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Things to Do Dauphin Island

Leave the car at your Boardwalk Realty vacation rental and easily get around Dauphin Island on a golf cart rental. Reserve your golf cart with Island Time Cart Rentals and drive to the island’s beaches, restaurants, and attractions. Whether you need to pick up groceries in town or just want to enjoy the sights of the island at your leisure, golf carts are the perfect addition to your vacation!

Dauphin Island Golf Cart Rentals

With Island Time Cart Rentals, you can enjoy free golf cart delivery and pickup at your vacation rental. All their golf carts are fueled or fully charged, so you can start your adventures when you arrive. These carts accommodate six passengers and include foldable seats to transport your beach gear, coolers, and groceries easily. Before booking, please familiarize yourself with their rules and regulations.

Golf Cart Rules

  • Golf cart rentals are low-speed vehicles that must comply with all the normal roadway laws.
  • Wear shoes at all times
  • Wear seatbelts at all times
  • Do NOT take your golf cart on the beach
  • You must be over 21 to operate a golf cart and have a valid driver’s license.

Where to Go on Your Golf Cart Rental

Whether you are looking for transportation or want to cruise around the island, there are several destinations to take your golf cart:

Reserve Your Dauphin Island Vacation Rental Today

Book your Dauphin Island golf cart rental and enjoy free delivery to your Boardwalk Realty vacation rental. Island Time Cart Rentals are delivered between 10-11 am and are picked up between 9-10 am the following day. Browse our Dauphin Island vacation rentals and find the perfect basecamp for your Alabama beach getaway today!

Book one of Boardwalk Realty’s Boat Dock properties and explore the waterways around Dauphin Island during your stay. Reserve a Dauphin Island boat rental and chart your own adventure in the Mississippi Sound, Mobile Bay, or Gulf waters. Launch your boat from your vacation rental and spend your time on the water fishing, wildlife watching, swimming, and watching the sunset. Experience the Alabama Coast with us and make unforgettable memories on the water this summer!

Dauphin Island Boat Dock Properties

Boardwalk Realty offers ten vacation rentals with boat docks on the island, offering easy access to the surrounding waterways. Launch your boat from the dock and have a perfect summer day on the water, fishing, swimming, and sightseeing. Take advantage of additional amenities like fish cleaning stations, outdoor showers, swim ladders, and deck areas. Please note that the boat and jet ski lifts visible in the pictures are unavailable for guest use.

Dauphin Island Boat Rentals

Head to the Dauphin Island Marina and reserve a boat rental for the duration of your stay. They offer six, eight, and ten-passenger pontoon rentals. Gather your family for a day on the water and check out these activities:

Fishing

Dauphin Island is a paradise for anglers. North of the island, Mobile Bay offers fantastic inshore fishing. Cast your line for white trout, ground mullet, and flounder in the bay. South of the island, you can access the Gulf for some epic deep-sea fishing. Target species like red snapper, amberjack, and king mackerel.  

Wildlife Watching

Dauphin Island provides a critical habitat for an array of wildlife species. During your boating adventures, keep your eyes peeled for birds flying over your head and dolphin pods playing in the bay. 

Sightseeing

Cruise along the coast of Dauphin Island and enjoy some sightseeing past the Indian Shell Mounds, historic Fort Gaines, and Sand Island Lighthouse. Bring a picnic and find a spot on the water to watch a scenic sunset.

Explore Dauphin Island with Boardwalk Realty 

Whether you are traveling by boat or need to reserve a Dauphin Island boat rental, Boardwalk Realty offers the perfect basecamp with our Boat Dock properties. Stay at Sunset Key and enjoy convenient access to the Mississippi Sound, or choose Dues Paid and access the Mississippi Sound, Mobile Bay, and Gulf Waters from your vacation home. If you need assistance finding the best boat dock property, please contact us at 1-877-861-3992. 

No visit to Dauphin Island is complete without visiting the island’s top attraction, the Alabama Aquarium. This aquarium, operated by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, offers visitors an inside look into the key coastal habitats of Alabama. Plan a visit and learn about the unique ecosystems surrounding our island through the 10,000-square-foot exhibit hall and guided excursions led by local experts. Stay with Boardwalk Realty and discover everything the Alabama Aquarium has to offer during your visit:

Dauphin Island Sea Lab: Alabama Aquarium

The Dauphin Island Sea Lab, a marine research and education center, operates the Alabama Aquarium. Dauphin Island, surrounded by Mobile Bay, the Mississippi Sound, and the Gulf of Mexico, offers the perfect destination for marine research. The lab’s mission is to share information about ocean life and conservation with the public. The aquarium allows visitors to get a firsthand look at local marine life and learn about DISL’s work.

