The Time I Spent a Month in Gulf Shores
What it was like to dive into the area and experience coastal culture – from hospitality to tips from the locals.
As a traveling family, we spent two years picking a new destination each month to live at and stay in with our RV - many that we had never been to before. We were seeking the ability to dive into new spaces and enjoy the areas that we were traveling to. Our plan to stay in Gulf Shores for a month was not only one of the best that we had, but it has left a place in our heart that has brought us back many more times since that extended stay. Each part of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach brought our young family smiles and memories to last a lifetime.
Traveling to a brand-new city and visiting for a month will cause you to quickly dive into the destination’s culture - if you let it, and we certainly did! Living like a local is one of the best ways to truly get to know a new region, and I highly suggest it!
Gulf Shores has some of the most memorable and helpful people around! Start a conversation with locals at any store, the waitress at the restaurant you're dining at, or a couple walking on the beach at sunset. You are bound to get insider information about the best of the best. Want to know where to get the best grouper sandwich? The best playground for kids? What time should you bike the Gulf State Park? We loved getting to know the people who live in and love Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and hearing their expertise of the area. You will soon find out - as we did - that this town is full of support for local business and their neighbors. Even restaurant managers were suggesting new places where we should eat the next night! The community created here is something special and one that you will want to experience firsthand.
Speaking of that tight-knit community feeling, the hospitality that Gulf Shores and Orange Beach offers is top-notch. While staying in a local RV Park, we got to know the front office staff like our friends. They would deliver our mail to our camper, chat with our kids as they rode their bikes, and give us recommendations on what to do that day. Since that time, every condo, beach house, or hotel we have stayed in has been quite the same. Every employee or owner we rented from has made us feel welcomed and appreciated in their town, almost like it’s our town, too.
Spending an extended amount of time in one place allows you to get to see all that that place has to offer. Even after our month on Alabama’s beaches, we still have items on our bucket list - activities we still want to do and places we still want to go!
The possibilities are endless, and there is an itinerary for just about anyone - whether you want to take in the sunshine, explore nature and wildlife, or pump up your adrenaline - there are activities for every type of person!
