Paradise is closer than you think. Enjoy 50 kilometres of white, sandy beaches without breaking the bank. Your Alabama coastal getaway is waiting on you.
Paradise is closer than you think. Enjoy 50 kilometres of white, sandy beaches without breaking the bank. Your Alabama coastal getaway is waiting on you.
Think soft white sands and pristine waters, and the first place in the United States that comes to mind may not be Alabama, but it should. The southern coast of the state, which is located along the Gulf of Mexico, is home to some of the best beaches in the country. Not only that, but the island towns of Dauphin Island, located on the western entrance to Mobile Bay, and Gulf Shores and Orange Beach on the bay’s eastern edge, are less crowded, more affordable and easier for visitors to enjoy than other spots along the Gulf Coast. Here are a few ideas on what you and your family can do during a vacation to this coastal getaway.
Let’s start with the reason you are on Alabama’s Gulf Coast to begin with — its beaches. While there is more than 50 kilometres of beaches to choose from, Gulf Place, the main public beach in Gulf Shores is a great spot to soak up the sun. The beach features a picnic area, restrooms and showers, is wheelchair accessible, and also permits chairs and umbrellas. Its location in Gulf Shores also means you have options if you want to take a break from sunning. Several outfitters are located nearby, including Ike’s Beach Service that rents kayaks and paddle boards, and offers parasailing adventures and banana boat rides, and Blue Sky Parasailing and Watersports, which also offers parasailing and banana boats as well as jet ski rentals.
Enjoy some snorkelling
With water temperatures that average nearly 28 degrees Celsius in the summer, and 13 degrees in the winter, Alabama’s Gulf Coast is perfect for year-round snorkeling. Grab your fins, mask and snorkel — there are outfitters that can provide them as well as take you out on guided excursion — and hit the water. You may encounter a variety of marine life, from stingrays and octopuses to crabs and fish. A popular spot is Whiskey Wreck, a 61 metre boat located about 150 yards from West Beach Boulevard in Gulf Shores that used to run illegal rum into Alabama during Prohibition.
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Meet some local animals
Also found in Gulf Shores, the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is one of the most popular family attractions in the region and is home to more 199 species, including 22 endangered ones. Among its animals are lizards, iguanas, tortoises, two-toed sloths, camels and several different monkeys and baboons. The Alabama Aquarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is another animal haven on the Gulf Coast, this time highlighting the ecology of the area’s four key habitats: the Mobile Tensaw River Delta, Mobile Bay, the Barrier Islands, and the Northern Gulf of Mexico. It is also home to a 700-gallon pool where visitors can touch stingrays.
Alabama Tourism
Get out on a boat
Whether you feel like doing some deep sea fishing, go on a sightseeing tour or do some dolphin watching, there are several charter and tour companies that will take you out on the Gulf of Mexico, Mobile Bay or other local waterways. Orange Beach Cat Boat Tours, for example, takes guests out on small two-seater boats on a wildlife tour around the intracoastal waterway, while Dolphin Tales Dolphin Cruises — also in Orange Beach — offers daily cruises to see these playful sea mammals.
Head out birdwatching
Dauphin Island’s position at the opening of Mobile Bay and on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico makes it an important stopping ground for birds that are migration across the waters. Covering more than 130 acres of forests, marshes and dunes, the Audubon Bird Sanctuary is one of the largest protected areas on the island and is perfect for bird watching. Grab your binoculars and explore the sanctuary’s more than five kilometres of trails in search of some of the 445 species known to visit the island.
Learn about the local ecosystem
With a mission to inspire travellers to live in harmony with the world around them, the goal of the Learning Campus at Gulf State Park is to expand the public’s knowledge of the Alabama’s natural habitat and to preserve, develop, and protect the vibrant Gulf Shore ecosystems. Visitors to the campus, which is set on 6,150 acres on the Gulf of Mexico, features nine diverse ecosystems you can explore, including freshwater lakes, dunes, pine savannas, marshes, woodlands and beaches. It welcomes more than two million visitors annually, making it one of Alabama’s most popular attractions.
Tour a couple military forts
There are two historic forts guarding the entrance to Mobile Bay that are well-worth a visit. On the western side of the bay on Dauphin Island you will find the more than 150-year-old Fort Gaines, a pre-Civil War brick fortification that still has its original cannons, blacksmith shop, kitchens and tunnels. On the eastern side of the bay, close to Gulf Shores, is Fort Morgan State Historic Site, which was active during the Civil War. The massive fort contains more than 40 million bricks, laid by enslaved African-Americans. Fort Morgan features an active living history program, while tours of Gaines are led by guides in period uniforms.
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Try some local brews
The Gulf Coast is home to microbreweries that are producing some interesting and refreshing beers. Start at the southernmost microbrewery in the state, Big Beach Brewing Company in Gulf Shores, which prides itself on creating cutting edge suds, like its Dixie’s Hart Irish Red Ale with hints of caramel and toffee. There is also Fairhope Brewing Company, about a 45-minute drive from the coast in the town of Fairhope on Mobile Bay, that has 14 beers and ciders on tap, with seasonal options throughout the year.
For more ideas on activities that you can do on and near the beaches of Dauphin Island, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and visit Alabama.Travel.
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