Original Post: 11/21/2021

Updated Post: 11/11/2022

The hashtag, #JoiSaidGoHere is very popular with my audience on Instagram, so it’s only right that I start bringing my adventures over to my blog. Also, be sure to check out my Alabama story highlights on my Instagram to see everything in action. 

I had the honor of having my first trip out to the Alabama coast hosted by the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism. After returning, I feel like I truly have been doing myself a disservice by only seeking out U.S. beaches that were in Florida or California. And while we’re being honest here, I never knew Alabama had beaches…and I mean, white-sandy, clean, feeling like you’re on an island beach! I’m from Michigan, don’t judge me, ha!

Where to Eat 

We stayed 4 days and 3 nights, which gave us plenty of time to try a variety of restaurants. Here’s the ones that I highly recommend.

The Yard Milkshake Bar has multiple locations across the U.S., including one right here in Atlanta where I reside, perfect for when I’m craving one of these again.

I got the Cherry Key Limeade, made sure to try my daughter’s Strawberry Cheesecake and my friend’s ‘Cooking Butter Me Up’. What I really loved was this cool designated area in the back for washing out your jar to take home as a keepsake. Even to this day (11-11-2022), I still use this glass, ha!

Check out my Instagram reel for a closer look at these yummy milkshakes.

Our first night, we had dinner at  Playa at Orange Beach Marina. It was a super cute restaurant right off the water that allowed for reservations and had top-notch customer service. I highly recommend the pink pineapple drink and the conch fritters below. For my entree, I had the fried grouper.

The next day, we spent some time at the beach first thing in the morning before the rain made its debut, so breakfast easily turned into brunch and we ate at Ruby Slipper Cafe. Two weeks later, I’m still having foodie flashbacks of this place. The pics below won’t do any justice as to how flavorful and just downright amazing their food was, but check them out anyways. 

Here’s a few other places that we tried and be sure to catch my Instagram reel to see all of this goodness in action!

Where to stay

We stayed in a 3bd/3ba rental unit at the Beach Club Resort and Spa by Spectrum Resorts. The way the resort is set up is so that every room has an ocean view. We stayed on the 18th floor with some incredible views of the entire resort, beach and beautiful sunsets. The facility also has an indoor pool, multiple outdoor pools, a spa, full gym, shops and walking trails. For some additional photos and videos of the facility and our room, click on the Alabama reels highlight on my Instagram home page.

What to do

Unfortunately, the rain threw a monkey wrench in quite a few of our plans BUT we did get to check out their local zoo, The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, that offered interactive animal experiences, shopping, a sand castle class and of course the amazing beach.