Fairhope, Al is utopia. It has the friendliness of a small town with all the big city conveniences, AND it’s on Mobile Bay. However, please keep it quiet or it won’t stay small for long… shhhhhh…
I love this town and it is because of that love, that I am happy to share with you my top five favorite Fairhope hangouts, so that when you visit you can share in the utopian experience.
- Mr. CoziNest and I love to just walk around downtown on Saturdays and then stop in for a burger at Panini Pete’s. My favorite is the Eastern Shore Burger. Go early or a little late for lunch. Lines form.
- We can’t make a trip downtown with our daughter without a visit to Mr. Gene’s Beans. They have a great selection of Blue Bell Ice Cream, but our favorite is the Fairhope Float. It’s a staple, made with “iced mochaccino poured over french vanilla frozen yogurt, with whipped cream and your choice of chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, or nutmeg sprinkles.” I’m on my way, now.
- You can’t live in Fairhope without being in love with the Fairhope Pier. The rose garden and fountain are pleasing to both the eye and ear, while a walk to the end of the pier during sunset can ignite a desire to paint, or grow an orchard or at the very least capture the fiery glow with your camera.It’s quite a site to watch the sinking of the sun over the skyscrapers of Mobile, with the USS Alabama resting from its’ journeys in the bay. Poetry in motion.
- For special occasions, Mr. CoziNest and I sit down to a gourmet meal at Camellia Cafe. We’ve celebrated anniversaries, birthdays and an occasional Valentine’s Day at this lovely restaurant. The food is delicious, the atmosphere romantic and the staff is alway professional and friendly.
- Oh no! I’m already to number 5. There’s so much more to love. But, this is the top five, so I can’t close this post without mentioning Scott and Robin Dumas at Pinzones. The staff have all become friends which makes us feel like we are eating at home – only with better food. All the wait staff is absolutely fabulous with humor as an appetizer and friendliness for dessert. I have to give a shout out here though, to one of our favorites. Miss Anna reminds me of my comedian son and lovely daughter all rolled into one. She always makes us laugh and she is beautiful inside and out. Do 20-somethings ever get adopted?
The food, views, flowers, sunsets and shops make Fairhope a very fun place to live, but it’s the people that make it home. We love hanging out in all these places because eventually you get into a fascinating conversation with someone and want to put your feet up. As we’ve said many times, we live in Mayberry – only in color.