With Spring Break 2019 just around the corner, isn’t time you started making your family spring break plans? Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan are perfect places to spend a week sharing fun times with you family and making memories that will last long after this Spring Break Week 2019 is gone. The Alabama Gulf Coast is full of family friendly entertainment venues and we, at Sunset Properties, love hosting guests. With so many attractions to choose from, folks often ask us for our personal faves.
Here is a list of our Top 10 Favorite Spring Break Activities.
- Get back to nature
After being cooped up inside for the cold winter months, getting outside in the Spring is usually on everyone’s mind. Here along the Alabama Gulf Coast, we love the outdoors, too. Our Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is a great outdoor place to visit on a sunny Spring day. With so many animals to see in our “Little Zoo That Could” we urge you to set aside at least a whole afternoon for your visit. Wear comfy shoes and clothes, because our zoo is a walking attraction. Located right in the heart of Gulf Shores, the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is open year-round, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Recently, The Gulf Coast Mining Company was added to the zoo. This is a gemstone mining attraction and it is fun for the whole family. Visit the zoo, make some great pictures and take home a beautiful gemstone souvenir!
- Enjoy some arcade time
Remember back in the 80s when everyone hung out at the mall arcade? We loved the flashing lights and loud music and joystick challenges that lay before us! Seems those fun times are somewhere in our past. How about this? While you’re on Spring Break 2019 with your kids, why not let your own inner kid come out? Down here in our island paradise, we still love a good video game challenge and the excitement of the flashing lights and great music! You can find all of that at a couple of very cool local arcades: Adventure Island and Fat Daddy’s Arcade . Both of these entertainment venues are located in Orange Beach. Adventure Island is so much more than just your typical arcade. While they do house some of the best video games anywhere, they also are home to go-karts, laser tag and a mini-golf course. Adventure Island is super easy to find. Just ride along Beach Boulevard until you see the big volcano. It is the only volcano on our island, so you won’t have to look too hard to find it. Can’t get enough arcading at Adventure Island? Well, trek on over to Fat Daddy’s Arcade. With over 80 arcade games, including claw challenges, Deal or No Deal and the big wheel, there is something for your whole family to enjoy. Follow Fat Daddy’s on Facebook for special offers and when you get down here, don’t miss a chance to go! For great games and exciting prizes, both Adventure Island and Fat Daddy’s Arcades are definitely two of our faves! Just down the road from these fun arcades is Enclave 206. This 3 bedroom, 3 bath condominium is located right on the Gulf in Orange Beach. Once you’re family has played all the video games possible, you’ll be happy to drive just a short way to your vacation home where you’ll find a beautifully decorated, fully stocked home that has both an indoor and outdoor pool. We loved arcades back in the 80s, and we still enjoy the thrill now and then, but some days, we just want to relax beside a pool and enjoy the sounds of the beach.
- Hangout near the public beach
The Hangout has been a favorite local beach spot since we can’t remember when, and it still tops our list of groovy things to do. The face of The Hangout has changed over the years, but the vibe is still the same. Stop by for easy-to-have fun and great food. Located right at the public beach in Gulf Shores, The Hangout, home of The Hangout Music Festival, is nearly impossible to miss. Known for their famous festival in May, great adult beverages and awesome menu, The Hangout is actually a very family friendly place to go. Your whole family will enjoy putting toes in the sand while eating in the picnic area. Kids will love the Wish Wall, foam party and sand pit. Adults will love the fact that the service is top-notch and food is awesome. We know you’ve driven by the big yellow Hangout sign many times. Why not stop, go in, and relax a little. Give it a try. You’ll thank us for the suggestion.
- Drive hard and go fast
Driving in between Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan can be a bit challenging for adults. With some many places to go and so many things to do, we tend to spend a great deal of time in our cars. Why not let the kids drive for a while? Located just north of the Intracoastal Waterway bridge on Gulf Shores Parkway, The Track- Gulf Shores is a great place to do just that. Let your young folks take the wheel in a super cool go-kart that is sized perfectly for them. The Track is a fun and challenging course for kids and adults alike. With rides ranging from The Wild Woody to the Kiddie Karts, there is a perfectly sized track for everyone. The Track also offers a Sky Coaster and Spinning Coaster. There is also a great arcade and mini-golf course. With so many fun things to do at this one venue, The Track is sure to be a great way to spend a whole spring break day.
- Chill out with some good ice cream
After all the thrill seekers in your family have been entertained, why not slow down a bit for some fabulous ice cream? Matt’s Homemade Alabama Ice Cream, located on Gulf Shores Parkway near the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, is a great place to stop and chill for a bit. With 40 flavors to choose from, your whole family will love Matt’s Ice Cream. From banana splits to waffle cones, stop by Matt’s and create your own unique favorite Gulf Coast Ice Cream treat. Another one of our favorite ice creams shops is Callaway’s Creamery. Just a little off the beaten path on East 2nd Street in Gulf Shores, the folks at Callaway’s Creamery serve ice cream with a twist. They start out with liquid ice cream mix and pass it through liquid nitrogen for flash freezing. Not only is this ice cream a treat for your tongue, it is entertaining to watch them make it. They have plenty of flavors and “toss ins” like fruit and candy. Stop by Callaway’s Creamery and create the perfect ice cream treat to fit your taste. They also have sugar free and keto friendly ice cream, too, so everyone can enjoy a tasty treat at this cool place.
