Journey Through the Heart of the Redneck Riviera

I've been wanting to visit this place for a few years , but for one reason or another , my trip just kept getting postponed . So I was really happy when the conference chose this location . Now , what the heck is the Redneck Riviera and where is it ?

Well , the area is known as the Redneck Riviera and it stretches from Fort Morgan and Gulf Shores , alabama , to Panama City , florida .

We're talking white sand beaches that stretch approximately 150 miles , and they are a favorite for spring breakers , couples and families Got the nickname Redneck Riviera because , well , most of the people vacationing here are from the deep south states of Alabama , tennessee , mississippi and Georgia . The area is also aptly named the Emerald Coast .

Now , while Florida beaches and destinations are really popular , the 32-mile stretch from Fort Morgan to Orange Beach and the Florida-Alabama state line are known for their white sand beaches , warm gulf waters and all the great seafood and activities . Let's take a look at why this area is so popular and a few things that you can do there .

First of all , hit the beach . You're in Gulf Shores . They have some of the most beautiful beaches , from the Gulf State Park Beach to Fort Morgan Beach , west Beach and East Beach and the less crowded Little Dome and Little Lagoon Beach . They are some of the best beaches on the Gulf of Mexico . Plus , orange Beach sits right next to Gulf State Park .

Niagara up Vista Beach is in Texas . I'm born and bred Texan , love the state of Texas , but let me just tell you something we got robbed . The white sand beaches and Gulf Shores are a beach lover's dream . I loved it down there . You can visit Gulf State Park . Yes , the beach at Gulf State Park is fantastic . Yes , the beach at Gulf State Park is fantastic .

However , the park encompasses 6,500 acres and has nine different ecosystems . In addition to the two and a half mile stretch of beach , there are also 28 miles of trails known as the Hugh S Branion Backcountry Trail .

There's a beach pavilion , the Gulf State Park Pier interpretive center , a nature center , lake Shelby campgrounds , a hotel and conference center operated by Hilton , and a whole lot more . You can spend some time along the pass just hiking , fishing or enjoying nature . Another thing you can do there is go deep sea fishing .

There are over 150 deep sea fishing charters in Gulf Shores alone . People travel from all over to fish the blue waters off the Gulf Shores because of the wide range of species you can catch .

Now I didn't have time to do any fishing charges while I was on my little short visit , but I have been deep sea fishing before and I think this is one of the best places on the Gulf Coast for fishing , just because you can catch red snapper , sailfish , drum tuna , kingfish , flounder shark and a whole lot more .

If you have never been deep-sea fishing , well , let me just tell you it's a few hours of getting to the right place , spending some time searching for the fish , followed by the fight of your life . If you hook on to one of those big ones , an Orange Beach fishing charter might just be the highlight of your trip .

Now , if you decided to take a break from lounging around the pool or enjoying the beach , there are a couple of amusement parks on the island . You've got Adventure Island . This place has been around for close to 20 years and is still family owned and operated .

They offer miniature golf , go-karts , an indoor roller coaster simulator and bumper boats Think bumper cars but floating on the water . If you have kids , they will love this place and you will too . You ain't got to be a kid to be running around and having fun at Adventure Island . Let me tell you , there's also Waterville , usa .

That's a combination of water park and amusement park located on 20 acres just a quarter mile from the beach . If the hotel guests are getting tired of you jumping in the pool and getting rowdy , then head over to the water park , because they have a lazy river , multiple slides , a wave pool and a flow rider . Now you know what a flow rider is .

It's one of those simulated surfing waves that you see videos of people flying backwards on . There's also mini golf , an indoor arcade room and escape rooms . If you think of Gulf Shores as a destination , well then the Wharf is a destination within a destination . It's located just a short drive from the beach , and the Wharf offers a multi venue experience .

You can shop along Main Street , sit outside the coffee shop and enjoy your morning coffee , or shop in one of the many boutique shops that they have . They've got a killer little ice cream shop there that sells ice cream , fudge and just all kinds of knickknacks . It's a blast .

