Today's drive would take me from Panama City Beach
back to Mobile. In Panama City Beach I stayed at the Executive Inn but I can’t say that I would stay there again. Of course it didn’t help that I was there over
Spring Break and Easter. Yes, I know. .
. . what was I thinking.
My
choice of rooms at Executive Inn was a standard double which included two double beds with
standard amenities like mini-fridge, microwave, iron & ironing board, hair
dryer, 37″ flat screen TV, free parking, wifi and free local calls. I tried to check into the hotel at noon but was quickly turned away. It was Spring Break and Easter and they were
sold out the night before my arrival so I was told that I would need to come back at 3pm.
I returned at 3:05pm and, as promised, the room was
ready. I was given room #110. This room
is located on the first floor facing the Cobra Amusement Park. This is a very large amusement park directly across the
street with lots of activities including go carts, roller
coasters, bumper cars, black light mini golf and much more. There are also lots of bright lights that stay on
quite late into the night. And we all know what goes hand in hand with roller coasters - lots of screaming. Turning on the air condition seemed to drown
out a lot of the noise. This is strictly
a budget hotel and did not include a continental breakfast. Bed linens were clean and the bathroom very
small but for 1 night it was OK. Not
sure I would stay here again unless it was on the back side of the hotel away
from the glare and noise of the amusement park.
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| Cobra Amusement Park across the street from the Executive Inn |
I left the hotel the following morning at
8:30am and decided to take a drive through Saint Andrews State Park before heading back to Mobile. Park entrance
fee is $8.
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| St Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, Florida |
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| St Andrews State Park map |
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| Beach access at St Andrews State Park |
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| Boardwalk and beach access at St Andrews State Park |
The park is well
known for its sugar white sands and emerald green waters. It is a former military reservation and has
over one-and-a-half miles of beach on the Gulf of Mexico and Grand Lagoon. You
can enjoy swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking and canoeing. There are
two fishing piers, a jetty, and a boat ramp that winds through a diversity of
coastal plant communities. It is also an
excellent place for bird-watching. You can sunbathe on the beach or enjoy a
lunch under the shade of one of the picnic pavilions. They offer a campground
for RV’ers and tent campers making it a popular
overnight destination. There is a small concession building that offers snacks,
souvenirs and fishing amenities.
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| Snorkeling location at St Andrews State Park |
The Shell Island Shuttle transports passengers between St. Andrews State Park and Shell Island every
hour off season and every 1/2 hour during high season, 7 days a week from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. They also offer a snorkel package and kayak rentals. Shell
Island is an undeveloped 700-acre barrier island and is home to one of the
world’s highest concentrations of bottle-nosed dolphins.
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| Shell Island Shuttle |
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| Arial view Shell Island Photo Public Domain |
Located
just a couple of miles from St Andrews State Park on Gulf Drive one will find
Schooners. Open 7 days a week from 11am until the wee
hours of the night. Listed as the “last local beach club”, everything at
Schooners is awesome. Bands are awesome. Lunch
is awesome. Dinner is awesome. The beach is awesome. The sunsets are awesome.
The view is awesome.
I made a stop here to take a look at the Easter sand castle
creation.
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| 2017 sand creation at Schooners |
I was pleasantly surprised to
meet up with Mike
“Whit” Whitmer, the General Manager, for a quick interview.
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| Mike "Whit" Whitmer, General Manager, Schooners |
Whit
was quick to admit that there is nothing fancy about Schooners but the food is fresh, simple and full of flavor. It’s
almost impossible to find real fresh grouper but Schooner’s top menu item is
delivered fresh daily and serves it up as 9 ounces fried, grilled or
blackened. If you prefer a burger then try the legendary
10 ounce certified Angus Schooner burger.
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| Entrees and Sandwich Menu at Schooners |
When
I asked Whit about some of the other popular menu items he was quick to say “Our fish tacos are great and our seared tuna
and fried shrimp are both fantastic but we also offer nice salads and healthy
choices.”
There
are two bars inside with a third bar that opens outside at night. If you happen to visit during Easter you
won’t want to miss the sand castle created on the beach just feet from the back
steps of Schooners.
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| Seating inside the Schooners |
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| Seating inside Schooners | |
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| Inside Schooners |
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| View from inside Schooners |
Another
ritual is the cannon firing every night at sunset.
