It's the 48th annual shrimp festival on Gulf Shores beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama (October 2019)…read moreLive music, 84° sunny weather, sandy beaches, arts & crafts, lots of food and oh yeah SHRIMP!! Me & my limpy sweetheart just chillin', eatin' & beachin' the afternoon away. Beach life is a good life, especially when you know you have earned it. For 48 years this volunteer-driven event has been a Gulf Shores tradition. Food, music, art, and so much more make up an event that draws over a estimated 250,000 people from all around the planet. The 1/4 million draw is a far cry from the humble beginnings which wasn't much more than a glorified shrimp boil that had a half dozen booths and lasted all of 6 hours. It really has evolved into a world-class event that last four days with over 300 exhibitors that has everything from fine art, arts & crafts, food demonstrations, and a retail marketplace plus vendor booths from Chevy trucks to memory foam mattresses and a lot more. It's an area that covers nearly half a mile with 4-6 walking double isles that stretch from the beaches edge out into beach boulevard, it's pretty darn big and keeps getting bigger. The Annual National Shrimp Festival remains a FREE event open to everyonesince its inception in 1971 when it began as a way to keep the tourist at the beach after Labor Day, which was traditionally the end to the season. Unlike areas, like Cape Cod, where many businesses close their doors until Memorial day, mostly due to cold weather, the weather in Gulf Shores is traditionally still very summer-like in October. Today on Oct 11th it was 89° and there were plenty of beach goers and even some who were having a hard time dealing with the heat. Mainly those folks working from early in the day behind those big tents with big fryers that find the midday heat a little hard to handle however there's plenty of places for event goers to find shade and places to sit, hydrate and catch the ocean breeze. Parking is tough because they close beach boulevard around the fest and lots of prime areas are taken up by vendors so every inch of available space is $10 to park everywhere. The exception is handicap parking which is pretty plentiful and free close to the fest. The good news is there's a lot of shuttles coming in from miles around in all directions. Wristbands for the shuttle can be purchased for $5.00 per day. CASH ONLY. Children 6 and under do ride for free. For all the particulars on shuttles visit their website at: http://www.myshrimpfest.com/shuttles.html Before I talk shrimp music is a big deal here and you can catch local talent and national recording artists on two different stages of during all hours of the festival performing everythinh from classic rock to country. You can bring your chairs & blankets for a good seat to any or all of the shows however be advised that there are no coolers allowed. Another note, everything is handicap accessible right down to all the restrooms with ramps at several locations throughout. Okay let's talk food. There's food vendors from one end of the fest to the other with everything from chicken, burgers, sausages, phillies, pizza, hot dogs, pasta, salads, bloomin' onions, nachos to gator & shark on a stick, Alaskan king crab, all kinds of crawfish, scallops, bunches of different fish dishes, jerky, fritters, lobster and of course a pltheroa of shrimp and a whole lot more. Yes there is beer vendors as well as lots if tea & lemonade stands everywhere and course lots of ice cream choices. We ate fritters, fried shrimp, grilled scallops with fried rice & fries and had some big fresh squeezed lemonades. [I have one complaint .... there's a bunch of Nanny's lemonade stands that advertise regular & sugar-free lemonade. I asked for sugar-free but them was told they only have swee n low, whaaaaaat? No other sweeteners? That is a serious southern thing that is not just not cool because that stuff tastes icky to me] no more complaints. Bottom line: The volunteers truly make this event a real hit because it's many locals, neighbors and muli-generational people who take pride in their hometown. The organizers also continue to push the limits in exhibits, entertainment, amenities and put a huge premium on safety and comfort. It's truly a world class event that appeals to the entire family year after year.

This is such a joke because you're hard-pressed to find any fresh shrimp. The only place that I…read morefound it was at the local grocery store that had fresh bowl shrimp and everything else is fried and the shrimp are coupled with fried green tomatoes and fried lobster and everything else fried you can imagine and they are all cooked in the same grease. Very few vendors sell anything with a shrimp on it. Basically this is just a county fair with no rides. I live down here and was excited because we hadn't had it for two years but never again will I waste my time!

