» Sailing Mobile Bay on the Schooner Joshua
»USS Alabama
»Shopping in Fairhope
»Birding/Nature Walk with Audubon Society Guide
»Sunday Jazz Brunch
»Golf
»The Spa at The Grand Hotel
»List of Children’s Activities in the Fall
Sailing Mobile Bay on the Schooner Joshua
Joshua is a classic 72' wooden schooner sailing on Mobile Bay, Alabama under the command of Captain Carol Bramblett. Joshua is Coast Guard licensed to carry as many as 49 passengers. The vessel is available for private charter and for walk-on sails. Joshua operates from Mariott's Grand Hotel on the Eastern Shore of the bay and Grand Mariner Marina on Dog River in Mobile. In 2003 Joshua was honored by the City of Mobile as the city's official tall ship. During Mobile's tricentennial celebrations in 2002, Joshua proudly held the second position in the Tall Ships Parade, immediately after the Coast Guard's Eagle. In 2009, Joshua was designated the official Tall Ship of the State of Alabama.
Displacing more than 44,500 tons, the USS ALABAMA measures 680 feet from stem to stern, half as long as the Empire State Building is tall. Armed with nine, 16-inch guns in three turrets and 20, 5-inch, .38-caliber guns in 10 twin mounts, her main batteries could fire shells as heavy as a small car accurately for a distance of more than 20 miles.
Her steel side armor was a foot thick above the waterline, tapering to one half inch at the bottom. Her four propellers, each weighing more than 18 tons, could drive her through the seas at up to 28 knots, more than 32 miles per hour. Loaded with 7,000 tons of fuel oil, her range was about 15,000 nautical miles. The USS ALABAMA was built to fight.
By early 1942 the USS ALABAMA was desperately needed. The Allies had their hands full against the Axis powers in the Atlantic. In the Pacific, the United States was embroiled in a bloody slugfest with Japan, and was still reeling from the Dec. 7, 1941 disaster at Pearl Harbor.
The USS ALABAMA saw 37 months of active duty during World War II, earning nine Battle Stars. The “Mighty A” as she came to be known, safely carried her crew throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean campaigns, and never suffered any casualties or significant damage due to enemy fire. After the war, she was mothballed on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Wash., in 1947.
With the war over, and the military’s transition to a “Peacetime Navy,” the cost of maintaining the wartime fleet became too much of a burden. In May 1962, the Navy announced that the USS ALABAMA and many other war ships would soon be scrapped.
In 1964, a campaign was launched to bring the “Mighty A” home to ALABAMA as a memorial to the state’s sons and daughters who had served in the armed forces. Alabama school children raised almost $100,000 in mostly nickels, dimes, and quarters to help bring her home to her final resting place.
A corporate fundraising campaign raised the balance of the $1 million needed for the Navy to donate the ship. The money raised financed the cost of what is still the longest non-military ton/mile tow in history.
On Jan. 9, 1965, the “Mighty A” was opened to the public as an independent agency of the state of Alabama. Since then, more than 13 million visitors have trod her decks and stood in awe of her majestic presence. The submarine USS DRUM, a World War II veteran with 12 Battle Stars, joined the USS ALABAMA on July 4, 1969.
At least six U.S.Navy ships have been named Alabama, after the state of Alabama.
The USS Alabama (1819), was a 74-gun ship of the line, laid down in 1819, though never completed as such. She was eventually launched in 1864 as the storeship USS New Hampshire.
The USS Alabama (1849), was a sidewheel steamer transferred to the Navy in 1849 that served as a troop transport during the Mexican-American War.
The USS Alabama (1861), was a sidewheel steamer merchant vessel that was commissioned in 1861 during the American Civil War.
The USS Alabama (BB-8), was a pre-dreadnought battleship commissioned in 1900 and scrapped in 1924. This is the ship referred to in the song "Oceana Roll".
The USS Alabama (SP-1052), was a 69-foot motor boat inspected by the Navy in the summer of 1917 and assigned the designation SP-1052.
The USS Alabama (BB-60), was a South Dakota class battleship commissioned in 1942 and converted to a museum ship in 1964. The ship is now docked in Mobile, Alabama.
The USS Alabama (SSBN-731), is an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine currently in service.
USS Alabama (BB-60) Battleship Memorial Park Fun Facts
1 - She was called the Lucky A because, during World War II, she lost no American lives aboard her due to enemy fire. She was also known as the “Mighty A”.
2 - Coffee in the morning took 4 big 80 gallon pots to make 320 Gallons of coffee. How’d you like to have that last cup of joe?
