Southern Alabama/Gulf Coast
ExploreEasternShore.com; @ESChamber
Only 20 minutes from downtown Mobile, the Eastern Shore cities of Spanish Fort, Daphne, Fairhope, and Point Clear offer unique venues, charming downtowns, and a historic bayfront resort, according to ExploreEasternShore.com.
In Point Clear, the historic Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection—a member of Historic Hotels of America—has 405 guest rooms and suites and more than 41,000 square feet of function space, including lawn and bayfront venues. Set on 550 bayfront acres, the resort features a 20,000-square-foot spa, a tennis complex, a marina, 36 holes of championship golf on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, and other amenities.
Fairhope offers scenic bluffs and parks on Mobile Bay and a flower-filled downtown with boutique shopping, galleries, museums, and locally owned restaurants. Event space includes the Eastern Shore Art Center, with three galleries and a courtyard; city-owned James P. Nix Center, with a 5,000-square-foot banquet hall; and The Venue, with 8,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space to accommodate 300 guests. Set on 10 downtown acres, the Fairhope campus of Coastal Alabama Community College has a variety of indoor and outdoor event spaces. Holiday Inn Express Fairhope-Point Clear has 87 guest rooms and a 1,700-square-foot event room.
In Daphne, the Daphne Civic Center has 20,000 square feet of event space, which can accommodate up to 1,500 people for receptions. The 124-room Hilton Garden Inn Mobile/East Bay Daphne has 2,122 square feet of meeting space, and Hampton Inn Mobile-East Bay/Daphne has 132 guest rooms and two small meeting rooms.
Spanish Fort is home to Historic Blakeley State Park, which offers camping and cabin lodging, hiking, biking, and horseback-riding trails, kayaking, and wildlife cruises on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Event space at the park includes the Wehle Center, with a meeting room that can accommodate 100 guests, plus several outdoor pavilions.
Approximately an hour northeast of the Eastern Shore, Wind Creek Atmore is a casino resort with a 237-room AAA Four Diamond hotel, more than 1,700 games, multiple dining and beverage outlets, a culinary studio for custom dining experiences, and a 2,200-seat outdoor amphitheater/concert venue. The resort includes event and meeting space to accommodate 135 guests classroom style, 250 for banquets, and 200 guests for receptions.
