Most people traveling along U.S. 98 probably breeze through the little town of Lillian with little more than a passing thought, but Curry Weber isn't like most people. The audio engineer and archaeologist moved to this community on Perdido Bay nine years ago, and he's determined to find out as much as possible about its past.
Something that even some of my friends don't know about me is I'm into birds, and have been for over 30 years. The preferred term is "birding" for people who are seriously into it, but I've never quite put myself in that category, even though I do own a handful of reference books, some nice binoculars and even a high-powered spotting scope.
When Jennifer Blackwood was working as a Pharmaceutical Rep in the Panhandle of Florida, she had a favorite old gas station in Seaside, which she frequently visited. “ It had a lot of personality, and when I saw Battles Wharf Market, it reminded me of that special place.” And here she is, the new owner of the iconic market on Scenic 98, just north of the Grand Hotel.
We spent Easter weekend on 6150 acres in Gulf Shores known as the Gulf State Park. I could walk on the beach and see nothing but water and sand for miles, which is quite rare in the condo-dense Gulf front strip from Gulf Shores to Perdido Key.
In 2006, after hurricanes Ivan and Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, Mark White, having recently moved from Vail, Colorado, to Alabama, found a BBQ joint in Orange Beach that didn’t survive the storms.
May is upon us and the dog days of summer are not far behind. There are still plenty of exciting outdoor events to take advantage of the weather throughout the Scenic 98 Coastal area and across the Gulf Coast. If you fancy a road trip, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival cranks up again Thursday for the 2nd weekend of festivities.
This is more than a story about Moe’s Original BBQ. It’s a story about perseverance, leadership, music, finding your calling, faith, survival, being knocked down repeatedly, getting back up, and a big dream finally coming to fruition. Attitude and reflection are also a big part of this story.
Food is a big part of what we do at Scenic 98 Coastal. Our approach is to write about places we enjoy, where the experience is always satisfying. We don’t consider ourselves food critics, but we enjoy all kinds of options from no frills to fancy. It’s all about the experience, and a good dining experience comes in many flavors.
Many decades ago, my time at LSU and in Louisiana, included many visits to a Po’ boy lunch spot. Domilise’s tops that list with Parasol’s and Mother’s running right behind. And it takes a lot of napkins to make it work.
When I say “Queen of Real Estate”, it’s not hyperbole. Mary Courtney Cane lives and breathes the Mobile and Eastern Shore real estate market, and she comes by it naturally.
Right in the heart of Pt. Clear, there is a unique shop that shares an old home where Punta Clara Kitchen is located, next to the Wash House restaurant, and just down and across the street from the Garage Studio. We will get to all those places soon, I promise. But the Market on Main is our focus today. What a fantastic place!
It’s football season and that means Bloody Marys and cheese straws. No one does cheese straws better than Jimmy Dill. His cheese straws are so famous that he started Tailgate Cheese Straws. Jimmy and his wife Paige, decided to start Tailgate later in life and it’s been quite the ride.
It had been a pretty big night. With the sun finally shining, we dusted ourselves off and flip-flopped our way into Playa at Sportsman Marina in Orange Beach. It was the first sunny day we had experienced in a month of Sundays, literally, and chose to sit on the porch and watch the boats go by.
Stephanie Easterling is the owner of Wildflowers Floral Design in Fairhope. It’s a bustling place full of people, flowers, and merchandise for the home. Twenty-two years ago, Stephanie came to Fairhope for a Mardi Gras weekend and was hooked. Stephanie says she was inspired by the flower beds in Fairhope. “The town was absolutely beautiful, like a Norman Rockwell painting.”