 
Wintzell’s Oyster House has been a landmark on historic Dauphin Street since 1938, when it was founded as a six-stool oyster bar by J. Oliver Wintzell. The menu includes beef, chicken, pasta, and any manner of fish, but it’s best known for its oysters, served fried, stewed, and nude. If you sit at the bar, you can watch an oyster shucker expertly extricate oysters from their shells. I had my very first oyster there, offered to me by a man who overheard me say to my husband that I’d never eaten one before. Everyone around me joined in on the coaxing, and then once I felt brave enough to try one, they shouted out tips, the best one being, “Swallow it whole, cracker and all.” It’s a very friendly place and a terrific first-time oyster experience, though I doubt I’ll ever get my name on the board as an oyster-eating champion (you have one hour seated at the bar to eat as many oysters on the half shell as you can). The current record is 280 for women and 403 for men. Mobile Coca-Cola bottler Walter Bellingrath was advised by his physician to “learn how to play,” so, endeavoring to reduce stress, he bought a rustic fishing camp overlooking Fowl River. His wife, Bessie Bellingrath, had a different vision for the camp and began dressing the place up immediately with azaleas and camellias from her garden in Mobile. Over the course of the 1920s, the fishing camp was converted into a country retreat, and with the help of prominent architect George B. Rogers it became one of the finest American garden estates. In the spring of 1932, at the height of azalea season, Mr. Bellingrath proudly placed an ad in the Mobile paper offering an open invitation to all Mobilians to come see his gardens, and within a matter of a few hours more than five thousand visitors poured in. Today, on the estate’s sixty-five acres there are more than 250,000 azaleas, two thousand roses in seventy-five varieties, and numerous other flowers, plants, and trees. During the Christmas holidays, poinsettias are featured along with extravagant light displays. This semitropical paradise offers plenty to explore, with winding flagstone walkways, spring-fed fountains, lakes, an ecological boardwalk, and a tropical conservatory. Guided tours are available of the Bellingrath home, with its original antique furnishings and Mediterranean-style terraces. Below the home, at the foot of the bluff, you can board the Southern Belle and take a river cruise. Downtown Fairhope is known for two things: First, its omnipresent flowers — in boxes on sidewalks, in baskets hanging from lampposts, and even in planters on the tops of trashcans—and, second, its shopping. A list of a few of my favorite places begins with Shoefly (8 South Church Street), a fun, funky , affordable shoe store with handbags and accessories. A short stroll away is East Bay Clothiers (39 North Section Street), featuring stylish ladies’ and men’s clothing in exquisite fabrics. Just across the street is Uptown (400 Fairhope Avenue), an upscale boutique known for special-occasion dressing, but it’s also where you can find casual, trendy fashions, including that perfect pair of jeans. Finally, right around the corner is Lyons Share (330 De La Mare), which has a large frame selection with custom framing and a gorgeous two-story gallery with works from local and regional artists. And before or after you shop, the perfect spot to eat is Panini Pete’s (42 ½ South Section Street), tucked away like a hidden paradise in Fairhope’s French Quarter. Everything is delicious and made from scratch, from the mozzarella to the chocolate chip cookies. |
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