If you have lived in Fairhope for any length of time, you’ve heard stories of our city’s founding as a utopian community based on economic reform ideas that were popular in the late 1800s. A group of idealists from all over the country followed Fairhope Single Tax founder Ernest B. Gaston to the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay in 1894 to establish a colony that, over the years, grew into the City of Fairhope.  

But whether you are a newcomer, a longtime resident, or a native, what do you really know about the people, places, and times of those early years of our town—or of this area before the Single Taxers arrived?

Donnie Barrett, director of the Fairhope Museum of History, will lead a series of Fairhope Historic Sites Bus Tours on Saturday, July 18, that will focus on the west side of Fairhope, covering the town founders’ homes as well as important sites from the early days of the colony—and before.

Tours are in a comfortable and cool motor coach and are scheduled throughout the day, at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1p.m., and 3 p.m. Each tour will last approximately one hour. “These tours are more than just a quick drive by. I’ll provide interesting information about the early people and places of Fairhope. You’ll learn about Fairhope Single Tax, early real estate developments, where Fairhope's founders lived, where early nudist groups cavorted, why Fairhope Avenue has a sharp curve, and many other little-known stories about Fairhope,” Barrett said. “I always enjoy sharing these tidbits of Fairhope, and I think the bus tours are a fun way for anyone to get to know more about where we live.”

Tickets are $20 each with payment by cash or check, and are on sale at the Museum of History during regular business hours (Tuesday–Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) No advance reservations will be taken. Guests must purchase and pick up tickets in person at the Museum.

For more information on the Bus Trips, the Elderberry Festival or the Museum, call 251-929-1471 or visit the museum on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FairhopeMuseumofHistoryFriends. The Fairhope Museum of History is located downtown at 24 north Section Street and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum admission is free.