By MARY ALICE WENZL
Special to the Journal & Topics Newspapers
Walking the grounds of the historic 159-year-old Marriott Grand Hotel Resort, Golf Club and Spa in Point Clear, Alabama, imbedded in our minds was the destruction Hurricane Katrina wrecked on her tear through the Gulf Coast just a few months earlier.
Situated about 20 miles southeast of Mobile, the Marriott Grand was badly hit by Katrina. It¹s been reopening in phases with the tower portion of the resort welcoming guests last April and the remainder re-opening this November. We saw firsthand the devastation left by Katrina on touring the portion that will happily open again next month. That entire lower section of the Marriott facility had to be stripped down to the studs. Floors, walls, en tire restaurants, ballrooms‹all had been destroyed because of 10 feet of water, mud, silt and debris which deluged the entire place.
Part of a group of seven ho tels situated on or near the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the Grand Hotel has an impres sive history having survived wars, fires and hurricanes the likes of Frederick in 1979 and Katrina last year. Built in 1847 as a two-story building with 40 rooms, the original Grand Hotel served as a Confederate hospital during the Civil War. Near the 18th tee of the Grand¹s Azalea Golf Course lies a Confederate cemetery, where approximately 300 soldiers are buried.
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail (RTJ) is the brainchild of Dr. David Bronner, CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama. Wanting to invest in his state, Dr. Bonner decided to use golf as a vehicle to rev up the tourism industry by attract ing retirees or anyone who loves to play golf to the state of Alabama. Starting with 324 holes at seven different sites throughout the state, the Trail has grown by another 108 holes with Renaissance and Marriott hotels at or near each course.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones, the holes all sport tee markers based on ability, not age or gender, so anyone who plays the game of golf can en joy these courses. Playing Magnolia Grove¹s Falls course on the RTJ Trail with its pur ple, orange, white and teal tee boxes allowed us to experience this more sensible way of play ing golf. Magnolia Grove, with its 54 holes of golf, is located near the Riverview Plaza Hotel which is open during a major renovation. It connects to the Convention Center.
Downtown Mobile, Alabama had been undergoing a renewal prior to the hurricane. The his toric Battle House Hotel, which has been closed since 1976, was undergoing a complete restora tion Katrina set that project off course for a while.
For approximately 100 years beginning with its construction in 1852, the Battle House was the center of social life in Mobile. With its continued restoration the hotel will take visitors back to a grander, more polite era of gracious living while at the same time giving them all the modern conve niences expected at a classy ho tel, such as wireless internet and a European-styled spa.
The Bay area, with Mobile being the largest city on the Gulf Coast since Katrina, out side of Tampa, is a golfers¹ heaven for duffers from the Midwest. With the restoration of many hotels and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail connect ing hotels and golf courses this region is an ideal spot for those wanting to relieve the winter doldrums whenever that itch to play golf hits.
A pleasure for the senses last spring was our visit to Bellingrath Gardens in Theodore, Alabama, just southwest of Mobile. This wonderland of flowers was cre ated in the 1930s by Mr. & Mrs. Walter Bellingrath and was originally intended to be a fish ing camp for Walter. Unbeknownst to the Bellingraths, the public was craving a place of respite to es cape the effects of the Depression. When they opened their gates to the people of the area for ³azalea-gazing², the couple was so surprised by the enthusiastic response. The deci sion was made then to make the Gardens permanently available for viewing for a fee to help pay for with upkeep. Presently there are 65 acres of blooms during all four seasons such as we en joyed last spring when the aza leas, impatiens and salvia, to name a few, were abundant.
With its downtown renewal continuing, Mobile is a great travel destination on the Gulf Coast. Yes, Mobile took on Katrina but it is bouncing back bigger and better than ever.
For more information on traveling to the Mobile Bay area, try these websites:
www.mobilebay.org; www.rtjgolf.com; www.rtjgolf.com; www.bellingrath.org; www.marriottgrand.com; www.RSAbattlehouse.com.
A pleasurable visit to the Mobile area included a voyage to the Bellingrath Gardens.