We know when you plan your vacation to the Alabama Gulf Coast, visiting our sandy white beaches is always at the top of your list. We get it. Everyone loves listening to the sounds of the waves hitting the shore and watching the seagulls play overhead. In the summer, the beach is all abuzz with swimmers, surfers and watercraft riders. There are so many things to do right there on the beach, you may not think about anything else. But what about when the fall comes? Trips tend to be shorter and the beaches are not quite as busy as they are in the summer. What is there to do in the fall when you only have a couple of days to enjoy South Baldwin County? We want you to know about Four Fall Festivals you shouldn’t miss while you’re in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan. From seafood, to wildlife, to some of the best music and art anywhere, fall festival season down here is just getting started! You really need to come on down to Coastal Alabama, stay with Sunset Properties and check these out:
Alabama Coastal BirdFest
The 16th Annual Alabama Coastal Birdfest: A Birding & Nature Festival will be held October 2-5, 2019. BirdFest showcases great bird- and nature-watching spots all around Baldwin and Mobile counties, including Fort Morgan, Dauphin Island, Weeks Bay, Gulf Shores, and more. BirdFest offers excellent bird and nature watching experiences for both experts and novices alike. Festival goers can expect to see a wide variety of coastal and migratory birds, alligators, dolphins and an array of local wildflowers. Many BirdFest activities are ticketed, however there is one event that is free to the public. In addition to the different ticketed locations of this festival, a Bird and Conservation Expo is planned for Saturday, October 5, 2019 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm at the Fairhope campus of Coastal Alabama Community College in the Halstead Amphitheatre. This outdoor expo is free to the public and everyone is invited. The 16th Annual Alabama Coastal Birdfest is a production of The Weeks Bay Foundation and proceeds will benefit this local conservation group.
Annual National Shrimp Festival
A production of the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber, The 48th Annual National Shrimp Festival is planned for October 10-13, 2019 at the public beach area in the heart of Gulf Shores. The Shrimp Festival, a locally produced and nationally recognized festival celebrating one of our favorite crustaceans, continues to be volunteer-driven. Dozens of locals come together and collaborate to produce one of the best food, music, arts and crafts festivals anywhere. This year’s music lineup is sure to please all who attend. Look for musicians to be performing on two stages. Groups expected to perform include: The Tip Tops, Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster, and the Velcro Pygmies. There will be tribute bands celebrating the music of Def Leppard, Elvis and AC/DC. Local faves Tophat & Jackie, Brent Burns and Elaine Petty are also scheduled. Be sure to check out the fine arts area featuring local and national artisans. And don’t forget the food. As is tradition, we expect to have shrimp in all kinds of recipes. We love our Alabama Gulf Shrimp and hope you will try some while you’re here. The Annual National Shrimp Festival is free to the public. For guidelines on what you can bring into the festival site or for shuttle stop locations, check out their website. We will see you there!
Oyster Cook-Off and Craft Spirits & Beer Weekend
If you thought the Annual National Shrimp Festival was the last thing going on this fall along the Alabama Gulf Coast, think again! We have a couple of more festivals you need to try! Join several of your besties at the Hangout in Gulf Shores November 1-2, 2019 for the 12th Annual Oyster Cook-Off and Craft Spirits & Beer Weekend. This ticketed event is slam full of all the things we love about Gulf Shores: beachfront, seafood, music, good friends and fun! While not every oyster will give you a pearl, you’re sure to make a treasure chest full of memories when you meet your friends at the Hangout in early November. There will be restaurant tastings, celebrity chefs cooking and craft beer sampling. You can expect cocktail demos and an oyster shucking contest. There will be a champagne lounge and a tailgating experience. In addition to all this, there will be live music right on site! Your ticket covers so much, we can’t even list it all here. But you can check it all out for yourself on the Oyster Cook-Off and Craft Spirits & Beer Weekend website. Everyone knows the Hangout is always a great place to…well…hang out…but when they do a festival, they do it up right! Be sure to put this weekend on your calendar and stay with Sunset Properties while you’re in our neighborhood. We have several condos and beach homes that are really close to the Hangout and we are sure we can find you the perfect place to stay!
Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival
Since 1984, the good folks at The Flora-Bama Lounge and Package Store have produced the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival. This eleven-day multi-venue event will take place November 7-17, 2019 in both Alabama and Florida along our beautiful Gulf Coast. Named for a beloved night watchman at the Flora-Bama, the late Frank Brown, this festival celebrates people who otherwise might not get public recognition. This unique festival allows seasoned song-writers and up-and-comers alike, the opportunity to showcase their talents. Because this festival “moves” from venue to venue, festival goers not only are exposed to a variety of songwriting talent, but also get to experience the best our coastal communities have to offer in food and drinks. This year the Southeast Tourism Society has named the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival one of the Top 20 STS Events in the Southeast for November 2019. With great venues like The Flora-Bama Lounge and Package Store, the Coastal Arts Center in Orange Beach, Lucy Buffet’s Lulu’s in Gulf Shores and the Sandshaker at The Wharf, we are inclined to agree. We can’t wait to see songwriters like Mac Davis, Dean Dillon and Mark Dreyer perform. For a list of all songwriters represented, check out their website.
The summer may be over down here along our Alabama Gulf Coast, but the fun sure isn’t! We hope to see you this fall. Whether you’re just coming down for one of our great festivals or to stay for a couple of weeks, we at Sunset Properties are anxiously awaiting your arrival! We have condos and beach homes located in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan. We have vacation rental properties that will sleep from 2 to 22 and everything in between. Want to bring your fur baby with you for your fall getaway? We’ve got you covered on that, too! So go ahead, plan your festival outing and plan on staying with us at Sunset Properties.
Happy Fall, Y’all!
We’ll see ya soon!
251.543.1370
