Fall is truly the best time to head to Alabama's beaches. The weather is not too hot, and it's not cold yet. The white sand and blue water has plenty of space to relax as the mass tourists are back home. The restaurants have patrons, but there's no hour-long wait. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama are great getaway destinations for Louisianians who really need a pretty beach break without being in the car for more than three hours.
The communities have an emphasis on excellent, fresh seafood dishes with tons of flavor that any seafoodie will rave about for months, and the quality of the oysters is unmatched. Though one can design a trip to Alabama's Beaches around cuisine, there's plenty of fun to be had between meals.
Up In The Boardwalk
I pulled up to Boardwalk on East Beach Boulevard, a condo complex right on the beach where every place has a view of The Gulf. I was so excited to get up to the sixth floor and listen to the pounding surf this Halloween afternoon. I was in awe at how huge my place was; it was a full two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with a full kitchen, washer and dryer, dining space, and more. A family would love the secondary bedroom with two beds, but I was giddy about the primary bedroom that had not only a view of the water and sunrise, but my own door to the patio. I could walk out and breathe in the fresh, salty air first thing in the morning.
The waning sunlight and crisp air was superb top-down convertible driving weather as I left Boardwalk to head just across the state line to Flora-Bama Yacht Club for dinner. This isn't the kind of place that you'd have to bring your largest luxury yacht (if you have one), but you can arrive via car, smaller boat, kayak, or even swim in. The laid back covered patio eatery and bar doesn't take reservations and invites you to come as you are.
I inquired about the frozen drink selections and was pleased to be told about the Miami Vice which was actually a strawberry daiquiri swirled with piña colada. I do love my piña coladas, but this may be added to my roster more often. The Crab and Parmesan Hash Puppies do not have a typo. This unique dish looks like hush puppies, but one bite will inform you that these fried balls of deliciousness are hashbrowns mixed with blue crab, parmesan cheese, and mashed potatoes. The chipotle bacon ranch sauce is a must for dipping. The Sesame-Wasabi Pea-Crusted Yellowfin Tuna was a great seafood dish to truly start a beach vacation: perfect crisp crust, tender meat, and buttery veggies to make you think you're eating healthy enough to indulge in other not-so-healthy things.
Just across the street, people were filing into the legendary Flora-Bama Lounge. Smiling, laughing, and costumed for Halloween, the revelers were clearly regulars here. They walked in and went right to their favorite spot in the multi-room venue. After touring the many rooms and seeing what each nook and cranny had to offer for entertainment, I settled on the Steve and Joe Piano Show in The Dome. The highly interactive and rather raunchy duo played Top 40 hits while taking shots and making jokes. I'm sure that everyone in this crowd knew Steve and Joe personally, and that made this even better.
Steve and Joe pointed out all the fun costumes in the room. There's always an Elvis. The aging Hooters ladies with their faux hooters hung low were popular, but the woman who revealed her own real….assets got even more looks. The second this show ended, the costume contest began on the patio, and that was something I could not miss.
From humorous to fantastic, a parade of costumes streaked across the stage. The Swamp Witch with a gown of wood and the gravity-defying angel made it to the top three, but the four-legged wendigo won top prize. Normally, I would focus on the live music aspects of such a place, and there's tons of it every day here, but this was just such a spectacle that I couldn't look away.
The Best Beaches
My breakfast was so close to Gulf State Park that I could have walked the pedestrian bridge over East Beach Boulevard to be nearly in the middle of the park. Foodcraft offered a lovely breakfast buffet with all of the goods including freshly cooked omelets on demand. The real treat, however, is the patio seating that has the most stunning view of the beach. The sun gently peaks over the breaking waves while you sip coffee and enjoy the colors of the changing sky. I was lucky to have absolutely perfect weather, but there's plenty of indoor seating in the case of inclement weather. You should do yourself a favor and enjoy the patio if you can, however.
I was totally ready to spend some time in nature after this glorious sunrise breakfast, and Gulf State Park offers something special to visitors. Using the Bloom Bike Share App, you can borrow a bike for three hours for free. The bike-share bikes are available at several locations throughout the sprawling park. The app downloaded quickly, and the bike of my choice unlocked from the rack with the click of a button.
I hopped on a bike and took off on the paved trails which were pristine. There were spots to sit on a bench or take in the view from the natural ridge line and learn about the history of the area. Signage explained some of the wildlife that you may encounter here from the butterflies to the alligators.
A ride that vigorous means that a big lunch is earned. Luna's Eat & Drink is a local favorite, and the Nashville Fried Chicken is a must-try according to them. Luna's displayed its personality all over the walls with an eclectic mix of college memorabilia, brewery signs, and some quirky art.
After some sips of a frosty piña colada, the red hot Nashville Fried Chicken arrived with fried okra, French fries, and awesome mashed potatoes. Those potatoes, by the way, were freshly mashed: not too fine with a little bit of skin left for flavor. The deep, smokey heat of the chicken was noticeable, but it's not deadly spicy. The drink certainly refreshed the palate so that each bite was exciting.
I wanted to learn more about the community and its history. The Gulf Shores Museum and Orange Beach History Museum are small, but they house treasures nonetheless. The museums explain about the early beginnings of the area when Native Americans settled here and the coastline was much farther south and how the cities were built into what they are today. The Coastal Art Center of Orange Beach houses exquisite pieces from local artists. Paintings showing serene beaches and candid wildlife capture the essence of the coast.
