Many of our Orange Beach guests only have a long weekend to enjoy their Alabama beach vacation. If you only have 72 hours to spend in Orange Beach Alabama, then we know where you should stay, eat and play!
First and foremost, you will need to find an Orange Beach rental that will allow a 3 night minimum stay. This is almost never an issue during any time of the year other than summer. Even during the summertime, there is often a few properties that allow nightly rentals.
There are several Orange Beach condos for rent, so our recommendation is to initially narrow your search by the number of bedrooms you require and your budget.
Our Orange Beach rental company makes you search easy by allowing you to search by multiple factors such as the number of bedrooms, beachfront, and condo vs beach house. You can start your Orange Beach vacation rental search here.
Turquoise Place and Phoenix are among some of the most popular beachfront Orange Beach condos for rent. Turquoise Place and Phoenix are both luxury beachfront condos with a ton of amenities such as lazy rivers, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, spa and more.
If you love the beach but also love spend time on a boat, we recommend renting one of our Orange Beach condos on the bay. We have three popular choices for those looking to rent a condo on the bay side : The Bella Luna, The Caribe Resort and Phoenix on the Bay.
After you have reserved your Orange Beach vacation rental, its time to start thinking about where you will eat! Since everyone has different tastes and moods for what they want, I am going to list our favorite Orange Beach restaurants by category.
If you are in the mood for Fine Dining, Celebrating a special occasion and eating fresh Seafood :
Fishers Upstairs At the Orange Beach Marina
If you are the mood for fresh seafood, but in a more casual environment and very kid friendly. There are lots of kids running around on the sandy beach and often times live entertainment! The menu is a mix of upscale entrees and American classics such as a cheeseburger. If Allan is working at the Flora-bama Yacht Club Bar, ask him for a Goombay Smash and tell him that the Prickett’s sent ya ! That is a huge insider tip….you will thank me later 🙂
If you are in the mood for a Bushwacker and Cheeseburger in Paradise.
If you are staying in Orange Beach, there is only one way to get here which is by boat. Don’t worry, there are plenty of places to rent one. Which leads me to the next thing you need to know, where to play in Orange Beach Alabama!
Let’s get the obvious out of the way as we all know the main reason thousands of people visit Orange Beach Alabama every year, and that is the Beach!
Even though the beach is the main attraction, there are many other things to do in Orange Beach Al. As I mentioned earlier, there are many places where you can rent a boat.
In fact boating around the back bays and islands is one of the locals favorite things to do in Orange Beach. Rent a boat for a day, and hang out with the locals on Robinson Island!
Last but certainly not least, you really should book a deep sea fishing excursion during your vacation in Orange Beach Al.
Unfortunately our Snapper season is typically very short, so you will need to check what time of year Snapper season is open. However, Snapper is not the only fish in the sea! If you book a commercial deep sea fishing excursion, there we be other fish in season and you will be sure to have a great time.
We have previously written about the Top 5 Things to Do in Orange Beach so check out those recommendations as well!
There are many things to do in Orange Beach while on vacation, and the Blue Angels air show is on top of the list.
The Blue Angels fly all over the country, but there is no better place to watch these birds fly than the beach! The air show takes place in Pensacola Florida which is a short drive from Orange Beach Alabama.
The Blue Angels fly every July and November, and the air show is a “don’t miss event” whether you are vacationing in Orange Beach, Perdido Key or Pensacola.
The most popular way to watch the Blue Angels air show is simply driving to the public beach in Pensacola, and watching it from the white sandy beaches on the Gulf of Mexico.
We caught the air show this year by boat, and wanted to share our Blue Angels air show experience with you.
Since we live here, its easy to take for granted that our visitors know about the activities that the locals love in Orange Beach. By sharing our personal favorite activities in Orange Beach, we hope to keep you coming back to vacation with us on the Alabama beaches.
The next Blue Angels show will be in November, so book your Orange Beach condo rental now! We can even hook you up with a boat rental if you decide to see the Blue Angels by boat.
Visit the Blue Angels official website for the full schedule.
Obviously, the number one guaranteed way to enjoy your Gulf Shores & Orange Beach vacation is to spend an enormous amount of time on our white sandy beaches. Let’s face it, Alabama has some of the best beaches in the world and its the sole reason most vacationers choose to visit Gulf Shores & Orange Beach.
However, this blog post is about other things to do in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach while on vacation! Believe it or not, there is a ton of things to do in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach other than relaxing on the beach.
We also believe that you can guarantee your family will enjoy your Alabama beach vacation if you take advantage of these “off-beach” activities.
1- Book a Deep Sea Fishing Charter
The Gulf of Mexico is known for having some of the best off-shore fishing in the United States. Why not take your family beach vacation to another level by chartering a deep sea fishing trip?
Don’t worry about whether your family knows how to fish or not. The fishing captains are pros, and anyone can do it! My only advice is to stay hydrated, keep the sunscreen applied, and it does not hurt to take a pre-cautionary over the counter motion sickness pill.
If you want to know more about our Orange Beach favorite deep fishing charter, click here to read our blog post.
2- Book a Pontoon With a Water slide
The Alabama beaches are fantastic, but it is worth a day to visit the back bays of Orange Beach Alabama.
Your kids will think you have hung the moon, if you book a pontoon boat with a water slide. Check out Happy Harbour in Orange Beach for rentals.
3- Spend a day at Waterville in Gulf Shores
Honest to goodness, Waterville is one of the best water parks in the country. They have slides for tweens, teens and even the youngest of the family.
4– Shop, Play & Dine at the Wharf in Orange Beach
You could spend an hour or a full day at the Wharf where there are plenty of shops, restaurants and attractions to keep you and the kids occupied.
Marking the grand entrance to the Wharf is the southeast’s tallest Ferris Wheel. You can get a great overview of Orange Beach from the top of the wheel, which is over 112-feet tall.
The Ferris Wheel just happens to be located next to the Carmike Wharf 15, which shows all the latest movie releases.
If you are lucky or plan appropriately, there will be an outdoor concert at the amphitheater at the Wharf.
5- Spend a Day at the Flora-Bama
Hey, even Obama could not resist have a bushwacker while in town!
