How to find kids activities at the beach – Page 2 – Sunset Properties Blog

January 10, 2013

Christmas To Mardi Gras At The Beach!

Each year we decorate our office and Christmas tree in a very beautiful and frankly elaborate way not only for us but our neighbors, friends and guests. To me it is fun to have the lights up and all of the decorations. I get to really enjoy Christmas even though I am rarely at home to see my own tree. After the New Year rings in our tree converts to a Mardi Gras tree. I didn’t realize many people do not know anything about Mardi Gras.

So for a very brief explanation Mardi Gras! It was brought to the U.S. By the French. This is a celebration of, well, excess! This is a holiday that grew from a Catholic celebration of having rich food and celebrations prior to giving up those things for lent. The Mardi Gras tradition actually started just across the Bay in Mobile. It has changed greatly over the years and morphed into months of balls given by societies or Krews and Parades. Locally, we typically have a Mardi Gras Parade in each city until you get to Mobile where they have days of parades and the kids get out of school to enjoy the festivities. Mardi Gras Activities are Family Friendly at the beach. So if you have a weekend to getaway come down and enjoy the parades around town. At the Sunset Properties office we are much more relaxed we have our pretty tree and we never turn down sweets around here! We hope to see you soon. Below is the parade schedule for the area!

LuLu’s Krewe De Lu Roux Mardi Gras Ball
Feb 6, 2013 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
LuLu’s at Homeport Marina

Mystical Order of Mirams Parade
Feb 8, 2013 6:30 PM
Begins at Wintzell’s

Mystics of Pleasure Mardi Gras Parade
Feb 9, 2013 5:30 PM
Begins at Wintzell’s and ends at Zeke’s Marina

Gulf Shores Mardi Gras Parade
Feb 12, 2013 10:00 AM
Begins at Hwy 59 from bottom of Intracoastal Canal Bridge and ends at Main.

Orange Beach Mardi Gras Parade
Feb 12, 2013 2:00 PM
Begins at Wintzell’s and ends at Hwy 161, Orange Beach

LuLu’s 9th Anniversary Celebration and Mardi Gras Boat Parade
Feb 12, 2013 3:00 PM
Intracoastal Canal-Begins at The Wharf and ends at Lulu’s.

December 13, 2012

What Not To Bring To Fort Morgan

One of the most common questions we receive is what should I bring to my beach vacation? We put a list of what we provide in your confirmation letter but for those of you planning ahead let me give you a more detailed list of what NOT to bring.

LINENS – We provide linens! Professionally laundered sheets and towels are provided for each property we rent. We also provide a kitchen towel and cloth for your kitchen use. What you will need is BEACH TOWELS. While we typically have several sitting around that were left by guests. We cannot provide them for everyone!

COOKWARE, POTS, PANS, SILVERWARE! All of these are provided! You should have everything you need to make wonderful meals for you and your families. If you need something special like a crock pot, you definitely need to bring that along.

HAIR DYE – For some reason coming to the beach brings out a need for change in our guests! We see this change most often in hair color. I’m not sure why but dying your hair on a beach vacation is an extremely common thing! Not only does this often ruin linens that you have to pay for, it also is basically a waste at the beach. Between the sun, chlorine, and salt water that’s enough to ruin the best hair do.

INSTANT TAN – Ok Guys, you are coming to the beach to play in the sun! I completely get protecting your skin with sunscreen! This is a good thing and we totally support it! There is no need to bring instant tan and apply it while you are at the beach. Almost everyone is here to get a tan, so you are all in the same boat together. So pale people on the beach is the norm. Please don’t bring your instant tan and ruin our linens with it!!!!

YOUR TOOLS – We have a full maintenance staff fully equipped to handle everything from a major leak to a battery change. All you have to do is call us and let us know. We will have someone there as soon as possible to fix it.

YOUR CLEANING PRODUCTS – If you check in and you find a cleaning issue of some sort all you have to do is again is call us. We will have a housekeeper in to solve any problem you may run across. We pride ourselves in our housekeeping and never want a guest to feel that they came into a dirty condo. So always call us!

WORK – In this day and age with all of the technology we have it easy for someone to bring their work to the beach with them. We suggest that you never take work on vacation with you. Vacation is for getting away and leaving work behind, relax, get some sun, and have fun. Really take a break even for a few days for the office. Everything can wait or can be assigned to someone else.

PROBLEMS / DRAMA – It is hard to relax if you bring your problems with you. It is good to deal with drama and problems before you come to the beach or leave them behind for a little bit. Being at the beach with the calmness of the water and warm breezes it tends to give people a new perspective on all things in their life so leave those problems and drama behind for a while. Come back with a new view on life.

