Program Partners

Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo

Go wild with our encounters!  Experience up close and personal time with lemurs, sloths, kangaroos, and tamanduas in an exciting, fun, and educational atmosphere. 

Wide pathways throughout the park offer close-up views of more than 500 exotic animals including lions, tigers, bears, primates, leopards, wolves, and more!  Visit the reptile house, petting zoo, and aviary.  Shaded picnic area, gift shop, and seasonal concessions.  Open year-round with seasonal encounters, animal shows, and keeper talks.

Where:  20499 Oak Road East, Gulf Shores, AL 36542

Contact:  Call 251-256-7008. Large groups (15+) require 48-hour reservation to receive 15% discount.

Price: Adults 13 and up $19.95, Children 3-12yrs $14.95

Girl Scout Level: All

Badges: Animal Habitat

Girl Scout Outcomes covered:  Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities. 

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others. 

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Bellingrath Gardens and Home

Bellingrath Gardens and Home is 65 acres of year-round beauty. Within this beautiful estate are gardens and landscapes that showcase their own specific variety of wonder. Bellingrath Gardens and Home offers educational, self-guided workshops that K-5 student groups can use to lead themselves through the gardens in a self-guided tour. The gardens facility has excellent resources for exploring plant sciences, ecosystems, wetlands and conservation. We have designed our curriculum to help meet state and local standards for teaching students as they are actively engaged in learning experiences in the Gardens. While we have designed the worksheets and field trip guidelines, we do not offer guides or teachers to facilitate the workshops.  Reservations are required for the educational boxes. 

Where: 12401 Bellingrath Road, Theodore, AL 36582    

Contact: Email Shanna Bennett or call 251-459-8986    

Price: $8.00 – Girl Scouts (ages 5 – 12) Price includes workshop materials

$12.50 – Girl Scouts (ages 13 +) Price includes workshop materials

$11.50 - Adults    

Girl Scout Level: All

Badges: Some of the educational boxes will help troops earn some or all requirements for badge work.      

Girl Scout Outcomes covered:  Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Dauphin Island Sea Lab 

Discovery Hall Programs promote conservation through education, research, and outreach. By increasing public awareness and understanding of the ocean, people will respect and protect marine environments. Through hands-on activities in vibrant marine habitats, people can see the impact of science on their daily lives. 

Most popular trips listed below.  Please see the website for many more fun opportunities.

Research Vessel trip- (5^th grade and up). Girl Scouts will explore Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico on the research vessel, RV Alabama Discovery. Girls will learn about the biology, ecology, and diversity of this ecosystem by trawling to collect and identify animals that inhabit Alabama’s coastal waters.

Salt Marsh – (5^th grade and up). Girl Scouts are introduced to the estuaries and the important role they play. Students will pull seine nets to collect samples to discuss and learn.

Beach Walk – (5^th grade and up). After an introduction to Dauphin Island’s beach, dune and maritime forest landscape, Girl Scouts will explore the animals and plants that inhabit this landscape and discuss how they have adapted to their physical environment.   

Where: 101 Bienville Blvd., Dauphin Island, AL 36528    

Contact: 251-861-7500

Price: Adult (19+) $12, Child (5-18 yrs) $6

Girl Scout Level: Varies by program    

Badges: Depends on the excursion. Refer to badge requirements.    

What Girl Scout Outcomes are covered:  Sense of Self – Girls have confidence in themselves and their abilities and form positive identities.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Community Problem Solving – Girls desire to contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, create “action plans” to solve them.  

Dauphin Island Sea Lab Estuarium

The Estuarium is an exciting educational public aquarium highlighting the four key habitats of coastal Alabama: the Mobile Tensaw River Delta, Mobile Day, the Barrier Islands, and the Northern Gulf of Mexico. It includes the 10,000-square-foot Exhibit Hall, a 7,000-gallon sting ray touch pool, and the Living Marsh Boardwalk. This facility has 31 aquariums totaling over 30,000 gallons with more than 100 species on display. The Estuarium showcases the plants, animals, and other natural resources found in the Estuary and its surrounding marine habitats.  