- Get some sand in your shorts
With 32 miles of pristine shoreline, of course spending a day at the beach will be on our list of favorite things to do. After all, that is what draws us down to our beautiful Alabama Gulf Coast in the first place, right? How about staying in a fabulous beach house right on the Gulf? USA2 is a 5 bedroom, 5 bath home that sits directly on the beachfront. Talk about a fabulous vacation home with an amazing view! Imagine walking right down from you living room and onto the sand. The sand that covers the beaches that surround us are sugary while quartz crystals. You’re sure to find plenty of shells to collect, seagulls to entertain you and waves to play in. You also will find sea oats growing in our dunes. While it may be tempting to play in the oats or even pick them, please don’t. They are a protected plant and they help hold the dunes in place. Instead, take your blanket or your favorite beach chair and get close to the lapping waves and just relax with your favorite book or music. Please leave all glass containers in your vacation home and bring only paper or plastic with you to the beach. Also, remember that the sun in March here along our Alabama Gulf Coast can burn winter skin very quickly. Wearing sunblock, shades and hats, along with limiting your sun exposure, are always good ideas. For more ideas on what to pack in your beach bag, check our beach bag blog. We hope you enjoy your time in the sun on the sand, but please remember to take down your tents and remove all your trash when you go. While you make take home a little sand in your shorts, please “leave only footprints” on the beach at the end of each day.
- Eat some great local seafood
We have so many great places to eat around here, it is hard for us to narrow it down to just a couple. But for Spring Break 2019, we encourage you to give Doc’s Seafood Shack and Mikee’s Seafood a try. Doc’s Seafood Shack is located on Canal Road in Orange Beach. Locally owned since 1984, Doc’s Seafood Shack has been an island staple and favorite among locals. They have some of the best shrimp you’ll ever eat. Do you like raw oysters? Doc’s has you covered. Cold beer and excellent service are what you can expect when you dine at Doc’s. Doc’s has a great kids’ menu, too. Mikee’s, like Doc’s, also offers all these things. That’s why we recommend you try them both while you’re visiting us for Spring Break. Mikee’s Seafood is located on East 2nd Avenue in Gulf Shores. With affordable menu items ranging from po-boys to pastas and great appetizers coupled with an awesome kids’ menu, Mikee’s is a great place for the whole family to eat.
- Play a round of golf
Everyone loves a round of golf, right? With so many great golf courses around the Alabama Gulf Coast to choose from, how do you decide where to go? With choices like Craft Farms and The Peninsula, how do you pick just one? We actually have a couple of suggestions that will appeal to your whole family. How about Pirate’s Island and Tiki’s Mini Golf? Sure our fabulously kept professional courses like Craft Farms and Peninsula are always great, but how about trying mini golf for Spring Break fun this year? Pirate’s Island Mini Golf is located on Gulf Shores Parkway right across from The Track. When you spot the only landlocked pirate ship in our area, you’ll know you’re in the right place. Pirate’s Island Mini Golf has been a fun family place to go for many years. Whether you choose to play in the day or after dark, your whole family will have a blast, Matey! Does golfing under very old oaks appeal to you? If so, Tiki’s Mini Golf is where you need to be. Located on Gulf Shores Parkway near The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Tiki’s not only offers mini golf, but also bike rentals. If you’ve never pedaled your way around our island, give it a try! See our island at a slower pace as you take a self-guided bike tour with your family and we are sure you’ll see a few things you missed while driving in your car. We encourage you to take a bike ride down beautiful Fort Morgan Road. Near the fort is Indies 410. This 3 bedroom, 3 bath condominium is waiting for you and your family to arrive. With plenty of room for everyone, Indies 410 is a perfect place to call “home” for Spring Break 2019. So come by bike or come by car, but don’t miss the opportunity to experience this amazing beach home!
- Ride a Ferris wheel
The highest place on our island cannot be reached driving a conventional car. You can’t get there on a bike or even roller skates. But you can get there from Main Street at The Wharf. The highest place on our little island paradise is the top of the Ferris Wheel at The Wharf. Open daily, the 112 foot tall Ferris wheel has become one of our local favorites. With 24 gondolas, this fabulous landmark can hold up to 140 people at a time. Plan a day at The Wharf during Spring Break 2019. There is always something fun happening on Main Street. Be sure to check out Spectra, an amazing light and laser show each night. The Wharf recently added The Hummingbird Zipline. Fly over this part of our island on one of the best ziplines anywhere. And don’t forget to check out The Amphitheatre at The Wharf. This March, we are expecting Luke Combs and the Zac Brown Band to perform.
10. Get a cool tee
What Spring Break would be complete without a cool t-shirt to take back home? Most all restaurants offer great souvenir t-shirts. Certainly, The Hangout has a great selection and you may want to shop Souvenir City and get a personalized airbrushed shirt, but we have a couple of faves we want to tell you about. Lucy Buffett’s Lulu’s in Gulf Shores not only has great food, including food for those with shellfish allergies, but they have great shirts, too. With so many colorful and fun tees to choose from, everyone in your family will want to get a shirt from Lulu’s. And of course, there’s Tacky Jacks. Tacky Jacks has been offering up one of the best breakfasts on our island for years. In addition to their well-known food and bushwackers, Tacky Jacks definitely needs to be on your t-shirt radar.
We are glad you’re coming to spend Spring Break 2019 with us here on the Alabama Gulf Coast. If you haven’t made your Spring Break reservation yet, what are you waiting for? We at Sunset Properties have many great vacation homes to choose from. We have condos, houses, and penthouses available still for much of the Spring Break Season, but they are filling up fast. Give us a call and let us help you find the perfect family vacation home for you!
251.543.1370
