“At Little Roots, Big Adventures, I want to give children what I had as a child,” Maria Hoffman exclaims in a bright, enthusiastic voice. With Native American heritage, Maria grew up in the mountains of North Georgia and attributes her love of nature to her grandfather, who exposed her to the natural world while hiking and camping. She reminisces about walking barefoot in creeks, catching minnows, and chasing frogs and lightning bugs.
In the interest of full disclosure, I confess to being Sandy Stimpson's childhood neighbor and lifelong friend. Later, I met Jean, Sandy’s wife, in Tuscaloosa as students at the University of Alabama. To say that I’m an admirer of both would be a severe understatement.
Chad Kirtland knows that food lovers along the Eastern Shore are pretty savvy, but there's a certain segment of his clientele that he really wants to satisfy. He can spot them right away from the distinctive accents that he's known all his life, and that they have no trouble pronouncing the names of popular menu items such as jambalaya, muffaletta, or étouffée.
Did you know Andalusia, Alabama, is home to the World Championship Domino Tournament? I didn’t either until I met Riley and Reid Taylor at Provision in Fairhope a few weeks ago. Since 1976, the Andalusia Rotary Club has sponsored and produced the event. If you want to match your wits and Domino skills against the best players in the world, you can register here to compete on July 11 and 12 at the Kiwanis Fair Complex in Andalusia.
When we started this venture called Scenic98Coastal.com, I talked it out with lots of people I know and respect. The best advice I received was from a friend’s son visiting Fairhope from New York during the pandemic. We were having lunch at Sunset Pointe at Fly Creek when I told him about our idea to launch a newsletter for the area between Mobile and Pensacola.
There is a paw print in the logo of Cosmo’s Restaurant and Bar, and I never knew why. While lunching there with girlfriends, I learned that the restaurant was named for the owners, Brian and Jodi Harseny’s, beloved black dog. His portrait is prominently displayed on an outside mural and on a particularly nice silhouette painting of Cosmo and his cat friend, Junior Mint, looking at the moon. Junior Mint is still alive, living the good life with the Harsenys, but Cosmo is in Dog Heaven.
Katrina McLeod is the kind of person who is always up for a new challenge, and for the upcoming Air Race Classic, she's found a well-suited flying partner who shares her love of adventure.
Without question, we have some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. I challenge anyone, anywhere, to prove me wrong. I’ve seen many beautiful sunsets in other places, but consistently, the spectacular Scenic 98 Coastal sunsets are incredible.
I’ve noticed these days that more than a few restaurants are creating their own hot sauces. It’s hard to know from which to choose. Many start with a base sauce, easily sourced from a variety of products on the market. The names may be familiar, and most people have their favorites. For us, it’s Crystal Hot Sauce.
This is a story about a story slam, a live storytelling event where participants share personal stories based on a theme. My favorite podcast, The Moth, “promotes the celebration of the commonality and diversity of the human experience through the art and craft of true personal storytelling.”
If you drive by the Weeks Bay Visitor Center and see a school bus or two parked out front, just know that it’s a field trip that’s not just fun and games. There’s probably some serious learning happening, too, and it could even be life-changing.
Where to begin? I had so much fun with this story, that I had to rewatch Almost Famous again to see the reference to Topeka, Kansas, the inspiration for the parent company that produces Moon Crush Curated Music Vacations. This classic 2000 movie is about a band on the rise, and the story fits like a glove for the journey of Andy Levine, Chief Promise Maker. He created and launched the Moon Crush concert series in Destin, Florida, and hosts it several times a year. It’s the industry of cool!
Known as “The Venice of America,” the Sunshine State’s own city of Fort Lauderdale has numerous ways in which to get around. Although many of its citizens and visitors move about the city by auto or bicycle, a large number of people navigate the city by boat.
With the holiday season upon us, I decided to visit the folks at Beau Rivage & Casino in Biloxi to see what they have in store to get us into the spirit. Turns out, there are a lot! The resort is celebrating its 25th anniversary and has dressed up for the holidays. The fun is on full display.
For Dharma Blue in Pensacola and Chuck’s Fish in Mobile, good deeds are always at the forefront of their restaurant's mission plan. This also includes the original eatery, Harbor Docks in Destin, Florida. On a recent Moon Crush music festival weekend in Miramar Beach, Florida, Charles Morgan, Harbor Docks’ founder, invited our group to experience their 29th annual Take A Kid Fishing Day on Sunday, November 3. We loved it!