Any day is a good day to explore neighboring towns. But this Saturday, March 26, is an especially good day to head to Dauphin Island, Alabama.

Hitch a ride on the Mobile Bay Ferry Saturday morning, leaving from Fort Morgan at 8:45, 9:30 or 10:15.

Take the earliest ferry trip so you can stop at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab when it opens at 9:00. Spend some time admiring and learning about the many local sea creatures in the public aquarium.

Then head over to the Spring Break Gumbo Cook-Off, held on the rodeo grounds between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Not only will you get to taste as much gumbo as you can hold, but you may choose to meet Alton Brown, star of “Good Eats” and host of “Iron Chef America.” And you’ll be thoroughly entertained by music from Grayson Capps & The Lost Cause Minstrels, as well as Ryan Balthrop & Friends.

When the cook-off is over, your visit doesn’t have to be. Walk off the extra gumbo and treats during a tour of Historic Fort Gaines, completed during the Civil War. Or roam through the beautiful Audubon Bird Sanctuary, noted as one of the best U.S. places to observe “neotropical migrants.” Maybe you simply will want to relax on the beautiful white beaches. There’s no need to hurry—you can grab the final ferry back to Fort Morgan at 6:30. Check out all there is to do at the Dauphin Island website.

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