The 35th annual National Shrimp Festival takes place today through Sunday. The National Shrimp Festival is of the country's premier outdoor festivals. The festival features an international marketplace where over 300 vendors will show and offer fine art, arts and crafts, and all manner of shrimp.
Yes, shrimp! Fried, grilled, broiled or steamed, any way you like it, and every way you'll love it. You will find it all at the festival along with other delicious seafood and non seafood dishes.
The 35th National Shrimp Festival takes place at the Gulf Shores Alabama Public Beach.
Shrimp festival opens today; huge crowds expected
Gulf Shores is considering a ban on smoking in public places. They've taken the usual step of asking restaurateurs and bar owners what they think about it.
The standard answer from these establishments is a general concern that people will take their business to more smoker-friendly communities. Business will be lost.
What they will ultimately find is that the die-hard smokers will be replaced by non-smoking people who would not have otherwise visited their establishment. Insurance and upkeep costs decrease. Overall, the impact is increased profitability due to level, and even sometimes increased revenue, and lower costs to do business.
On the beach: Best Place to Be serves big slice of coastal history
For a city that has been incorporated for only 22 years, Orange Beach has a long and colorful history, which has been expertly captured in "The Best Place to Be: The Story of Orange Beach, Alabama."
Written by Margaret Childress Long with Michael D. Shipler, this carefully researched book begins with a description of the first settlers -- the Paleo-Indians -- and concludes with a short recounting of Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, which the authors describe as "the price you pay for living in paradise."
It's been over two years since Ivan rumbled through and rendered the Gulf State Park Hotel and Convention Center uninhabitable. Now that the insurance matters are finally settled, the building will finally be demolished. Its remains will be hauled off shore and deposited on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico where the resort will become a resort of sorts for the fishes.
Resort to sleep with the fishes
GULF SHORES -- After 30 years of hosting tourists at one of Alabama's most popular state parks, and two years of decaying as a testament to the strength of Hurricane Ivan, the Gulf State Park Hotel and Convention Center will find new purpose in attracting fish.
We're getting closer to the magic day when weather and water combine to create a fishing frenzy.
October and the Orange Beach October Fishing Rodeo are just around the corner. From the way things look the elements are combining in just about the right proportions at just about the right time.
Fish haven't caught up with cool weather
Boy, I love this weather, and so do the fishermen. All of the boat ramp parking lots have been full of vehicles and trailers as the cool front sparked a fishing frenzy.
Now there's a fish story. Imagine hooking into a record swordfish and fighting it all the way in - nearly 4 hours of fighting. When you land him, you find out he's not only a record, he's a record by nearly 100 pounds. He's over 25% bigger than the previous record.
Don't let anyone tell you the fishing hasn't been good this year along the Alabama Gulf Coast.
Come to think of it, the fishing hasn't been good along the Alabama Gulf Coast this year. The fishing has been great on the Alabama Gulf Coast this year.
Swordfish sets Alabama record