All of of that time learning about Gulf Shores and Orange Beach made me want to spend some of the waning day on the beach before dinner. Relaxed beach goers were silently watching the seabirds run in the crashing waves. Others were metal detecting and posing for pretty pregnancy photoshoots. At 75 degrees and on the cusp of dusk, this is the best weather to enjoy the beach.
Zeke's Restaurant was already getting busy before the sun set. Families celebrating, couples wanting a romantic dinner overlooking the picturesque marina, and even a few doggies were settling in. A dozen raw Murder Point oysters quickly came out; I loved how the tray was made to look like a smiley face, but I'm not sure if that was intentional. I would revisit these oysters and Chef Ricky again at Experience the Oyster, so it was great to have his dishes that night.
The Skillet Cornbread is a meal on its own according to some locals. The warm, personal-sized cornbread sits in its little skillet and begs to be dipped in the Conecuh gravy with crawfish meat swimming in it. I always enjoy scallops, but I've never had them quite like this before. The Pan-Seared Maine Scallops were hiding among a bowl of buttery Monterey jack-infused polenta dotted with juicy blistered tomatoes and bacon.
The Pan-Seared Salmon was almost too pretty to eat, but I dug into it anyway (after snapping a few pictures). The thick piece of salmon was crafted with Asian cuisine influences: a Mandarin glaze, a bed of glass noodles, and a fusion of sweet pineapple and spicy Fresno peppers. The waters of marina disappeared as dusk settled into night as later night diners arrived.
Though many of the shops at The Wharf were closed at the time I arrived, other establishments were just opening up, and those are the places that I really wanted to visit. The Wharf's retail promenade came to life after dark for the SPECTRA Laser Light Experience. Every few minutes, music pumped, a light and laser show splashed color all over the white buildings, and the palm trees sparkled. The gargantuan Ferris wheel lit up the night sky with its own neon lights. I jumped right on so that I could see all of the extravagance from above; the Ferris wheel is so tall that the rest of The Wharf looked like a movie set while buildings could be seen from miles away.
At this time, there were several bars to choose from: YoHo's Boat Bar for rum and fun, POUR Smart Bar for self-poured beer, The Sandshaker for karaoke. But I was told to go to a lesser known spot if I wanted to experience something special. I'm all about speakeasies, so I walked around until I found the place where 8 Real OBAL must be. There wasn't really a door to speak of, but the doorman asked if I knew the code to get it. I had a set of numbers that I believed could work, and he allowed me to input the numbers into the keypad to hopefully open the vault-like opening.
The numbers were right, and beyond the heavy door was an opulent bar where I would spend some quality time. This secretive bar is gorgeous; it's decked out in rich gold hues with pennies lining the bar and backsplash wall. It is definitely the place to look sexy and get the most drool-worthy selfies. Not only did it look excellent, they had some of the best cocktails I've ever tasted.
The Full Experience
It was finally Saturday! And this wasn't any ordinary Saturday; it was Experience the Oyster at The Hangout. First thing was first, I grabbed a latte and chocolate goodies from Foam Coffee then took a drive out to see something kind of strange. Bamahenge is a nearly complete full-scale replica of Stonehenge at the Barber Marina. The impressive structures made by Mark Cline are located just behind a tree line, and there's really no signage to show you the way. That makes it a little more fun to find. The dinosaurs and Roman columns are also in the area attracting lookey-loos.
The Hangout Restaurant was a pretty walk right down the beach from Boardwalk, and the oysters were just being plated when I arrived. I stepped inside the restaurant just to take a look at the quirky, vintage things tacked all over the walls. Experience The Oyster officially began as raw oysters straight from the farms were loaded onto ice or salt for serving. Tasting the raw oysters side by side allowed me to taste the vast difference between them; some oysters were immediately salty or full-bodied, and others were delicate and subtle in flavor. The taste of oysters is influenced by so many factors like the weather and the salinity of the water they live in. Murder Point Oysters out of Bayou La Batre were quickly consumed with tasters, The Gulf Coast farms including Island Time Oyster Farm, Salt Revival Oyster Company, and Eagle Point Oyster Company were loved by the locals. Matheson Oyster Company came from Gloucester, VA traveled the farthest for the event.
Several local and visiting restaurants tried their hand at making the best oyster dish, most of which were served on the half shell. Chef Sophina Uong of Mister Mao in New Orleans served a Singapore Chili grilled oyster with lemongrass and parmesan cheese. Chef Mike Wehner of the Southern Roots Grand Hotel created a French onion-style grilled oyster that was heavy on umami with caramelized onion and mushrooms. In order to taste everything available, you had to take a few breaks in an easy chair at the sandy stage and prepare your tummy for another round of briny goodness.
One thing that I really loved about this event was the commitment to collecting oyster shells for the robust shell recycling program. As of 11/26/2024, 25,070,951 shells have been collected for the Alabama Oyster Shell Recycling Program to restore 95 acres of reef which provides habitats for oysters and helps to limit erosion. I know that plenty of shells were retrieved from this experience because it was hard not to go back for seconds or thirds on some of the selections. It gave me a deeper appreciation not just for the taste of oysters, but for the craft of raising them and cooking with them.
Come summertime, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, as well as other cities in Alabama, will be teeming with visitors from all over who want to have fun in the sun. The brand new Sand In My Boots Festival presented by Morgan Wallen will kick off the busy summer season on May 16th through 18th, 2025. True coastal citizens know, however, that the first warm days of spring and the cooler days of fall are the optimal times to visit.
