GORGEOUS park!! Tons of shade, lots of room to run and…read moreplay, t's fantastic. We stayed for about 45mins and my toddlers didn't want to leave.

My kids are 11 & 14 and they still appreciate a good playground when they find it. They both jumped…read moreout of the car for this one. The answer is yes, if you have kids, then yes.

Plein Air painting event at The Lodge, Gulf State Park…read more... Hoping this will be an annual event, as the art community convened a plein air event, bringing together artists with the inspiration of Gulf State Park's many habitats. The result was a large number of paintings which were for purchase at the closing reception at the end of the week. The weather was mild, the food and drink at The Lodge was yummy (I had the steak and eggs for brunch), and it was so cool to watch the artists paint live.

Absolutely phenomenal park!!! I am blown away! Gorgeous landscape, beautiful sunsets, the flora and…read morefauna have me in awe. 28 miles of trails for biking and walking. I've spotted alligators, blue heron, turtles, lizards.. very cool! All the campsite hosts are friendly and our check-in was very easy and we were also greeted with welcoming service. We chose campsite number 479 right next to Mission Lake and the pedestrian bridge that takes you to the ocean. This campground is so clean, beautiful, and offers multiple bathrooms with showers and restrooms. The bathrooms are clean and the showers have enough space to shower and change. Each campsite I've seen has a dump station and water, which has come in handy. There's also Wi-Fi! There's also a restaurant on the campgrounds and tomorrow night we are going to listen to live music and have a few drinks. I've truly loved my stay here and would highly recommend it to anyone! We were only going to stay for four nights but we extended it to a week because we are having such a great time.

Playground and obstacle course just to the right of gulf state park entrance. Great lol at ground…read morewith plenty of things to keeps kids entertained. Looks relatively new and well maintained. There is a little pond next to it that some people were fishing from. Across the drive is a very nice area that has picnic tables and grills. The dog pond dog playground is close by. There is a building that looks to rent bicycles, Segway, and kayaks as well. You can then walk the wooden bridge over the highway to the beach. This is a perfect little spot for a family to have picnic or playtime for a spell.

We went by the Preserve to walk after Breakfast today and discovered they were decorating for their…read moreHaunted Forest. This looks like so much fun for the whole family! I can see teenagers having a blast with each other and siblings driving each other crazy. Support the Preserve and get your tickets on their page. Have fun!!!

Let be going there. Well maintained and plenty of safe trails to navigate…read more Archery, disc golf, fishing...

Great little beach section we found, had a nice time and time beach weather…read more I do always think about alligator, however this spot was clean and safe.

We hiked this from the main parking lot at the preserve to pine beach and it was just a little over…read more4 miles total. The beach was pretty and we found some large shells. We also ran up on a baby cotton mouth on the trail, so keep your eyes open! I think there is public parking available on mobile st so you wouldn't have to hike the full way to get to the beach. I didn't know this until afterwards.

Not much luck fishing but great pier. It has a sign at the front which tells you what fish are…read morebiting daily. They updated it every hour or so. Pier has restrooms, hoses , cutting boards, bait shops, tackle shops. Ice cream bars and a restaurant. Although it is 10 dollars per fisherman and 3 dollars for sightseeing to enter the pier, it is worth it. There is also an15 dollar parking fee but it comes with a fishing pass for a day.

The Gulf State Park Pier has been seriously upgraded since my last visit. It had been damaged and…read morethey have done quite a lot of repairs and updates. I had no idea that they had started charging to go to the far end of the pier as that wasn't the case when I last visited. As a veteran I get free parking and also free entrance to the pier. I never saw any signage that indicated I had to pay to walk out to the pier but I did get yelled at for just walking out on the pier past the "commercial zone" and had to show my military veteran ID to proceed. I found it odd that I was somehow magically supposed to know that there was a fee or requirement to show my veteran ID when I never saw any sign to that effect. The lady that yelled at me came out of a door so she was inside where I couldn't have seen her so they should certainly add some signs that explain what they want more clearly to avoid weird situations like this. They also have a restaurant and bar here but I would suggest eating somewhere else. The pier does seem to be a decent place to fish and I saw several people bringing in some nice sized fish. Overall this seems like a good option if you want to fish off a pier or just enjoy the great view here. If I had to pay to just walk to the end of the pier I wouldn't have done that as you can get a good enough view from the "commercial zone" where the bar and restaurant are located. Overall this is an interesting spot to check out but I just heard they have raised the price of parking so that might make this area less attractive to visit.