Where: 101 Bienville Blvd. Dauphin Island, AL 36528            

Contact: Call 251-861-7500 for more information.  

Price: Price: Adult (19+) $12, Child (5-18 yrs) $6
 
Girl Scout Level: All 

Girl Scout Outcomes covered:  Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Community Problem Solving – Girls desire to contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, create “action plans” to solve them.  

Fort Morgan State Historic Site

Tours of the fort, scout camping areas, and service projects. As well as, overnight Troop camping in the fort.  

Where: 110 AL-180, Gulf Shores, AL 36542        

Contact: Email Grace Gibson or call 251-540-5257

Price: Camping is $4 per night/Girl Scout, two leaders free, additional adults are $15 per night. Girl Scouts are required to provide 2 hours of service at the site.    
 
Girl Scout Level: B J C S A 

Girl Scout Outcomes covered:  Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Community Problem Solving – Girls desire to contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, create “action plans” to solve them.    

Graham Creek Nature Preserve and Interpretive Center

Graham Creek Nature Preserve is home to hundreds of plant and wildlife species, among almost 500 acres of natural habitats including pine savannas, bottomland wetlands, mixed forests, and tidal marshes. The preserve provides educational and recreational opportunities for the community and is situated less than 2 miles from the Foley Beach Express.

Graham Creek Preserve offers 4 level field trips. These are only offered Tuesday-Thursday so this would make a great Holiday, Spring Break, or summer activity for your troop.  

Daisies/Brownies – Weather and clouds, trees and leaves, caterpillars and butterflies, birds, flowers and bog tour, slugs, snails, worms and soil, special species, insects, and spiders, watersheds and stewardship and Reptiles and mammals. (K-3^rd).

Juniors/Cadettes – Aquatic invertebrate/creek bio-survey, watershed and heritage (H₂0 experiment and local lore), habitat assessment and land management (hike), carnivorous plants and food web (wagon ride) (4^th-6^th)

Cadettes/Seniors – Earth (soils, terrestrial flora, and fauna of upland and wetland habitats), Fire (prescribed burning, forestry, mapping, turpentine history), Water (aquatic fauna, water sampling, watersheds and cycle, stream assessment) (7^th-9^th)

Seniors/Ambassadors – Earth (soils, terrestrial flora and fauna of upland and wetland habitats, Fire (prescribed burning, forestry, mapping, turpentine history), Water (aquatic fauna, water sampling, watersheds and cycle, stream assessment) (10^th-12^th)

Graham Creek is a city park and free to explore on your own.  However, they do rent out the Nature Center and picnic pavilion for private groups.  Please speak to Angie Southern for rental information.

Also, Observe and Explore Day is usually scheduled on the 3rd Saturday of each month. Please see the website for details.

Contact: Email Krystal Bodiford or call  251-923-4267 ext. 884

Where: 23460 Wolf Bay Drive, Foley, Alabama 36535    

Price: Free

Girl Scout Level: D B J C S A 

Girl Scout Outcomes covered:  Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Community Problem Solving – Girls desire to contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, create “action plans” to solve them.

Humming Star Alpacas

A small alpaca farm that raises these beautiful animals for their amazing fleece.  The alpacas are sheared each spring and their fiber is used in various fiber arts including clothing items. 

Humming Star Alpacas can customize your field trip to best meet the needs of Girl Scouts.  However, their basic field trip includes meeting the alpacas, learning about them and what is required to raise them, watching a short video of their alpacas being sheared to better understand the harvesting process, using the picker and the carder (small hand machines used for processing the fleece), and creating a take-home fiber art project.  

Where: 19700 Blueberry Lane, Silverhill, Al  36576    

Contact: Email Cheryl Bowen or call 251-214-8224

Price: $10.00 per person    
  
Girl Scout Level: D B J C S A 

Girl Scout Outcomes covered: Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Leon Brooks Hines State Fishing Lake

Leon Brooks Hines State Fishing Lake is on the outskirts of Wing, Alabama in the Conecuh National Forest. It is run by the state. Doug and Allie Devine hold the contract to manage the lake and run the fishing post.