3 - Battleship ALABAMA shot down 22 planes.
4 - The battleship is known as BB-60, the naval identification for battleship # 60.
5 - BB-60 had 4 different types of guns, 129 guns in all.
6 - The cooks had to prepare more than 7,500 meals a day, over 50,000 a week, and more than 2.5 million meals a year, ALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN!
7 – Average age of the 2,500-man crew was only 21 years old, the same ages of the Battleship Crewmates today.
8 – Each 16 inch Big Gun could shoot a 2,700-pound shell up to 21 miles and still hit a dime, but you never could find the dime.
9 – Each time the big guns shot, the shell weighed up to 2,700 pounds, and it took 540 pounds of black gunpowder (six 90 pound bags for each shot) to shoot it, the equivalent of shooting a small automobile each time, and the big guns could shoot at least once every 30 seconds.
10 – It took 140 men to man each of the big gun turrets, which were 5 levels deep on the ship.
11 – When the big guns were firing, more than 58,000 pounds or 29 TONS left the battleship each minute!
12 – It took 3,000 men and women working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 30 consecutive months to build Battleship USS ALABAMA (February 1, 1940 - August 16, 1942) - completed nine months early - a new record!
13 – She is the fifth newest battleship ever built, and no more battleships will ever be built.
14 – Battleship ALABAMA cost approximately $80 million dollars to build in 1942.
15 – The battleship was only used 37 months during World War II. She was almost new when she retired, only has 218,000 miles on her, just broken in good!
16 – Today she weighs about 40,000 tons, or 80 MILLION POUNDS! When she was loaded in World War II, she weighed more than 90 million pounds, in excess of 45,000 tons.
17– She is 108 feet 2 inches wide, and when she came through the 110-foot wide Panama Canal coming home to Mobile in August 1964, she scrapped through, with only 11 inches on each side of the canal to spare!
18 – She is 194 feet tall, taller than a normal sized 20-story building.
19 – ALABAMA’s first Captain, George Barry Wilson, went on to help plan the D-Day invasion.
20 – At full speed, the battleship could go more than 32 miles an hour (28 knots top speed)!
21– In 2002, a watertight cofferdam, costing more than $4.2 million, was built surrounding the battleship. In 2003, 4 million gallons of water was pumped out so the ship’s hull could be fixed, while she still sat in Mobile Bay now surrounded by dirt! The water came back after the repair.
22 – Battleship ALABAMA won 9 Battle Stars!
23 – Submarine DRUM won 12 Battle Stars!
24 – Battleship ALABAMA was commissioned on August 16, 1942, and is now 65 years old!
25 – The crew of the battleship was normally 2,500, bigger than most towns in Alabama.
26 – The crew of the submarine was only 72, 7 Officers and 65 enlisted.
27– The food was really good on both vessels.
28 – Battleship Memorial Park’s first 75 acres was created from the channel dug to bring the battleship here in 1964.
29 – More than 13 million visitors have come since the Park opened on Senior Bowl Saturday, January 9, 1965. The Park celebrated its 42th birthday in January 2007.
30 – The impact of the Park on the economy of the State of Alabama has been more than $ 403 million dollars since opening January 9, 1965 (as of December 2006).
31– 22 planes from the past seven decades are featured in the Park, including a super secret spy plane than could fly more than 5 times the speed of sound. (3,000 miles per hour).
32 – The bottom of Battleship ALABAMA actually is 22 feet under the bottom of Mobile Bay. The Submarine now sits on dry land, having been moved out of the water in 2002, one of the few submarines in the world displayed above ground.
33 – The battleship last ran under her own power in 1946.
34 – Submarine USS DRUM is longer than a football field and weighs more than 3 million pounds.
35 – Battleship ALABAMA is longer than 2 football fields, 680 feet long!
36 – The battleship was towed 5,600 miles from Bremerton, Washington to Mobile in summer 1964, still the longest non-military tow per mile tow in history.
37– Submarine USS DRUM (SS-228) was commissioned on November 1, 1941.
38 – The DRUM was towed from Washington, D.C. in May 1969. She was dedicated on July 4, 1969. DRUM’s sponsor was Mrs. Jolane Edwards, wife of Congressman Jack Edwards of Mobile, who served in Congress from 1964 to 1984.
39 – On the Battleship, an average Beef Stew meal for 2,500 men used 1,000 pounds of beef, 37 pounds of fat, 100 gallons of water, and more than 2,100 pounds of other ingredients, all for just one meal.
