atlas1, Author at Boardwalk Realty

If you are looking for a kid-friendly Alabama destination to take the family this summer, look no further than Dauphin Island! This beautiful barrier island off the Gulf of Mexico is a paradise for families, offering laidback wholesome fun for all ages. Whether you are interested in spending time at the beach, exploring the island, fishing the Gulf, or learning about marine life, there are endless things to do on Dauphin Island to keep everyone entertained!

Choose Boardwalk Realty to host your island getaway and stay in a family-friendly vacation rental just steps away from the beach!

Visit the Alabama Aquarium Together

One of the top things to do on Dauphin Island with kids is at the Alabama Aquarium. This is an excellent place for the kids to learn something new and see fascinating marine life simultaneously. The aquarium features a 10,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a stingray touch pool, and the Living Marsh Boardwalk. Learn about our aquatic ecosystems with a day at the aquarium!

Gather the Kids for the Ultimate Beach Day

The island offers seven miles of sugar sand beaches, where families often swim, fish, walk, and shell hunt. If you want to kayak or paddleboard with the kids, reserve your gear with Blue Heron Kayak & Sup Rentals, and they will deliver your equipment anywhere on the island!

Embark on a Family-Friendly Fishing Charter

If you are looking for a local fishing charter that the whole family will love, choose a trip with FinAtics Fishing Charters. They offer inshore, offshore, and private fishing charters with a knowledgeable captain with years of experience working with kids!

Spot Wildlife at the Audubon Bird Sanctuary

Surround yourself with nature at the Audubon Bird Sanctuary and stroll through three miles of trails. Keep an eye out for butterflies, fish, birds, and alligators! Download this Dauphin Island birding checklist to see how many species you can spot during your visit.

Play a Round of Mini Golf or Spend an Afternoon at the Pool

Fun for the whole family awaits at the miniature golf course, Island Golf. Then head over to Pirate’s Bar & Grill for great food and entertainment! The restaurant also offers access to a pool, where the kids can splash around while the adults take in the view of the Gulf with a drink in hand.

Family-Friendly Dauphin Island Vacation Rentals

Now that you know more about things to do on Dauphin Island with kids, you may be wondering where to stay. Boardwalk Realty has you covered with our collection of over 50 vacation rentals for every family’s budget.

If you are a small family, two-bedroom properties like Beachy Keen and Foresight are perfect for your group. Or bring the extended family along and indulge in our Bout Time property, complete with a private lagoon, boardwalk, and pool! Plan your Alabama family vacation on Dauphin Island today!

Discover things to do on Dauphin Island, Alabama, a family-friendly vacation spot along the white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.

Dauphin Island Beach Vacation

Dauphin Island is a small barrier island off the coast of Alabama. While technically part of the greater Mobile metropolitan area, Dauphin Island feels like it’s worlds away. Travelers must cross a bridge or take a short ferry ride to get there. The Island is about fifteen miles long, with several square miles of undeveloped land devoted to preserving the local habitat.

The word dauphin is French for dolphin, yet referring to the Island as dolphin island would be wrong. King Louis XIV renamed the Island after the future King of France, and a prince waiting for the crown is called a Dauphin. This little bit of Island history begins our list of reasons you should visit for a Dauphin Island Beach vacation.

Dauphin Island Public Beach

The beaches in this part of the coastal Gulf of Mexico have white sand and sparkling warm waters. In addition to the sugar white sands that stretch along the Island’s Gulf shoreline, there are miles of inland walking and biking trails to explore. Most beach areas are pet friendly, leash required, and this little Island has three distinct public beach areas. Experience the east beach near Ft Gaines with a view of local shipping lanes and Sand Island Lighthouse on the horizon. The mid-Island public beach has covered picnic tables and a unique dry pier walkway stretching out over the sand. The pier offers some of the best sunsets watching on the Gulf of Mexico. The west beach, located at the end of the Island’s main roadway, has access to both the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi Sound shorelines, plus unobstructed views of the setting sun. Dauphin Island is called Alabama’s Sunset Capital, so take your time and watch the sun paint the sky with glorious colors.

Step Back in Time

The area that includes Dauphin Island was once home to a Native American population of indigenous people living in various tribes. These were the mound builders, and there’s evidence they lived at least seasonally on the Island. These people created mounds of shells in Shell Mound Park along the Island’s north shore. In 1699, a French explorer found a pile of bones on the Island, which led to the Island’s original name – Massacre Island. What he found was an indigenous burial mound that had been disturbed by storms. The Island’s first explorers were the Spanish. Later, the French used the Island as a stop-off depot for loading and unloading cargo from ocean-going vessels. As a result, the Island has a rich and fascinating history.

A Bird Lover’s Paradise

Audubon Bird Sanctuary celebrates the Island’s place in bird migration patterns as they travel south for the winter and back north for the summer. Flying north across the Gulf of Mexico, several bird species land on Dauphin Island for rest. Thus, Audubon Bird Sanctuary is an ideal place to go bird-watching with children as they try to spot their favorite birds. Many other bird-watching spots of interest abound on this Island sanctuary.

Visit Fort Gaines

Dauphin Island and Fort Gaines preserve pre-Civil War military life. Fort Gaines was built in 1821 to protect the entrance to the interior U.S. after the Louisiana Purchase and is one of the best-preserved examples of pre-civil war masonry. The Battle of Mobile Bay took place with the Fort as a centerpiece during the Civil War. The Fort hosts several living history events throughout the year, so if you’re lucky, you might spot a Knight, a pirate, or a civil war soldier in action during your visit.

Alabama Aquarium

This area of the coastal seaway is a protected estuary and a sanctuary for marine and bird life. The Alabama Aquarium features aquatic life native to the waters around the Island, giving families an up-close look at life in the Gulf and surrounding waters. The aquarium also has a living marsh boardwalk to view wildlife and the marine estuary without disturbing the surroundings. The Island is an active research area and home to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, an educational research facility providing marine studies to undergraduate and graduate students at twenty-two colleges and universities and countless K-12 educational programs.

Schedule your vacation at a Boardwalk Realty vacation rental property today, then prepare to relax and enjoy all Dauphin Island has to offer.

atlas1