much…. I also attended the Red Carpet Party Saturday night which is always fun.

Robert Burns wrote, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” When that happens it's best to be nimble and quick on your feet. That scenario was repeated often when Covid hit. The rules changed, especially in the restaurant industry.

Linda and I had the pleasure of a quick, mid-week trip to Birmingham to see Bonnie Raitt in concert last Wednesday. We had early dinner reservations at Automatic Seafood and Oysters before heading to the Birmingham Civic Center Theater for the show.

Last week we made a quick trip to Grayton Beach, Florida with friends. It’s an easy two-and-a-half-hour drive from Fairhope. This time of year is our favorite time to visit and two days is never enough. The weather was perfect, and the crowds were easily managed. That first night's sunset was spectacular!

What brings Jessica Alford, General Manager of the Avenue Pub from Cincinnati, Ohio to Orange Beach, Alabama? Two things. First, she says that in 2015, both she and her mom had a bit of a mid-life crisis, and second, it coincided with the cold weather in Cincinnati. They moved to Pensacola and fell in love with the area.

I recently met Michelle with her mother-in-law and son at Page & Palette during the Fairhope Witch’s Ride. Her mother, who doesn't drive, was thrilled to be out and about. “I feel like this is my calling, my ministry,” says Michelle. One day, she was on the way to the beach with a friend when her friend suggested that she take seniors on day trips. Michelle liked the idea and in September of this year, she started Driving Daisies.

Tamara Wintzell has been a staple in the Fairhope restaurant industry for over four decades. Think about that. From experience, I can tell you that 40 years ago, Fairhope’s restaurant offerings were sparse, to say the least. And yet Tamara has started, sold, and started again more establishments than you can shake a stick at. She’s an institution unto herself!

Exploring all the wonderful beach venues around Orange Beach with an almost 4-year-old granddaughter is a treat! Penny was visiting from Athens, Georgia. In mid-October, we set off to explore the Pleasure Island Tiki Bar next to Sportsman Marina on Canal Road and found musical treasure!

Someone once said, “Once you have had a wonderful dog, life without them is a life diminished.”

You may not know that in 1955, the Dallas Cowboys selected L. G. Dupre in the third round of the NFL Draft. He was a 5' 11” 190 lb. running back who played opposite Alabama’s famous linebacker Lee Roy Jordan. L. G. and Lee Roy became fast friends during their playing days and their “Cowboy wives,” Biddie and Sissy did too.

“Craig Reaves can drive everything but a train,” says his daughter-in-law, Lawren Reaves. As the owner of Bear Point Harbor, Craig has needed these skills on many occasions. He grew up in Columbus, Georgia, where his family owned a fourth-generation building demolition business that expanded into waste management, hazardous asbestos removal, a landfill, roll-off dumpsters, and a crane rental service. They sold most of the businesses in 2009 but kept the waste management operation until last year.

William and Elisabeth Hanes knew they wanted to be in the hospitality business after a weekend at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco with Elisabeth’s parents. The Ritz was a stark contrast to living with eight housemates on meager wages in Redding, California where they lived at the time. “It showed us how impactful hospitality can be,” says William.

One of my favorite things to do is go off the beaten path and discover new food delicacies, like buried treasure. That’s how I felt when Linda and I attended an event at Corner Copia Gardens a few weeks ago and found Divine Empanadas, a food truck owned and operated by Aaron and Margaret Penton of Daphne, Alabama.

One of my favorite things to do is go off the beaten path and discover new food delicacies, like buried treasure. That’s how I felt when Linda and I attended an event at Corner Copia Gardens a few weeks ago and found Divine Empanadas, a food truck owned and operated by Aaron and Margaret Penton of Daphne, Alabama.

This is no secret discovery, just an update… The food is still excellent at Doc’s Seafood Shack in Orange Beach. On my way back to the beach last week, I was hungry and thinking about the gumbo at Doc’s, and I needed a fix.

You may have read about John Shell, the Junior at St. Paul’s High School in Mobile who came up with a brilliant yet aggressive undertaking to earn his Eagle Scout badge. It’s a story that inspires, especially if you love and cherish the waters surrounding the Scenic 98 Coastal area.

Donna Hill is one of those unusual people that actually use the degree she earned in college. She’s still using the Home Economics degree from Auburn, which is both rare and delicious! I first learned about Donna through a friend who loves her Rosemary Butter Cookies.

Donna Hill is one of those unusual people that actually use the degree she earned in college. She’s still using the Home Economics degree from Auburn, which is both rare and delicious! I first learned about Donna through a friend who loves her Rosemary Butter Cookies.

On a tip from a friend, I recently stopped by a little restaurant at 3001 East Cervantes Street in Pensacola. I was hungry and my friend told me this was as close to an authentic New York deli Reuban Sandwich as could get. The name gave it away: New Yorker Deli and Pizzeria is the place.

What’s in the water in Pensacola causing a revitalization as I have never seen? I had an inkling of what the catalyst was and set out to find it. I started on Palafox Street where we often go to the Saturday market to eat and shop with all the other happy people and dogs.

When Beth Hargett worked at Gourmet Yogurt and Ice Cream at age 15 in a mall in Mobile, it piqued her interest in the hospitality industry. The owner, Tommy Webb taught her that you have to learn from everyone, but especially from the guests' perspective. She worked there throughout high school and became the assistant manager before heading to Auburn for college where she also started working at Ruby Tuesday’s.

You might say, Mark Hatchett, owner of the Dees Pecan Company in Grand Bay, Alabama, is a little nutty over pecans. If indeed he is a nut, Hatchett’s a healthy one. The former Auburn University baseball player is a sharp, youthful 70-year-old. Must be all of that pecan oil, filled with antioxidants and vitamin D. Like his mentor and friend Clarence Bishop, age 90, of Fairhope’s B&B Pecan Company. Hatchett knows what it takes to survive during trying seasons.