Things To Do in Gulf Shores, Alabama During the Off Season
After two years in a row visiting Gulf Shores in February, I am creating this list of things to do in Gulf Shores, Alabama during the off season.
Even if you won’t be visiting during the off season, this list may give you some ideas of fun things to do besides just working on your tan. These recommendations include nature activities, museums, scenic views, animals, and more so there is something for everyone.
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When to Visit Gulf Shores, Alabama
When people think of taking a trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama, the idea of enjoying a drink, lying out on the pristine white sand beaches under the hot sun probably comes to mind. The most popular time to visit Gulf Shores is during the summer, especially during the months of July and August. If you still want the summer temperatures with a little less of the crowds, try planning your trip for September. But if you really want to avoid the crowds and laying on the beach isn’t your top priority, consider visiting Gulf Shores during the off season of the winter months.
Visiting Gulf Shores During the Off Season
Both times I have visited the Gulf Shores area was in mid-February and the weather was in the 70s. Oftentimes it was cloudy during my own visits but I am told before and after I left the weather was sunny and had even warmer temperatures, getting into the 80s on some days.
A huge perk of visiting this beachy paradise during the off season is for the smaller crowds. Along with this comes the lower off season prices. And if you’re like my parents, who were visiting from Michigan (which is buried deep in multiple feet of snow during this time of the year), the cooler weather will still feel like a dream. For myself, visiting from Southern California, the temperatures and weather were quite comparable.
I’ve never been the sort of traveler that is content laying around a beach all day, so it was no loss to me visiting during the off season. In fact, my parents who have been visiting for a few weeks of February for the last couple years had a ton of fun activities to share with us on our visits! So here are some things to do in Gulf Shores, Alabama during the off season gathered from my own experiences, perfect for a quick visit or weekend trip like mine.
Coastal Segway Adventures
Address: 21101 AL-135, Gulf Shores, AL 36542
Cost: $75 per person for the 2-hour tour
You don’t need to lay at the beach to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Gulf Shores! Coastal Segway Adventures offers a 2-hour guided tour along the picturesque Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail of Gulf Shores, Alabama. While pricier than the other options on this list, this was one of my favorite things to do in Gulf Shores from our visits as it combined a fun activity that I had never done before (riding a segway) with exploring the natural beauty of the Gulf Coast. Coastal Segway Adventures also offers bicycle, kayak, and paddle board rentals.
The segway tour includes instruction and training on how to ride a segway – handy if it’s your first time riding one like it was for me! Before our tour I was honestly getting a little nervous, but it was quick and easy to get the hang of driving these little segways with the help of the instructors. In no time my family and I were laughing and racing one another down the boardwalks of the trail.
Credit: My dad took this funny shot as we were whizzing down the boardwalk
Note to those visiting Gulf Shores during the off season: Segway tours may be postponed because of rain or wind. Coastal Segway Adventures will call you in advance the day of your reservation to let you know and to choose a new time that works for you.
Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail
Address: (Rosemary Dunes Trailhead) 24037 Perdido Beach Blvd, Orange Beach, AL 36561
Cost: Free
If you’re not so interested in taking a segway for a whirl but still want to enjoy the beauty of this area, it is always free to go for a walk or run on the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail. Walking isn’t as exciting as riding a segway and it will take longer. But you’ll also get to go at your own pace and take in the scenery.
The Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail consists of 15 trail systems that make up more than 25 miles of paved trails within the 6180 acres of the park. Bike, walk, run, or segway your way through this beautiful park and maybe even pack a picnic. The trails are flat and easy to navigate for people of all ages. You might even get lucky and see some wildlife such as alligators, bald eagles, or even bobcats. And the variety of scenery that the trail offers is stunning, from grassy hills to sandy dunes and boardwalks over swamp land. My parents told me that they walked on it nearly every day of their extended stay and I could see why!
Gulf State Park Pier
Address: 20800 E Beach Blvd, Gulf Shores, AL 36542
Cost: $3 for sight-seeing
The Gulf State Park Pier is a must-visit destination for visitors of Gulf Shores and a popular fishing spot. The pier is 1,540 feet long and 20 feet wide, making it the largest pier on the Gulf of Mexico. But what I really enjoyed about visiting the Gulf State Park Pier were the commanding views and the wildlife.