40 – The channel dug to bring the battleship to the Park was two miles long, 120 wide, and 32 feet deep. The cost to dredge the channel and build the first 75 acres of the Park was only 7 ? cents per cubic yard for the 2.7 million cubic yards dredged, but totaled more than $ 225,000 in 1964 (when the minimum wage $ 1.00 per hour and a new Cadillac was about $ 3,000).
41– The school children of the State raised $ 100,000 to bring the ship here in Spring 1964.
42 – The B-52 Bomber actually flew into Mobile in 1985, and was brought to the Park by barge from Brookley Field.
43 – Battleship Park has many rare aircraft: one of the six existing A-12 Blackbird spyplanes; one of the three remaining OS2U Kingfishers from WWII; one of only four F-86L Sabre Jets; one of the two ever built YF-17, the prototype for the F/A-18 Hornet, currently flown by the Navy & Marines, to mention only a few of the rare warbirds on display.
44 – The big gun turrets on the battleship could turn up to 270 degrees, but were not attached to the ship in any way, so if the ship turned over, the turrets would fall out!
45 – ALABAMA’s most famous sailor was Robert “Bullet Bob” Feller, who was chosen Major League Baseball’s Best Right Handed Pitcher in the 20th century! Feller, an All-Star with the Cleveland Indians before Pearl Harbor, enlisted and served 34 months aboard BB-60 as a Chief Petty Officer in charge of one of the 40mm gun mounts, before returning to baseball and an outstanding career.
46 – 6,322 men served aboard Battleship ALABAMA during her 4 ? years of active duty. The integrated crew lost only 5 men in combat situations during that time, none to enemy fire.
47– The picnic area at the Park is modeled after a typical South Pacific village.
48 – The Park’s Vietnam River Patrol Boat (PBR) goes faster than 40 miles per hour and can turn 180 degrees in its own length of less than 40 feet!
49 – Vietnam veterans designed, financed, and built the Alabama Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the Park. The black granite walls honor the 175 Mobile and Baldwin County deceased, as well as the 1,213 Alabama Vietnam veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice. The new equally impressive Alabama Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated on June 25, 2002, and stands next to the Vietnam Memorial, with 752 Alabamians remembered on the gray granite.
50 – The Park’s Wall of Honor inside the Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion honors the 9,583 Alabama citizens who have died in combat for our country since World War I in the 20th century. The Aircraft Pavilion honors those 29 Alabama citizens who have received the Medal of Honor, the highest award given by the United States of America.
Visit Fairhope and the Eastern Shore to experience a variety of retail shops and fine dining restaurants. The shopping in Fairhope ranges from upscale clothing stores, unique local art and antique shopping. Try one of the many Fairhope restaurants that offer a varied selection of domestic and international cuisine that would satisfy any palate while you explore the historic downtown area of Fairhope. Enjoy the unique setting of the century-old downtown Fairhope, Alabama. Walk the manicured streets, visit the quaint and unique shops and enjoy the wide selection of retail operations. Also enjoy the beautiful sunsets overlooking Mobile Bay bordered by moss-draped live oaks. The Fairhope retail shops and ShopFairhope.com hope you will enjoy visiting Fairhope and the Eastern Shore, and invite you to visit our site often. We are adding new Fairhope retail shops to our guide weekly.
Birding/Nature Walk with Audubon Society Guide
The Alabama Coastal Birding Trail, arranged as a series of loops, describes the birding spots most frequented by Alabama birders. Each loop could easily take a half day or more. Detailed directions are provided in a sequential fashion, but it is not necessary to follow the complete loop. Suggestions are given for some of the birds that may be expected at each site. On the Internet check the AOS website for current information. For further details on this area or other areas in Alabama see A Birder's Guide to Alabama, The University of Alabama Press (2001).
Alabama's Gulf Coast is a paradise not only for birders, but for visitors with a variety of interests. We have beautiful gulf beaches, historic homes and fortresses, championship golf courses, world-class fishing and much, much, more.
Hunting also occurs in our area. Hunting season usually runs from October through February, though nonconsumptive use is permitted year round. For more information on hunting or fishing contact the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division at 251-626-5474.
We remind all birders to exercise great care in enjoying the birds of our coast; care for the birds and their habitat, care for the property owners who host our avian visitors, and care for other birders. Thank you!
We hope you'll take a look at all this great region has to offer.
