20 Best Things To Do on Dauphin Island
If you’re looking for the best things to do on Dauphin Island, you’re in the right place. The island boasts seven miles of sugar-white sand public beaches, clear water, beautiful weather, and fewer crowds.
Guess what else? The beaches are dog-friendly.
It is the perfect Gulf Coast retreat to relax, recharge, and explore.
We share all the best things to do to help you have a great trip. It is one of our favorite places to visit along the Gulf.
Reasons To Visit Dauphin Island
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The island itself has so much to offer, especially if you love being outdoors.
We love that there are trails to walk or bike all over. There are lots of opportunities for bird watching and trying to spot an alligator — that’s right, an alligator.
There are also a few green space parks, nature reserves, and an estuarium and sea lab with public aquariums.
How To Get Here
Dauphin Island is one of the Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands located in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Alabama, south of Mobile and Mobile Bay.
It is accessible via the Dauphin Island Bridge, officially named the Gordon Persons Bridge. Gordon Persons Bridge is an enormous concrete bridge spanning 3 miles of 2-lane traffic from Alabama State Route 193. The bridge takes drivers over the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway, connecting the island and the mainland.
The island can also be accessed via the Mobile Bay Ferry from Fort Morgan (west of Gulf Shores) — more on the Dauphin Island Ferry below.
Where To Stay
Along with a campground, there are many places to rent beach houses and condos along the island with waterfront views.
🏖️ Find mid-budget places to stay on Dauphin Island.
Dauphin Island Map of Public Beaches & Destinations
Below is a map to help orient you as you plan your trip.
About the Beaches
You’re probably wondering about the most essential part of any island vacation, so we’ll get right to it. The beaches on Dauphin Island are stunning.
The bright white sand on a sunny day will take your breath away. You’re in for a treat if you’ve never been to Alabama.
Plan to visit all the beautiful public beaches. There are seven miles of public beaches and a few different access points and parking areas.
Best Things To Do
We explored for a little under a week. Below are popular attractions to see.
Explore Dauphin Island Beach
The best beach (in our opinion) is Dauphin Beach. Visitors pay to park and walk along the pier out towards miles of beautiful sugar sand. The water is clear, and the beach is pet-friendly.
There is so much space to spread out while spending the day here.
There is a sand barrier off the coast, and the beach is tucked into a cove, so the water is more protected and calmer, making for an excellent place to swim and soak up some sun.
Visit the Dauphin Island East End Beach
The East End Beach is located precisely where it is named – on the east end.
There is less parking, and the water is not as clear. However, the east side of the island is home to protected sand dunes for nesting sea turtles, shore, and sea birds.
May and November are excellent months to see nesting sea turtles, and spring is also a great time for bird-watching.
Visitors can even access the East End Beach from the Dauphin Island Campground and the Audubon Bird Sanctuary Trails. So if you’re camping here, you can walk to the beach.
The East End Beach is dog-friendly.
Check Out the Dauphin Island West End Beach
The West End Beach is located near a popular residential and vacation home area.
Drive towards the west until there is a parking lot. Visitors must pay to park here.
This pristine beach is quite long, and there is no development after the parking area.
Dogs are not allowed at the West End Beach.
Tour the Historic Fort Gains
Iconic for its importance in the American Civil War, Fort Gains guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay for over 150 years. It was constructed between 1819 and 1853 to protect the island.
Visitors can walk around the outside of the fort free of charge.
Admission to enter is $5 (ages 5-12) and $10 for adults.
Discover the Estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Directly across from Fort Gains, on the east side, is the Estuarium and Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
Marine scientists are conducting ongoing research here. You might even be able to see them in action—we did.
Outside the building, there are boardwalks along the shoreline where visitors can read about the science being conducted to monitor the environment.
A living marsh boardwalk meanders through the estuarium, detailing ecological explanations for visitors to learn more about the importance of the different coastal habitats.
You can walk around the outside of the Sea Lab free of charge.
Visit the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Aquarium
Inside the Sea Lab, there is a public aquarium. The aquarium has an exhibit hall and sting-ray touch pool, along with 31 aquariums with over 100 species of wildlife.
Admission to enter the aquarium is $6 (ages 5-18) and $12 for adults.
Visit the Goat Tree Reserve
This is pretty but a little anti-climactic. You can visit the Goat Tree Reserve to see the island’s iconic giant oak trees. Supposedly, goats would climb up the trees back in the day to avoid being eaten by alligators!
The reserve is also home to migratory birds. Keep your eyes open for little green lizards, too.
