4 Day Alabama Gulf Coast Road Trip Itinerary
Are you looking for an unforgettable Alabama road trip along the Gulf Coast that can be done in an extended weekend getaway?
What if I told you that in just a long weekend, you could explore Alabama’s powdery white sand beaches, emerald Gulf waters, scenic bay views, majestic moss-draped Southern trees, and enjoy birding, biking, hiking, and historic sites—all packed into one perfect Alabama Gulf Coast itinerary for those short on time?
Sure, you could spend much more time here, but this road trip through Alabama is the answer for those who are looking to maximize their vacation days and get introduced to Alabama’s diverse landscapes and natural beauty, combining the perfect amount of outdoor adventure and relaxation.
The Gulf Coast of Alabama from Mobile down to the Gulf has it all, and the beauty of it is you can see all of this in a 4 day Alabama road trip.
And if you’re like us, you’ll fall in love and already be scheming when you’ll return to do it all again plus more!
Disclaimer: This trip was done in collaboration with Sweet Home Alabama, as always, all opinions and experiences are our own.
Breakdown of our 4 day Road Trip in Alabama
To be able to plan a great extended weekend escape, this is how we recommend executing this southern coastal road trip in Alabama, you could easily maximize a 3 day weekend by taking only one day of PTO for a total of 4 days in Alabama.
For our exact itinerary, we recommend flying in and out of Mobile, renting a car and starting the journey to the southern coastal route along the Mobile Bay until you reach the Gulf, where you will base before ending back in Mobile.
You may want to switch activities on day 1 and day 4 depending on what days you do your itinerary as certain actvities like the Mobile Botanical Gardens aren’t open on Mondays.
Alabama Road Trip: Day 1 (Daphne & Fairhope)
Kick off your road trip by making your way down the Mobile Bay towards the gorgeous shores of the Gulf of Mexico by making stops to take in the beauty of the bay, its parks, the charming French Quarter in Fairhope, and making a historic stop at The Grand Hotel before making it to your beach destination for the next few nights.
Village Point Park Preserve
This beautiful park on the Mobile Bay in Daphne is home to a few well-maintained trails, bay views, and an impressive live oak tree worth stopping for in the center of the park! Since we aren’t from the south, anytime we have an opportunity to ooh and awe at the giant live oaks, we take it!
Jackson’s Oak is one of the largest and most historic live oaks in Alabama standing at 95 feet tall and 28 feet in circumference. It was during the War of 1812 where Andrew Jackson allegedly climbed one of the limbs of this giant oak and gave a speech to his troops en route to Pensacola.
There’s a pedestrian pathway where you can view the massive oak to help protect the soil from eroding around the tree.
Within the park, you can continue on trails to the bay and the D’Olive Cemetery, a burying point for one of the oldest families in Baldwin County’s plantation.
May Day Park and Pier
Just a few miles south of Village Point Park Preserve is the much smaller May Day Park and Pier, worth a stop if you enjoy the great trees of the south like we do! We’ve seen stunning sunset photos from the pier here, but we were visiting during the day and didn’t get to witness that ourselves!
The park has a beautiful boardwalk walkway passing a giant live oak before making its way to the bay front and pier.
This is a quick stop and great place to take advantage of the park’s restrooms and collection of beautiful moss-draped oak trees.
Lunch at The Hope Farm
For an excellent lunch stop, continue to Fairhope for a meal at The Barn at The Hope Farm (open for lunch until 3 PM). This beautiful restaurant serves up locally sourced ingredients in their Southern bistro-inspired menu.
Farm-to-table items include fresh-caught fish dishes from ceviches to tacos, burgers, salads, to entrees like grilled hanger steak.
Fairhope French Quarter
One of the most charming stops on our Alabama road trip itinerary is this downtown area full of shops, restaurants, and an adorable courtyard home to Alabama’s champion crepe myrtle tree.
You can’t help but adore the architecture along Section Street and De La Mare Avenue, some of what feels like they could be in the infamous French Quarter of New Orleans with their cast iron balconies and you’ll spot shops selling beignets dusted in white powdery sugar.
If you need a pick me up, head to Provision, which also sells pastries, gourmet pantry items, wine, and great gifts for the kitchen or entertaining.
If you decided to skip our lunch stop, you have the option to try Panini Pete’s, a famous sandwich shop in the adorable French Quarter Courtyard. You’ll also want to take a peek in the courtyard, not only to spot one of the local community cat known as Meow-Meow, Panther, or Miss P and see what’s left of the Alabama Champion Crepe Myrtle tree!
It’s also worth popping in and out of the shops here, there are so many adorable boutiques and even some great antique shops here too.
Fairhope Municipal Pier
For more waterfront views of Mobile Bay, head to the Fairhope Municipal Pier for a stroll at one of the most beloved spots for locals, unofficially known as the “town square.”
