Things to do in Gulf Shores, AL??

[maroonandwhite]

FINALLY getting ready to go on vacation in a week or so and I am hoping to solicit some ideas on what to do and see (besides the obvious seafood and beach stuff) around the Gulf Shores area. I will be going to see the USS Alabama for sure as well as doing a little fishing but a week is a long time and I don't plan on sitting on the beach every day. Any good places or things to go see/do?

[mav]

If you play golf, there are some pretty nice courses in the area.  I went there a couple of years ago, and I really enjoyed my stay.

[Randy W]

You have to go to the Pensacola Naval Base Museum.

[zapfbroad]

There's a neat little zoo about a mile off the main strip next to a waterpark & a gocart place. Take a 2hr dolphin cruise, they're pretty cheap. Movie theater & outdoor mall called 'the wharf' if I remember right. Check & see the schedule they have some concerts there too from some big names sometimes. Quite a few good local nonchain restaurants & local dives for the base guys in perdido key about 20min east on the way to pensacola.

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[mikegideon]

Fort Morgan if it's open

[maroonandwhite]

You have to go to the Pensacola Naval Base Museum.

This looks awesome! I'm gonna have a hard time convincing the wife to get in a flight simulator with me though. Added to the list!

[Mike.357]

go somewhere and feast on royal red shrimp.

[maroonandwhite]

go somewhere and feast on royal red shrimp.

Oh I will be feasting on about every kind of shrimp, crab, lobster, etc. imaginable! Not sure if I have ever had royal red shrimp though.

[daddyo]

You have to go to the Pensacola Naval Base Museum.

This.

[gregintenn]

If I could ever convince my wife to move, I'd rent a Uhaul that day, load it, and move to Gulf Shores before she changed her mind.

[MississippiBoy]

Food recommendations - Lambert's Cafe in Foley.(right in front of the outlet malls) and the Shrimp Basket. I vacationed in Gulf Shores with my family till I was 23, and made numerous day trips when I lived in MS. Those were two places I always ate. One lunch one dinner.

Have fun, I am going back for the first in 6 years in July.

[gregintenn]

You've gotten some good suggestions so far. I could spend quite a while just walking through Gulf State Park. Fort Morgan is a must see. You might like taking the ferry across to Dauphin Island. Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island was more interesting to me than Fort Morgan. There is also an Estuarium there.

 

If you go to the Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum, the best part of it is the bus ride through the flight line. The guy who drove the bus the last time I was there had flown several of the planes during wartime. He had some very interesting stories.

 

Some good places to eat include, but are not limited to:

Lulu's

DeSoto's

Shrimp Basket

Lambert's in Foley

Live Bait

Hazel's seafood buffet

Edited June 4, 2013 by gregintenn

[maroonandwhite]

The Naval museum is a sure thing now. I love all of the old military museums or museums in general really. I am probably most excited about the USS Alabama. I've passed by it several times but never since I have grown up a little and am now interested in history. I'm gonna have to write all of these places to eat down. There are so many to choose from! I remember I had some crab legs years back at some place further east down the main strip that were amazing. I am hoping I will recognize it if we drive by.

[MacGyver]

The Grumman exhibit at the Naval Air Station is second to none.

 

If you're already at the Naval Air Station, Fort Barrancas is a couple of hundred yards from the museum.  It's worth a look, as is Fort Pickens a little further out in Gulf Islands National Seashore.

[JAB]

I was going to suggest Fort Morgan (mikegideon beat me to it.)  Also, I see that no one has suggested eating at King Neptune's.  I would definitely put them on the list.

 

Along the road that leads to Fort Morgan, there is a parking lot for a nature trail.  We didn't get to walk the whole trail but we did walk to the shore from the parking lot.  There isn't really a 'beach' there, just a narrow strip (if the tide is out) but it was nice - we were the only people there.  I saw a small ray swim right up to the edge of the water.

