By phone from her home in Nashville, Erin Kice is trying to explain exactly what draws her to Dauphin Island. She began visiting in the early 1990s as a kid and now explores its 165 square miles several times a year with her own family of 4.
She’s recalling a recent trip to historic Fort Gaines, the rapidly weathering 1821-built fortress that played a role in the Battle of Mobile Bay (where the phrase "Damn the torpedoes was first uttered), when she asks for help.
“Coen! What did you like about the fort?” she calls to her 11-year-old. “We actually discovered it! It was cool!” he yells from somewhere in the background.
The kid might be wrong in the technical sense, but he’s definitely onto something. “It does kind of feel like you’ve discovered all these things,” Kice says. “Even in the middle of summer, when other places along the coast are jam-packed, you can be on the beach or in the woods and there’s not another person for 100 yards.”
Whether by accident or by design, Dauphin Island is set up to let vacationers choose their own adventures. The ubiquitous rental homes mean there’s space to lounge together, and schedules revolve less around the “Where do we eat?” question. The island’s long and skinny layout—it’s less than 1.5 miles across at its widest point—means the beach is usually steps away. And 8 flat miles of bike trails link shops, restaurants, and attractions.
“We come here to practice beach life, which is just getting up, getting outside, and spending a lot of time together,” Kice says. “It feels like a reset.”