Gulf Shores: Things To Do

Forget the history books and the classroom chalkboards, experience history first-hand along Alabama’s beautiful Gulf Coast. At the Orange Beach Indian and Sea Museum, delve into the past with exhibits focussing on early explorations and settlements of Native American tribes and Spanish explorers.

Later...sidle up to a uniform-wearing re-enactor and listen closely as you explore the grounds of historic Fort Morgan. Guides and enactors will explain how the Spanish used Fort Morgan in the 1500s, then rebuilt it in the early 1800s as protection against Native Americans. Standing atop the fort with a view of the once-embattled bay, visitors today can imagine the summer of 1864 when Confederate and Union naval forces fought for control of the harbor entrance. You may even hear the echo of Admiral David Farragut’s immortal words, "Damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead!"

Eight miles across the bay on Dauphin Island, more history was written at Fort Gaines, which also battled—and was overtaken by—the Union. A ferry shuttles across the bay during the day, linking the two fortresses once joined in a common cause.

Rich in fun, rich in beauty...rich in history, we invite you to learn more about our area and enjoy the living history we treasure.

http://www.gulfshores.com/things-to-do/history/