Lots to do in Gulf Shores!

Posted by Greg Alford on April 24, 2015

APRIL 24, 2015. GULF SHORES, ALABAMA.

LOTS TO SEE AND DO. We’re still kickin’ around Gulf Shores previewing the area before our lengthy stay next winter. There is so much to see and do, and the weather is absolutely perfect.We’re finding it hard to leave. And I learned from my Mom years ago how to find your way around in a new town. She and Dad traveled extensively…sometimes as much as 9 months a year, and they had friends all over the world. They knew the “ins and outs” of cities in Europe, South America and the Orient so well they could have been tour guides! I remember asking Mom one time, “How do you know so much about all the cities you’ve visited? You seem to know as much about Paris as the folks who live there.” She chuckled and told me, “Here’s how you do it. You just bury your inhibitions and ask the locals anything you want to know. Just strike up a conversation. Forget the tourist literature and guide books. Just ask the folks who live there. They love to talk about where they live.”

WE’RE LEARNING OUR WAY AROUND TOWN. And Mom was right. I’ve started chatting with folks in restaurants or standing in line at the grocery store. Wherever I find them. I tell ’em our story…that we’re exploring America and that right now we’re looking for something fun to do in their neighborhood, or we’re looking for a good Mexican restaurant or a bookstore…doesn’t matter. They just gush. They often give me more information than I even wanted. But I always get recommendations more personal than from Siri and referrals that beat the self-serving information on a restaurant’s website. The locals in Gulf Shores have steered me to a half dozen remarkably good restaurants, a fabulous open-air Farmers and Fishermen’s Market and lots of other attractions a little off the beaten path. Several folks have even given us their phone numbers and invited us to call if we had any more questions or wanted to meet them for lunch. Incredible.

ACTIVITIES ABOUND. Beaching, boating, fishing, para-sailing, zip line rides over the water…anything beach-related is right here. There are shopping malls, outlet stores and live theater venues. We’ve already discovered lots of really good restaurants and I’m sure there are lots more to be found. Museums, horseback and hot air balloon rides and, well…you name it, I think we’re going to find it in and around Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Toby Keith’s Restaurant at The Wharf, in Gulf Shores. “I ain’t as good as I once was, But I’m as good once as I ever was.”

THE ‘BAMA COAST CRUISE AND CAR SHOW

The Wharf in Orange Beach…shopping, dining and entertainment. Today, a car show was the main event.

A GOOD TIP. A day or two ago I asked the guy at Honey Baked Ham who was making us sandwiches, “So, what’s happening around here this weekend.” “Glad you asked,” he said. He then proceeded to tell us about an upcoming car show down at the beach in such detail that the people behind me in the lunch line almost went elsewhere! (Did you ever see the YouTube video of Bunny Swan at the See’s candy counter?)

HELD AT THE WHARF. Held at The Wharf in Orange Beach and set against the backdrop of the Inter-Coastal Waterway and the Canal Bridge, it’s a laid-back, family friendly weekend full of amazing cars, fun events, entertainment and Southern hospitality. The main street in town is closed to auto traffic. Instead it’s crammed with a huge assortment of beautifully restored glimmering cars, vendors selling almost anything car-related you can imagine, bands rockin’ out on the sidewalks and more food than you could sample in a lifetime. We had fun looking at all the old cars and reminiscing about lots of them we remember seeing on the road “back in the day.” I didn’t note the make and model of each of the ones I photographed, but some of you car buffs like my friend Earl can probably supply me with the details so I can update this blog post! Anyhow, here are some pictures.

(CLICK ON A PICTURE TO OPEN THE GALLERY)