I took a little beach trip with two of my kids to Gulf Shores, Alabama.
The kids haven’t been to a real beach in so many years.
We lived in Hawaii for three years when they were toddlers.
When we lived in Germany, we traveled to Normandy, Netherlands, and Bruges, but those beaches were cold and windy.
We’ve been to lakes in Utah and Ohio, but there is nothing like the ocean.
We won’t travel to Florida for political and personal reasons, so Alabama is a great choice.
I have fond memories of beach vacations when I was growing up. My parents and I took a week every summer to visit Florida, the Gulf, or the Atlantic coast.
My daughter attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, so we picked her up and headed further south.
We left Huntsville right after Space Camp graduation and ate an early dinner at Whataburger.
We arrived at our condo at 9:30 at night.
We couldn’t get in.
The codes didn’t work.
I called the 800 number and after the agent did some research and called me back, they gave me a code that worked. The instructions for entry were all outdated and it should not have been complicated.
We were so exhausted and stressed out for our first evening. We unloaded our bags and rushed down to see the shore in the dark.

The condo building was right on the beach, at the end of the strip, right before the state park.
The beach was so beautiful!
We had an easy schedule:
We ate breakfast in our condo, then spent every morning at the beach, walking, looking for shells, playing in the sand and waves.
Early afternoon, we packed up our beach stuff, ate lunch in our condo, and went out for the afternoon, shopping and exploring, then ate a nice dinner out.
Tori and I walked the beach at dusk each night and saw little sand crabs and mole crabs and minnows. There is a protected area where a sea turtle laid her eggs!
We crashed pretty early every night! I remember having more energy when I was younger, and we would do mini golf, or get ice cream, or walk around, but whew, not this week.


Day 1
The first morning, after looking at the beach and playing in the water a bit, we went to Walmart and Publix and stocked up on breakfast, lunch, and snack foods. We also got Publix subs because those are amazing.
We got sand toys and boogie boards. Just because they’re 16 and 17 doesn’t mean they can’t play!

Then the code to the condo stopped working the next afternoon. Seriously? One of the codes from my notes worked the rest of our stay, whew! I did not write a good review on their rental site.
We hit the tourist trap stores near our condo and got shirts and some fun pictures.

We got the best shaved ice. Very generous servings for only $3 cash only.
The first night, we ate at Caribbean Grill, right across the street from our condo. It was a fun place; food was ok. Tori got crawfish and shrimp pasta. Akantha got chicken strips. I got shrimp scampi and a festive fruity drink called What the Duck. It came with a little rubber duckie that the bartender squeaked before plopping in the glass.

Day 2
We went to the super cute town of Foley and shopped in the used DVD/CD/books stores. Got caught in a little thunderstorm.
Then we shopped in the Tanger outlet mall (kinda sparse compared to 20 years ago). We got Mellow Mushroom pizza for a “snack.” It’s not quite as good as I remember and very expensive.
The second night, we ate at Mikee’s. It was a little bit better, nice ambience.
My kids got red snapper and fried shrimp. I got the local redfish. Huge portions.

Day 3
We went to Alligator Alley, a rescue center for gators. There are about 700 gators in the park and a little zoo of other reptiles.
We got feed them nuggets; we paid for a bucket.
We got to hold a baby!
We got to see the big feeding time and hear about their preserve.
The kids said it was the highlight of the trip!

The third night, we ate at DeSoto’s and it was absolutely amazing!
They had adorable little mini loaves of bread and honey butter.
I got the flounder amandine with shrimp and scallops and I got very emotional because I haven’t had such fresh seafood in so many years. It was so beautiful.
My kids got the Caribbean triggerfish and fried fish and shrimp combo.

Day 4
We hit some thrift stores. Most are closed Sundays and Mondays. They all close pretty early – between 3 and 5 in the afternoon.
The last night, we ate at Lambert’s Cafe…because throwed rolls!
It was great fun and amazing food, generous portions, fun atmosphere. We got lots of souvenirs.
They serve some meals in a huge frying pan. I got country ham. My kids got catfish and chicken dumplings. They have the best fried okra I’ve ever eaten in my life.

Day 5
We headed towards home and hit a couple more thrift stores on our way out of town.
We stopped off again in Huntsville to rest a night on our way home to Ohio. There is just no way I can drive straight through for 12+ hours.
We got Zaxby’s for dinner and it’s so good. We only have Raising Cane’s in Ohio, and the kids agreed that Zaxby’s is very good, and certainly way better than CFA.

I love Gulf Shores so much that I could buy a beach house there. Maybe in 5-10 years when I have no more pressing responsibilities.
My kids were glad to be home and one said it is really not their thing; they prefer city trips. I love all the trips: beach, mountains, cities. There is always something fun to see and learn.
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It looks so fun! They even have a gator rescue–wow. Visiting from The Happy Now Blog Linkup
It looks like a wonderful adventure of a vacation! Your kids may prefer a trip to the city but my guess is, every vacation provides memories they will hold dear for years to come!
Sounds like a fun trip! I will be putting Gulf Shores on my bucket list.
Looks and sounds like a fabulous trip! There is nothing like time on the beach and I have to admit, a day on the beach knocks me out too, all that fresh air makes you so tired! Sim x Hopping over from GrammysGrid ULP
Gulf Shores is a beautiful area. I found it interesting that you won’t come to Florida. I live here in central Florida and I can see many problems. I’ve lived in Florida for decades but have been considering where else could I live?
It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to the beach. As you said, there is nothing like it. We had such sweet times when the kids were growing up vacationing on the Texas Gulf Coast. And I grew up on the coast of Florida and California. So while I love our home in the Desert Southwest, I do miss the beach at times. I’m glad you had such a great trip though not without its hiccups.
I found you on Grammy’s Grid Unlimited Link Party. So happy you enjoyed your visit to the beach. I live on Long Island, surrounded by beaches which I love. I’m also only an our outside of NYC so city trips are a constant too.
It sounds like a fantastic trip apart from not being able to get into the Condo. Eek! It looks like you all had great fun at the beach.
What a great vacation Jen. I so enjoyed virtually traveling with you guys. I appreciate you sharing these wonderful details and highlights from your trip with Sweet Tea & Friends this month.
What a wonder trip! I love the ocean! I’ve never been to gulf shores, but it sounds really nice.
Glad you could get away.
Thanks for sharing at the Homestead Blog Hop
Laurie