March 15th through the 21st is Spring Break. We have been planning for several months with two other couples to head to Kentucky to the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum. This is something we have wanted to do since they have opened.
The threat of the Coronavirus is lurking in the background. We have been struggling with whether to head out or not. We had the Motorhome already hooked up to our tow vehicle. Everything was packed. We had just talked to the other couples and were ready to head out when we got an email stating that the Ark and Creation Museum had closed their doors due to the Coronavirus. So we all called the campground where we had reservations and cancelled our reservations. Of course we lost our first night of our money.
What do we do now. I already had a roast, potatoes and carrots cooked to carry for our first night. So we called the other couples and had them come over for dinner and a planning session.
We discussed all the local campgrounds, but it was cold and rainy. One of the ladies mentioned she had always wanted to go to Bellingrath Gardens. We checked the weather reports for the Mobile area. It was supposed to be warm and sunny.
So off we go the next morning.
It was a beautiful day. We got to our campground late in the afternoon. We decided we would go to the Cracker Barrel for dinner. Everyone was tired but in good spirits.
The next day we headed to Bellingrath Gardens. None of us had ever been here before. By this time Social Distancing was going on. There were not many people here on a Tuesday. The gardens cover 65 acres with beautiful azaleas, and camelias that were in full bloom. There were many other flowers I didn’t know the name, but they were in full bloom. They said there is some kind of flowers blooming here year round. The gardens have many water fountains and a walkway over the waterway, and a Conservatory.
We saw three snakes at Bellingrath Gardens. One was by one of the fountains, one was by the dock, and one was out in the water grass by the walkway.
We also toured the Belliingrath mansion. This home has 15 rooms and 10.000 square feet of beautiful architecture. It had a beautiful collection of porcelain and antique furniture. It was constructed in 1935. This home was built with a state of the art kitchen. It actually had a dishwasher which was unheard of in the 1930’s.
The next day we went to the Estuaruim at Dauphin Island Sea Lab. We were walking up the boardwalk to the building and started seeing dauphins. We tried to catch them on the video, but they were to fast.
We walked up to the door and thought they were closed, but they were closing the next day because of the Coronavirus. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and it only cost $12.oo each. There were so many strange looking creatures. There were alligators, fish, stingrays, and turtles. It was well worth going to see.
We then walked across the street to see Fort Gaines. We were not sure we wanted to pay the $8.00 per person to go in, but decided while we were there we would. We were glad we went in and really had a good time. They gave us a walking guide which gave us a lot of information. It was very close to the gulf and had beautiful view, It was a beautiful chilly day, but there were still people enjoying the beach in their swim suits.
The fort has been well preserved, but the coastline is falling into the gulf. Fort Gaines has been listed on the Eleven Most Endangered Historic Sites. It also has a Museum and Gift shop in the fort.
We had such a good time with our friends, and hated to have to come home.