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| Nightly canon firing at Schooners |
On the weekends this stretch of beach becomes
very local. Top selling drink is the frozen
bushwacker in the souvenier cup for $12.50, with refills for just $9. When I inquired about the ingredients in a
bushwacker Whit laughingly said “It’s like an oreo cookie.” Having never drank one I googled “Bushwacker Ingredients”
1 oz
Dark Rum
1 oz
Kahlua
1 oz
Dark Crème de Cacao
2 oz
Cream of Coconut
2 oz
Milk or Half & Half
1
cup ice
This
is a blended drink and after looking at the ingredients I think I may have to
try one soon. Two other menu contenders are the “Voodoo Punch”
made with light rum, dark rum, grenadine, orange juice and pineapple and the
“Cannon Blast” made with rum, fresh juices and a 151 floater.
It was time to head to
Mobile. I took a route to Freeport and
then headed south, ending up just east of Grayton Beach, a fantastic sugar white beach.
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| Sugar white beach of Grayton Beach |
The Malaga Inn was purchased in
1862 by two brother-in-laws who married sisters. Originally there were two homes with a yard
in between. In 1968 Mami Sinclair purchased the Malaga Inn, along with a
sister and brother, and subsequently
modified the home. Today the Malaga Inn is
privately owned by Julie Beem and her son Jordan Beem.
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| Entrance to Malaga Inn |
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| Entrance to Malaga Inn |
From the moment you
drive up it exudes charm, grace and elegance. You enter the property through a
large door into a square courtyard covered in color. Gas lights brighten the area and there is
plenty of space to sit.
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| Entering into the courtyard area |
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| View of interior courtyard from 2nd floor |
As I was awaiting my
key I couldn’t help but notice a number of celebrity photos adorning the walls.
Inquiring about their importance I was told they were people who had stayed at
the Malaga Inn. Here are just a few:
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| Celebrity photos hang on the walls in the lobby |
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| Celebrity photos hang on the walls in the lobby |
I was assigned room
#206, second floor. The room was
elegantly furnished with top of the line amenities. The Inn offers comfortable
rooms and suites, complimentary wireless internet access, cable tv, coffee
makers in each guest room and complimentary off street parking. Quick note here: should you make a reservation through a third
party instead of booking directly with the hotel, the parking fee is $9
nightly.
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| Inside room #206 |
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| Inside room #206 |
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| Inside room #206 |
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| Inside room #206 |
The
Malaga Inn is believed to be one of the most
haunted hotels in Alabama. Several guests have reported seeing the ghost of a
woman dressed in white pacing the balcony of Room #007.
Many other guests have witnessed a
chandelier swinging back and forth, lights coming on all by themselves, and
furniture pieces mysteriously moving around on their own.
If you have time ask to see the bunker crawl space said to
have hidden soldiers during the civil war. Located under a stairwell, a false wall hides
a door that leads to a secret hole in the floor that further leads to a
bedroom. This is said to be how they
smuggled things and people out of Mobile during the Civil War. This video is under 2 ½ minutes and at 1:37
shows the hidden door under the stairwell.
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| Hidden door under the stairwell |
After getting settled into room #206 it was time to head to
Wet Willies Daiquiri Bar for a white russian. One of my favorites containing ice cream,
brewed coffee and 190 grain alcohol and vodka.
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| White Russian at Wet Willies in Mobile, Alabama |
Wet Willies
has 17 locations with the Mobile, Alabama location opened
for only 1 ½ years. It is the first location in the Mobile area. The next closest is Montgomery, Alabama.
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| Inside Wet Willies in Mobile, Alabama |
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| Inside Wet Willies in Mobile, Alabama |
The top seller in the Mobile location is called ”Super Woman”. This is made by mixing “Attitude Improvement”, “Shock
Treatment” and “Call A Cab”. I
ordered an 8 ounce “White Russian” at
a cost of $8. I finished my daiquiri inside
the business but in Mobile you can actually take your drink and walk out the door.
Ahhh. . . . tasty! Now back to the hotel for a good night sleep.
Hi Sharon - one of the drinks offered on the NCL beverage package is a Bushwacker. They are delish!
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