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| Downtown Fairhope, Alabama. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
Fairhope, Alabama, is the cutest town on the planet.
I know that many may disagree with that statement, particularly if they live in other contending towns. But I bet they've never visited Fairhope on a clear, warm October day, when the downtown merchants have their doors open and the restaurants patios are filled with tourists and townies alike.
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| Fairhope, Alabama. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
Fairhope is on the eastern side of Mobile Bay and is filled with memorable restaurants like Panini Pete's, a must-visit sandwich shop that you just may have seen if you follow Guy Fieri's Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."
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| Panini Pete's. Fairhope, Alabama. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
The decor is Gulf Coast funky.
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| Panini Pete's. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
And the food is dynamite. Like my favorite, the Seared Tuna with cucumbers, sliced tomato, baby greens and Key lime aioli on ciabatta.
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| Seared tuna panini. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
Grilled cheese for the kidoodle.
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| Grilled cheese. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
After lunch at Panini Pete's we walked around the downtown area and my friend introduced us to R. Bistro and Pastry, where the pastry case is filled with lovely sweets and the decor is all about Southern charm.
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| Caramel apples. R. Bistro, Fairhope, Alabama. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
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| Autumn display at R. Bistro. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
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| R. Bistro, Fairhope, Alabama. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
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| R. Bistro desserts. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
Downtown Fairhope features art galleries.
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| Art. Fairhope, Alabama. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
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| Fairhope museum. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
Fairhope has a fascinating
history featuring socialists, economists, dreamers and doers. The town museum covers it all.
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| Fairhope mural. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
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| Antique fire engine. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
The museum is located in the city's former jail. And this is the lock-up, a former ship's brig.
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| Jail at Fairhope Museum. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
The museum currently spotlights the area residents' participation in World War II.
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| World War II Memorial at Fairhope Museum. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
This was an afternoon excursion and we didn't allow enough time to fully view the museum. I will definitely be back!
On our way back to the beach, we relived the day in Fairhope with a piece of R. Bistro's lemon meringue tart...
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| Lemon meringue tart from R. Bistro. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
If you've been to Fairhope, please tell me where I need to visit on my next trip. If you've never been, please tell me your vote for cutest town on the planet.
Text and images copyright 2012, Lucy Mercer.
3 comments:
Thank you for spotlighting my home state of Alabama!!♥ We have dear friends that live in Fairhope ~ it is a quaint little town on the bay!
Thanks for reading, Terry! I believe in "Alabama the Beautiful!)
Agreed, Fairhope is the absolute most awesome place I’ve ever visited. A few other places to note is Southern Antiques & Collectables, the cool tropical vibe of The Monkey Ball, Pints & Pins, Tamara’s, Sean’s Fine Dining, and the Fairhope Christmas Store, just to name a few!!
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