I did myself a huge, huge favor by a last-minute decision to drop in on Dauphin Island on my way home to Texas after being north of Asheville, North Carolina, during Hurricane Helene. What a wonderful surprise to find a gem of an island.

Dauphin, a barrier island, dates back to somewhere close to one thousand years B.C. Inhabitants lived on an endless supply of seafood. Proof of their existence can be seen today at the island's "Indian Shell Mound Park," where mounds of clam and oyster shells can be found.

Since then, the French, the Spaniards and the Brits all laid claim to the island, so it wasn't until 1813 that the Americans took it from the Brits.

The island's original name "Massacre Island" only lasted about 8 years. A French explorer found piles of human bones and skeletons and (mistakenly) assumed they were from a massacre. The same explorer renamed it by its name today, Dauphin, in honor of France's Louis the XV. Not coincidentally, dauphin in French means dolphin, so it's a bit understandable that many call the island Dolphin Island.

The island is 15 miles long east to west and less than a quarter mile wide on most of its land. The east end, which is the location of Fort Gaines, is a mile or so wide.

Also at the east end is the Mobile Bay ferry that transports up to 22 vehicles from Gulf Shores to Dauphin. It's a 40-minute ride, and it runs 7 days a week until 7 or so in the evenings.

At mid-island, the Dauphin Island Bridge, officially the Gordon Persons Bridge, is the only connection from and to the mainland. It's 3 miles (4.8km) long.

As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the island is 1,778 people.

On the south side of the island, just imagine 15 miles of uninterrupted white sand. Do YOURSELF a favor, too. Put it on your bucket list. I hear the best times to visit are spring and fall.