Gotta Go to The Gulf!

Gulf Shores, AL    High:  70    Low:  50

Yesterday, we went to the Gulf Shores Public Beach, the one that highway 59 dead ends into. We sat and watched the birds, and what few people were there. The beach was practically empty! Of course it was just only 60 degrees or less with a strong breeze blowing, making it cooler.

What few people were there, were having fun.....

We walked the beach for a bit and saw workers still looking for tar balls from the BP oil spill, but they weren't finding very many, they said. That's good! The beach sand was white as white could be, and soft, not scratchy with sharp shells as some beaches can be. We thought the Gulf Shores beach was one of the prettiest beaches we have ever seen....

After walking the beach a bit, Sparky saw an interesting place called The Hangout right behind the beach. She decided to check it out, did a walk through, and looked at the menu. Eleven to seventeen dollars for a hamburger--not for us, even if it IS on the gulf! It was a cool place, and during season, (March thru October) it's one of THE places to be...Dancing on the tables at night? OK, maybe for the twenty-somethings and Sparky back in the day...NOT! :-) There was a "Wishing Wall"--a cool piece of "art" where people write wishes on colorful little pieces of paper, then try to find any empty slot to stuff the wish in.

The Hangout has an outdoor area with their own little beach with gigantic Adirondack chairs, an outdoor stage for entertainment....and some cool signs, too...

The indoors was HUGE, with a dedicated "living room" for watching football games-- sofas, a big screen TV and all. But we were starting to get hungry and wanted something a little more reasonable. Eldy had seen something on TV about a new restaurant/bar and grill in Orange Beach that was made from cargo shipping containers, called The Gulf. The same people who own the Hangout have started this restaurant, The Gulf.

What a cool place! It's a restaurant/bar/grill/beach and a VERY classy hangout. And VERY reasonable food--six dollars for a delicious burger with aioli mayo and the works on a very fresh, lightly grilled brioche bun. Best burgers/fries we have ever had! (4.00 for a fries order and it's big enough for two)  It's not just a burger place, but it is a limited menu which is written on a blackboard each day. They had some other lunch offerings for people with a more adventuresome palate--some kind of cerviche--a seafood dish, another mushroom dish for today's menu and something else which Sparky doesn't remember. The decor?.... It's AWESOME!

This restaurant has the feeling of sorta like being in the middle east, with the seating on the beach, the chairs, the colorful rugs....If Sparky is not mistaken, along with the very current music that was playing, she could have sworn that they were playing "Scheherazade", music from Korsakov at one point!

How about these hammocks in the palms....Sparky was wondering if people had too much to drink, maybe the bar/grill might have a hard time getting them to leave?

The owner's wife has a flair for the eclectic...A mixture of all kinds of vintage and antique chairs and tables and antique decorations...

Sparky loved the color washed table and chairs....

Sparky loved the eclectic seating, too.....everything from old metal chairs to tractor seats to plush settees on the beach....We didn't want to leave!

There's a really cool upstairs that looks like an outdoor living room and the view from the upper deck is fantastic!

And yes, that is real lawn grass that all the furniture is sitting on! What a colorful feast for the eyes at this place. Can you tell we liked it? :-) Oh, YEAH! We'll definitely be back!