About thisGuide

What this site is

Dauphin Island Guide is an independent visitor guide to Dauphin Island, Alabama — a barrier island at the mouth of Mobile Bay, reached by the Dauphin Island Bridge off I-10 or by the Mobile Bay Ferry from Fort Morgan.

It is not run by the Town of Dauphin Island, the Chamber of Commerce, or any business on the island. Nobody pays to be recommended here.

What we cover

• Beaches — which beach is which, where to park, what it costs
• Things to do — Fort Gaines, the Sea Lab Estuarium, the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, paddling, biking
• Eating — the local restaurants and markets worth your time
• Staying — beach houses, condos, bayside homes, camping
• The ferry and practical travel tips
• Birding and fishing, the two things this island is genuinely known for

How we keep it accurate

The island changes: hours shift by season, the town revises parking rules, and the ferry adjusts its schedule. Where a fact is time-sensitive we point to the authoritative source instead of guessing — the Town of Dauphin Island for beach access and parking, the ferry operator for sailings, the Alabama Marine Resources Division for fishing rules, and the sanctuary itself for trail conditions.

Every page carries an updated date. If a page has not changed, the date has not changed.

How the site is funded

Dauphin Island Guide is published by Further South Designs, an independent web studio. The site currently earns nothing from the businesses it mentions, and no listing on this site has been paid for.

Some links go to third parties — VRBO for rental searches, Google Maps for directions, the ferry operator's own site. If those ever become paid links, they will be marked as such on the page where they appear.

Photos

Illustrated maps and photographs on this site are used to show the island as it is. If you believe an image is credited incorrectly, let us know and we will correct or remove it.