There’s a particular moment that happens on your first trip to Alabama’s Gulf Coast. You come over the bridge, catch that first glimpse of blue water and sugar-white sand and think, “Wait…THIS is Alabama?”

Go ahead and check the GPS. You did not accidentally drive into Florida. This little slice of paradise is all ours.

And these days, more first-timers are finding us. With Allegiant now offering nonstop flights directly into Gulf Shores from cities across the country, getting to Alabama’s beaches has never been easier. In fact, nearly half of Allegiant passengers surveyed at the Gulf Shores airport said they had never visited Alabama’s beaches before.

Your first trip to Alabama’s Gulf Coast comes with a few unofficial requirements. There are things you need to eat, places you need to see, and a handful of Gulf Coast experiences you just can’t go home without checking off the list.

So, what absolutely belongs on your first-trip Alabama Gulf Coast bucket list? We have thoughts.

First Things First: Meet the Gulf

Before you unpack every suitcase or start debating dinner, go see the beach. Our sugar-white sand is made primarily of quartz carried down from the Appalachian Mountains over thousands of years. Take off your shoes, head to the water and see it for yourself. (Go ahead and check that GPS one more time. Yep, still Alabama.)

For a break from the beach, explore Gulf State Park and the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail, where you can bike, walk and maybe spot an alligator from a very respectable distance.

And before your first visit is over, catch a Gulf Coast sunset. Stay a few minutes after the sun disappears, too. Some of the prettiest colors are saved for the encore.

Come Hungry. We’re Serious.

You cannot properly experience the Alabama Gulf Coast on an empty stomach.

Start with fresh Gulf shrimp. Fried, grilled, blackened or tucked into shrimp and grits, we’re not here to micromanage your choices. We are here to tell you that Royal Reds deserve a spot on your bucket list. These deep-water shrimps are sweeter and richer than typical shrimp and are often compared to lobster.

Then there are the institutions. Have a meal at LuLu’s Gulf Shores, where the food, music and Intracoastal Waterway setting are practically a vacation activity themselves. Visit The Hangout at Gulf Place for beachfront fun and enough personality to ensure the kids remember it. For classic fried seafood, Sea-N-Suds is about as Gulf Shores as it gets. Sitting right on the beach, it’s the kind of wonderfully unfussy place where you order a basket of fried shrimp, add hushpuppies to the table and don’t worry one bit about showing up with sand still between your toes.

And before your first trip is over, make an after-dinner ice cream run. Matt’s Homemade Ice Cream is a Gulf Shores favorite and definitely worth a stop. Nightly ice cream isn’t technically an Alabama beach law, but it should be.

Do at Least One Thing You Can’t Do Back Home

Sure, you could spend the entire trip parked in a beach chair and we wouldn’t judge you. But for your first visit, pick at least one experience that feels unmistakably Gulf Coast.

Get out on the water with a dolphin cruise from Orange Beach, where spotting dolphins swimming alongside the boat never gets old, no matter how old you are. Or book a fishing charter and find out why Orange Beach has earned such a big reputation in the sportfishing world. Bonus points if dinner that night is something you caught yourself.

For a completely different view of the coast, head toward Fort Morgan. The drive gets quieter, the condos start disappearing, and at the very end sits a fort that has been standing guard over Mobile Bay since the 1800s. Walk the tunnels, climb the walls and take in the view across the bay. History with an ocean breeze beats history from a textbook any day.

And then there’s one experience you can’t exactly schedule. If you suddenly hear what sounds like the sky cracking open, look up before you panic. With the Blue Angels based just down the road in Pensacola, catching those unmistakable blue-and-gold jets overhead is one of the coolest Gulf Coast surprises a first timer can get.

Congratulations, You’re a BEACHBALLER Now

That’s a lot to squeeze into one vacation, so let’s make it easy. Your first-timer bucket list really comes down to three things:

• See the Coast. Hit the beach, explore Gulf State Park and stick around for at least one Gulf Coast sunset.
• Taste the Coast. Gulf shrimp, Royal Reds, hushpuppies and an after-dinner ice cream run belong on the list.
• Experience the Coast. Get out on the water, explore Fort Morgan and keep one eye on the sky for those Blue Angels.

That’s the thing about a first trip to Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan. It has a funny way of becoming the place we go every year.

When you’re ready to start checking off your own Alabama Gulf Coast bucket list, BEACHBALL PROPERTIES has your home base covered, from Gulf-front condos to beach houses made for bringing the whole crew.

Come see what all the fuss is about. We have a feeling your first trip won’t be your last.

Come Have A Ball At The Beach!

– Ginger & Hunter Harrelson