 

If you like to fish, you might check in to what species (if any) are biting around the pier.  They have an extremely long pier that juts out into the ocean - it is pretty close to the entrance to the state park (but on the other side of the road.)  You have to have the proper license, of course, and there is a fee for even walking out on the pier.  The only time I have gotten to fish there was the day before Hurricane Ivan hit (we actually had to leave that afternoon because Gulf Shores was evacuated.)  We really didn't catch anything of note, probably because of the storm - the surf was already getting rough.

Edited June 4, 2013 by JAB

[Mike.357]

allow for a lot of time at the USS Alabama.  Not only is that ship there but also a submarine and a museum as well.  Easily could be the whole day.

[maroonandwhite]

Yeah that's what I read. I was thinking of stopping by on the way down but we will just have to drive back up to mobile one day.

[runco]

First, there are no comparison of Gulf Shores and Myrtle Beach as for the beauty of the beach and quality of the sand, Gulf Shores is a A+.   But there is where I draw the line, for family vacation with children, I found Gulf Shores to be boring, and not too much to do.  Whereas Myrtle Beach has lots to do for kids and family.  For rates on hotels and Condos, Myrtle gets a A+ over most beach towns I have been too.  Food choices both are good, I found Myrtle to be better.  For value, I give Myrtle the best.  

 

I draw a comparison to Myrtle Beach because I was there last week for 7 days, and had a blast with the family.  Over the past 25 years of visiting a beaches each year, I actually found Ft. Walton and Destin areas to be a happy medium between Gulf Shores and Myrtle.  You kinda of get the best of both, and the fishing and day crusies out of Destin are the best prices I have found, and Destin is more family friendly then I found at Gulf Shores.   FYI I have been to Hawaii twice, which is in a league of its own, but beach to beach, I would take the Gulf Coast over Hawaii.

[dats82]

I don't know if you have kids or anything, but the Flora-Bama Bar can be a fun time.  I know one of the storms blew it away, but it looks like they built it back, probably in all the redneck glory it once was.

[gregintenn]

Also, I see that no one has suggested eating at King Neptune's. 

 

 

How could I have left that one out? It's well worth finding. As is Tacky Jack's.

[maroonandwhite]

I seriously almost had to go to the fish house last night and eat. All of this talk of food was making me crave seafood! Any particular places that have good fried oysters? I know most have them but I want the best haha.

[gregintenn]

I seriously almost had to go to the fish house last night and eat. All of this talk of food was making me crave seafood! Any particular places that have good fried oysters? I know most have them but I want the best haha.

Never had a bad one in Gulf Shores.

[coopracing]

Yeah that's what I read. I was thinking of stopping by on the way down but we will just have to drive back up to mobile one day.

 

That is what we did last fall and had a great day. It is well worth the trip. Fishing off the pier would be something I would plan on when we go back down.

 

Have fun!

Edited June 5, 2013 by coopracing

[JAB]

I seriously almost had to go to the fish house last night and eat. All of this talk of food was making me crave seafood! Any particular places that have good fried oysters? I know most have them but I want the best haha.

 

Hmmm...there is a place called Bahama Bob's (I should have mentioned that one, before - it is quite tasty and, like King Neptune's, is one of our 'must go' places when in Gulf Shores.)  Just a little hole in the wall - the back of the restaurant faces onto the beach - that I think of as a really good 'lunch' place.  Pretty laid back with people walking right up off of the beach to eat.  There isn't a lot of parking so that can be a PITA but well worth it, IMO.  They have really good po' boys.  I have had a fried oyster po' boy there that was excellent.  I think that is the only place in Gulf Shores where I have had fried oysters.  When we have eaten at Bahama Bob's, they also had good fried crawfish tails.

 

Here is a link to the website for King Neptune's:

 

http://www.kingneptuneseafoodrestaurant.com/

 

 

and this is a link to the website for Bahama Bob's:

 

http://www.bahamabobs.com/

Edited June 5, 2013 by JAB

[gregintenn]

Sitting around Lulu's, sipping a Landshark Lager, and watching boats go by while listening to live local music passes the day nicely.