There are also several restaurants and bars , along with a theater , an escape room , an axe throwing venue and an arcade and Ferris wheel . There's also a nightly laser show and a 10,000 seat amphitheater that attracts some of the biggest live music acts in the industry . Visit Floribama while you're there Now .

This place was opened in 1964 on the Florida-Alabama state line . You may have seen it on one of those reality shows , but let me tell you , floribama is a blast . Floribama has five stages for live music and features bands that play everything from country rock , dance and beach music .

There are several beachfront bars where you can sip on a famous bushwhacker and enjoy some of the most beautiful sunsets you will ever see . Three restaurants , a package store For you folks down south that's a liquor store and a souvenir shop . You've got to have your t-shirt . They also have a marina .

They offer pontoon boat rentals , jet ski rentals and they even have a custom charter that you can rent . They have several annual events , including the world-famous mullet toss no , we're not talking Billy Ray Cyrus mullet , but the fish . They even have church services every Sunday where you can go and repent for your Saturday night sins .

Now , besides the beach , this place is also a very historic area . You know I love history . I love visiting historic locations . I'm an old , retired military guy so I like military history . Well , this place has it . You can visit historic Fort Morgan . Fort Morgan is located on the western tip of the island .

It was built on the site of an old fort named Bauer or Boyer , which was an old earthen and stockade fortification , and it was the site of battles during the War of 1812 . Fort Morgan was built there and it was completed in 1834 . Fort Morgan saw action during the Civil War , the Spanish-American War , world War I and World War II .

Fort Morgan saw action during the Civil War , the Spanish-American War , world War I and World War II . Fort Morgan played a very important role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War .

Now , while you may not be that familiar with the Battle of Mobile Bay , it was one of the largest naval battles in the Civil War and very pivotal part of the Civil War . In fact , you probably know a famous quote from it . During the battle , which lasted about 21 days , union Admiral David Farragut uttered the famous phrase Damn the torpedoes full speed ahead .

And that was as he commanded his force to run through a minefield that had been laid right off of the coast .

There on Fort Morgan , you spent a few hours touring the fort , walking around the fortifications , seeing how they lived and worked , and you could also reserve a few minutes just to check out the museum , which is located right in front of the fort at the parking area . Don't forget to check out the museum . It's great .

Now you don't want to go to Gulf Shores without getting some of the fantastic food they have down there . Of course we're talking seafood Now . They also have sandwich shops and everything else , but you can eat sandwiches anytime You're going there for the seafood .

I went to a few of them and one of them was called Zeek's . Zeek's sits right across the road from Orange Beach . They have their own marina that they operate and their food is fantastic and they are always busy .

If you go at night , during dinner time , I suggest you get a reservation , otherwise you might wind up waiting around for a while , which is all right in itself because you can kind of wander around the marina and look at the boats and stuff . But Zeke's is a fabulous restaurant . You will enjoy it . Another one I visited was called Tacky Jack's .

They have three locations . One is near Fort Morgan , which I visited , and they have two others in Gulf Shores itself . They serve breakfast , lunch , dinner . It's a casual type setting . They and it's got all the usual seafood burgers and just a whole lot more . It's a fun place . You'll enjoy it . Really popular . Jackie Jack's is a blast .

You got a sweet tooth . I recommend highly that you go to City Donut . They have been voted number one donut shop in Alabama by a few people , family owned and operated , and they're located in one of the shopping centers there , where Publix has their grocery store on Orange Beach .

They got fresh donuts , ice cream and they also got those boba drinks , if you're into that . But you're going for the donuts , trust me , they are great . They're open seven days a week . The restaurants in Gulf Shores there are great . They're open seven days a week . The restaurants at Gulf Shores there are way too many to mention and you will enjoy them all .

I've tried two or three of them . I'm telling you they're great . The food down there is fantastic , fresh seafood right out of the Gulf . The Hangout it's a two and a half acre restaurant which features full service dining , beach access , a courtyard . That has a ton of fun things to do Phone pits , games , retail , shopping .

There's stages for live music , a whole lot more . So while you're down there , check out some of these restaurants . Now , where are you going to stay when you get down there ? Yeah , you can look up all the Airbnbs and all that other stuff . I stayed at the lodge at Gulf State Park that's that place I was telling you about .

