Gulf Shores delivers year-round beach activities and Gulf Coast attractions. Start at the Gulf Shores public beach and the Hangout, the beachfront restaurant hosting the annual Hangout Music Festival each May. Gulf State Park spans 28 miles of trails, lakes, and a historic pier with a beach pavilion and the Lodge. History buffs visit Fort Morgan, the 19th-century fort at the peninsula's tip, and take the ferry across Mobile Bay. Deep-sea fishing charters and dolphin cruises depart from the marina daily. Families enjoy Waterville USA water park and the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo. Golfers play Kiva Dunes, one of the South's most acclaimed coastal courses on Fort Morgan Road. Nature lovers explore the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and back-bay estuaries. Just next door, the Wharf at Orange Beach offers shopping, dining, a marina, and a Ferris wheel.
There is more within easy reach: The Gulf Shores public beach and the Hangout — the beachfront restaurant and the Hangout Music Festival; The Wharf at Orange Beach — shopping, dining, a marina, and the Ferris wheel, next door; The Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and the back-bay estuaries; Kiva Dunes golf — one of the South's acclaimed coastal courses on Fort Morgan Road. Seasonal highlights include The Hangout Music Festival on the Gulf Shores beach (May), The National Shrimp Festival (October) — the coast's biggest event, Deep-sea fishing rodeos and tournaments (summer). Gulf Shores rewards visits in every season, from green-season hiking and water days to brilliant autumn foliage and quiet, snow-dusted winters.