I'm a sucker for a science museum we were driving to Biloxi with the kids and thought this was a…read moregood stop to break up the trip. They had several hands on exhibits and the cafe actually has reasonably priced food. It's not the biggest museum but it good outing.

This science center was top notch. I've traveled all over the globe going to science centers all…read morealong the way and this hands on experience is at the top of our list in experiences. The exhibits were very informative and easy to read my kids had fun learning and trying out the different hands on learning exhibits. They actually could play for hours there. This was good for young and older kids. My kids are teens.

We went to a show the other night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The fellow did songs from the 60's and…read moreon up through the 80's and really sang like the original artists. We all sang along and it was a great time! Is it Vegas? No, but the ticket price reflected that. Go have fun! We will be going again soon!

We were in town for a birthday party at the MH. Our group out numbered the actual customers, and we…read moremight of had 24 people?? The band dies covers of a lot of different music. Female singer sounded like she was hollering into mic. Food was a chicken BBQ of sorts or a hot dog. Baked beans, potato salad, maybe slaw. Food was mediocre. Not sure how they can afford to keep opening the doors. But, they have the "Dwarfanator" wrestling later this month, should be interesting? Did enjoy seeing my family at party though.

My first art walk was this weekend and it was amazing! From…read morethe pop up tents to Getting to go see exhibits at museums that I was excited to see made my life so happy. It's a beautiful thing to bring all types of art together. The food, the art work, and the musicians. I just really cannot contain my excitement for next month.

A cool little thing we do in Mobile is the LoDa (Lower Dauphin) Art Walk. It's held the second…read moreFriday night of every month, except February. There are usually a plethora of vendors set up selling handmade crafts such as jewelry, crocheted hats and throws, wreaths, bow ties, beauty products, paintings, photographs, blown glass...you name it, there's someone selling it. There weren't as many tonight, which could have something to do with the fact that it's 3 degrees hotter than hell outside. Usually, it's packed. You'll see musicians set up on the streets and shops will be open a little late. This is really a fun and interesting little reoccurring event held in downtown Mobile!

This group puts on a great family oriented parade! The ball is top notch showing nothing but class!read more

What a cool little parade! The Shadow Barons roll through downtown Daphne the same night the MOTs…read moreroll in Mobile. It's much less crowded and parking is easy and cheap (free). They have probably have about 15 ornate floats, plus bands and other acts. They throw quite a bit, but for me, the fun is not in catching throws so much as looking at the floats and seeing how excited the little kids get over all of the throws they catch. They get pretty excited over this one. If you don't feel up to fighting the crowds and traffic or forking out an outrageous amount for parking in Mobile, just go watch the Shadow Barons. You won't be disappointed.

Ballyhoo festival kicks off the festival season here on Alabama's Gulf Coast every year with a…read morefocus on fine arts and cultural exchange from all across the southeast, local seafood, and lots of live music! It's a great event for young and old so bring the whole family and you can bring your puppies too! The location was formerly at Waterway Village but moved to Gulf State Park at Lake Shelby 2 years ago. In my 2020 review I said "I wasn't impressed because the organization seemed lacking, couldn't find many of their signs and, in my opinion, they could do a whole lot better better at their communications, maybe they'll do better next year." They have live music both Saturday and Sunday with lots of booths almost exclusively from local artists. The only downside that the state park venue is alcoholic beverages are not allowed there otherwise it's all a big step up. There were signs and ads everywhere around the area with a nice social media push, 9 food trucks and assorted programs on both days and terrific organization and was very enjoyable. On Saturday we were there for the tribal dancing with the Poarch Creek Indians. They are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans and are descendants of a segment of the original Creek Nation, which once covered almost all of Alabama and Georgia. It was an excellent demonstration with great history and information. See more at: https://www.facebook.com/PoarchBandofCreekIndians We also enjoyed live music with "Rolling in the Hay and Sunday there was the Crosby Family with bluegrass music and a fiddle and banjo competition. Bottom line: It's a good time and super way to get the family-friendly season started. Recommended!!

