Alabama's Gulf coast is short, but it packs in a lot: the beaches at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Dauphin Island, and Mobile Bay. A week there tends to end with a car full of sandy towels and a last-minute stop for something to take home.
Here's what's worth bringing home from the trip, and why the best option might be something you order after you've unpacked. Everything below is in our Alabama gifts collection.
Order it after the trip
Nothing here sits on a beach shop shelf. We keep plain blanks in stock in our workshop in Hilton Head, South Carolina, engrave the Alabama design after you order, and ship within 1 to 5 business days. So there's nothing extra to pack in a full car, and nothing to break on the drive home.
A fair note on what these are: they're Alabama designs, not beach designs, and they aren't made in Alabama. If you want something from a local coast maker, like art or food, buy that while you're there. What we make is an Alabama piece that gets used long after the tan fades.
For the beach house or the condo
If you own the place, or rent the same one every year, a few pieces make it feel like yours:
- Cork coasters. The Heart of Dixie cork coaster set comes as a single coaster or a set of 4, 6 or 8, in 4 inch cork, 3/16 inch thick, in round or square. Cork is light and doesn't mind a damp glass, which suits a place full of iced drinks.
- A serving board. The Alabama wine bottle cutting board is solid bamboo, 17 by 5.25 inches, for shrimp, cheese or a tray of drinks carried out to the balcony. Hand wash only.
- A sign by the door. The Heart of Dixie wall sign is 10 by 10 inch leatherette with a sawtooth hanger, in blue or brown.
What the Heart of Dixie design shows
Most of the pieces above carry the same design. It pairs the state outline with the capitol building, a cotton boll and a yellowhammer, Alabama's state bird, plus "The Heart of Dixie" and EST. 1819. It's a whole-state design rather than a coast design, so it works for anyone with a tie to Alabama, not just beachgoers.
For the next trip: the water bottle
The Heart of Dixie water bottle is 32 oz of insulated stainless steel, in black or white, with a flip top and built-in straw. It's the souvenir that comes back to the beach with you next year. Hand wash only.
An ornament from the trip
An ornament is the smallest way to keep a trip around, and it comes back out every December. The Heart of Dixie leatherette ornament is a 3 3/4 inch shatterproof disc in black, blue or brown. It also comes in slate and wood.
Souvenirs for people back home
For the neighbor who watered the plants, a coaster set is an easy thank-you. The Alabama slate coaster set comes in our Alabama state designs, like Classic Outline or Alabama Script, and every coaster in a set carries the same design.
Shipping and packaging
Coasters ship in a white gift box; boards and wall art ship in a plain box. If a souvenir is going to someone else, have it sent to you first and wrap it. Add carrier time on top of the 1 to 5 business day turnaround.
Browse everything on the Alabama collection page.
