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Beach Rentals Dauphin Islands

No visit to Dauphin Island is complete without visiting the island’s top attraction, the Alabama Aquarium. This aquarium, operated by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, offers visitors an inside look into the key coastal habitats of Alabama. Plan a visit and learn about the unique ecosystems surrounding our island through the 10,000-square-foot exhibit hall and guided excursions led by local experts. Stay with Boardwalk Realty and discover everything the Alabama Aquarium has to offer during your visit:

Dauphin Island Sea Lab: Alabama Aquarium

The Dauphin Island Sea Lab, a marine research and education center, operates the Alabama Aquarium. Dauphin Island, surrounded by Mobile Bay, the Mississippi Sound, and the Gulf of Mexico, offers the perfect destination for marine research. The lab’s mission is to share information about ocean life and conservation with the public. The aquarium allows visitors to get a firsthand look at local marine life and learn about DISL’s work.

Things to Do at the Alabama Aquarium

Purchase tickets for the Alabama Aquarium and learn about Alabama’s coastal habitats through these attractions:

  • Stroll through the 10,000-square-foot exhibit hall featuring species of Mobile Bay including drum, pipefish, and the diamondback terrapin. 
  • Visit the 7,000-gallon stingray touch pool and pet a live stingray! Species include Atlantic, Blutnose, and Cownose Stingrays. 
  • Explore the Living Marsh Boardwalk.

Alabama Aquarium Education Opportunities

The DISL also offers education opportunities and excursions for an additional fee. Fill out a reservation form or contact excursions@disl.edu for more information!

  • Boardwalk Talks is a series where you can learn about the current projects DISL is working on and a broad range of science topics.
  • Salt Marsh Excursions allows you to become a marine scientist for the day by learning how to collect samples and specimens from a salt marsh. 
  • The Beach, Dune, and Maritime Forest Excursions allow visitors to explore all three ecosystems. Visitors can also get an up-close look at wildlife by using nets and digging for moles and ghost crabs.
  • R/V Alabama Discovery Excursion takes you on a two-hour boat ride around Dauphin Island with a professional DISL educator. 

Book Your Dauphin Island Vacation Rental Today!

There is plenty to do on Dauphin Island beyond the Alabama Aquarium. Enjoy miles of beachfront, exceptional fishing, outdoor exploration, and historic sites. Choose Boardwalk Realty to host your getaway and stay in one of our Dauphin Island vacation rentals. Check out our specials and save on your upcoming Dauphin Island vacation!

Enjoy blue skies and moon pies during our annual Dauphin Island Mardi Gras celebration! Kick off the Gulf Coast Mardi Gras season with Boardwalk Realty this January and witness several family-friendly parades roll down Bienville Boulevard. Here are the top things to know about this year’s Mardi Gras celebration:

Dauphin Island Mardi Gras 2024 Events

Alabama Mardi Gras Parade Insiders Tips

Dauphin Island parade goers should arrive early to secure a parking spot along the parade route that follows Bienville Boulevard from the east end of Bienville to just past the 1500 block of Bienville on the Island’s west end.  Here are a few Town of Dauphin Island parade etiquette rules to remember for 2024:  

  • You’re not supposed to reserve a parking space before sunrise on the day of the event, and you can’t mark off your turf with rope or tape boundaries. 
  • Once you’ve claimed space with parked vehicles, lawn chairs, or canopies, at least one member of the party must remain on the scene.
  • Sites should be fully cleaned up immediately after the parade.

There will be many parade attendees from the mainland coming to join the fun. We will have vendors on the Island with fun keepsakes, beads, and silly hats for all ages! The fun begins long before the parade arrives, with families of all ages enjoying time together socializing in our warm and sunny community atmosphere with tailgating and cookouts! 

Take time to enjoy the day with local parade goers and maybe even bring a blanket, pack a picnic, and settle down for a nice lunch while you wait for the parade to begin. There will be lots of excitement and frivolity, along with fantastic Mardi Gras beads and throws to catch as you enjoy a great view of the Dauphin Island parades that kick off the Gulf Coast Mardi Gras season!

Alabama Gulf Coast Mardi Gras Season

After the last moon pie is thrown on Dauphin Island, the Mardi Gras season continues in nearby Mobile, AL, with parades rolling downtown through the final day of Mardi Gras, known as “Fat Tuesday,” on February 13, 2024. Check out Mobile Mask for information on the 2024 schedule, parade routes, and events. 

Stay on the Parade Route with Boardwalk Realty

Boardwalk Realty offers several Dauphin Island vacation rentals, and it’s not too late to join the fun! Bout Time, Shore to Please, Toes in the Sand, Sunset Key, and The Beach House have available dates for the Mardi Gras season – check them out today and join us for Dauphin Island Mardi Gras!

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