Sport & Outdoor
Date NightBellingrath Gardens & Home
Under $25Stroll 65 acres of gardens on the Fowl River and tour the 1935 home of a Coca-Cola bottler.
Photo: Jodybwiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFamily Favorite
Gulf State Park
20115 State Park Rd · Gulf Shores, AL
Why you should go…
Gulf State Park spreads across 6,150 acres of beach, marsh, pine forest and freshwater lakes in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. You get more than 3.5 miles of white sand beach reached from six access points, plus a fishing and education pier that reaches out into the Gulf. Inland, hiking and biking trails wind past Lake Shelby, where you can kayak or canoe, and the park also has a nature center, campgrounds, cabins and a lodge.
- #state park
- #beach
- #fishing pier
- #bike trails
- #camping
Good to know
General sport & outdoor guidance
Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.
Weather calls the shots
Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.
Shoes, water, sun cover
The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.
Parking and launches fill early
On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.
Daylight shrinks in shoulder season
Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.
What's around here?
The closest stops to Gulf State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