Sunday Jazz Brunch (Note: This is not included in the meeting package)
Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa
A tradition that locals have flocked to for decades, The Grand Hotel’s Jazz Brunch has been hailed as the “Best Brunch” as long as the historic building has stood. A great place to begin the Brunch experience is in the historic lobby with a glass of Bucky Miller’s famous “Brunch Punch”. Once you enter the Dining Room, the champagne generously flows as the band marches through raising the spirits of all the guests. Chefs carve spectacular roasts and guests dine on varieties of salads, vegetables and freshly made pastries. Miss Laura is available to make you one of her famous omelets called the Lump Crab Scramble. Her omelet is listed as one of the “100 Dishes You Must Eat Before You Die”. Elegance, aromas and excitement fill the room as feet tap to the rhythm of “When the Saints Go Marching In”. End your experience with a variety of desserts including our most requested dessert, the Grand Hotel Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce.
Reservations are required Seating times available are11:45 am, 12:00, 12:30, 1:30, and 1:45 pm
Golf Department—Lakewood
• Lakewood Golf Club a 36 hole facility
A resort on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Course Names: (1) Azalea (2) Dogwood
Both courses have undergone extensive reconstruction over the past three years. The Dogwood was opened in spring 2004. Azalea was opened in November of 2005. Dogwood plays toward the hotel on the front 9 and is very open with lots of water and views of Mobile Bay. The back 9 has many majestic oaks and Spanish moss. Azalea is much longer and a bit more open off the tee.
There are 5 tee-box options on each course to choose from.
• Hours of Operation: 6:00 A.M.- Til’. Tee Times begin @ 7:00 A.M.
• Driving Range: 7:00 A.M.- 30 minutes before sunset.
• Practice Area: There is a chipping and bunker practice area at the learning facility.
• Green Fee Pricing: March 1-November 14 $125.00 (includes golf cart and practice balls)
Nine hole rates are exactly ½ the 18 hole rate. Junior 18 hole rate is $40.00 for 18 holes and $20.00 for 9 holes plus applicable cart fees.
• Rental: Cobra Graphite shafted woods and Cobra steel-shafted irons -$45.00 for 18 holes
• Twilight Golf: Twilight specials are available on a daily basis. Twilight begins at 2:00 P.M or 3:00 P.M. depending on season. Call the golf shop for times and rates.
• Walking Policy: Walking a round of golf is permitted, but pull carts are not allowed for non-members.
• Dress Code: Collared shirts are required for men. Appropriate golf style non-collared shirts for ladies are acceptable. Denim is prohibited. Soft Spike shoes are not required, but are recommended.
• Appointments: Tee-Times may be made by calling the golf shop at 928-1406 during business hours. At certain times walk-up play may be possible, but not recommended. Five player groups are not allowed. Four players maximum per tee-time.
Lessons: Lessons may be arranged through the golf shop minimum of 48 hours notice is recommended when scheduling a lesson. Adult lessons are $35 per half hour, $55 per hour. Junior Lessons are $20 per half hour, $35 per hour.
• Amenities: Full locker facility. Full service golf shop stocked with name brand golf and resort style merchandise and golf equipment.
• Golf Packages: Packages may be made by calling the reservations department at the hotel or by calling the Sunbelt Golf Corporation Reservations department at 1-800-949-4444.
All prices are plus applicable taxes, not a flat fee.Range Balls included for all greens fee paying rounds.
***Does not include Tax
The Spa at the Grand Hotel is pleased to offer you specialized packages designed to create wonderful memories and an unforgettable spa experience. (Note: You will need to make Spa reservations directly with the hotel and need to do so well in advance of your arrival since times fill up quickly).
Please feel free to choose one of the following packages, or our professional spa planners will be delighted to create a package just for you.
All packages include a complimentary day pass for unlimited use of the spa and fitness facilities. For your convenience, a 20% gratuity is included in all packages and group appointments.
A TASTE OF SPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $187
20 minute Upper Body Massage, 20 minute Express Facial, and 20 minute Petite Pedicure.
GRAND SPA SAMPLER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$264
50 minute Custom Massage, 20 minute Express Facial, and Grand Spa Pedicure.
THE GRAND SOUTHERN BELLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $691
Experience a truly magical day! Begin in Neptune’s Hideaway with a luxurious body polish to exfoliate and restore luster to your skin. Next, a creamy, wonderfully aromatic body masque of French clays, essential oils and papaya is applied, followed by gentle steam and a cascade of warm showers pulsating over your entire body. Follow this with a 50 minute massage and a 50 minute Signature European facial. Indulge in The Grand Spa Pedicure and Grand Spa Manicure. Then finish with a shampoo and blow dry and full make-up application. A Spa Cuisine Luncheon will be served. Simply stated… Life is Grand!
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