Amazing View
The view from the end of the Gulf State Park Pier was stunning. Thanks to the length of the pier, you get a 360-degree view of the scenic Gulf Coast and the expansive ocean stretching across the horizon.
The day that we visited in February was cloudier than usual but just a few days later when my cousin was visiting it was apparently blue skies and sunny! But even if your visit to Gulf Shores during the off season grants you with cloudy skies, I didn’t consider it such a bad thing. The cloudy skies didn’t detract from the view but rather gave the ocean an ominous grey-blue hue that made the scene all the more impressive and striking. I suppose any kind of weather would be beautiful with a view like this.
Wildlife
There were tons of pelicans and other strange birds perched along the railing of the pier. They eyed us suspiciously as we walked by and hopped to move away from us if we got too close for their liking. I can only imagine that a crowded day on the pier during the busy summer months would not have allowed us to see these amazing birds so up close and personal. The pelicans were especially impressive with their massive size and long beak. They are seriously like pterodactyls!
If you do intend to fish here, there are some small fees and an Alabama fishing license is required which can be purchased onsite. You can also rent fishing poles and buy bait at the retail shop at the start of the pier. Souvenirs are also for sale here, along with a concession area and restrooms.
National Naval Aviation Museum
Address: 1878 S Blue Angel Pkwy, Pensacola, FL 32508
Cost: Free Admission
Hours: 9am – 5pm
The National Naval Aviation Museum is the world’s largest Naval Aviation museum, “with more than 150 restored aircraft representing Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Aviation”. You can spend hours here wandering through the displays and reading about the history of these aircraft. There is even some aircraft setup so that visitors can climb in the cockpit.
Flight Simulators
Besides soaking in the rich history that the National Naval Aviation Museum has to offer, we also enjoyed the museum’s flight simulators. The museum offers two kinds of flight simulators: the MaxFlight360 ($20 for 1-2 people) and the Motion Based Simulator ($6 per person). The MaxFlight360 is fully interactive with 360-degree pitch and roll technology, while the Motion Based Simulator is a movie-like experience with motion turns and maneuvers. Peter and I rode the MaxFlight360 and he did his best to test the machine’s limits, whipping us back and forth and upside-down. It was honestly a ton of fun!
Whether you’re a history buff or remotely interested in aviation, the Naval Aviation Museum has a lot to offer for the whole family. And its a great thing to do in the Gulf Shores area during the off season. The day that we visited it was actually lightly raining outside, so it was the perfect excuse to spend hours inside exploring this museum.
Battleship Memorial Park
Address: 2703 Battleship Parkway, Mobile, AL 36602
Cost: $15 General Admission
Hours: 8am – 5pm
The Battleship Memorial Park is a military history park and museum located on Mobile Bay in Alabama. The memorial park includes the USS Alabama and the USS Drum, as well as an Aircraft Pavilion. If you have already visited the Aviation Museum, the aircraft in the Pavilion and throughout the park may hold less interest for you, but the ships were amazing. The USS Alabama is a WWII battleship and the USS Drum is a WWII-era submarine. Both ships are open to visitors to explore on self-guided tours.
Like the Naval Aviation Museum, the Battleship Memorial Park is jam-packed with history. There are informative plaques throughout both the battleship and submarine which help give some insight into life on these ships and the history behind them. It was fascinating thinking about what life must have been like on these ships with tight quarters out at sea for months. Visitors can easily spend hours here walking through the ships and reading the information. I would definitely plan to spend a few hours to a half day here.
Wear comfortable shoes for hours of walking through the Battleship Memorial Park. Keep in mind that there are many tight spaces and steep stairs on both of the battleship and submarine as you walk through them, which could be an issue for those with limited mobility. But if you are able to stop by the Battleship Memorial Park, I think it is well worth the time.