Explore Indian Shell Mound Park
In 1973, Indian Shell Mound Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In the ’90s, archeologists found shell mounds containing layers of oyster shells, fish bones, charcoal, and potsherds from as far back as the Mississippian Period (AD 1100 to 1550).
The park is not only of historical significance but is home to many birds and island wildlife.
Hike and Bird Watch in the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary
Over 350 species of resident and migratory birds have been identified on the island, making it a birding hot spot. The Audubon Bird Sanctuary is roughly 164 acres.
On the island’s eastern end, you can walk the beautiful trails and boardwalks through the coastal forest and marshland and along the beach to watch for birds.
Keep your eyes open for a potential alligator spotting as well. Sadly, we didn’t see one, and since we aren’t from the area, I was hoping to spot one in the wild.
Walk To Pelican Peninsula
South of Dauphin Beach, a peninsula jets out into Pelican Passage. The sandy island is a great place to walk towards to enjoy bird watching and views along the Gulf of Mexico.
Take a Scenic Boat Tour from the Dauphin Island Marina
The Dauphin Island Marina offers scenic boat tours. You can choose from sunset cruises to dolphin watching. They also rent pontoon boats.
Go Fishing
While visiting, go fishing with a local charter or bring your own gear.
We saw lots of people fishing right off the coast on the east end.
Ride the Mobile Bay Ferry
You can take the Mobile Bay Ferry to Fort Morgan. The ferry can accommodate vehicles and trailers of multiple sizes. They even just take passengers if you want to do a day trip to check out the Historic Fort Morgan.
We took the ferry with our truck and small camper to Fort Morgan on our way to Gulf Shores, Alabama. The trip takes about 40 minutes and is a neat way to see sea life, including dolphins and birds.
To plan, check out the Dauphin Island Ferry schedule (link to their website).
Take a Tour to Sand Island Lighthouse
To date, the Sand Island Lighthouse is the only lighthouse in Alabama and has been around for over 150 years.
A boat is required to visit the lighthouse. Although it is free to visit the lighthouse, if you don’t have your own boat, you’ll need to pay to rent a boat or take a guided boat tour.
Golf at Isle Dauphine Golf Club
If you’re into golfing, check out Isle Dauphine Golf Club. We aren’t golfers, but we drove there to see the area.
There is a restaurant, pool, and parking area, which allows visitors who are not playing golf to access the beach. Visitors do need to pay for a wristband to use the pool and the beach.
Watch a Sunset
Did you know Dauphin Island is known as the sunset capital of Alabama? Rightfully so, with clear views on the west end.
If you’re staying at a vacation home on the west end, you’ll have clear views of incredible Gulf Coast sunsets.
Catch a Sunrise
Along with epic sunsets, you don’t want to miss sunrise if you’re an early riser.
If camping, walking to the coast takes less than five minutes to catch a beautiful sunrise.
Picnic at Cadillac Square
Cadillac Square was originally where Governor Cadillac’s home was located in 1715. It was also the capital of the Louisiana Territory. Now, visitors can enjoy the wooded area for a picnic. There are places to park and tables to sit at.
Eat Where the Locals Eat
We talked to a few locals on our trip, and they all said not to miss Skinner’s Seafood and the Lighthouse Bakery during a visit.
🏖️ Find mid-budget places to stay on Dauphin Island.
More Alabama Adventures:
We love Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Check out these articles to plan your beach trip:
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Better than visiting the island, is being a resident! We have been permanent islanders for 11 years. Would not live anywhere else! Great article.
Hi Carroll, thank you for reading and commenting. You are so lucky! Dauphin Island is incredible. Thanks for the nice comment. That means a lot to us.
This is such a great post! I love islands like this ?
Thanks for reading and commenting. We do too!
What a cosy place to visit! Would definitely love to catch both a sunset & sunrise there 🙂
Hope you can make it someday! Thanks for reading.
I had no idea Alabama was home to something so cool! Dauphin Island really has all the things I love to do. When would you say is the best time to go?
We didn’t either! It was a treat 🙂 I would say May had great weather – warm but not super humid and there were no crowds.
I lived in Alabama for 5 years and traveled all over the state and never even heard of Dauphin Island. How is that possible?!?! The beaches are gorgeous and my petsitting heart is happy that they are dog friendly! Thanks for enlightening me about Dauphin Island. I didn’t think I’d ever want to go back to AL, but now I do!
Hi there! Hope you can make it back someday! 🙂
All of this vacation seems like fun.
Hey Uncle Burt! Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a great day!