Places to visit around the Gulf Shores?

We're headed down there for a week with another family... rented a house near the beach in Ft. Morgan. Thinking about trailering the ST down there to tour around a little bit.

Any suggestions on things to go see on the bike within an hour or two from Gulf Shores? Other "tourist" suggestions welcome too. Thanks!

Air Museum at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. Free addmission. Plan to spend at least a half a day there. If you ride your bike onto the base you will have to be wearing a helment, long pants and a long sleeve shirt. Not that you wouldn't anyway but would not want you to get there and be surprised. It is a great place to visit for all ages. If you go be sure and take the shuttle ride out back.

Battleship Alabama on the Mobile Causeway, a nice falls and canyon area north far north of I-10, Mobile has Bellingrath Gardens and several other attractions. Of course, Fort Morgan itself is a nice place to picnic and wander around - be sure to look for the stain on one of the staircases to the top of the fort walls... it's where a cannon shot took the head of an unfortunate soldier, at least that's the legend.

If you are into maritime stuff you might want to wander through the State Docks and to visit the new Maritime Museum at the cruise ship docks right downtown in Mobile. There is a national park on Santa Rosa Island just east of Pensacola - toll bridge to reach the island. In downtown Pensacola be sure to visit Wentworth Museum on lower Palafox Street and then continue down to Luna Park, which is the old municipal pier. (That's where I first arrived at Pensacola in 1970, by way of US Coast Guard Cutter SEBAGO)

Sorry 'bout that... Gulf Shores, AL.

The riding around the coast is not much to speak off. Flat roads, lots of congestion this time of year (tourist) and hot and humid above belief. The beach itself is great- white sands, clean warm, water, oughta be the focus of the trip.

Put a bunch of tourists in a unvented, metal building on a 100 degree, with matching humidity, and you get the idea. This is not the time of year you'd wanna do the walking tourist stuff, the battleship is best left for the fall and winter.

The air museum is in Pensacola, and worth a visit, but over there and back from Mobile is gonna take ALL day, and I'd be reluctant to give up a day at the beach to do that, but that's just me.

Althought I do it, I don't enjoy riding as much this time of year in Alabama. I rarely take off all day for a ride in August, just too hot. When I do go I tend to keep it under 100 miles and dream of fall and winter.

So if it were ME, I'd hang around the beach, sip what I like the most, swim, take the wife shopping to the nearby stores, eat some good seafood and relax knowing we don't really hafta to be anywhere. We go there 4 times a year, but only once in the summer. I'd leave the ST at home it would be a lot of trouble to trailer it all that way, and probably not have a good time riding it.

+1 on above.

Sooo.... When DOES the weather get comfy for a northern fellow?

Thanks for that thoughtful write up BamaRider. I was leaning towards not bringing it and this gives me good reasons not to. My wife told me to tell you that she appreciates the shopping plans! Thanks again.

Any other suggestions for things to do in that area are much appreciated.

Thanks for your input Lee. I'll look into those, especially Ft. Morgan, since we're so close to there.

scootac said:

Sooo.... When DOES the weather get comfy for a northern fellow?

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The summer breaks sometime around mid Oct Scoot. The best riding weather is fall and winter. Although we can have a cold day (in the 40s? all things are relative) most daytime winter temps are 50s and 60s.

I love Bama, but I hafta to be honest, any long riders coming here as a destination to ride this time of year gonna be badly dissappointed. We don't really have enough good roads to warrant a full blown tour LOL, but we do have Barber's Museum, which everyone should visit, and if a summer ride to Ala to see it is all you can do to see it, than all means do it.

I just didn't wanna see Paul trailer his ride 800 miles thinkin he was gonna dominate the roads with some great riding on coasts of Fla, Ala, Ms this time of year, its not good riding. And he'd prolly be better off being the model husband eatin seafood, swimmin, lay by the pool etc, then tryin to ride LOL this time of year down here.

Check with us when you're snowbound and its 60 degrees here, and while we don't have much in the way of leanin, we do have rural areas and southern towns that are worth a ride through.

I was at Ft. Pickens (Pensacola Beach) in June with my XT225. I rode over to Gulf Shores one day. I rode the costal highway between Pickens and Navarre several times.Another day I went from Pickens, to Pensacola, to Perdido Key, to Gulf Shores, and took the ferry to Dauphine Island. On the way home we took the bridge to Mobile and went through down town, and back to Pensacola via mainland. You could always take the ferry and check out Ft. Pickens. Check out Joe Patti's seafood market if you happen to be in Pensacola.

I enjoy adventure type vacations. I camp in a travel trailer, and bring either a boat or a motorcycle; sometimes both. I couldn't spend a week shopping and staring at the ocean. I've never boated that far west, but renting a boat and exploring the ICW in that area might be fun. I love boating to Pirates Cove and having a Cheeseburger.

paulcb said:

Thanks for your input Lee. I'll look into those, especially Ft. Morgan, since we're so close to there.

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My pleasure ... and if you do try Fort Morgan take a picnic along. There are fine public beach areas there that have picnic benches - at least there used to be before the last set of hurricanes.

Big Ron watcha been doin? I thought you only came out when the Blue Ridge called.

LeeWonnacott said:

My pleasure ... and if you do try Fort Morgan take a picnic along. There are fine public beach areas there that have picnic benches - at least there used to be before the last set of hurricanes.

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+1, cool Civil War fort and small museum, great wild and mostly deserted beach. Take the ferry across the bay past the old lighthouse and visit Dauphin Island.

Just to update this thread for anyone that's looking for Gulf Shores info...

We stayed in Ft. Morgan in a small house on the beach with another family. The beaches are great, uncrowded with warm water but small waves. The fort is worth a good two hour visit. Also, the Blue Angels practice on Wednesdays in Pensacola... that's a must see! Well worth the 1 hour trip to Pensacola. Amazing what they can do in formation and how close they are. Gives you literal goose bumps!

Overall, it's now our favorite beach spot so we'll definitely be going back. Thanks for everyone;s comments and help. FYI, I took BamaRider's advice and did not trailer my ST down.

fnmag said:

A very nice stretch of beach.:sun1:
Did you take the ferry across Mobile Bay to Dauphin Island?

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It's a great stretch of beach! We did not take the ferry, maybe next time. We did go deep sea fishing though... caught a bunch of red snapper and an amber jack. Enjoyed it but not something I need to do every time I'm down there.

Dang Paulch now ya gonna have all kinda folks comin down here and bogging stuff down.

All kiddin aside, the strecth of beach from Panama City to Mobile are the best in my eye for swimmin, sun, etc in the country. Debbie and I make the 3 hr drive to Destin 4-5 times a year. I suggest Nov-March as a great time to visit. Too cold to get in the water, but warm enough to enjoy the beach without roasting in the intense summer sun. We shop (well she does) eat seafood, go to movies, sleep late, and just relax.

PBeach down to Tampa/St. Pete is hard to beat for white beaches and blue water. We spent a week in Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago... wasn't the same... it was nice to be on the beach, not the same league.