Girl Scouts can tent camp on the grounds free of charge. Bathrooms are at the shop on the property. The lake and grounds are an awesome place to have a fishing or hiking day. Bring a picnic and enjoy the lake. Because of the location, it is a great area for bird and wildlife watching. The carnivorous plant bog is a draw for people from all over. A local biologist from the forest service can be arranged to provide a guided tour.

Where: 917 Barney Road, Wing, AL 36483

Contact: Email Doug and Allie Devine or call 251-809-0068 

Price: There is a small fishing fee for kids 12+

Girl Scout Level: D B J C S A

What Girl Scout Outcomes are covered:

Sense of Self – Girls have confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Community Problem Solving – Girls desire to contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, create “action plans” to solve them.

Live Oak Landing

In North Baldwin County you can find a tranquil eco/adventure destination that rests below the swaying Live Oaks and Spanish Moss, on the Eastern banks of the Tensaw River. This park is 175 acres that include hiking trails, fishing piers, catch and release fishing pond, disc golf course, canoe and kayak launch (soon to be 8 miles of mountain bike trails) and more to come, all brought together with an RV park,  primitive and backcountry campsites.  There is even a group camping area specifically built for scout and school groups.    

Guided canoe/kayak tours, canoe and kayak training and instruction, guided nature hikes, fishing training and instruction, overnight campouts, disc golf, and themed birthday parties.

Where: 8700 Live Oak Road, Stockton, AL 36579    

Contact: Email Michael Dorie or call 251-800-7464       

Price: Weekend campouts starting at $0. Other prices vary based on activities. Prices can always be lowered through community service and charitable activities. Custom weekends full of organized activities can be coordinated through our booking agents.

Girl Scout Level: D B J C S A    

Badges: Some parts of the program could go towards badge work.    

Girl Scout Outcomes covered: Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Community Problem Solving – Girls desire to contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, create “action plans” to solve them. 

Mobile Botanical Gardens

While Mobile Botanical Gardens are all taking measures to control the spread of COVID-19, MBG continues to welcome visitors, limiting group sizes, maintaining appropriate social distancing, and wearing face coverings. Indoor activities, classes, workshops, etc. are not available currently. All activities will be conducted out of doors on our plazas, under pavilions, or in gardens, as appropriate. When disease conditions improve, MBG will update the availability of other activities. Troop leaders can contact Judy Stout at jstout@mbgardens.org . Please provide a contact phone number to follow up on needs and arrangements. Girls must be accompanied by the troop leader or other designated responsible adult. Groups are limited to Scout 10 participants at a single time. Charges are $3 for children and $6 for adults.

THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES CAN BE ARRANGED TO MEET THE LISTED BADGE STEPS. EACH WILL LAST ABOUT ONE HOUR. ONLY ONE ACTIVITY CAN BE OFFERED ON A SINGLE DATE FOR A TROOP. IF A GROUP IS LARGER THAN TEN, TWO BACK-TO-BACK SESSIONS OF THE SAME ACTIVITY CAN BE ARRANGED FOR TEN SCOUTS EACH.

BUGS

• Try a bug craft – make a butterfly feeder
• See bugs in action – visit the Pollinator Garden
• Take a bug field trip – insect demonstration and woodland search

FLOWERS

• Uncover the science of one flower – carnivorous plants (pitcher plants); the sunflower family
• Find out how flowers help people – visit herb garden with guide from Gulf Coast Herb Society; Grocery Store Botany activity
• Have fun with flowers – press flowers for drying; make flower prints

TREES

• Dig into the amazing science of trees – explore the ecology of the Long Leaf Pine forest

Where: 5151 Museum Drive, Mobile, Al 36608

Contact: Judy Stout at 251-342-0555 or jstout@mbgardens.org

Price:  The Group reservation fee is $35 for up to 25 people, $50 for 26-60 people. We cannot accommodate groups larger than 60. The reservation fee will secure the date of your tour. An additional fee of $3 per person is required upon arrival at MBG on the scheduled tour date.