Packed with local artists. Beautiful location by the water. Music and food trucks added to the…read moreexperience. I only wish I had more money to spend. Deciding what to leave behind was the only negative.

I'm new to the area have been to the last two plays and they were the best - can't wait for the…read moreupcoming season

The South Baldwin Community Theatre (SBCT) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1972 by…read morethe late Father Anthony Zoghby, Nancy Holk Totman, and the late Herb Anderson. Today, members of the SBCT group come from all walks of life in this community setting in an environment for actors, musicians children, young adults, and many volunteers. These fine folks combine their talents to bring a piece of the performing arts to the greater Baldwin County area on the Alabama Gulf Coast. With the support of this entire community, they bring the dramatic arts alive to everyone. Our recent visit was for the Wingbeat Christmas Spectacular and the production was outstanding which seems to be the norm here. They do plays and productions across the spectrum including youth shows. There are also special events and happenings throughout the year, check out their website and Facebook page. There's parking onsite that can fill up, it's handicap accessible and the venue is absolutely adorable. Bottom line: The staff, administration, and volunteers are a great group of folks that make this a community treasure. Check them out and please support them. highly recommended! https://www.sbct.biz/ https://www.facebook.com/SBCTheatre/

It's great for Mardi Gras and holidays when the drop the moon pie. Just all around fun place to be.read more

This Festival is an annual event for the city of Mobile AL. While The first Moonpie Drop festival…read moreoccurred in 2007 (spearheaded by councilman Fred Richardson), the celebration of Mardi Gras started in Mobile Alabama in 1703. The reason the festival is called "Moonpie" is because the main things that the revelers throw from the floats during all Mardi Gras parades are moon pies. While it was not that way in the very begining, it has developed into a phenomenon. In New Orleans, the revelers throw mostly beads, trinkets and other non-edible things; while in Mobile, they throw beads, candy and other edible goodies. Speaking of New Orleans...most people think that Mardi Gras originated there. That is completely false. New Orleans did not begin to celebrate Mardi Gras until after the Civil War when a ,Prominent Mobilian introduced the concept to that city. So for Mobile, then the moon pie became the icon and the symbol for Mardi Gras. Sometime in early 2000s, councilman Fred Richardson came up with the great idea to have a celebration of the New Year in Mobile much like the celebration in New York City's Times Square. So his idea was to have a moon pie descend from the tallest building in the city of Mobile and let this be a countdown to the New Year. Hence, the moon pie drop over Mobile celebration was born. The first drop occurred in 2007 and it has grown to a really nice, family-friendly celebration . Usually, the 4-6 hour schedule includes, among other things, City dignitaries welcoming the crowd, giving a short history of the Celebration, cutting the World's largest Moonpie and joining the Historic Excelsior Band in a parade to the music stage, which is next to the beautiful, historic downtown park, Bienville Square (so named for one of the founders of the city of Mobile) about 4 blocks away. Then, some semi-popular band plays until about 11p and prepares the crowd for the feature entertainment. Generally, the featured band gets the crowd hyped for the countdown and the dropping of the Moonpie. Once the moonpie has finished its descent, Fireworks continue to mark the arrival of the New Year and the featured band continues to entertain the crowd. One really positive thing about the Moonpie Drop is the weather. Usually, Mobile's temperature on New Year's Eve is conducive to standing outside for hours on end. Even if the temperature is in the 30s or 40s, numerous downtown restaurants, bars and coffee shops open their doors on that night. It's just one big party..... that I've attended for the last 7 years. Mobile's finest in blue (city police) provide security and in a decade of the Celebration, I've never beard of any violence occurring there. So.....If you are planning to go South to escape the brutal cold elsewhere, this Celebration of the Moonpie Drop in Mobile, AL is worth a visit.