Before visiting the Gulf Shores, I imagined it to be a college Spring Break city with limited, overpriced food options, but boy was I wrong. I was so pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food we had here. While it is still a Spring Break destination, most of the visitors we saw were families with younger kids. The town has done a lot to limit the amount of college partiers, for example for March and April, you are not allowed to have alcohol on the beach.

EATING AND DRINKING IN GULF SHORES

Sunliner Diner
The Sunliner Diner is an old-school style diner – think 1950s. They have old cadillacs parked out front, and you can even dine in one inside the restaurant. Their milkshakes are gigantic and their real cream sodas combine soda and cream giving it an extra-sweet taste. They’re so delicious. You can get diner classics like cheese fries, omelets, and burgers or get something with a southern twist like shrimp and grits or chicken and waffles. One caveat is that it is not a “real diner” in that when I think of diners, I think of big portions at extremely low prices. That’s not the case here – the portions are on the small side for diners and the prices are reasonable, but not diner low. 

The Hangout
The Hangout is a family-friendly restaurant and more – it’s kind of a whole event. Besides the restaurant, they have an outdoor bar, a gift shop, a live music stage with adirondack chairs, and some souvenir shops. The Surf’s Up is their famous drink – it’s so pretty and looks like a rainbow with layers of Malibu Coconut rum, blue Curaçao, peach schnapps, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice. They also have Shark Attacks, where they put a plastic shark filled with grenadine inside of a blue Curaçao and Malibu Coconut rum drink. The drinks are fun, but fair warning, they are super duper sweet.

I was expecting pretty terrible food, but I actually enjoyed my meal. We stuck with the basics and all got burgers or nachos, which seems to be the way to go. Each hour they have a DJ come out and get the tables moving and dancing. Is it cheesy? Absolutely. But is it also kind of fun and ridiculous? Also yes! They also have a foam party that happens every hour for children.

Florabama Bar
Florabama bar is an institution. Right on the Florida-Alabama State Line, you’ll find Florabama. We had such a fun night out here! You might recognize the name from Kenny Chesney’s hit song named after the bar. It’s a total dive bar with people of all ages – spring breakers, bachelorette parties, families and people ranging from their 20s to 70s just looking for a fun night out. You’ll find bras hung from the rafters and sticky floors, but if you embrace it, it just adds to the experience. There are three different stages, all with live music. We saw a dueling pianos show and a country cover band and both were phenomenal.

You have to try their famous drink – the Bushwacker. It’s basically a vanilla milkshake with coffee liquor. If you order it in their souvenir cup, you’ll get a double portion. Try not to get a brainfreeze! They do charge a cover charge if you come in after 6 pm – $5 if you’re over 21 and $15 if you are under 21. 

The Gulf
We stopped at The Gulf in Orange Beach on our way to Florabama. The restaurant is made up of shipping containers and is right on the beach. You place your order at the counter and they bring you over your food. You can pick a picnic table or a couch under a heat lamp (if it’s cold out), right on the beach. This is a great place to sit back and watch the sunset. We really liked the grilled fish tacos and the mixed gulf shrimp lobster roll. One thing to note, they don’t offer free water here, so make sure to bring your own or be prepared to spend money on bottled water.

Foam Coffee
Foam Coffee is a little off the beaten path AKA not on the main strip in downtown Gulf Shores, but is worth the five minute drive. This cute little quiet coffee shop has about five tables and is great for sitting and working, or reading while you enjoy your breakfast. You have to get the toast flight! It comes with three different toasts – an avocado toast, a honey banana peanut butter toast, and a strawberry nutella toast. I honestly don’t even have a favorite. They were all so good! If they have it, get the shaken brown sugar latte. It’s pure heaven. If you need coffee grinds or wine, there is a little shop in the store where you can purchase some.

The Yard Milkshake Bar
I’ve been getting served ads for The Yard Milkshake Bar for years, but never made it to one until we were in the Gulf Shores. They’re known for their crazy, over-the-top milkshakes. While it was good, and I do recommend trying it once, for me, this is a one-time only kind of place. The quality of the ice cream in the milkshake was just okay, and the prices were crazy – like $20 for a milkshake, but you can’t say no because you already placed your order before you realized how expensive it is. 