I am of the opinion that you should leave your phone and laptop behind as well! This is a little extreme for most people but keep in mind service is limited in this area and technology only lets people find you on vacation!

We hope you can make it down to to the beach with packing a little as possible and have as much fun as possible while you are here. If you have any questions on what to bring or what not to bring. We are happy to help! Let us know what you think. What do you have to bring and what should be left behind????

December 6, 2012

Christmas At The Beach!

I am crazy about Christmas. My tree is already up at home and I am really enjoying decorating our office slowly. Our very beachy area has one fun event after another for locals and visitors to the Gulf! A list of some of my favorites is below.

COASTAL CHRISTMAS EVENTS
AS OF DECEMBER 5, 2012
To get the whole scoop on Coastal Christmas, please visit www.alabamacoastalchristmas.com

Nov 12 – Dec 12	Santa’s Helper \| Toy Drive
Nov 27	2012 Christmas Tree Lighting at The Wharf
Nov 29	Christmas Market by Delta Kappa Gamma @ Lester’s in Orange Beach
Nov 29	Gulf Shores Christmas Open House
Nov 30 – Dec 2	Junior USTA Tournament
Nov 30	Holiday Open House
Nov 30	Taste of the Islands
Dec 1	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 1	Christmas Angel Breakfast
Dec 1	Pics With Santa
Dec 1	Dinner Party
Dec 1	Gulf Shores Christmas Parade & Beach Celebration
Dec 2 – Dec 10	Nativity Open House
Dec 2	Chris-myth Busters
Dec 2	Children’s Christmas Musical- GSUMC
Dec 2	Handel’s Messiah
Dec 7	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 7	Edward Jones Holiday Open House
Dec 7	“Light Up the Arts” on the Coast
Dec 8	Santa Drop at the Flora-Bama
Dec 8	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 8	5K Jingle Bell Run
Dec 8	Cookie Extravaganza
Dec 8	Merry Market at The Wharf
Dec 8	Billy Claus Arrival at LuLu’s
Dec 8	Wharf Christmas Open House
Dec 8	Annual Christmas Lighted Boat Parade
Dec 9	Christmas Concert at GSUMC
Dec 11	Santa Claus at the Orange Beach Public Library
Dec 12	Friends of the Library Christmas Open House
Dec 13	Chamber Holiday Open House
Dec 14	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 15	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 15	Breakfast with Santa
Dec 15	Santa’s Sleigh Pet Portraits BARC! Fundraiser
Dec 16	CLC Kids Program
Dec 21	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 22	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 25	Christmas Potluck
Dec 29	Flora-Bama Make it to the Line Run/Walk
Dec 31 – Jan 1	Flora-Bama New Years Eve Bash
Dec 31	Noon Year’s Eve
Jan 1	Flora-Bama Polar Bear Dip
Jan 1	Hangout/Kiwanis/Gulf Shores Polar Bear Dip

November 8, 2012

Alabama’s Gulf Coast: Where Kids Drive Home the Fun!

This is this first in a series of Blog Posts from and article by Annette Thompson of Sweet Home Alabama site. She has some fantastic ideas for family friendly vacations across the Gulf Coast!

Some of the best family memories are made on a beach vacation. Ditching your regular routine and setting out for Alabama’s 32 miles of sandy seashore welcomes a bit of magic into your lives. The special times aren’t simply limited to the beaches though. The entire coastal region – the wetlands, rivers, and bays – is a rich playground full of a variety of adventures.

Youngsters will not only like to play in the surf, but they also will soak up the culture of the coast. So plan your trip with a healthy mix of downtime combined with several outings to explore the watery ecosystem and the region’s role in American history. And don’t leave out a few squeal-producing activities.

Surf’s Up!

Until your teens or tots sink their toes in the sand, you haven’t really arrived at the beach. So make haste down AL Highway 59 (Gulf Shores Parkway) to land’s edge where you can slather on the sunscreen and catch a wave. All of the major resorts in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach maintain beach services with lounge chairs and umbrellas (typically about $25 per day), and some even rent kayaks or catamarans (typically about $50 an hour).

Look beyond the high-rises to discover less-crowded strands, where you’ll feel as if the entire beach belongs to your family. At these tranquil spots, you’ll need to bring your own blankets, chairs and umbrellas for comfort (don’t forget a cooler with cold drinks, snacks and wet cloths to wash hands and faces). One of the best sites along AL Highway 182 is Gulf State Park (20115 AL Highway 135; 251–948–7275 map). The 3.5 miles of sugary sands separate Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. The park features the second-longest fishing pier (1,540 feet) anywhere along the Gulf of Mexico. (Kids younger than 16 don’t need fishing licenses, but adults do. They can be purchased right on the pier.)

Start planning now for your next beach getaway! We hope to see you soon.