My Favorite Things About Fairhope

 

My, how time flies! We're now into our 6th year as resident bed & breakfast hosts here at Jubilee Suites in Fairhope, AL and Jim and I are thrilled to be here. When we found out our son and daughter-in-law were having our first grandchild, we moved here from Charlotte to be part of her life. We bought Jubilee Suites, performed extensive remodeling, and opened in April 2018. And now we have three beautiful granddaughters we love more than we could ever have imagined! Any grandparents who can relate? :) But beyond that, we've developed a deep love for our new home town and our completely new way of life. Let me share my favorite things about Fairhope.  

   

There is something indescribably peaceful about living on such a beautiful body of water and we love sharing it with our guests who usually have the same reaction we do. Our panoramic view of Mobile Bay here at Jubilee Suites is simply gorgeous and cleansing, rejuvenating, even healing for the soul. Fairhope residents and guests enjoy year-round water activities like boating, fishing, kayaking, and walking along the Bay on the perfectly situated paths the City of Fairhope maintains. Guests can use our kayaks and paddleboards for free and we are always happy to set up charter boat trips for our guests.

And there is something else very special about living on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay.... the sunsets are right there! ... and new every evening. People flock to the famous Fairhope Pier every clear evening for sunset viewing, people watching, and often to hear local musicians. It's simply a charming place to live and to visit. Five of our suites offer our guests west-facing bay views with their own private balconies or patios and we've also set up lots of cozy bay view sitting areas on our beach and all over the property. We often gather with our guests in the evening at the firepit on our bluff and watch the sunsets together.

Founded by idealistic Midwesterners who wanted to establish a utopian town to experiment with a new economic theory, Fairhope continues to attract people from all over the world who often end up living here. We've found the permanent residents to be friendly, welcoming, and above all, interesting. In a town of only 22,000+ people, we have an outsized share of eclectic talent here- musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, writers, inventors, architects, world travelers- and Jim and I love to listen to their stories of how they came to a place in their life where they decided to move to Fairhope.

Many of the people we've met own local businesses in downtown Fairhope and we love to walk downtown and visit the huge variety of stores- antiques, specialty foods, boutiques, galleries, coffee shops, home furnishings, restaurants, gift shops, consignment stores... if you can't find it in Fairhope, you're not looking hard enough! Because it's such an easy town to get around in by golf cart or good-old fashioned walking, we're always seeing people we know. What a treat to live her!

The art and music culture in Fairhope is one of its defining aspects. It feels like there are more artists and musicians here per capita than almost anywhere else in the country, and we love it! There is something going on every night of the week at local restaurants, bars, galleries and museums. The local bookstore, Page and Palette, can always be counted on for hosting great local musicians in its Book Cellar venue several times a week.

Many businesses decorate their spaces with local art, all for sale. We do the same thing here at Jubilee Suites. Supporting local businesses, musicians, and artists just feels right when you're here.

The Eastern Shore Art Center sponsors a monthly First Friday Art Walk and many of our downtown stores stay open late to offer wine and snacks to the hundreds of people who come out to roam the streets greeting friends, dancing to local musicians, and filling the restaurants both before and after the event. We love that the City closes the streets almost every month for some kind of street party and people come out to mingle.

Jim and I love to feed people and we prepare breakfast to order for our guests 7 days a week. Our Gulf seafood, our local farming industry, and our long growing season all contribute to an abundance of choices for great fresh food. We especially enjoy the farm-to-table delivery services for many of the foods we offer our guests. And during the season, you can always catch me at the Fairhope Farmers Market stocking up on fresh veggies, seafood, local honey and berries for our guests' breakfasts. Here in Coastal Alabama we're known for our seafood and our pecans but we also grow great blueberries, tea, edible flowers, and it's all available much earlier than we grew up with. Yum!

Jim and I also love to eat in Fairhope restaurants. The food here is, above all, delicious and healthy because of all the fresh ingredients available here. We've been pleasantly surprised at the variety of restaurants too. Besides all the amazing American restaurants that specialize in local farm-to-table cooking, BBQ, fried chicken, steak and Gulf seafood, we have a large number of international restaurants for such a small town. Besides the several choices for Italian, Mexican, and Asian-fusion food, we have restaurants that specialize in Nepalese, Japanese, Irish, Chinese, and Mediterranean cuisine to name a few. Fortunately, many restaurants offer outside dining so there is always a beautiful place to eat and enjoy the weather.

One of our favorite things about Fairhope is the weather! Jim grew up in Minnesota and I was raised in Missouri, so having about 9 months of beautiful warm weather is such a treat! Some people think we lack a change of seasons, but there are definitely 4 of them here. The annual temperature range averages from about 49 to 89 degrees, although we have several frost days each winter and summers can sometimes get up to the mid-90s. But no snow except for the freak event every few years! And the average number of sunny days beats the national average. Golfers, bikers, runners and outdoor enthusiasts love our weather because you can literally be outside every day of the year. Yes, it's quite warm in July and August, but the trick is to think like a local and plan your outdoor activities for early morning or evening. And there are lots of ice cream shops here!

If your travel plans include Fairhope, we'd love to meet you! See our suites and book right on our website. Plan to spend at least 3 days with us for the best rates and the best experiences. There's so much to do here, we think you'll need at least 3 days to do it all and, most importantly, feel the rejuvenating and healing power of waterfront living in Fairhope, AL. We can't wait to meet you!  Dana and Jim Maloney