Things to Do in Daphne, AL
Daphne's attractions run through real, public bayfront parks, a genuine historic live oak, boardwalk wildlife viewing, a public championship golf course, and an annual arts festival with real roots -- not a manufactured tourist itinerary, and this page covers what's actually sourced and confirmed about each.
Village Point Park Preserve
Village Point Park Preserve, roughly 70 acres and the largest park in Daphne, sits on Main Street off US Highway 98 on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. The park includes a bayfront beach, a pier and boardwalk, nature trails, gazebos, and interpretive signage, with a parking lot, bathrooms, and a picnic pavilion marking the start of a roughly 3,000-foot main trail leading westward toward the bay. The property's centerpiece, Jackson's Oak, is one of Alabama's largest and most historic live oaks -- roughly 95 feet tall with a 28-foot circumference -- and carries a local legend that General Andrew Jackson addressed his army from one of its massive limbs while marching from Pensacola during the War of 1812. The property also holds the historic D'Olive Cemetery, a burial site dating to the early 1800s, and functions as a designated stop on the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail.
Parking is free and available on-site. This research did not confirm current operating hours, and recommends checking the City of Daphne's own facility page directly before planning a visit.
Bayfront Park
Bayfront Park, connected to Village Point Park Preserve by a walking boardwalk running north along the shoreline, is cited as Alabama's largest bayfront park. It features a long wooden boardwalk offering fishing access and notable sunset views, nature trails through habitat where birdlife and alligators can be observed, a historic cemetery, picnic tables, and a pavilion available for hire.
This research did not confirm current hours, pavilion rental pricing, or seasonal access restrictions, and recommends confirming current details directly with the City of Daphne before planning an event or visit around this facility.
Gator Alley Boardwalk
The Gator Alley Boardwalk, located on the Eastern Shore Trail roughly 3.5 miles north of Daphne, offers an elevated boardwalk through swampy habitat where alligators and other wildlife can genuinely be spotted in their natural environment -- a real, documented wildlife-viewing attraction distinct from Daphne's bayfront parks, oriented toward a wetland rather than open-bay setting.
This research did not confirm current access hours or trailhead parking details for the Gator Alley Boardwalk, and recommends confirming current information through the Eastern Shore Trail's own resources or the City of Daphne before visiting.
TimberCreek Golf Club
TimberCreek Golf Club, a 27-hole championship course designed by Earl Stone and opened in 1993, sits off I-10 (Exit 38, Highway 181 North) and runs through wetlands preserves and mixed pine, dogwood, and magnolia forest. Each 18-hole combination among its three nines runs close to 7,000 yards from the back tees, with the Magnolia/Dogwood combination reaching nearly 7,200 yards, and the course offers five sets of tees to accommodate a range of skill levels. Practice facilities include a driving range, putting greens, and a short-game area, and the clubhouse includes a pro shop and dining area. The course is open to the public rather than restricted to private members.
This research did not confirm current green fees or tee-time availability, and recommends checking current rates directly with TimberCreek before planning a round.
The Jubilee Festival of Arts
Daphne's signature annual event, the Jubilee Festival of Arts, began in November 1989 as an antique fair called "Antique Alley," transforming Main Street in what's now Olde Towne Daphne with roughly 60 vendor booths in its first year. It has since grown into a two-day arts, food, and entertainment festival held the third weekend of October each year in Lott Park, with its 37th annual running taking place October 18-19, 2025. The festival's own name and founding both trace directly back to Daphne's association with the Mobile Bay jubilee phenomenon, chosen by the original planning committee specifically to reflect that local natural event.
This research did not confirm current admission pricing or vendor-count figures for the most recent running of the festival, and recommends checking the festival's own current materials for up-to-date details before attending.
Olde Towne Daphne and Jubilee Square
Beyond its parks and golf course, Daphne offers two genuinely different everyday leisure districts: Olde Towne Daphne's walkable Main Street, with local shops, restaurants, and galleries, and Jubilee Square, a larger shopping center north of the city center near I-10, anchored by an AMC movie theater alongside a broader mix of retail and dining. Both are real, practical options for a visitor or resident looking for something to do beyond outdoor recreation, and each reflects a different side of Daphne's dual small-historic-core-plus-growing-suburb identity, covered in more depth on this site's Community & Lifestyle page.
This research did not confirm current business rosters for either district specifically, and recommends checking current listings directly before planning a visit around any specific shop or venue.
What This Page Does Not Know
This research did not confirm current hours for Village Point Park Preserve, Bayfront Park, or the Gator Alley Boardwalk; confirmed current green fees for TimberCreek Golf Club; confirmed current admission pricing for the Jubilee Festival of Arts; or a confirmed complete, current business roster for Olde Towne Daphne or Jubilee Square.
Confirm all current hours, fees, and event details directly with the City of Daphne, TimberCreek Golf Club, and the Jubilee Festival of Arts' own materials before planning a visit.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data sourced from: the City of Daphne's own website (daphneal.com) for Village Point Park Preserve and Bayfront Park facility details, including Jackson's Oak and D'Olive Cemetery; Mobile Baykeeper (mobilebaykeeper.org) and American Trails (americantrails.org) for independent Village Point Park Preserve coverage; alabamabirdingtrails.com for the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail designation; general Eastern Shore Trail resources for Gator Alley Boardwalk; TimberCreek Golf Club's own materials and alabama.travel for course design, history, and layout; and the Jubilee Festival of Arts' own materials (thejubileefestival.com) for the event's 1989 founding as "Antique Alley" and its 2025 37th-annual running. Facts not independently confirmed and not invented here include: current operating hours for Village Point Park Preserve, Bayfront Park, or the Gator Alley Boardwalk; current TimberCreek Golf Club green fees; current Jubilee Festival of Arts admission pricing; and a complete, current business roster for Olde Towne Daphne or Jubilee Square. Confirm all current hours, fees, and details directly with the relevant facility or organization before planning a visit.