WHAT TO DO IN GULF SHORES

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
We explored two trails here, the Jeff Friend Trail and the Gator Trail. While they are close to each other, you will need to drive for about five minutes between the two parking lots to hike these trails.

Jeff Friend Loop Trail
Distance: 1 mile
Difficulty: Easy
Minimal Elevation Changes
Time: 20 minutes
This short trail takes you through a maritime forest meaning you’ll see forested areas amidst marshy areas. Half of the trail is packed dirt and the other half is a boardwalk that goes over sand dunes and along a little lagoon aptly named Little Lagoon. When you reach the boardwalk area, you can sit on the sand and enjoy the beachy area if you’d like.

Gator Lake Trail
Distance: 1.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Minimal Elevation Changes
Time: 30 minutes
This sandy trail takes you out to Gator Lake. If you have Tevas or hiking sandals, I’d wear them here (or go barefoot) since you’ll be walking on sand the entire trail. Keep a lookout for gators – we saw one! And don’t forget bug spray. You’ll encounter tons of mosquitoes on this one. When you reach the lake, make a left and walk five minutes down the road to hit an observation tower. You might see ospreys, gators, and different birds.

Walk or Bike at Gulf State Park
Gulf State Park is filled with miles of trails. They’re all pretty flat, making for excellent biking or walking paths. The paths range from paved, to dirt, to (my favorite) boardwalk. You can pick and choose which paths you want to follow and make a loop or create an out and back journey. There’s a good chance you’ll see wildlife in this park – tons of different birds, armadillos, lizards, and gators all live here. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to renting a property or staying at a hotel, there are tons of campsites available here and you can take a dedicated boardwalk path right to the beach so you don’t need to cross the highway.

Go to the beach
The Gulf Shores are filled with lovely beaches. Even better, they are all free to access!

Walk the sidewalk at the Beach
Right outside The Hangout, you’ll see a sidewalk stretching along the perimeter of the beach. It’s great for a half mile walk or so. It’s an okay place to watch the sunset, but you won’t have the same view that you’ll have near Fort Morgan.

Visit Dauphin Island
Unfortunately we had crappy weather the day we were planning to visit Dauphin Island, so we did not make it, but we would definitely like to visit in the future. We were planning on visiting the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, Fort Gaines, Indian Shell Mound Park, and going to the beach.

If you’re looking for a day trip to a cute town close to Gulf Shores, check out Fairhope, Alabama. Fairhope is a charming coastal town about an hour away from Gulf Shores. It has a super cute downtown with boutiques, an art gallery, cafes, restaurants, and a couple bars. It kind of reminded me of Carmel-by-the-Sea’s downtown. Here’s a short list of things you should try and do in Fairhope:

See the waterfront pier
Venture down to the waterfront pier and take a walk down the long boardwalk over the Gulf waters. 

Check out the Fairhope Storybook Castle
The Fairhope Storybook Castles aren’t actually a single castle, but rather a collection of three whimsically designed neighboring homes located on a secluded side street in Fairhope. Each home boasts a unique architectural style reminiscent of classic storybooks – think turrets, arched doorways, and creative embellishments, like a street cart. There’s room for about three cars in front of the houses, or you should be able to easily find street parking nearby. While you can admire the homes’ exteriors, people actually live in them, so please be respectful of their properties and don’t attempt to go inside of the houses.

Panini Pete’s
Dine in a greenhouse at Panini Pete’s, a highly rated cafe with delicious sandwiches and salads. You might also recognize it from Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives, but I wouldn’t really consider it any of those – it’s a bit more elevated (but not pretentious). If you find yourself in Mobile, their sister restaurant, Squid Ink, is also great! If Panini Pete’s isn’t your vibe, you can walk around downtown and pick a restaurant with outdoor seating – there’s plenty of options.

Walk around the “French Quarter”
Just like New Orleans, Fairhope has a French Quarter. While Fairhope’s French Quarter is not historic, like New Orleans (it was built in 1994), it’s still a charming area to walk around. This area spans about three blocks where you’ll see cobblestone walkways, quaint courtyards, and pastel-colored buildings with intricately-designed balconies. 

Pop into the art galleries and boutique
There are tons of cute boutiques and art galleries along the main streets of Fairhope’s downtown area. Spend some time popping into them.

NOT DONE TRAVELING?

Check out our guides of nearby areas:
Huntsville
Huntsville to Chattanooga