Things to do in Gulf Shores
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Gulf Shores
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Late April and May are a best window, warm water building, before summer crowds, with Mullet Toss and the May festival weekend.
September and October are the other best window, water still warm, crowds thinned, and Shrimp Festival in October.
March brings heavy regional spring break crowds and strict beach alcohol enforcement, so families should shift weeks if possible.
Summer has the warmest water and fullest calendar but highest prices, longest waits, daily storms and peak heat.
Hurricane risk peaks mid August to late September within the June to November season, so book storm friendly terms and insurance.
Winter is quiet, mild and cheapest, too cold for most swimming, best for golf, trails, fishing and empty beach walks.
What's on
- Interstate Mullet Toss late April
Thousands throw a mullet across the state line at the Flora-Bama for charity, the coast's greatest beach party.
- Hangout Music Festival mid May
Three days of major acts on the beach at Gulf Place, with recent Sand In My Boots editions, so confirm the current format.
- Annual National Shrimp Festival Usually Thursday to Sunday over the second weekend of October
Free entry festival at Gulf Place with hundreds of vendors, two stages and road closures from 5 October.
- Mardi Gras parades February to March, dates move with Easter
Family scale beach town Mardi Gras parades in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
- New Year's Eve at The Wharf and Flora-Bama 31 December
The market's winter party peak, with celebrations at The Wharf and the Flora-Bama.
Best things to do in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Public Beach
The town's front porch beach, wide white sand with lifeguards, boardwalk and showers where Highway 59 meets the Gulf.
Gulf State Park Fishing Pier
A 1,540 foot pier into the Gulf for fishing, dolphins and rays below, and the best sunrise walk in the market.
Fort Morgan State Historic Site
A massive 1834 brick star fort where Mobile Bay meets the Gulf, the best half day change of pace from the beach.
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
Seven thousand acres of dunes, wetlands and empty beach, the quiet antidote to Beach Boulevard.
Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo
A walkable 25 acre zoo with giraffe feeding and animal encounters, ideal as a morning plan with young children.
The Wharf
Orange Beach's evening entertainment district, with a marina, a 112 foot Ferris wheel and light shows in season.
Flora-Bama Lounge & Package
The legendary roadhouse on the state line, with many stages of live music, beach access and the frozen Bushwacker.
The Hangout Gulf Shores
A huge beach restaurant and entertainment complex across from Gulf Place, built for families and big groups.
Where to stay in Gulf Shores
Orange Beach, Perdido Beach Boulevard
luxury condos, couples, golfers and first visits
The upscale strip with the best resorts, widest dining choice, The Wharf west and the Flora-Bama east.
Central Gulf Shores, Beach Boulevard and Gulf Place
walkability, families and festival weeks
The public beach, The Hangout and the densest mid range lodging, at the cost of peak noise and traffic.
Gulf State Park edge
outdoors first trips, birders and cyclists
Lodging inside the park with trails and the pier at the door and a semi private stretch of beach.
Fort Morgan peninsula
multi family house trips, fishing and winter stays
Quiet houses and low rise condos with empty feeling beaches, 20 to 30 minutes from central dining.
Inland Highway 59 and Foley
one night stopovers and festival overflow
The cheapest beds in the wider market, but every beach day starts with a drive and a parking hunt.
Think twice about
- Highway 59 strip north of the Intracoastal and Foley
Strip malls and chain motels with nothing walkable at night and a drive to everything you came for. A stopover zone, not a beach base.
- Gulf Place and Hangout intersection in festival weeks
The loudest and latest blocks in the market, with road closures during Shrimp Festival. Avoid for light sleepers and small children then.
- Far west Fort Morgan beyond Kiva Dunes
Beautiful and safe but isolated, 25 plus minutes on a dark two lane road to the nearest restaurant cluster, with nothing walkable.
Best restaurants in Gulf Shores
Voyagers
The market's fine dining pinnacle inside Perdido Beach Resort, with Gulf views and the most ambitious cooking on this coast.
Big Fish Restaurant & Bar
The largest fresh Gulf fish selection in the market plus a celebrated sushi bar, in a calm adult dining room.
Fisher's at Orange Beach Marina
Two marina restaurants in one, white tablecloth upstairs and open air dockside, with sunset over the boats.
Cobalt, The Restaurant
The famous sunset dinner under Perdido Pass bridge, broad Gulf cooking with wall to wall water views.
Luna's Eat & Drink
Southern coastal cooking and 32 craft taps in a lively courtyard, the mid tier dinner locals recommend to friends.
