11 Unforgettable Moments You’ll Experience on the Alabama Gulf Coast
Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, the main communities along Alabama’s 50-odd miles of Gulf of Mexico shorefront, have what nowhere else does: a combination of that famous laid-back Southern lifestyle and Caribbean-quality beaches. But that’s just the start. From premier music festivals to world-class fishing, fresh oysters to shipwreck dives, here are 11 moments you can expect to live out on your visit.
1. Realizing beach state parks are where it’s at
Photo: Shutterstock/Darryl Vest
It’s shocking that more people don’t know about Alabama’s
If you’re looking for a gorgeous — and not super-crowded — public beach, definitely check out the entrance to the park near the main beach pavilion. For $6 a car, you’ll get access to the beach and the pavilion’s concession stand, showers, and fire pit. It’s perfect for a day trip — or for getting in one more Gulf-filled day after your hotel checkout.
2. Drinking a Bushwacker at the Flora-Bama Lounge
There’s no place in the world like the
The Flora-Bama straddles the Alabama-Florida state line and is made up of a restaurant, multiple bars, and live music venues, along with the package liquor store that started it all. Decorated with more discarded bras than you can count and almost always hopping on weekends, you really can’t have a bad time here (especially if you order a plate of oysters). Some consider it “the world’s best beach bar,” but you’ll have to decide for yourself. What I won’t let you decide for yourself is leaving without trying a Bushwacker: the chocolaty, coconutty, frozen rum cocktail the Flora-Bama is famous for.
3. Listening to your favorite bands right on the beach
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Every May, the beaches of Gulf Shores are transformed into a major music festival, held right on the sand.
If surfing the crowd isn’t your jam, don’t miss the photo-worthy “Hammock Beach” set up as part of the event, too — thanks to the Ferris wheel and the actual wedding chapel, you can’t miss it. And with its white sand and giant beach chairs, it’s just as Instagrammable as the stage.
4. Diving The LuLu and other shipwrecks
Your childhood pirate dreams are about to re-emerge in all their glory. In 2013, the Alabama Gulf Coast Reef and Restoration Foundation intentionally sank
Afterwards, round out the day by heading over to
5. Chasing dolphins and chasing sunlight
If you don’t squeal with delight every time you catch even the slightest glimpse of a dolphin in the wild, we must have two different definitions of joy. I force everyone I’m with to stop what they’re doing and watch these majestic creatures with me. And at sunset? Oh, man.
While seeing dolphins from the shore is great, seeing dolphins from a boat on the open Gulf is downright amazing. There are
6. Hugging sloths and cradling baby kangaroos
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You probably didn’t come to the beach to go to the zoo, but the
These animal encounters aren’t included with regular zoo admission, but are kid-friendly, don’t require advance reservation, and range from $5-$10 — an absolute bargain for this kind of exposure to wildlife.
7. Paddling to the Gulf and back again
One of my favorite things to do here is to rent a kayak or SUP for the day, or even for the week. The variety of paddle-able terrain keeps it spicy — there’s sea kayaking, sure, but so many other options as well. You have the Bon Secour River, Orange Beach’s back bays, Gulf Shores’ Little Lagoon, Cotton Bayou (dolphins!), Bird Island and Robinson Island, and the Orange Beach Canoe Trail.
8. Taking a selfie with a vermilion snapper
No trip to Alabama’s Gulf Coast is complete without a picture of you holding your catch on a
9. Going for a spin to the top of The Wharf
Photo: Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism
If you missed the beachfront Ferris wheel at Hangout Fest, check out one of the South’s largest Ferris wheels at
10. Catching throwed rolls at Lambert’s
You read that correctly. “Throwed rolls” is the official term at Lambert’s, a sprawling country-style restaurant just north of Gulf Shores that serves gigantic portions, pass-arounds, and literally throws rolls across the restaurant at patrons. If nothing else, you’ll get a few ideas for how to make your family dinners more exciting.
Pro tip: Come early, be prepared to wait, bring cash, and if you’re not starving and don’t mind going meatless, try the sides plate and fill up on those giant throwed rolls. You’ll officially be a proud member of our Gulf Coast family afterward.
11. Parasailing above the Gulf of Mexico
Online bookings take a second to nab, and most allow observers who aren’t quite brave enough to make the 800-foot flight to ride along in the boat. But don’t make excuses — this is a memory you shouldn’t put off for next time.