What badges will be addressed in part or whole:

Brownie – part of Bugs

Juniors – part of Flowers

Cadettes – part of Trees

Girl Scout Level: D B J C S A

Girl Scout Outcomes covered: Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Community Problem Solving – Girls desire to contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, create “action plans” to solve them.

Riverside Ranch

Riverside Ranch, located in Loxley, offers horseback riding lessons and leasing. Small and large groups can be accommodated, as well as the length of the program.  

Where: 26061 Monsanto Road, Loxley, Al 36551    

Contact: Email  Heather Martin or call (251) 236-3700.

Price: Please call for pricing, as this depends on group size and length of the program.

Girl Scout Level: B J C S A (only Brownies and Juniors earn a badge)

Badges: Brownies earn Bit and Bridle and Juniors earn Horseback riding.  Badges not included in cost.

Girl Scout Outcomes covered: Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park

Battleship Memorial Park is a war memorial and Museum offering self-guided tours of the USS Alabama Battleship, USS Drum, and Aircraft Pavilion.  Also offered are memorials honoring men and women who fought in all our modern wars – Korean Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Fallen Guardian Memorial honoring those whose lives were lost in service to the U.S. Coast Guard.  Don’t miss our poignant Service Dog War Memorial that honors dogs who served our country. Explore our Fallen Hero 9/11 Memorial that pays tribute to all the Alabamians who have given their lives in service since 9/11.

Overnight Stays – Battleship Memorial Park offers your troop the opportunity to step back in history during an overnight stay aboard our WWII battleship USS ALABAMA.  This unique experience includes sleeping in the berthing areas of the ship where sailors slept during WWII.  A self-guided tour is included.  For a complete overview of the program, please visit www.ussalabama.com and click through Plan your Visit- Programs- Overnight Stays.  This will give all the information you need including meals, what to bring, and reservations forms.  Note, reservations are based on female-only or male-only overnight stays. 

Where: 2703 Battleship Parkway, Mobile, Al 36602

Contact: Email Holly Whittington or call 251-433-2703.

Price: $20 per person with a $300 minimum for each troop/service unit reservation. There is a $100 non-refundable deposit required with each troop reservation. 

Girl Scout Level: D B J C S A

Girl Scout Outcomes covered:  Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

WildNative Tours - Delta Safaris

Educational boat tours, guided kayak tours, canoe and kayak training and instruction, canoe and kayak rentals, scavenger hunts and various other nature-based activities.    

All of the tours can be customized to focus on specific nature based topics and activities. They pride themselves in their educational components delivered in a fun and exciting environment.    

Contact: Email Michael Dorie or call 251-272-4088 

Where: 30841 Five Rivers Blvd, Spanish Fort, Al 36527   

Price: Varies depending on activity ($5 - $35 per person) 

Girl Scout Level: D B J C S A 

Badges: Some parts of the program could go towards badge work.

Girl Scout Outcomes covered: Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Community Problem Solving – Girls desire to contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, create “action plans” to solve them. 

WildNative Tours - Gulf Shores

Bon Secour National WIldlife Refuge Tour - Escape from the bustling beach and enjoy 3 hours of peaceful and tranquil paddling in the secluded inlets of the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge.

Dolphins at Sunset Kayak Tour - This is a dolphin encounter like none other.  Learn about these amazing animals in their natural habitat from the intimate, unobtrusive and non-threatening vantage point of a kayak. 

Where: 4159 County Road 6, Gulf Shores, Al 36542   

Contact: Email Michael Dorie or call 251-272-4088    

Price: Standard pricing is $50 for a 3-hour tour; however, group rates are available and shorter tours can be organized to meet any budget constraints.    

Girl Scout Level: J C S A 

Badges: Some parts of the program could go towards badge work.    

Girl Scout Outcomes covered: Sense of Self – Girls have the confidence in themselves and their abilities, and form positive identities.

Challenge Seeking – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even though they may fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Community Problem Solving – Girls desire to contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, create “action plans” to solve them.