That's operated by the Hilton Hotel chain , it says right on the beach . I had a balcony that overlooked the beach , had two of those chaise lounges and a little table sitting outside where you could sit outside , drink a beer and watch the sunrise or sunset over the Gulf , look over the beaches and the beautiful waters out there . Peaceful , common .

It's one of those places where it's like you know what I'm just going to call the boss . Tell him I quit and I'm just going to live here forever . It is a great place to spend time Beautiful pool , a couple of restaurants . They got a convention or meeting rooms and all that other stuff for your conventions and meetings .

They got a coffee shop inside , a lot of seating outside , right outside the back door where you go in and check in . You walk right out the back door and there's all kinds of chairs and tables out there so you can sit and enjoy the beach . They got some stairs and a wooden walkway that takes you right down to the beach so you got beach access from there .

Fabulous place to stay . You won't regret it . It's great Big parking area the one thing that they don't have now . You know I love my cigars because it's at Gulf State Beach . There is no smoking anywhere on the hotel grounds and you can't smoke anywhere at the beach .

So I had to go find someplace to smoke my cigars , which I did , but I'm just telling you right now , don't be lighting up while you're there . But there are a ton of different hotels there .

There's condo rentals , lots of vacation rentals all up and down the beach , everywhere , from Fort Morgan because I drove from Fort Morgan all the way up to Orange Beach , which is like 32 miles , a little two-lane road right down the strip of the island I passed just all kinds of vacation rentals and Airbnbs and hotels .

There's also campgrounds there , rv places , rv resorts in Gulf Shores you name it , you'll find a place . Just take a little time , find what you're looking for and you can find a great place , whether it's on the beach , right off the beach , has beach access , whatever . There are a ton of options .

Whatever , there are a ton of options as far as getting there . Well , I drove because , well , I like to drive when I go places as much as possible , just so I could stop along the way , spend some time and explore . But you can fly in there . It's easy enough to get to gulf shores .

You can fly into Pensacola , which is only a couple of miles away , like 20 miles away . You can fly in . There are two or three airports right around Gulf Shores , so you shouldn't have a problem flying in there , or you can drive . It's an easy enough drive . I drove from Houston .

I left bright and early in the morning I'm talking 2 , 3 o'clock in the morning . Around 7 o'clock I was sitting in New Orleans , had breakfast and by 1 o'clock that afternoon I was visiting sites at Gulf Shores and I took plenty of time getting there . I was in no big rush to get there .

So it's not that big of a drive to get from Texas down there or from parts of Florida or South Carolina or up north or anything . I mean it's an easy enough drive . But there are also lots of flights that headed in there . It's a popular destination . But that was my trip to Gulf Shores , orange Beach , the Redneck Riviera .

I'm telling you , I've been wanting to go to this place for years . I'm glad I finally made it . I had a fabulous time . There are so much things to see and do there . I only spent three or four days there . I could have spent a week and a half , two weeks there . It is a lot of fun .

There's no wonder why it is so popular with everybody that goes there . And you know , one thing I discovered is not that well , it's well known , but when you get to places like Texas , they think of going to Florida to go to the beaches . Even though we have Padre Island stuff , I'm telling you , the waters are not as good .

So everybody that wants to go to a beach destination , they're like well , I'll go to Cancun , or I'll go to the Caribbean , or I'll go down to Florida , where the beaches are really nice . I started showing people photos of Orange Beach , gulf Shores and I had two of them right off the bat . Go , I'm calling my husband . I'm calling my wife .

We are headed to Gulf Shores . This place looks fun and if you go you will have a blast . Trust me , this is one place you need to visit . You'll have fun . If you do go , drop me a line , tell me what you did and how much fun you had .

Next time , I'm going to tell you a little bit more about a couple of other places that you need to visit while you're there , so stay tuned for the next one . And , as always , my name's Bob Bales . This has been the Traveling Fool Podcast .

If you get a chance , check out the blog at thetravelingfoolcom , check out the other podcasts and we'll see you next time . Check out the blog at thetravelingfoolcom , check out the other podcasts and we'll see you next time . Thank you .