Plash Island - Paradise on Alabama's Gulf Coast
/Plash Island in Gulf Shores, Alabama is paradise on earth with spectacular sunsets, fun outdoor activities, dog-friendly adventures, a rich fishing and shrimping tradition, and an escape from the heavy-traffic tourist areas of Alabama’s Gulf Coast.
By Michelle Segrest, Travel Adventures from #myofficetoday
Fight the heavy tourist traffic traveling south on Highway 59 and you’ll find hundreds of shops, restaurants, attractions, bars, and discount shopping outlets.
But if it’s serenity you seek, hang a right just before the W.C. Holmes Bridge and begin the long, empty, somewhat boring trek down Oyster Bay Road. The two-or-so-mile drive down County Road 4 seems endless as any evidence of tourism completely disappears.
Cross over the 50-yard bridge that connects Gulf Shores to Plash Island—a small, quaint, island community—and you will begin to see life again. You can catch a glimpse of dolphins surfacing in the bay and see the old and new ships being serviced and refurbished at Nelson’s Boatyard. Local fisherman take cover from the brutal sun under the low bridge that provides the only road access to the island as they patiently drop their lines in hopes of landing the speckled trout, redfish, sheepshead, and flounder that are abundant in the mixture of fresh and saltwater below.
Enter Paradise.
There is no sign of tourism of any kind on the island. No restaurants, no gas stations, no convenience stores, or shops—you’ll only find local residents and the small Oyster Bay Baptist Church, which is a renovated building that was originally constructed in 1923.
The obvious and welcome lack of hustle and bustle creates a quiet, communal atmosphere. Plash Island offers the best of both worlds—a serene island lifestyle with no tourist traffic but easy access to all the shops, restaurants, events, and attractions that are so prominent in the heart of a city that thrives on tourism.
I lived, worked, and reared my children for 23 years in the industrial city of Birmingham, the largest city in Alabama. In 2016, when my children left the nest for college at Auburn University, the sea and salt air were calling my name, and I made the easiest decision of my life. I made Plash Island my home and have never looked back. I travel the world for work and often report about incredible and unique locations from #myofficetoday. Plash Island is #myofficeeveryday, and there is no place in the world like home!
Plash Island is located about five miles west of downtown Gulf Shores. Bon Secour Bay (which means “safe harbor”) is my back yard and my front yard is a gorgeous marina on the Intracoastal Waterway within a small condo community of sailors, fishermen, and boat lovers.
Surrounded completely by water, I can sit on my back deck and see the barges and shrimp boats cruise along the ICWW. I can sit on my front porch and witness spectacular sunsets highlighted by silhouettes of classic shrimp boats on Bon Secour Bay.
On daily walks with my beagles, Cap’n Jack & Scout, we see herons patrolling the marina and the banks of the island. Pelicans dive head first, crashing with great force into the water of Bon Secour Bay as they fish for food. Sometimes eagles soar above our heads. Even though we see them almost every day, we never get tired of watching the local dolphins splash, fish, and play. Sometimes, a manatee finds its way inside our marina.
Wildlife is abundant on Plash Island. In addition to many varieties of birds, opossum, raccoons, and armadillos, at night we can hear the coyotes howling at the moon and can often hear the snort of wild boar. And occasionally, an alligator slithers through the marina waters or along the beautiful rocks that border the island’s perimeter.
The People of Plash Island
The friendly and talented people of Plash Island are as beautiful as its scenery and sunsets.
You can charter a fishing trip from the Frazier family, who own and operate Fins & Family Fishing. They offer private, family-friendly inshore and nearshore fishing charters on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. The Fraziers also own and operate Captain Frazier’s Bait & Snack Boat, which features live bait such as shrimp, croakers, and bull minnows as well as cold sodas, refreshing snow cones, and light snacks.
In 2009, friends and Plash Island residents Dave and Tricia LaGasse built the amazing Gulf State Park Pier. At 1,540 feet, the pier is the second longest pier on the Gulf of Mexico and has 2,448 feet of fishing space and a fish cleaning station.
Paula Gonzalez operates SeaPaws Dog Resort, located right next door to us on Plash Island. She offers a full day of unleashed fun for your dog. It’s the best doggie daycare and boarding place on the Gulf Coast with acres of fenced room for your dog to run and play with other dogs. Cap’n Jack & Scout get so much exercise and social interaction and love to spend time there when I have to travel without them.
From her front porch, Lynn Jordan captures exquisite images of the shrimp boats trawling through Bon Secour Bay.
The Shrimping Tradition of Gulf Shores
Seeing the classic shrimp boats is part of the character of Plash Island. Commercial fishing in South Baldwin County is a multi-million-dollar industry with market demands for shrimp, oysters, and fish exceeding the supply.
On September 25, 1971, The Gulf Shores Tourist Association created the first shrimp festival held on the municipal beach adjacent to the Hangout (at the end of State Highway 59). Homespun, with a friendly, relaxed feeling, numerous church and civic organizations featured shrimp dishes at a nominal cost as fundraising projects and to promote the use of shrimp, which provided the area at that time with $5 million annually.
From a one-day festival in 1971 to a four-day event that is still held annually in early October, the Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival on Pleasure Island has grown in popularity and now attracts more than 300,000 people each year.
The Fishing Tradition of Plash Island
With its rock piled perimeter and nearby islands, Plash Island and the surrounding area offers a built-in fishing structure that is a fertile hunting ground for local fishermen. There is a mixture of fresh water coming in from Magnolia Springs and Bon Secour River and seawater coming in from Mobile Bay. Fishermen and boaters can venture into Bon Secour Bay to the opening of Mobile Bay—where Fort Morgan meets Dauphin Island—and see the distinct line where the fresh water meets the saltwater of the Gulf of Mexico.
The History of Plash Island
From Plash Island, it’s only about a 10- to 15-minute drive to the Gulf Shores beach, or a 40-minute bicycle ride, which is my preferred way to get there! Beautiful Gulf State Park is also easily accessible with bike trails along Shelby Lake, featuring a cool dog park, and the magnificent Gulf State Park Pier.
Formerly the northernmost tip of the Fort Morgan Peninsula, the area became an island in the early 1940s when the ICWW was built. Plash Island was named for the family who settled it to harvest seafood and was the home of Plash Island Seafood for 34 years. Plash's store was at the mouth of the south fork of Bon Secour River. The Intracoastal Canal was cut through the peninsula behind Plash’s store, cutting the Ridge Road off from Bon Secour.
Originally, it was simply called “The Island.” On an old map it was called “Hog Island.” Around 1965, the name Plash Island began to catch on.
About 600 acres on or near Plash Island were annexed into Gulf Shores in October 2004.
Cap’n Jack & Scout love to hop in the Protagonist, our wooden, 15-foot day sailer, and cruise with me around the island to local Gulf Shores restaurants. Many of them allow us to moor the boat right outside. With outdoor seating, our beagles are always welcome. Sometimes we take the boat out at sunset and just sit inside the gorgeous colors that reflect off the calm bay water. In about two-hours, the beagles and I can paddle around the entire island on a kayak and see the island’s beauty from the water.
Along with the quiet atmosphere and relaxed island lifestyle, Plash Island and Gulf Shores are especially dog-friendly, which is the ultimate bonus. Although I’ve sailed and traveled to unbelievably beautiful destinations on six continents, there is nowhere in the world I’d rather call home than Plash Island.
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