So what do you do on the Gulf Coast in
late fall/winter? This is what a friend of mine asked recently. She’s headed
down to Gulf Shores & Orange Beach with her family later this month for a
couple weeks, and she’s wondering what in the world they’re going to do there.
Because there couldn’t possibly be much to do at the beach in the winter,
right?
Not so in Gulf Shores & Orange
Beach. We’re not talking about a northern winter, we’re talking about a Gulf
Coast winter—mild temperatures. No ice, no snow, you can still get outside and
enjoy the beach and nature, and even play
a round or two of golf. When we’ve
gone in the winter, we always enjoy visiting Gulf State Park and walking along
the Hugh S. Branyon Back Country Trail. And we always stay at Gulf Shores
Plantation, which has the added advantage of being right next to Kiva Dunes—an
excellent course to play, especially in the fall and winter.
Visiting in December offers even more
opportunity for activity, thanks to the variety of holiday events taking place:
the 28th Annual Christmas Lighted Boat Parade on December 14th,
ice skating at The Wharf all month, and if they stick around for New Year’s,
they can participate in the 3rd Annual Polar Bear Dip at The Hangout—if
they’re brave enough to go for a dip in the Gulf on January 1st.