Stop by The Grand Hotel
Located at Point Clear on Mobile Bay is a historic hotel and resort nicknamed the Queen of Southern Resorts for over 175 years. The Grand Hotel was recommended to us more than once to stop at on our way down to the Gulf.
This resort has a storied past serving as a hospital during the Civil War, a military training camp during World War II, and it’s hosted an extensive list of dignitaries and celebrities over the years of operation. A tradition to pay homage to its military past, at 3:45 PM daily fires a canon toward to Mobile Bay.
We are fans of historic properties, and beyond the history, the location is absolutely beautiful. We stopped by for a cocktail at the elegant Bucky’s Lounge, named after a legendary bartender who worked at The Grand Hotel for 61 years, Aura J. “Bucky” Miller, who had a knack for remembering names and being a shining example of southern hospitality.
Drive to the Gulf and Check In
From The Grand Hotel, you’re under an hour from Alabama beaches. During our itinerary, we stayed at The Lodge at Gulf State Park as we wanted to be on the white sand beaches.
A close second choice for us was the Gulf State Park Cabins on Lake Shelby surrounded by wooded trails just a short drive away from the beaches.
We wanted to stay at lodging option that connected to the outdoor beauty Alabama’s Gulf Coast offers, which is why we ultimately went with The Lodge at Gulf State Park. This is one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable resorts in the United States.
Designed to be energy efficient, water conserving, wildlife conscious, and designed to withstand tropical occurrences. A few of our favorite features we noticed were:
- the parking structure and lighting at night is meant to protect the turtle nesting areas along the coast and the windows are designed with bird safety measures.
- the front desk provides turtle-safe light filters for your smartphones and flashlights to interact with wildlife responsibly.
- the pool at the resort is topped off with the water collected from the condensation from the air cooling system throughout the hotel.
- The air conditioners and cooling system is set with a sensor, to turn off when windows or doors are left open.
Dinner at Coastal Orange Beach
Once you’re all settled in after an exciting first day on your Alabama road trip, treat yourself to dinner with a view at Coastal Orange Beach which offers open-air, covered dining overlooking the gulf coastline and is a prime spot for sunset with a meal.
We went for seafood starters, you the crab claws are delicious, but you don’t want to miss out on their charbroiled oysters with pimento cheese, jalapeno relish, and bacon crumbles. These are the oysters that made us realize that we have for far too long overlooked Alabama oysters in favor of West Coast and East Coast oysters and we’d be ordering oysters have the opportunity we had on this trip here on after!
If you’re looking for mains to try here, we recommend opting for the local gulf-caught fish entrees.
Alabama Road Trip: Day 2 (Hikes, Historic Sites, & beaches)
Your day 2 of 4-day Alabama road trip is going to be along the Gulf Coast of Alabama and it’s beaches. If you’re visiting in the summer like us, we recommend getting an early start to beat the direct midday heat for some of the activities we recommend saving the heat of the day for lounging beachside in the white powdery sandy beaches of Alabama’s gulf beaches!
Hike Around Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
Check out the trails at Alabama’s last remaining undisturbed coastal habitats. Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 7,000 acres of coastal landscapes including beach dunes to pine-oak woodlands.
The wildlife sanctuary protects neotropical migratory songbirds and other coastal engaged species like the Kemp’s ridley, loggerhead, and green sea turtles along with the adorably small Alabama beach. mouse.
The trails here make for excellent birding opportunities and tranquil walks through this beautiful landscape.
We opted for one of the most popular walking trails through Bon Secour, the Jeff Friend Trail, a one-mile loop trail passing through maritime forest, a freshwater marsh, and Little Lagoon. A section of the trail has a beautiful wooden boardwalk.
If you’re looking for something a little longer, the Centennial Trail connects to the Jeff Friend Trail and is 2-miles long.
Fort Morgan State Historic Site
At the edge of Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico sits Fort Morgan, the military site and guard post to the Mobile Bay that served a crucial role in four different wars, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, WWI, and WWII.
Its most famous role was during the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War when Union Forces led by Admiral Farragut famously declared, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” breaching the Confederate defenses and leading to the Union victory at Fort Morgan changing the trajectory for the Confederacy and their supply lines.
Visitors can walk around the fort by foot and visit the museum where there are educational exhibits detailing the American military history of Mobile Point and artifacts and personal items from the soldiers who served at the port.
Lunch at Jesse’s by the Bay
After a morning of nature and history, treat yourself to lunch with a view at Jesse’s by the Bay, located on the Mobile Bay. The upstairs restaurant offers sweeping views of the bay, in fact, we saw several dolphins from above while we were enjoying our lunch!
We didn’t miss the opportunity to enjoy more seafood, we split the oyster Jesse which are baked oysters with baked creole compound butter and gruyere cheese. Another point for Alabama oysters being our favorite.
I also ordered the shrimp and grits for lunch, which were delightful and Scott tried the chicken sandwich which was approximately the size of his head! Luckily, we both came with an appetite.
