24 Hours in Orange Beach, Alabama

If you're looking for the typical Alabama beach experience, you'll want to start by packing a cooler and putting your feet in the sand. To accomplish this, your first stop will be Sam's Bait & Tackle. From electrical wire to swimsuits, Ray Bans to underwater cameras, expensive wine to Spam, if they don't have it, you don't need it. For a quick breakfast, go straight to the deli in the back and get a fresh sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit. 

Buy a Frisbee too and your starter kit is complete. Take your cooler of beer (cans only; no glass is allowed) straight to the public beach access. All the Gulf-front beaches here are public, some areas are just easier to access than others.

If you're short on time, head to Cotton Bayou Beach Access. A 20-minute to drive a little farther down Perdido Beach Boulevard, however, will get you a much more secluded spit of sand and dunes. Here you’ll likely be all alone, surrounded by white powder beach, untouched dunes, and turquoise water. 

If you have some cash to spend, head over to San Roc Cay and rent a boat, kayak, or paddleboard, and cruise up to Robinson & Bird Islands. Only accessible by boat, these islands can get busy on the weekends, so get there early and stake out a spot next to the boat playing the best songs. 

If you're traveling with your significant other, make reservations at Voyagers, the area's highest rated restaurant, located at Perdido Beach Resort. Paired with an after-dinner starlit stroll down the beach back to your hotel, the mood should be nicely set.

If you’re visiting solo, head to the bar at The Gulf restaurant under the Perdido Key Bridge. Order a fresh grouper sandwich with handcut fries off their chalkboard menu and enjoy the view of fishing boats entering Perdido Pass from their daily offshore trip.

Hop on one of the inter-island shuttles to the legendary Florabama Bar & Grill. The Flora-Bama has been around for as long as anyone can remember, only not in its current form. Before Hurricane Ivan wiped out much of this area back in 2004, the Flora-Bama was built with little more than PVC pipe and plastic tarps. After the storm, it was built to modern construction standards, but still maintains the local dive bar feel.

Don't like the music? Try the next room over. There are as many as 4 different stages and acts playing at one time, not to mention the pool tables and skee ball areas. Definitely try a “bushwacker,” a local treat taking the form of an alcoholic milkshake. And in the bar, there’s a mini zipline. Wow. The next morning, leave refreshed and tanned from your beach day in Orange Beach, Alabama.