Free Area Activities & Events

Beaches

Cotton Bayou (Orange Beach)
Florida Point (Orange Beach)
Gulf Shores Public Beach (Gulf Shores) – Note: A small parking fee is charged.
Gulf Shores 2nd Street Public Access (Gulf Shores)
Gulf Shores 4th Street Public Access (Gulf Shores)
Gulf Shores 5th & 6th Street Public Access (Gulf Shores)
Gulf Shores 13th Street Public Access (Gulf Shores)
Lagoon Park (Gulf Shores)
Romar Beach (Orange Beach)

Birding

Alabama Coastal Bird Fest (October)
Bird banding in March and November at Fort Morgan conducted by the Hummer/Bird Study Group Note: Small entrance fee to Fort to access bird banding site.
Alabama Coastal Birding Trail is located along the coast and inland in Baldwin and Mobile counties with 50 designated birding locations (map available)

Boat Launches

Boggy Point Launch (end of Marina Road, east off Hwy. 161, Orange Beach)
Canal Park Boat Launch (West Canal Road, Gulf Shores)
Canoe Trails (10 designated trails in Orange Beach)
Cotton Bayou Launch (intersection of Hwy. 161 & Hwy. 182, Orange Beach)
Fort Morgan (51 Hwy. 180 West, Gulf Shores)
Mo's Landing (17595 Fort Morgan Road, Gulf Shores)

Festivals & Events

Polar Bear Dip at Alabama/Florida line (January)
Snowbird Bratfest in Gulf Shores (January)
Mardi Gras parades in Fairhope, Gulf Shores, Mobile, Orange Beach & Pensacola (Jan. & Feb.)
Alabama Lifestyles Expo in Orange Beach (February)
Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival in Fairhope (March)
Festival of Flowers in Mobile (March)
Flower & Garden Extravaganza in Foley (March)
German Sausage Festival in Elberta (March & October)
Easter Egg Hunt in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach (March/April, Easter weekend)
Baldwin County Strawberry Festival in Loxley (April)
Interstate Mullet Toss & Gulf Coast's Greatest Beach Party at Alabama/Florida line (April)
Art in the Park in Foley (May, Mother's Day weekend)
Pensacola Crawfish Festival (May)
Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival in Foley (June, Father's Day weekend)
Independence Day Fireworks in Gulf Shores (July)
Coastal Cleanup at Alabama beaches (September)
Jubilee Festival in Daphne (September)
Pensacola Seafood Festival in Pensacola (September)
Honeybee Festival in Robertsdale (October)
National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores (October)
Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival in Pensacola (November)
Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival at various Gulf Coast venues (November)
Let it Snow in Foley (December)

Miscellaneous

Battle of Mobile Bay Civil War Trail stretches from the Gulf of Mexico over 90 miles to north Mobile County and documents the military movements and way of life from 1864 to 1865. A series of interpretive signs are available at over a dozen locations chronicling the historic events.
Blue Angels, the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, are based at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola and can be viewed at practice on weekdays throughout the year. In July they perform at Pensacola Beach and in November their homecoming show is at the Naval Air Station.
Sweet Home Cheese Farm in Elberta is a family-owned working dairy producing over 15 varieties of naturally aged cheese with no preservatives.

Museums

Baldwin County Heritage Museum in Elberta resembles turn-of-the-century barns with a working windmill and several outdoor agricultural exhibits and indoor exhibits designed to preserve the area's rural heritage.
City of Foley Museum Archives represents the 1950s era when the rail lines were in transition from steam to diesel fuel.
Gulf Shores Museum features a video entitled Hurricane Hunters and exhibits including Fishing the Lagoon: A Way of Life.
Historic Fort Conde in Mobile is a partially reconstructed 1724-1735 French fort featuring workable reproductions of 1740s naval cannons and muskets.
Holmes Medical Museum in Foley is housed in the county's first hospital (1936) and recreates an operating room, X-ray, pharmacy and patient rooms using medical antiques.
L & N Train Depot and Miniature Train Display is a railroad museum located at the City of Foley Museum Archives. Model train exhibit open Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday.
National Naval Aviation Museum is one of the world's largest aviation museums with nearly 300,000 square feet of displays and over 150 restored aircraft. Note: Admission charge for optional IMAX films.
Orange Beach Indian and Sea Museum houses local artifacts and memorabilia relating to our Native American and fishing heritage.
Phoenix Fire Museum in Mobile houses turn-of-the-century horse-drawn steam engines and early motorized vehicles of the Phoenix Volunteer Fire Company No. 6.
The American Sport Art Museum and Archives located in Daphne is dedicated to the preservation of sports history, art and literature.

Nature

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, named one of the 10 natural wonders of Alabama, features six miles of hiking trails and beach access and a wildlife exhibit in a 7,000-acre refuge on the Fort Morgan peninsula.
Gulf State Park features 3.5 miles of beach in a 6,150-acre park. Note: There are fees for parking at the beach pavilion, fishing at the pier and golf.
Hugh S. Branyon Back Country Trail features multi-purpose trails through extraordinary habitats. Trailheads are located at Hwy. 161, the Orange Beach Sportsplex (off Hwy.180) and County Road 2 in the Gulf State Park.
Claude Peteet Mariculture Center/Marine Resources Division conducts studies and research that enhance our understanding of the life history of red snapper, various finfish and shrimp. It is located roughly halfway between Bon Secour Bay and Wolf Bay on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores
Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve protects 3,000 acres of coastal habitats and wetlands including an estuary. The Interpretive Center, off Hwy. 98 West, houses indoor exhibits and a live animal room.
Gulf Island National Seashore at Johnson Beach in Perdido Key, Florida is available during the day for swimming, boating, hiking and fishing fun. Note: A parking fee is charged.