Barrier Island home to Fort Gaines, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, The Estuarium public aquarium, boat ramps, a large public pier that sits on dry land, historic sites, and several restaurants

How to Get There

From Mobile (38 miles): Take I-10 W and AL-193 S to destination in Dauphin Island. Turn left.

Overview

Dauphin Island is a town in Mobile County, Alabama on a barrier island of the same name (split by the Katrina Cut), in the Gulf of Mexico. The town is included in the Mobile metropolitan area. The island was renamed for Louis XIV of France's great-grandson and heir, the dauphin, the future Louis XV of France.

The island is one of the Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands, with the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay to the north. The island's eastern end helps define the mouth of Mobile Bay. The eastern, wider portion of the island is shaded by thick stands of pine trees and saw palmettos, but the narrow, western part of the island features scrub growth and few trees.

Dauphin Island is home to Fort Gaines, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, The Estuarium public aquarium, the Dauphin Island Airport, boat ramps, a large public pier that sits on dry land, historic sites, several restaurants, new condominium developments, and numerous private homes. Beaches attract tourism, and fishing is a popular activity in the waters around the island. The island is connected to the mainland by the Gordon Persons Bridge.

Although the island has several bird sanctuaries, the main one is the 164-acre (66 ha) Audubon Bird Sanctuary. Because Dauphin Island is the first land encountered by many birds as they migrate north from South America, many species can be found resting there before continuing their journey.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Dauphin Island, Alabama", which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0