What a lovely place to visit! Dauphin Island is a barrier island off the coast of Alabama - 11 miles long - and, on average, the width of three to four city blocks. Although we crossed a bridge to get there, residents and visitors also have the option of crossing by ferry.
There are no highrise buildings, nor large chain hotels, on this island and there are no more than a couple of small seafood restaurants and one gas station. The homes were reminiscent of Key West, all painted in lovely pastel colours.
One end of the island is for tourists, and beaches abound! The other end of the island is privately owned, and boasts an estuarium and bird sanctuary. The estuarium is famous worldwide and is a well-respected research facility. A current project is preventing erosion of the coast.
There is a very large sand dune area nearby where hundreds of thousands of migratory birds land on their travels south. Dauphin Island is a popular spot for birds to stop as it is their last chance to get food and fresh water before crossing the vast expanse of ocean. This phenomenon is observed by birders and researchers from around the world.
We spent 2.5 hours shelling on the west end of the island where we found the largest shells we had ever seen. It was a lovely time, as the beach was practically isolated during our visit.
Afterwards, we enjoyed a picnic lunch, then headed to the east end of the island, visited the estuarium, then enjoyed a 3km hike in the nearby bird sanctuary. 
The sanctuary is a semi-tropical forest; the only thing missing was the humidity! There were lovely rubber trees and massive swamps (minus the aligators!). Needless to say, by the end of the day, we practically crawled into the truck and headed home!
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