Things to Do at the Alabama Aquarium

Purchase tickets for the Alabama Aquarium and learn about Alabama’s coastal habitats through these attractions:

  • Stroll through the 10,000-square-foot exhibit hall featuring species of Mobile Bay including drum, pipefish, and the diamondback terrapin. 
  • Visit the 7,000-gallon stingray touch pool and pet a live stingray! Species include Atlantic, Blutnose, and Cownose Stingrays. 
  • Explore the Living Marsh Boardwalk.

Alabama Aquarium Education Opportunities

The DISL also offers education opportunities and excursions for an additional fee. Fill out a reservation form or contact excursions@disl.edu for more information!

  • Boardwalk Talks is a series where you can learn about the current projects DISL is working on and a broad range of science topics.
  • Salt Marsh Excursions allows you to become a marine scientist for the day by learning how to collect samples and specimens from a salt marsh. 
  • The Beach, Dune, and Maritime Forest Excursions allow visitors to explore all three ecosystems. Visitors can also get an up-close look at wildlife by using nets and digging for moles and ghost crabs.
  • R/V Alabama Discovery Excursion takes you on a two-hour boat ride around Dauphin Island with a professional DISL educator. 

Book Your Dauphin Island Vacation Rental Today!

There is plenty to do on Dauphin Island beyond the Alabama Aquarium. Enjoy miles of beachfront, exceptional fishing, outdoor exploration, and historic sites. Choose Boardwalk Realty to host your getaway and stay in one of our Dauphin Island vacation rentals. Check out our specials and save on your upcoming Dauphin Island vacation!

If you are looking for a kid-friendly Alabama destination to take the family this summer, look no further than Dauphin Island! This beautiful barrier island off the Gulf of Mexico is a paradise for families, offering laidback wholesome fun for all ages. Whether you are interested in spending time at the beach, exploring the island, fishing the Gulf, or learning about marine life, there are endless things to do on Dauphin Island to keep everyone entertained!

Choose Boardwalk Realty to host your island getaway and stay in a family-friendly vacation rental just steps away from the beach!

Visit the Alabama Aquarium Together

One of the top things to do on Dauphin Island with kids is at the Alabama Aquarium. This is an excellent place for the kids to learn something new and see fascinating marine life simultaneously. The aquarium features a 10,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a stingray touch pool, and the Living Marsh Boardwalk. Learn about our aquatic ecosystems with a day at the aquarium!

Gather the Kids for the Ultimate Beach Day

The island offers seven miles of sugar sand beaches, where families often swim, fish, walk, and shell hunt. If you want to kayak or paddleboard with the kids, reserve your gear with Blue Heron Kayak & Sup Rentals, and they will deliver your equipment anywhere on the island!

Embark on a Family-Friendly Fishing Charter

If you are looking for a local fishing charter that the whole family will love, choose a trip with FinAtics Fishing Charters. They offer inshore, offshore, and private fishing charters with a knowledgeable captain with years of experience working with kids!

Spot Wildlife at the Audubon Bird Sanctuary

Surround yourself with nature at the Audubon Bird Sanctuary and stroll through three miles of trails. Keep an eye out for butterflies, fish, birds, and alligators! Download this Dauphin Island birding checklist to see how many species you can spot during your visit.

Play a Round of Mini Golf or Spend an Afternoon at the Pool

Fun for the whole family awaits at the miniature golf course, Island Golf. Then head over to Pirate’s Bar & Grill for great food and entertainment! The restaurant also offers access to a pool, where the kids can splash around while the adults take in the view of the Gulf with a drink in hand.

Family-Friendly Dauphin Island Vacation Rentals

Now that you know more about things to do on Dauphin Island with kids, you may be wondering where to stay. Boardwalk Realty has you covered with our collection of over 50 vacation rentals for every family’s budget. 

If you are a small family, two-bedroom properties like Beachy Keen and Foresight are perfect for your group. Or bring the extended family along and indulge in our Bout Time property, complete with a private lagoon, boardwalk, and pool! Plan your Alabama family vacation on Dauphin Island today!

DAUPHIN ISLAND WEATHER
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