alabama – TrippinTwins

There is not a better place to heal the soul and rejuvenate than a trip to your favorite beach. Nor is any visit the same, for the ocean is always changing. For those reasons, it is why we keep returning to the Alabama Gulf Coast year after year. We have been going since we were children; it’s the beach we grew up on. It is still the perfect location for a getaway with incredible beaches, plethora of restaurant and entertainment options.

Two of the most popular beach cities that make up the Alabama Gulf Coast are Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. We have visited both cities multiple times, but have stayed in Orange Beach the last few trips. Orange Beach is a few miles down the road from Gulf Shores. There are slight difference in the towns, but both offer fantastic restaurants, entertainment choices, and a variety of lodging and shopping options. Tips to plan your visit are below.

What Airport Can I Fly Into?

There are two airports that are fairly close to both locations: Mobile Regional Airport, 65 miles to Gulf Shores or Pensacola International Airport, 30 miles to Orange Beach, AL. It is helpful to have a car for the duration of your trip, but there is shuttle and taxi from both airports to the area. Unfortunately, Uber is not available in the area currently. If you are staying in Orange Beach and do not have a car or are partying hard and need a ride, check out $4 Island Shuttle. They offer airport pickup at both airports and operate as a flat fee taxi service in Orange Beach, AL.

Where Should I Stay?

There are lots of options for accommodations in both cities. The options include a mix of camping facilities, beach houses, high rise condos and hotels. There are many camping options, ranging from primitive to luxury campgrounds to the cabins and cottages that are available in the Gulf State Park. One of the best places to search for and make campground reservations is on www.gulfshores.com. The camp grounds fill up fast during Holiday weekends or festivals, so be sure to make reservations in advance. There are three great ways to search for beach houses and condos that are used for vacation rentals: Airbnb, VRBO and local real estate agents pages. We have had the most successes using VRBO, but we recommend all of them to get the best deal.

When to Go:

It is a great place to visit during any part of the year. The Gulf Coast offers great beach weather from April to October. Hurricane season starts 1 June through the fall. They are not a common occurrence, but be sure to check the weather report before heading down. In addition, consider vacation insurance if it is offered when you make your reservation. There are many festivals held in and around the region during the year. Two of the most popular festivals held in the area are The Hangout Music Festival and Shrimp Fest The Hangout Music Festival is held in May and Shrimp Fest is held in October.

What is the Beach Like?

The sand is soft, white and powdery. It’s comfortable to walk on and perfect for kids to play on and build sand castles. The water is generally warm. We often remark that it feels like bath water. The waves vary from hardly existent to moderately rough. It can be crowded on major holidays, Spring Break for area schools and two weeks before area schools return. Otherwise, the beach is moderately crowded and it’s possible to beach areas with no other visitors.

Where to Eat:
When we go to the beach, we only eat out for dinner as a general rule. We go to the grocery store when we get to town and buy breakfast and lunch food for the duration of our stay. This saves money, and allows more beach time. Some of our favorite restaurants include Cosmo’s, Wolf Bay Lodge, Cafe Grazie, Louisiana Lagniappe, Cotton’s, Caymen Grill, Tacky Jacks, Doc’s Seafood. There are endless options though and locals give the best advice!

The best sauteed crab claws around are at Cafe Grazie in Orange Beach, AL.

Most restaurants offer outside seating in the area. If it’s located on the water, you’ll have an even better view!

Bored of the Beach?

Not sure anyone could get bored of the beach, but if you’re had enough of the water or looking for something to do after dinner, there are plenty of activities to keep you entertained. The Hangout in Gulf Shores is a popular place to hang out because it often has live music and is appropriate for the entire family. There are also putt- putt courses, a water park, the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, a movie theater and shopping areas with a plethora of choices. If you are looking for a tour, there are dolphin cruises, kayaking excursions, parasailing, zip-lining, helicopter rides and sailing trips. There are shops that will rent you watersport vehicles (kayaks, waverunmers, boats). There is something for everyone and they would love to have you visit.

Erica loving our “private” sunset cruise with Captain Ryan in Orange Beach, AL.

Tara chilling out on the Intercoastal Waterway figuring how much further she has to paddle! — Tara chilling out on the Inter-coastal Waterway figuring how much further she has to paddle!

What is one part of the country we have not spent a lot of time discovering? Oddly enough, that would be our own backyard. We set out recently to visit Little River Canyon National Preserve, located in northeast Alabama, as part of Lookout Mountain. The canyon itself is twelve miles long and in some areas, almost six hundred feet deep. It has a storied past, used by Native Americans and by the Union and Confederate troops during the Civil War. The river was categorized as a State Wild and Scenic River in 1969 because of its uniqueness of being the only river that flows entirely on a mountain. In 1992 it was designated as part of the National Park Service. It was also named in a 2014 Huffington Post article listing it as one of Cheapflights.com’s g best swimming holes around the world.

Our first stop was to the Little River Canyon Center, which is open for tourism suggestions 7 days a week from 10:00am-4:00pm CST. There is also a gift shop which is closed on Mondays. We stopped by to get a map of the general area and receive pointers for the best lookout areas for the falls.

After our stop at the Canyon Center, we drove down the road to see the Little River Falls, which is a 45 foot waterfall. The amount of water that you will see depends on the current rainfall amounts. There is typically higher water levels during the winter and spring months, which also make for an ideal kayaking time. The water is warmer in late spring and summer though, which makes it an ideal time to swim. The Little River Canyon is easily accessible for viewing for all as it is only 1000 feet from the parking lot and a boardwalk makes for an easy walk. We decided to only view it from the boardwalk, but for the more adventurous there is a trail that leads to the entry of the water behind the falls.

After spending some time viewing Little River Falls, we went to Martha’s Falls. There are two ways to get there from Little River Falls: walk a trail for 3/4 mile or drive and take a chance on finding an available parking space in a gravel lot at the site. The day we visited, it was a blistering 97 degrees, so we decided to drive. We were happy to find a close parking place, but not so happy to discover that we were blocked in later… (more on that later)

Martha’s Falls is a popular swimming area, so expect crowds on hot summer days. The trail from the parking lot is roughly a mile long. Nearly half of the trail is rocky and steep, so it is necessary to have some fitness ability to make it to the end. The little kids seen along the trail seemed to handle the hike well, bouncing and jumping from rock to rock and keep up with the more frequent visitors/experienced hikers. For those with less experience, taking breaks and wearing shoes with traction is recommended. Alcohol is not allowed, but leashed pets are. Though, when we were there, the leash rule was not enforced. Be sure to bring lots of drinking water to stay hydrated.

As most people who exit the river area and hike the trail back to the parking lot, we were tired and ready to leave. When we got to the parking lot, it was evident that a truck had parked in the last available spot, which blocked the entire back row of cars in. The park rangers were called, who waited a bit before ticketing the car and finally calling a tow truck. We were assured that incidents like this one are not a usual occurrence, but it was definitely frustrating to many people there. Parking tip-Park on the front row, if at all possible! There are also other side lots on the side of the road other people were parking in.

If you’re looking for a day trip from north Alabama, this is easily doable. If you are in the Fort Payne area visiting the Alabama Fan Club and Museum, stop by!

Tag: alabama

TrippinTwins: Visiting the beaches we always go back to, Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

Day Trippin’: Little River Canyon Nature Preserve