An incandescent sun dropping toward the horizon turns the sky above Mobile Bay into a pastel gradient of pinks, oranges, and dusky blues. Couples and trios stroll the shoreline, settling along the pier and on benches under spreading mimosa trees. It’s the same show that plays here every evening, and it never fails to draw a crowd.
The diminutive city of Fairhope has an outsize knack for drawing people together with its seaside charm, eclectic history, and meals around communal tables.
But it isn’t some magic blowing in on the sea breeze or even the quaint flower baskets dotting every downtown intersection, says innkeeper Dana Maloney.
“The beauty attracts you, but the people are what make you want to stay,” says Maloney, who opened the Jubilee Suites atop the bluffs here 6 years ago. “A lot of us love real connections. Those happen here all the time.”
Our weekend getaway to this bayside Eden offers travelers world-class wine and fine-dining options, coastal adventures, boutique and antiques shopping, and a casually buzzy nightlife scene.