Road Trip: Gulf Shores, Alabama

The Beach Club at Gulf Shores

The summer heat has permanently set in down in Texas for the next few months. Instead of fighting summer I decided to try my best to embrace it. We piled up our family of four (still so weird to say), and made the 9 hour drive to Alabama.




This was a first trip for everyone in the family to Alabama if you don't count a Greyhound bus trip I took to Sarasota, Florida senior year in high school.

We rented a little condo on the beach in Gulf Shores. It was beautiful! My husband and I are not beach people. We burn easily and the idea of sitting in the heat for fun doesn't sound that relaxing to either of us. That said, we thought that it would be a fun trip for Sadie so we decided to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and try something new.

The view from our balcony

Normally if I go on any sort of trip I am keen to see and do as much as possible. A friend of mine told me that you have never really been on a vacation unless you go somewhere to just sit in the sun and relax. 

I tried to keep that in mind for this trip even though the idea made me a little anxious.

My view for most of the trip. 

We rented a pair of beach chairs and an umbrella for 3 days and did as much sitting, sun soaking, and wave listening as one could do with an almost 3 year old and a 5 month old and it was wonderful. We built sand castles, searched for shells, snuggled the baby, splashed, and watched the birds and the Blue Angles (stationed near by) do fly overs. We made not plans and didn't worry about getting anything done. The idea that once gave me anxiety; just beaching it the entire time; became liberating to me. I was disappointed that I decided against an extra day. There really is something to listening to the waves go in and out. I felt like it was washing out all of the stressfull worry and to do lists from my brain.

My beach babes!

We were not too close to the main part of town so the little food truck area call The Village Lawn in front of the condo entrance was perfect and made our whenever, whatever, no plan plan that much easier. They had food, drink, live music, games, and activities.

The Village Lawn

The Village Lawn

              

We went into town for breakfast the first day and to pick up some provisions from Target. We really enjoyed Kitty's Kafe for breakfast which was right next to Target. We also had breakfast on our last day at City Donut, which came highly recommended from a friend. They had Butterfinger donuts! I'll leave it at that.

We didn't make it to The Gulf Restaurant on Orange Beach which was another recommendation. We will save that for next time.

Even though we thoroughly enjoyed beaching it for our vacation, when we drove through the town we saw so many things to do. Go cart tracks, horseback riding, beach shops, putt putt golf, water parks, roller coasters,  a zoo, and zip lines. The girls are too young for most of these things but they would be fun options for when they are older.

The back of one of the beach shops. You walked into a shark's mouth to enter. 

We really enjoyed our time in Gulf Shores. Evan was already planning on coming back before we had made it back home. He never does that!

Last picture from the beach!