Your time in Gulf Shores may not change your life but it will give you an adventure that you will compare all others to for the rest of your life, especially when you get to experience the hidden side of our coastal town. Today, we at Poole & Associates want to take you on a journey that only the locals will recognize, showing you where we eat, where we shop, where we like to play and reminding you that there are many sides to Gulf Shores. This guide to experience Gulf Shores, AL like a local will make you feel at home even as you are many, many miles away from your own home.
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Guide to Experience Gulf Shores, AL Like a Local
Although the beaches of Gulf Shores are nowhere near as crowded as their Florida counterparts, the world is just starting to recognize their stunning beauty, there are times of the year that you may find yourself wishing you had a little more privacy, a little more seclusion, so as to enjoy your toes in the sand time a little more. When the beaches of Gulf Shores are too people-y, we find ourselves heading to the lesser known and more private beaches we have listed below.
Alabama Point East in Gulf State Park
Alabama Point East is surprisingly well appointed for a section of beach that is not very large and not very well known, offering 6000 feet of sand, boardwalk, and dunes. Here you will find free life jackets to be used by those who aren’t strong swimmers, restrooms, outdoor showers, and a beautiful picnic area where beach goers can enjoy the sandwiches they bring without having to worry about tasting sand. This beach is quiet, secluded, and pristine and will be where some of your favorite beach memories will be made.
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge Beach
This public beach doesn’t have any of the facilities or amenities listed above, but its quiet beauty will feed your soul and as you walk along water’s edge or frolic in the blue waters, you may feel as if you are on your own private beach. The refuge office isn’t that far away, so you won’t feel dangerously alone, and they will probably let you use their facilities if needed.
Shell Beach Access in Orange Beach
We don’t really know why Shell Beach Access is generally empty of crowds, but perhaps it is due to the small fee that must be paid. Or maybe it is because the white sand beaches are filled with shells that are fun to add to your collection but not so fun to walk on with bare feet. Whatever the reason, your time on Shell Beach promises to be serene, relaxing, and absolutely wonderful.
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Angler’s Delight
Fishing is a popular Gulf Shores activity, so much so that it may be difficult to catch your limit in places where the masses are dropping a line as well. The spots we have listed below are mostly only known to the locals and whether you are fishing for bait or are trying to catch your dinner, you should have a successful experience.
Little Lagoon Pass
There’s a large sandbar that goes through the area here but on the other side of the sandbar, you will find some deep holes where we love to go to catch bait for our fishing excursions. The parking lot is within walking distance of Little Lagoon Pass and there is a fee, so don’t forget to bring your wallet.
On or Around the New Gulf State Park Bridge in Orange Beach
This spot offers parking, picnic areas, and restrooms and is quiet, peaceful, and hopping with fish of all types. The fish found in this area include Spanish mackerel, flounder, Florida pompano, and red drum.
Lake Shelby
While most travelers head directly to the Gulf for their fishing experiences, we often enjoy the charms of freshwater fishing at Lake Shelby. Offering largemouth bass, crappie, and bream, the lake is also a fantastic place to catch blue crab, and when you bring a cooler of blue crab home for dinner, we can promise you will be the hero of your family!
Off the Beaten Path Activities
Believe it or not, there are more things to do in the Gulf Shores area other than the beach, and the activities we have listed below are some of the fun things we do when we want to get out of the sun and off the sand.
Learn to Make Your Own Glass Piece at the Hot Shop
One of the things we always recommend travelers to experience is a visit to the Coastal Arts Center of Orange Beach, located at 26389 Canal Road. The art gallery offers a fantastic selection of the best work of local artists, and it is always well received, but what most travelers won’t attempt, is to take one of the classes offered at the center. There are paint and wine classes, a clay studio, and to our minds, the most unique art activity, a glass blowing class offered at the Hot Shop. Open to the public for anyone 8 years of age or older, guests can choose between group classes that cost less or private classes that cost more but teach so much more and when you return home after this vacation is over, you will have a souvenir that you made yourself!
Hike the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail in Gulf State Park
The beaches do tend to take attention away from the longer trails—no one wants to be that far away from the sea for that long—and that is perfectly ok with us, as it leaves the trails, particularly the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail, open for us and for the guests that we share its secret with. This trail connects the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, meandering through Gulf State Park and offering a variety of activities that can be accomplished while on it, including biking, jogging, and rock climbing. Additionally, there is a butterfly garden that can be found along the trail, bringing a delicate and colorful magic to your backcountry adventures.
