Summers in the Gulf Shores areas offer glorious moments of absolutely nothing followed by thrilling moments of excitement and adventure, and when you choose Poole & Associates for your Alabama vacation retreat, each day ends with peace and comfort. We’ve spent some time on this page talking about the properties we offer and the amenities they all provide and now we would like to explore the towns in which they are located. This guide to summer in the Gulf Shores area will paint a picture of all the seasonal adventures you can expect, giving you a little something extra to look forward to in the days and weeks that lead up to your journey to our white sand shores.
Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores owes its start to agriculture and fishing, but after the railroads began, tourism rapidly became our top business, with our white sand beaches and blue waters providing a beautiful invitation to play, relax, and enjoy. Today, our beaches are the biggest draw to visitors who flock to our doorstep every year, but there is more to be explored, as shown below.
Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, 20499 E Oak Road E
Built in 1989, the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo’s mission to conserve, protect, and educate is a worthy one, and its collection of animals will thrill all who visit. In 2006 it was the subject of an Animal Planet reality series called “The Little Zoo That Could,” a show that documented the troubles it faced from two hurricanes that swept through the area in 2004 and 2005, so you may recognize some of the animals or landscape if you watched the show.
Gulf State Park
A day at the park takes on different meaning when the park is Gulf State Park, taking up over 6000 cares of landscape and providing an immense amount of summer activities for visitors to engage in. Offering miles of hiking and biking trails, fishing opportunities, picnic tables, pristine beaches, and playgrounds for the kiddos. Kayaking, SUP, and swimming are popular activities here and geocaching is still alive and well in this wonderful state park.
Orange Beach
Named for the attempts to start citrus orchards in the area, Orange Beach today is a vibrant tourist destination spot, offering more white sand beaches, delicious restaurants, and one very well-known attraction which we will discuss below.
The Wharf
With a slogan that states “Life Happens Here,” you have to know that the Wharf is something more than a shopping mall. Offering high-end shops and boutiques, salons, and restaurants, it is also where many special events take place each year and if it sounds fun, it is probably taking place within the property boundaries. A Ferris wheel, a laser show, an amphitheater where some of the world’s top music artists have performed, even an arcade, a mini train, and an escape room can be found at the Wharf, and many of our Poole & Associates Alabama retreats are located within a close proximity, enabling guests to spend more time playing and less time commuting.
GT’s on the Bay, 26189 Canal Road
Waterfront restaurants are a must do dining experience and GT’s on the Bay is one of our most highly recommended eateries. Offering a large patio that overlooks the bay, sunset meals will be romantic ones, and its innovative menu filled with seafood, steaks, tacos, and so much more will never fail to please. Also offering live music, your meals at GT’s will be ones you never forget.
Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan is both a town and a famous fort that has guarded Mobile Bay for nearly 200 years, serving diligently through four different wars—the Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI & WWII. The fort has seen some stuff through the decades. The town is the site of some of our beautiful Alabama retreats and the fort is one that we highly recommend visiting during your stay. Constructed with over 46 million cubic yards of red bricks, Fort Morgan was built to last, and although today it is just a tourist attraction, it has served us well. Admiral David Farragut shouted out his famous phrase “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” while passing by the fort, and if you listen closely, you may still hear the echoes of the skilled masons (many of which were enslaved) doing what they did best, constructing a fort that would become an integral part of American history.
Come Home to Poole & Associates
No matter which town you decide to visit for your summer vacation in the Gulf Shores area coming home to Poole & Associates every night of your stay will make you wish you never had to leave. Contact us to reserve your favorite summer sanctuary today and start planning on a getaway that will be one you compare all other vacations against forever more!
