Dauphin Island Restaraunts & Shopping

This post is going to be very boring.  There were not that many places to eat and definitely not many places to shop.  I enjoy going into a few souvenir shops to pick up some local stuff, but the few we visited didn't have much.  Groceries were out of the question.  We went to a Wal-Mart 50 miles away before we came onto the island.  We were warned to do this.  Thankfully, we listened.  There was one afternoon when I needed an SD card.  Nobody in town had anything like that and some of the locals looked at me like I was a crazy woman.  Definitely need to come prepared when visiting!  We generally only eat dinner out while on vacation, but this time we ate at the condo because of the lack of places to go.  This was the draw of the island, though.  We wanted fewer people and places. We wanted to have the beach mainly to ourselves.  We got that, so we are happy!  The few places we did go to were pretty decent.  Everything was fresh and tasty! 

The first place we visited was basically just a shack near the condo that didn't really look like much.  The name is Island Rainbow and is located on the main drag on Bienville.  They had snow cones, pizza, and other items for sale.  We ended up just getting snow cones because the kids were hot from the beach.  The syrup was horrible and watered down.  We decided we would not make a return visit.

One evening for dinner, Brad and I walked down to the "Islanders" for a meal.  The slogan was cute and read "Fine Dining in Flip Flops."  We got it to go and we were not disappointed once back at the condo.  We had the best sweet tea ever.  I said to Brad that it tasted just like my Nene used to make.  It took me back a few years and made me miss my Nene.  Brad got a burger with A-1 on the side and I got the shrimp alfredo with Italian bread on the side. 

I apologize for the poor picture quality.  I also scarfed my food down before I even remembered that I didn't get a picture! 

The following day, we headed back for lunch and I got the shrimp basket with sweet potato fries.  Again, the sweet tea was amazing and I didn't take pictures!  The sweet potato fries were probably the best I have ever had.  They didn't even taste fried, which was a huge plus.

During lunch one day we decided to hit up Pirate's Bar & Grill.  The day we were there, they had some sort of kitchen malfunction that was causing the place to fill up with cooking smoke.  No big deal.  We opened up the windows and let in the island breezes.  The food was fresh like it was plucked from the ocean.  They shut it down for repairs and we ended up being the only people dining.  I got the crab cakes with baked beans and cole slaw and Brad got the shrimp basket with baked beans and cole slaw. 

Their margaritas were pretty tasty.  I always get mine on the rocks with sugar instead of salt on the rim.  They used cuervo in mine. 

They had a view to die for. 

So, while on the island, we ate out three times.  Twice at Islander's and once at Pirates.  I suppose we saved quite a bit of cash!

On to shopping.  It was certainly not a shopping destination.  You could barely get the necessities, let alone if you forgot something major.  I'm not sure how long it would take to drive somewhere to get something you just HAD to have.  I mentioned before that we went to a Wal-Mart like 40-50 miles away before we even got on island.  There are a few gas stations and bait shops where you can get a few items, but I noticed the prices were up and there wasn't much to choose from.  I went to the Octopus shop to look for a few souvenirs and ended up getting a Purvida bracelet and some earrings.  I also went into a few other touristy shops but we didn't get much other than a magnet for our fridge and a sand toy for Sophia.  Overall, we mainly enjoyed the beach.  That's basically the only thing to do and you want to make sure you are prepared! 

We did have some cake while on vacation, though!  My Mom, Grandma, Brad, and Sophia conspired at Wal-Mart  to surprise me :)

On the way home, we bought some Alabama peaches. They are AMAZING!!! 

After buying the peaches, we stopped by Sikes & Kohn for some shopping.  I love this place.  They have all sorts of brands and for a decent price.  Brad ended up getting an Under Armour shirt, a Columbia fishing hat, and some Teva sandals for the next vacation (his Nike sandals chewed up his big toe).  Braden got a Guy Harvey shirt.  Sophia got some Choco sandals as well as a Guy Harvey shirt.  I got some Choco shoes that will be put to good use when we go on hikes and for vacations!  While at the outlet store, the kids got a bit hungry.  We ate at the Hamburger King and got scrambled eggs and breakfast sandwiches.  Quite tasty and cheap! 

We drove for quite awhile and when the kids were hungry again, we stopped at Milo's.  They had burgers and such and had some kind of special sauce.  The burgers were awesome and the tea was amazing!  What is it with the south and their tea?!? 

XOXO...Becky