CoastAL Orange Beach
A sprawling open air beachfront restaurant and bar where the kitchen matches the sand and sunset setting.
LuLu's Gulf Shores
A joyful Intracoastal complex with live music and a serious allergy programme that makes family dining easy.
Sea-N-Suds
A beachfront classic on the sand serving shrimp baskets and oysters at honest prices since the 1970s.
Outdoor things to do in Gulf Shores
Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail
Over 28 miles of paved trails through six ecosystems in Gulf State Park, the best free activity in either city.
Gulf State Park Kayak Launch
Calm water paddling on 900 acre Lake Shelby, with ospreys overhead and no waves or current to fight.
Little Lagoon
The locals' shallow lagoon for dawn kayaking, paddleboarding and inshore fishing away from the beach crowds.
Craft Farms Golf Club
Two Arnold Palmer designed courses minutes from the beach, the market's best all round golf value.
Gulf Shores Golf Club
The locals' course, a playable par 71 with twilight rates that undercut the destination courses by a wide margin.
Kiva Dunes Public Golf Course
A Jerry Pate design through dunes and wetlands between the Gulf and Mobile Bay, the destination round of the market.
Cetacean Cruises
Sailing dolphin and sunset cruises on Wolf Bay with a resident dolphin population and a sighting guarantee.
Zeke's Marina
The classic charter booking desk for deep sea fishing, from half day mackerel trips to full day snapper runs.
Best hotels in Gulf Shores
Turquoise Place
Luxury condo towers with balcony hot tubs, a 450 foot lazy river and huge units made for groups splitting the cost.
Perdido Beach Resort
The classic full service beach resort, with balcony Gulf views, Voyagers dining and polished hotel service.
The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel
A sustainable beachfront Hilton inside Gulf State Park, with trails, the pier and a semi private feel to the beach.
Hampton Inn & Suites Orange Beach/Gulf Front
A reliable beachfront hotel with free hot breakfast, a heated pool and remodelled rooms near Gulf State Park.
Island House Hotel
A calm beachfront DoubleTree with private balconies and loyal repeat guests, often the Orange Beach value pick.
Phoenix All Suites Hotel
All suite Gulf front condos with kitchens in central Gulf Shores, walking distance to Gulf Place and The Hangout.
Best Western On The Beach
A modest hotel directly on the sand at Gulf Place, the cheap tier with a location pricier inland hotels cannot match.
La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Gulf Shores
The inland cheap pick with the lowest reliable brand rates in Gulf Shores, best for stopovers and festival overflow.
Is Gulf Shores expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $110 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $220 a person |
| Splurge | $480 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo: a few days ahead
- The Wharf Amphitheater: weeks ahead
- Craft Farms Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Kiva Dunes Public Golf Course: weeks ahead
- Cetacean Cruises: a few days ahead
- Zeke's Marina: weeks ahead
- Turquoise Place: weeks ahead
- Perdido Beach Resort: weeks ahead
- Book beachfront lodging months ahead for summer, the May festival weekend, Shrimp Festival and snapper season.
- Voyagers, Fisher's Upstairs and Big Fish need reservations days to weeks ahead in season.
- Cetacean sunset sails, charters and Kiva Dunes morning tee times sell out, so book boats and golf early.
Is Gulf Shores safe?
- Obey the beach flags, swim near lifeguarded accesses, and swim parallel to shore if caught in a rip current.
- Summer heat indices exceed 100F and the pier, fort and trails have little shade, so plan a midday break.
- Alligators live in Lake Shelby, trail wetlands and Bon Secour lagoons, so keep distance and never feed them.
- The Bushwacker is stronger than it tastes, so designate a driver for Flora-Bama nights.
Gulf Shores travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Waterfront complexes charging resort prices for frozen shipped in seafood, so check the menu names Gulf fish.
- Hangout and LuLu's July waits are only a trap if treated as dinner only plans instead of entertainment.
- Parasailing and jet ski prices vary wildly between docks for the same water, so compare two operators.
- Booking inland to save money, then spending the saving daily on parking, fuel and lost beach hours.
Getting around Gulf Shores: public transport and more
- You need a car, this is a driving market along one coastal road with no meaningful visitor transit.
- Cross the Highway 59 junction before 10am or after 7pm in peak season to avoid the main choke point.
- Rideshares thin out late and in winter and are unreliable during festivals and concert exits.
Who Gulf Shores suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Gulf Shores your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store