What's New in Gulf Shores
Revisit one of the Gulf Coast's best beaches this summer.
Top Stories of 2010
Deep South Magazine officially launched online in January of 2010, so this month we're celebrating our first anniversary! As we reflect over the past year, we're proud of the content we cranked out, both on our website and on our blog. One of our goals here is to keep up with top news stories that affect people living in the South, and there was no shortage of news in 2010. From the New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl to the massive oil spill, 50th anniversary of the publication of "To Kill A Mockingbird" and filming of "The Help" movie in Mississippi, 2010's stories were compelling to say the least, and we spent a lot of time following them. In the case of the oil spill, we immediately created a listing of ways Southerners could help in their respective states and reported straight from the sand in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach throughout the summer to let readers know when beaches were open. We plan to do no less, and hopefully a lot more, in 2011. Here's to another great year for the South and for Deep South! P.S. We welcome story ideas for the coming year! E-mail erin@deepsouthmag if there's something
Back to the Beach
As July 4 approaches, there's no better place than Alabama's beaches for fireworks and fun. by Erin Z. Bass On June 18, Alabama announced the launch of a new advertising campaign featuring celebrity chef Lucy Buffett, who asks vacationers to "Come on, get back to the beaches we all love." Buffett owns Lulu's on the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores and is the sister of beach crooner Jimmy Buffett. Her restaurant has become a hot spot in the area, and no trip to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach is complete without some Lower Alabama Caviar, a Cheeseburger in Paradise and Lulu's Rum Punch overlooking the water. With live music every day of the week in the summertime and an art market on Saturdays, you may want to visit Lulu's more than once during your trip. As Lulu herself will tell you, her restaurant is just one example of hometown places that give Gulf Shores/Orange Beach its charm. Everybody's got their favorites, whether it be cheesecake at Hope's just over the bridge from Lulu's, pancakes at Tacky Jack's, shopping at Tallulah's or the outlet mall in Foley. We know many of you are skeptical about a beach vacation where the beach could possibly
Oil-Free Shores
by Erin Z. Bass Deep South has been on a press trip in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach all weekend with the Traveling Mamas and a few other bloggers. We've been celebrating life along the Gulf Coast, along with the news that beaches are open and the water's fine! We started the weekend with a tweetup at Live Bait at The Wharf on Friday night, followed by breakfast at Tacky Jack's on Saturday morning and a full day of activities that included visits to the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Waterville USA and kayaking with Alabama Kayak Adventures. The amazing meals continued throughout the weekend with lunch at famed seafood joint King Neptune's, drinks and apps at Lulu's, dinner at Wintzell's Oyster House and breakfast family-style at The Hangout. Our accommodations at Phoenix All Suites Hotel West were condo-sized with all the amenities and service of a hotel. Managed by Brett Robinson, the hotel is only one of many affordable places to stay on the island. Current "hot deals" on the realty company's website include free tickets to Hank Williams Jr.'s Rowdy Friends Tour next month, Labor Day weekend specials and a Girls' Getaway package starting at $171.57 per person. But rather than telling
Orange Beach Greetings
by Erin Z. Bass Today is day three at Orange Beach, and I'm so glad we didn't cancel this trip. The water is getting clearer and bluer by the day and is the perfect temperature of cool and refreshing. No signs or smell of oil. Just a trio of stingrays in the water today and the smell of saltwater and sunscreen under our beach tent. Lots of shells are washing up on the beach and with the amount of broken sand dollars we've seen, I have to wonder if there's a stash of whole ones out there on a sandbar somewhere. The family on the beach next to us has a sailboat, so our ocean view includes bright sails bobbing in the water. Yesterday, we visited the North Shore Grill & Deli (home of the Big Kahuna Burger, which I'll have to try later in the week) in San Roc Cay for the free wifi. I ordered a pina colada smoothie, and it was the best I've ever had. Blended with real coconut, this drink would be dangerous with actual rum in it. Today, we're at Orange Beach Public Library using the wifi and I've picked up a copy of local author
Coast Is Clear
by Erin Z. Bass If you're still not sure about that upcoming beach vacation and having a hard time disbelieving all the oil spill impact rumors floating around, just watch this video taken yesterday, May 10, in Fort Morgan, Alabama. Posted by Meyer Real Estate and included in an email the company sent out to renters, the footage clearly shows that the coast's white, sandy beaches and shoreline contain no trace of oil. Meyer went on to say in the email that no coastal impact has occurred and none is expected. In fact, beaches are more beautiful and cleaner than ever!
Gulf Coast Beaches Open
by Erin Z. Bass I know many of you, myself included, are concerned about your upcoming beach vacation to the Gulf Coast because of the oil spill. Should you cancel, plan on volunteering instead of lounging on the beach, or just wait it out? A few hours helping out while you're there is probably a good idea, but the message coming out of Gulf Coast tourism organizations and rental companies is that there is currently no oil on the beach, no smell, and guests should take a wait and see approach if possible. Bird's eye view courtesy of Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau. Public Relations Manager with the Gulf Coast CVB Kim Chapman sent us the following statement: "Currently, there is no oil on the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. According to the NOAA forecasts, no shoreline impact is expected for this area for at least the next 72 hours. We are encouraging our guests to seek out official and confirmed information from the unified response team, which we are posting continuously at www.gulfshores.com/issues. All of the businesses along Pleasure Island are committed to ensuring a quality vacation for their guests. Please contact your rental company for additional details regarding