Flora-Bama Bar
Address: 17401 Perdido Key Dr, Pensacola, FL 32507
Hours: 11am – 3am
While divey bars may not be your scene, Flora-Bama was definitely an experience worth having. If you’re in the area and interested in a drink or a bite to eat, they offer all of your classic bar fare, as well as an oyster bar and variety of seafood, all the standard beers, and mixed drinks. The food was nothing to write home about in my opinion but you can read the raving Yelp reviews. The Flora-Bama bar also hosts live performances and bar games. But what really makes Floribama worth the visit is its iconic location directly on the Florida-Alabama state line and its lively, eccentric atmosphere.
Credit: Flickr by Antonio Zugaldia
Just about every surface of the bar is covered in signatures of people from around the country and the world who have stopped here just to say that they did and to leave their mark. There’s even an area of the bar where bras hang from the ceiling – a more risqué form of leaving your mark to be sure.
This bar is multi-level and offers both indoor and outdoor spaces, so depending on the weather of an off season visit you may be better off inside. During our visit, the weather was cloudy and cool and a little windy as the bar is right on the ocean. But that didn’t stop us from spending some time outdoors and enjoying the view of the Gulf Coast!
Alligator Alley
Address: 19950 Co Rd 71, Summerdale, AL 36580
Cost: $12 General Admission for Adults, $10 for Children and Seniors
Out of all of the things that I have done in the Gulf Shores area during my trips, visiting Alligator Alley has been my favorite thus far. I am an animal lover and find alligators especially fascinating. This was my first time seeing these prehistoric creatures in real life and I was astounded by their size and appearance. They are living dinosaurs! And Alligator Alley is home to literally hundreds of alligators of all ages.
The Alligators
Walking through the park you will find different enclosures of alligators separated by age group, beginning with the baby alligators in an enclosed pool and ending with the full-grown gators in a sprawling swamp sanctuary. Which is good because adult alligators are massive. Fun fact: alligators can grow up to 14 feet long. Alligator Alley has a gator named Captain Crunch who is a whopping 13.2 feet long!
About Alligator Alley
Besides the alligators themselves, I also really appreciated the way that Alligator Alley presented these remarkable reptiles. The enclosures for the alligators were large and resembled the animals’ natural habitat. The swamp was huge and particularly impressive, complete with an elevated wooden walkway that spidered through the marshy land for visitors to explore it with. Alligator Alley acts as a rescue for rehabilitating these alligators and housing gators that are no longer fit to live in the wild, either by some injury or getting too close to human homes. Rather than allowing them to be killed, Alligator Alley gives them a new home.
Visiting Alligator Alley in the off season
The attendants at Alligator Alley told us that this time of year during the cooler winter months (including February when we visited) is a great time to visit the alligators as they are more docile. The benefit of this was really getting to observe and inspect the alligators without them moving around too much, the weather not being too hot or humid to spend hours outside at the park, and the smaller crowds. We shared the expansive land of Alligator Alley with only a couple other visitors and never felt crowded or rushed to give up our view of a gator.
The cooler temperatures make for slower, “chiller” alligators thanks to their cold-blooded anatomy. I was able to hold a baby alligator named Mr. Wiggles that apparently got his name from vigorously wiggling whenever visitors held him, but he was as still and relaxed as a doll for me.
Conversely, we were told that visiting Alligator Alley during the hot summer months would result in high energy gators moving around the park and even fighting with one another.
When planning your visit, just keep in mind that the park didn’t open until February this year. Watching the live feedings isn’t available until March as cold weather causes the alligators’ metabolism to slow. Regardless of when you will be in the area to visit there are unique benefits and you will surely have a fun experience if you love animals like me!
What are some more fun things to do in Gulf Shores?
I hope that you found this post of things to do in Gulf Shores, Alabama during the off season helpful in planning your own trip. Make sure to pin it for later using one of the Pinterest images below or share it with your travel buddy using the social media share icons.
Are you visiting the Gulf Shores area soon? What will you be doing in Alabama that you’re most excited for? Or are you a seasoned visitor to the area and have more “things to do in Gulf Shores” to add to my list? Please let me know in the comments below! I would love the recommendations for my next weekend visit to Gulf Shores, Alabama. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
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