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Play with Leaping Lemurs at the Gulf Coast Zoo, 20499 Oak Road E
A zoo visit isn’t an everyday tourist activity, and the Gulf Coast Zoo is another secret that really isn’t a secret. Having been the star of the Animal Planet series “The Little Zoo that Could” chronicling the troubles it faced after a hurricane hit the area, the zoo offers many fun adventures, including the opportunity to hang out in the lemur habitat, watching them frolic and maybe even cuddling with them as they choose your lap for a resting place!
Shop Like the Locals
Everyone needs a little retail therapy at times in their life and we are fortunate to live in an area filled with unique shops filled with treasures. And yes, with the exception of souvenir stores, we do visit the boutiques and git shops that line our streets, always on the hunt for something different and the shops listed below are some of our favorites.
Resale Heaven Thrift Store, 1720 Al-59 in Gulf Shores
Anyone who spends any amount of time on social media these days may have noticed that in our nation’s quest to stay green (reduce, reuse, recycle), thrifting has lost its infamy and is actually the preferred method of shopping and Gulf Shores offers a variety of thrift stores, including Resale Heaven Thrift Store. Offering clothing, home décor, books, toys, and quite possibly the opportunity to find a hidden treasure at a great bargain price, this shop is clean, well lit, and one of our favorite places to shop.
The Wharf, 23101 Canal Road in Orange Beach
On the other end of the shopping spectrum we bring you the Wharf, a lifestyle center as opposed to a shopping center, offering everything from an amphitheater to an outdoor market, restaurants, a marina, rides, and a place to celebrate every holiday. Bigger is better, but you may feel like you need a map and a compass to navigate your way through this amazing shopping center. Many events are held here as well, something we will explore in a little more depth further down the page!
Rouses Market, 1545 Gulf Shores Parkway in Gulf Shores
Your Poole & Associates Alabama escape offers a fully equipped kitchen that only lacks food and beverages, so a trip to the grocery store may be in your future, especially if you are interested in cooking some meals for your family. Rouses Market is our favorite local grocery store, offering a few locations in the area, and providing a wonderful selection of locally sourced seafood, produce, and even baked goods. Grocery shopping isn’t glamorous, but it is necessary, and we know you will feel at home behind the cart when you explore the aisles of this local favorite.
Dining Is a Love Language
Yes, there are fully equipped kitchens in our Gulf Shores getaways, but if you were to come all this way and not explore the epicurean landscape of the region, would you really be able to say that you have fully experienced all Gulf Shores has to offer? Of course, you wouldn’t, and it is possible to eat at home and eat at the restaurants we have listed below throughout your stay.
Pirate’s Cove Marina & Restaurant, 6664 County Road 95 in Elberta
Bad restaurants come and go rather quickly, but the best ones linger for years, and Pirate’s Cove Marina & Restaurant, located in nearby Elberta, Alabama has seen generations of locals grace its doorstep. The year 1957 was a big year for the world, as it was the year the Russians launched Sputnik, beginning a space race that still continues today, it was also a big year for America as Elvis Presley quietly bought the home that would forever be known as Graceland a future major tourist destination, and in Gulf Shores? It was the year that this wonderful restaurant beginning feeding hungry locals. Offering fresh seafood, refreshing drinks, and views of the harbor that will make you reluctant to leave, Pirate’s Cove is worth the extra drive to try out.
The Southern Grind Coffeehouse at the Wharf, 4751 Main Street #116 in Orange Beach
Ever since that tiny coffee shop with the green sign opened its doors for the first time in Seattle, coffee has become big business, and although you can get your coffee from that chain, we don’t think it is sacrilegious to tell you that we think you will love Southern Grind Coffeehouse even more! They offer pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and smooth and rich coffee that they sell by the bag so you can bring it home with you after.
Lulu’s Gulf Shores, 200 E 25th Avenue in Gulf Shores
Finding a family friendly restaurant is a goal all parents strive to achieve and finding one that offers entertainment as well as good food is akin to seeking the Holy Grail, but in Gulf Shores, all you need to do is go to Lulu’s! Owned by Jimmy Buffett’s sister and providing a jungle gym area, arcade games, even a caricature artist for your children, live music adds a cheerful vibe to the already happy spot, and delicious food ensures that you will want to come back again and again and again. Enjoy an authentic taste of the South with an order of their shrimp and grits and you will never want to leave this part of the world.
We Staycation Here, Too
We consider it a part of our job to make sure that our properties continue to provide comfort and luxury to all who reside within, and we do that by taking our own staycations in the spaces. Getting away from the stresses of real life, we relax, we putter around the kitchens, and we avail ourselves of all the amenities, ensuring that everything works the way it should, that the furnishings are still as comfortable as the day they were first put in place, and that sleep still comes easy in our tranquil and peaceful bedrooms. Contact us to reserve the spaces you will call home for a week today and let us know how well we did our job! Browse our Gulf Shores rentals by amenity here.
