BLAKELEY – Historic Blakeley State Park will soon double the number of cabins available for overnight stays and add horse stalls for the growing number of riders coming to the site north of Spanish Fort.
The park held a dedication ceremony Friday for the two new cabins. Park Director Mike Bunn said the new buildings will help meet the growing demand for lodging at the site.
“We built two cabins a few years ago. They were so popular, we decided why not build two more,” Bunn said “I think the public is going to love it. It’s going to add a lot to what we do at the park. These things are in high demand.”
The park is now taking reservations for the new cabins starting Sept. 1. The buildings include two bedrooms, a master bedroom and a second room with two twin beds and two bunk beds. The parks current cabins have one bedroom, Bunn said.
Bunn said another addition is a building where campers can rent horse stalls.
“We have a growing horseback rider visitorship and now with these cabins, they can rent two horse stalls if they would like during their stay and it’s something that they’ve been requesting, so we try our best to meet the needs of people who are visiting the park,” Bunn said.
Bunn said local elected officials, including the Baldwin County Legislative Delegation, provided support and funding to make the cabins and other park operations possible.
“We appreciate the support,” Bunn said. “The only way we can do this is with the support of our elected officials and you see the product of it. I think that we’ve ended up with a pretty good job that’s reasonably on budget considering the circumstances we’re in.”
State Rep. Joe Faust praised the work done by Blakeley employees and supporters.
“We’re just proud of the progress that you’re making,” Faust said.
Bunn said park employees and members of the Historic Blakeley Foundation board also helped with the project.
“Our park staff is just magnificent being involved in this,” he said. “There’s a whole lot of work outside of just the construction that goes into prepping the grounds and getting everything ready and they do a great job and I really do appreciate them.”
Historic Blakeley State Park is on Alabama 225 north of Spanish Fort. The park includes the site of the abandoned town of Blakeley, which was a thriving community in the early 19th century and the site of the Baldwin County seat from 1820 to 1868. The park also includes the site of the Battle of Blakeley, which took place on April 9, 1865. The conflict was the largest Civil War battle in Alabama and has also been described as the last major battle of the Civil War.
More information about the cabins or park is available on the Blakeley website at https://www.blakeleypark.com.
