I’ve been vacationing to Orange Beach and the Gulf Shores since I was child- it was our go to beach spot that was just 3 hours away! It seems like each year we have found ourselves down there for a beach trip during the spring or summer months! We’ve loved seeing the changes over the years with the new, fun, and exciting restaurants, shops, condos, and more! It’s a great place to visit with your children, as there is so much to do and see in the area! I polled my Facebook moms group when I was drafting this post, because I wanted to make sure I included all the hot spots for anyone looking to visit the Orange Beach and Gulf Shores area! I compiled my list and theirs to give y’all the ultimate travel guide for your next visit!
WHERE TO EAT
For Breakfast & Brunch
Brick & Spoon is known for serving a delicious bloody mary and breakfast fries!
Hazel’s Nook for a home style breakfast buffet! Enjoy the buffet and their omelettes!
Kid Friendly places…
The Gulf is very kid friendly! Great fun and casual atmosphere literally right on the gulf. Fun seating and lots of space for the kids to run around. Has a fun gift shop and two types of food areas to order from.
The Hangout is a great place for kids to have a fun and casual dining experience! Located right on the beach!
Doc’s Seafood was named “the best seafood place” to eat in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores! So many mamas in my Facebook group chimed in that it has the best seafood they have ever tasted!
Shrimp Basket has an extensive menu of grilled, steamed, and fried seafood in a casual dining experience! Great for quick and easy dinner!
Fishers has a casual and upscale dining experience located on the marina! Gorgeous restaurant with wonderful reviews! the shrimp po boy comes highly recommended!
Fishermans Corner has a great southern flair for a casual dining experience! Known for their creole flair!
Anchor Bar has a beautiful dining experience with spectacular views! Has a casual and upscale feel. Grab a margarita, cuban sandwich, fish taco, nachos, and wings!
The Yacht Club is a fun, upbeat, very casual dining experience on the bay side. It is directly across the street from the well known Flora Bama! It very family friendly with the whole outdoor dining area being sand. It is on the bay side, so the kids can play in the water too. They have the best bushwhackers in my opinion 😉
For Adult Upscale Dining
Cobalt is slightly more formal than The Gulf and is located on the bay side. It is a beautiful location with a fun atmosphere.
Shipp’s Harbour Grill is known for it’s cooking that reminds you of your own mama’s cooking! Offering fresh entrees from a scratch kitchen!
Cosmos is great for an upscale dining experience!
If you have a sweet tooth..!
Hope’s Cheesecake has a really delicious menu of so may different cheesecakes!
Scoops has a great assortment of homemade old fashion ice creams!
WHERE TO STAY
recommendations from my experience, friends+family, and the Facebook moms group!
Seachase has 3 buildings, several pools, a baby pool, and a splash pad!
Turquoise is crazy cool! Has a lazy river, kids play ground, several pools, tennis courts, bar at the pool area, and much more! The condos have very large balcony’s!
Caribe Amenities include pools, slides, a lazy river, on site restaurant, water sports, a beach trolley, and much more! This resort is known for its huge balcony!
Bella Luna is just gorgeous! It’s name says it all. Aesthetically perfect pools, indoor pool, fitness center, steam room, sauna, and more!
Phoenix condos have been around a long time! You cannot go wrong staying there. They offer several price points and span across the main beach road!
WHAT TO DO
SanRoc Cay has some lovely upscale shops with a kids play area and variety of restaurants!
The Wharf offers a movie theatre (perfect for a rainy day), ferris wheel, shopping, restaurants, hotel, and condos!
Adventure Island has it all when it comes to entertaining the older kids! Enjoy go kart rides, mini golf, arcade, rides, and much more!
And obviously, the beach 🙂
I would LVOE to hear any other suggestions you may have for vacating to Orange Beach / Gulf Shores area with kids! Please leave those in the comments- I can always add your suggestions to this post! Below are just a few photos we snapped with my phone during our Easter trip to Orange beach last month! Thank you for reading!
my swimsuit top and bottom | my shorts (i sized up one size) | towel (similar) | scarlett’s swim suit | sully swim suit
Excellent list! We are hitting up the Gulf twice this summer and this list will come in handy! Love your blog!
I am so glad it was helpful to you! 🙂 I hope this helps y’all have a wonderful trip. Thank you so much for the kind words and for reading!
We go every single year multiple times my husbands family has a condo in Caribe! I would most definitely hands down add the Alabama gulf shores zoo ( 1204 Gulf Shores Parkway
Gulf Shores, AL 36542 ) . It’s a great size little zoo. Don’t be turned away by the outside , it’s got every animal a child could possible want to see. Big bonus you get to actually hold and pet kangaroos ! Another great activity is fort Morgan ( 110 AL-180, Gulf Shores, AL 36542 ) great area for kids to run around and you get some great views. If your up for a small road trip drive to Fairhope , great downtown area with wonderful classic children stores, ( Gigi & jays 400 fairhope ave fairhope , al. ) delicious kid friendly restaurants ( Panini petes ) and a small pier that my 2.5 year old loves! Finally if you go to fairhope , about 20 minutes more and you will end up in Mobile and they have the best children’s museum: Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center & IMAX Dome Theater ( 65 government st. Mobile al )
You have so many great tips, thank you for chiming in!I plan to add these asap!! I had no idea there was a zoo, so glad you mentioned it! Thank you for reading <3
Great post! We were just in Orange Beach last weekend. Friends of our have two condos at Phoenix and we love how relaxing the area is.
Brick and spoon was great, I was tempted to order a non-alcoholic bloody mary, but they make my husband gag! They looked so good, especially with the full buffet of food that comes on the side! Next time!
My favorite spot is The Southern Grind coffee shop at the Wharf, it is a gorgeous store and the desserts & lattes are amazing.
Also, you have to stop in at the Orange Beach store, they are the ones responsible for the adorable OB logo that is popping up everywhere, really great branded merchandise and the owner is lovely!
Thank you so much for sharing and reading this post! I love that so many of your favorites were included in my post- yay! Thank you so much 🙂