A Grand Old Age

From utopian beginnings, Fairhope retains its allure

by

Susan Stein has a lot to talk about.  

Stein is the resident historian at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama, a sprawling resort situated a stone’s throw from the sweet town of Fairhope.  Located about fifteen miles south of I-10 and ten minutes south of town, the Grand is a grande dame with a past, and Fairhope is equally colorful, a writer’s haven with its own legends and plenty of Southern charm to make a visit worthwhile.

A Grand past and present

The Grand Hotel is an ideal basecamp for exploring Fairhope and Mobile Bay. The low-slung resort sprawls over five-hundred and fifty acres, built seamlessly into a landscape of lagoons and ancient live oaks. A stop on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the resort is just a short drive to Alabama’s white sand beaches, but there’s so much to do onsite that beach time might have to wait. 

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The antebellum hotel, a member of Historic Hotels of America, recently completed a three-year, $35 million renovation. Now under Marriott’s Autograph Collection Hotels umbrella, the property was fluffed stem to stern, from its 405 guest rooms to the swank spa and eye-popping pools for kiddos and adults. It’s a change for the good that manages to combine modern amenities with the resort’s natural charm. Yet as much as the resort has changed, it’s still connected to its past. “The main building, which some people call the lodge, has so much historic character,” said Stein, who offers hour-long tours and history briefings four days a week, Monday through Thursday.

The resort oozes history. Here, where luminaries like Dolly Parton and Margaret Thatcher have overnighted, early well-heeled guests arrived by steamboat, disembarking at what is now the marina. The hotel was called to service not once, but twice during wartime—first as a makeshift hospital for Confederate soldiers in 1864. A cemetery for about three hundred soldiers, brought from the Battle of Vicksburg, lies beside the Grand’s Azalea golf course. The identities of the soldiers laid to rest are sadly unknown, said Stein. “All the records were destroyed in a fire back in 1869, so we have no way of knowing who is buried here.” The resort’s military ties were revived during World War II when the Army Air Force used the hotel as a Maritime Training School, a place where some five thousand soldiers learned signaling, ship orientation, and amphibious operations. Every day  a rousing processional kicks off in the library leading up to the firing of a Civil War cannon on the grounds, a salute to the hotel’s military history.

[Read this: Civil rights and sizzling barbecue in Alabama's capital.]

Paradise for families

During her family’s long weekend stay, New Orleans writer Stephanie Carter fell in love with the Grand for how kid-friendly it was. “The Grand is a self-contained space that feels so safe for kids,” said Carter, who traveled with her daughter Clementine and her cousin Michael, both five, as well as her husband and in-laws. “There are tons of activities all day for them, and we could let them wander nearby and easily keep an eye on them. When they got antsy at dinner, there was a croquet court and kids to play with just outside the restaurant’s glass doors. For us, the resort allowed the kids to have fun and us to be adults.” Although the hotel isn’t cheap—summer room rates start at around $299—Carter appreciated that most activities were included, from bikes to paddle boards to craft time for the kids. And the kids’ pool, with its slide, waterfall and beaches,  earned two enthusiastic thumbs from the five-year olds. “We all had a great time,” said Carter.

"When they got antsy at dinner, there was a croquet court and kids to play with just outside the restaurant’s glass doors. For us, the resort allowed the kids to have fun and us to be adults.”

Ideal roots

As much as Stein has to say about the historic Grand, there’s just as much to talk about when it comes to the nearby town of Fairhope. A 42-year resident of Fairhope, she is an avid member of the local historical society and other groups dedicated to the town’s past. Home to about 17,000 full time residents, Fairhope boasts a walkable, compact downtown that’s dotted with locally owned stores and eateries, 4,500 acres of green space, and more gorgeous live oaks. 

This place aimed for peace from the start. In November 1894 a plucky group of twenty-eight freethinkers, artists, and writers established Fairhope as a utopian colony, so named because they believed it had a “fair hope of success.” The settlers, many from Iowa, used the village as a social experiment inspired by the popular tome “Progress and Poverty,” economist Henry George’s rallying cry for more equitable societies.  Although Fairhope is the oldest and largest single-tax colony in the world, it ultimately didn’t achieve its overarching mission.  Still, the town must have some kind of cosmic draw for writers and artsy types, inspiring local authors like Fannie Flagg (Fried Green Tomatoes) and Winston Groom (Forrest Gump) to create. 

This place aimed for peace from the start. In November 1894 a plucky group of twenty-eight freethinkers, artists, and writers established Fairhope as a utopian colony, so named because they believed it had a “fair hope of success.”

Eating, shopping and fun 

A meander through the downtown village delivers lots of shopping opportunities, especially for antique lovers. Crown and Colony, Downtown Antiques, and RF Architectural and Garden Antiques are just a few places to treasure hunt. Galleries also abound—don’t miss Fairhope Artist Gallery for local work—along with Ole Bay Mercantile and Objects for gift ideas.  Book lovers will swoon over Page & Palette, a swell old school bookstore that’s been around for more than fifty years. Check for readings and other events there when you visit. Established in 1992, Fairhope’s French Quarter, a cluster of 12 brick and iron work adorned shops centered around a  beautiful cobblestone courtyard, is also home to one of the largest crape myrtles in the South. (It was dethroned in 2017.)

When it’s time for a break, Tamara’s Downtown is a fun spot, a no-frills bar frequented by locals that serves bar food and plenty of sports on multiple TVs. Chef “Panini Pete” Blohme anchors the district, where his eponymous restaurant serves hot beignets, muffaletta paninis, and hot dogs like the German Sheppard (with sauerkraut) and the French Poodle (with onion confit and Dijon mustard). Gambino’s Italian Grill is a fun spot for pasta, with a piano bar keeping things lively. Sunset Pointe at Fly Creek Marina dishes some of the best views in town from its covered patio. Bonus that the food is fetching too—try the Gulf Coast BBQ shrimp swimming in a spicy tomato broth perfect for bread dunking, the crab “meatballs,” or the seared tuna BLT, just a few highlights from the seafood-centric menu. 

Back at the Grand, Southern Roots restaurant is a must for fresh, farm-to-table, seasonal Southern cuisine. Just one of the Grand’s reinvented dining spaces, Southern Roots is a romantic spot for elevated dining, with wrap around windows inviting in the view and a menu of local specialties including a killer seafood gumbo and crab-crusted Gulf catch of the day. Say “yes, please!” to a slab of sweet corn and coconut cake topped with whipped cream for dessert. 

Although Fairhope’s utopian ideals ultimately fell short of mass acceptance, the small-town charm of this village remains undeniable. More than a century after its founding, Fairhope is still a magnet for creatives, nature lovers, and families looking for a slower paced setting that lets them reconnect.   

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