Foley, Alabama was the largest town (17,000 pop) near our cabin in Perdido Beach, and on the main highway going to Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. It had the necessary shopping centers, restaurants and tourism spots.
We found two different fish markets in nearby Bon Secour; Aquila Seafood and Billy's Seafood and bought several types of shrimp on more than one visit, which we cooked at home. Our favorite by far was Royal Red Shrimp - tasted like lobster!
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| Shrimp Boats next to Billy's Seafood, Bon Secour, AL |
Foley has a nice Farmer's & Fisherman's Market, which we visited several times for fresh fish and vegetables. What a treat for us to have fresh broccoli and Brussels sprouts. We bought and cooked some Cobia (also called lemonfish). Tasty!
Next to the Farmer's Market is a nice restaurant called Wolf Bay, (
but it's not really on the bay). Their website photos are much better than mine! It was one of the many places I tried gumbo, and of course they all say their's is the best. It was very good. So was the rum punch special that night. If you're ever in Foley, Alabama, stop there for a good meal and very friendly service.
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| Fish dinner with hush puppies. |
Wolf Bay has a nice boutique shop for you to spend money in while you're waiting for a table. I think these hats would be great for Derby Day.
One of the first animals we saw after arriving in the Foley area was an armadillo, so of course we had to take photos and a video.
A new family entertainment complex called OWA (pronounced like oh-wah, the name is inspired from the Muscogee Creek language to mean “big water) had been built recently, and I'm sure that during the spring and summer, it will be busy.
There are many retirement communities in the Foley area. This one had elevated decks so that you could sit outside without worrying about alligators (unless you wanted to swim in the pond).
Garry likes to use Google Earth to scope out places before we travel, and he saw that people had posted photos of dinosaur statues near Foley, so we had to go on an exploration to find them. They were on the road to Barber Marina. No explanation was given how or why they are there, but they were in pretty bad shape. I think they needed dino veterinary care. We weren't the only people stopping and taking photos; I guess they are a tourist attraction.
Foley is home to the Lambert's Cafe (home of the famous "throwed rolls"), but we didn't go there, since we were too busy buying shrimp to cook. Foley also has many thrift shops and while I was in one buying books, Garry saw this tree frog on the light post outside.
Mardi Gras
Being in Alabama in early February, we learned that not only did Mardi Gras originate in Alabama, but there are many parades and celebrations in the weeks leading up to the actual Mardi Gras date of February 13. The beads and other things tossed to the crowds are called "throws" and you'd better be careful, because they are thrown hard! We went to several parades, the first of which was in Foley. I had my first taste of a Moon Pie, and decided my favorite was the basic chocolate.
We have more parade pics from parades in Gulf Shores &Orange Beach in that post. We also toured the Carnival Museum in Mobile, Alabama and it was so interesting that I have an entire post just devoted to it. The costumes on display are impressive!
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| Bead throwers - Mardi Gras Parade, Foley, Alabama |
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| Beads and Moon Pies! |
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| Some of our "throws" - and we weren't even trying! |
Whenever we travel, Garry is always on the lookout for dirt to use in his taxidermy mount habitats, and carries containers to take home a few scoops. Do you think I can deduct this trip on the tax return because we brought home some of this red Alabama clay?
