Gulf Shore Getaway

Gulf Shore area Condo, Vacation and Events News and Information for Visitors and Vacationers

Gulf Shores closes on waterfront property - to become public park

The City of Gulf Shores has announced the successful closure on a waterfront property valued at $3.5 million. The prime water front real estate formerly known as Mo's Landing will eventually become a public park operated by the city. The City of Gulf Shores will work with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to secure funding grants to allow for redesign and construction of the property.

City closes deal on Lagoon property
Council seeks state funding for waterfront park design

Mo's Landing, a former gas station and boat launch on the north shore of Little Lagoon, is now officially public property, Mayor G.W. "Billy" Duke III said.

Alabama Photographer covers Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge

This month's Popular Photography features an article by guest Columnist George Ponder, who lives in North Alabama. In his article George discusses photography in one of his favorite photo spots, the Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge

Living in North Alabama as I do, the Gulf Coast is a convenient vacation spot—only a four-hour drive from my neck of the woods. Typically, I grab the golf bag for our vacations and spend time on the golf course while the wife and kids play in the sand. This year, I decided to leave the golf bag at home and carry the camera bag instead.

For the past two years, the Fort Morgan peninsula has been our destination spot on the Gulf Coast . The peninsula lies on the eastern entrance to Mobile Bay and is the home of the Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge. The opportunity to explore this refuge with a camera was too great to pass up.

The Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1980 and consists of approximately 7,000 acres of coastal lands that range from beach dunes to pine-oak woodlands. The refuge runs along the coasts of both the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay and is home to more than 540 species of animals ranging from herons to egrets to alligators to deer. Birds are the most visible habitant of the refuge and offer tremendous photographic opportunities. I spent my mornings roaming the refuge during our weeklong vacation and barely scratched the surface of what this habitat has to offer.

Pets, Families take separate vacations

The idea of a separate vacation for your pets when you go on your own vacation is catching fire. More and more municipalities are host to businesses which cater to families with pets who cannot take them with the family when they go on vacation.

When you head to the Gulf Shores for vacation this year be sure to check to see whether an upscale pet boarding facility such as the one featured in today's Decatur Daily is available in your neighborhood. Your pet will love you for it; and you'll both return from your vacations feeling relaxed and refreshed, instead of frazzled and stressed.

Gulf State Park Hotel and Resort delights, amazes, stuns Gulf Shores visitors and vacationers

So much has changed since we last visited the Gulf State Park Hotel and Resort. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has moved ahead with refurbishing the property. From the sound of things, the results are amazing. Actually, the word used is "stunning":

Stunned might be the best way to describe the sensation when I walked into one of the new cottages at Gulf State Park.

As Herb Malone of the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau put it, "This is not your typical state park cabin. This is a home away from home."

Gulf Coast birder literally wrote the book on birds

Chandler Robbins recently attended an Association of Field Ornithologists meeting at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. He is known for his pioneering work in the field of Ornithology and literally wrote the book on bird identification. His birders reference, Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification, is a standard part of birders' field complement worldwide.

Among Mr. Robbins' accomplisments are:

  • His original research in the 1980s demonstrated the need to conserve unbroken forest lands for migratory and breeding birds.
  • He was one of the first scientists to document the deleterious effects of DDT on birds.
  • He founded the annual North American Breeding Bird Survey, which is among the world's leading citizen-science studies of breeding bird populations.
  • He authored the standard birders field guide for bird identification: Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification.
  • Mr. Robbins has written or co-authored more than 500 publications, books and ornithological studies.

During his visit to the conference Mr. Robbins was interviewed by the Houston Chronicle:

Ornithologist revolutionized the study of birds and their surroundings

Chandler Robbins, 88, has been called the father of modern ornithology.

Shrimp Festival golf event set Sept. 8

Kiva Dunes in Gulf Shores will serve as host to the 13th annual Shrimp Festival Golf Tournament.

The tournament is scheduled for Sept. 8, 2006. It will begin promptly at 12:30 pm with shotgun start. The tournament format will be a four-person scramble with handicap. Each group's handicap will be determined by averaging the handicaps of the golfers in each foursome.

The Shrimp Festival Golf Tournament can accommodate only the first 36 teams to sign up. Entry fees are $125 per person ($500 per team). The registration fee includes cart fee, golf fees and lunch prior to play. Prizes will be awarded for the first, second and third low net and low gross teams, closest to the pin and longest drive.

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