Gulf Shores' motto is "Small Town, Big Beach" and just over a mile from those beaches is a lovely…read moreand unique park where you can see how much this community cares about their children and its residents. Spread over 12 acres Lots of slides and activities. A miniature zip line, tire swing, regular swings, swings for smaller children plus a skate park, tennis courts, ball fields, indoor swimming pool inside the recreation center much more. There's picnic areas, a pavilion, grilling options, clean rest rooms, nicely landscaped with plenty of shade and it's wheelchair accessible with loads of parking. For address, directions and more: https://www.gulfshores.com/sports-facilities/johnnie-sims-park/ There's a number of special events around the year like music, movies, festivals and more but I'm so impressed with how community comes together for to support one another. For example, last night was a very nice event in our neighborhood for the Sims Park Christmas Celebration! There was the Rudolph movie playing, a petting zoo with camel rides, vendors, Santa taking pictures, holiday treats, crafts, hot cocoa & chili provided by our fire department and the 6th Annual Snowball Drop with prizes and more. After the cancellation last year it was a beautiful night that we were able to get out and meet up with friends and neighbors as meet some great folks. Bottom line: I'm feeling the Christmas spirit officially so Merry Christmas everyone!!

This is the infamous field where I won a state championship with my travel team! I even scored a PK…read moreto send us to the final. This event was particularly rewarding because we were such underdogs. What took place on this field was one of the happiest moments of my travel soccer career. There were lots of lows but this was definitely a high!

Amazing nice clean park for kids. So much to play, slide and swing on. Great place to get the…read morelittle energy out on vacation that's free.make sure you walk down to the water. We saw Dolphins swimming around during our visit.

Relish the sights along a peaceful water side view secluded distant from tourist crowded beach…read morehustle & bustle Offering a peaceful relaxing pace for enjoying sunsets & fun activities ranging from fishing, swimming other recreational activities & a dock for enjoying bird watching & sunsets along the waterside. Each day dusk till Dawn locals & tourists alike gather enjoying their day's activities starting with watching a sunrise rise above the water from the docks beach side or comfort within their cars. Convenient parking is limited so early arrival is suggested unless parking farther away & enjoying a brisk walk is your desire. Fishermen are prevalent along sandbanks opening their day's casting lines anticipating catching sand or speckled trout & other species including redfish flounder & Spanish mackerel. Salinity levels attributed via the Gulf flowing in breeds great conditions offering diverse catches. Abundant sandbanks & shallow depths makes finding that special spot. Anglers visiting will find disappointment dock fishing here offering no opportunities for a catch as fish have no interest within that spot & looking down into clear waters it is evident. It is rare observation docks offer good fishing opportunities. Stick with the shore or distant banks. Swimmers & water recreationalists enjoy shallow water devoid from undertows & deep depths offering least anxietal thoughts of common dangers found within the Gulf. From my observations kayaking seems favored most amongst water recreationalists outside of swimming. Distant from fisherman & swimmers upbank an observation dock is available offering bird watching enthusiasts anticipating to spot gulls, terns,brown pelicans & other shore birds. An illustrated sign for bird identification is posted for non enthusiasts wishing to identify birds sighted. Coin-op binoculars are absent so I recommend anyone wishing for up close views to bring binoculars & keep their cameras handy. Who knows? Maybe you might sight a non native or least common birds here. For additional resources go to Alabama Birding trails site & download their coastal birding trails pdf. Happy Watching. day enjoyed by all until tomorrow's fun filled with new & consistent visitors alike. Be sure to like on FB & tell a friend https://m.facebook.com/littlelagoonpass/

The Little Lagoon Pass Park is a great spot for taking in the sites and accessing the beach. The…read moreLittle Lagoon Pass is located three miles west of Highway 59 on West Beach Boulevard (Highway 182). There's restrooms, a fishing pier, an outdoor shower, and water fountain on site. Paid parking is located on the northeast side of the Lee Callaway Bridge. The cost to park is $5 for up to four hours or $10 all day but, as it is with all the city and state park and beach areas that have paid parking, residents with window stickers park free. What's you'll find here is a protected beach on the north side of the pass that is popular with local beachers and fishermen and a nice spot on those days when the surf on the Gulf is too rough or currents are dangerous. Lagoon Pass is a shallow waterway connecting Little Lagoon to the Gulf and is in regular need of dredging. There seems to be a floating dredging barge there quite often. On the southern end if the pass is the Gulf of Mexico with a very nice stretch of the white powdery sand with lifeguards on duty. You can park and cross the street to this area or you can walk by the pass under the bridge. Bottom line: The area is well maintained and is normally less crowded than many of the other beaches. http://facebook.com/littlelagoonpass/