This is also a popular dinner option, the lunch service was much quieter than we were told it would be in the evening. We recommend getting a reservation to make sure you get a seat.
Enjoy an Afternoon at the Beach
If you’re enjoying your Alabama road trip in the summer like we were, you’re going to want to cool off by enjoying an afternoon on the beach. Coming to coastal Alabama and not having time to enjoy the white powdery sand and emerald waters would be a crime!
The sand here is truly unbelievable, the powdered sugar sand is made of pure white quartz crystals traveling from the Appalachian Mountains at the end of the last Ice Age, leaving behind the most breathtaking coastline and fine sand to enjoy!
Since we were staying at the Lodge at Gulf State Park, we took advantage of having beachfront access from our resort, which is open to the public even if you’re not staying here. What’s nice about this beach is you have access to restrooms, a beach bar and restaurant if you get hungry, and chair and umbrella rentals if you want to have a bit of a more comfortable beach day.
Non-guests of the Lodge at Gulf State Park have to pay to park here though, it’s currently $12 per day for self parking or $22 for valet parking.
We really enjoyed having access to the beach from our hotel, it made it more convenient to enjoy the beach. But, if you’re not staying at this hotel or you want other options, here are a few beaches and access points worth mentioning:
- Gulf State Park Pavilion – the beach pavilion here offers restrooms, showers, a snack bar, and you can pay to park at one of the parking stations $10 per day for a car.
- Alabama Point East – located near the Perdido Pass Bridge, this beach has boardwalks, sand dunes, restrooms, outdoor showers, and free life jackets in various sizes recommended to use here.
- Branyon Beach – this smaller beach has a small free parking area with a scenic boardwalk passing the sand dunes to get to the shore.
- Gulf State Park Beaches – There are several access points all with their own parking areas with kiosks to pay, check out West 13th Street, West 12th Street, West 10th Street, West 6th Street, West 5th Street, and West 4th Street access points.
Tip: Always check current beach conditions, flags will be present and it’s good to understand what the flag system means. You can also text ALBEACHES to 888777 to get current conditions.
Rip currents are also possible, be sure to brush up on what to do if you end up in one, basically stay calm and swim parallel, not against the rip current. The rip will release you and you’ll be able get back to shore safely.
Visit the Pink Pony Pub
If you’ve been around our content for a while, you know we love the color pink. So when you spot a pink beach bar, you know we aren’t going to pass by without visiting. Not to mention, the name of The Pink Pony Pub is also very similar to one of the best summer anthems of 2024.
This beloved pink watering hole has been around for decades before Chappell Roan, and I am sure they’ve seen a surge of Roan’s fans this summer with a name like this!
This beloved beach pub has been around since the 1950s and is a great spot to enjoy one of their frozen cocktails or a bite to eat steps away from the beach.
Dinner at Lulu’s
You don’t want to miss one of the most vibrant restaurant experiences the area has to offer! Owned by none other than Jimmy Buffet’s sister, Lulu.
Lulu’s is a destination in itself for families with an adventure climbing ropes park, arcade, and games. Even for non-families, this is a must as there’s usually live music and the menu features great items reflecting the coastal location!
Eating at Lulu’s is an experience, and one we won’t soon forget. Don’t miss trying the famous gumbo on the menu, even if it’s just a cup, the Key West bowl was also wonderful, along with other seafood favorites on the menu.
It’s a colorful and fun experience overlooking the Portage Creek, which sometimes has dolphins who pass by, we saw tons of catfish!
Alabama Road Trip: Day 3 (Biking, Sand Castles, & Boats)
Another exciting day around the Alabama beaches combining more adventure with a bit of relaxing with biking around the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail, building sand castles (or creatures) on the beach, and relaxing on a private boating cruise around Orange Beach.
Morning: Breakfast & Biking on the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail
One of the not-to-be-missed activities on your Alabama trip is to enjoy some of the 26 trails that make up 28 paved-miles of trailways connecting Gulf Shores to Orange Beach passing through wooded areas, lakes, streams, and beauty!
You can enjoy any part of these trails by foot or bicycle, we opted for the bicycle option since there are several free bike share stations for visitors to use! You simply need to download the app, enter your info, and you’re able to loan a free bicycle to enjoy the trails!
There are several bike stations throughout the trail system, including popular stops like Woodside Restaurant or The Lodge at Gulf State Park. Pick up a map and choose your route! You also have the option of renting different types of bicycles from local rental companies too.
Depending on the weather during your visit, you might want to bike first thing in the morning, then have breakfast. We chose to have breakfast at Woodside Restaurant first for some fuel, then bike.
You can pick up a bike map here as well as one of the loaner bikes at the station before taking off. We were doing this on a very hot day, so we opted to do a section of the Gulf Oak Ridge Trail (which had some nice shaded areas) before turning back and going down the Gopher Tortoise Trail to the Lake Shelby Lookout to see if we could spot a gator (we didn’t).
The trails here are absolutely beautiful, had we gotten an earlier start we might have tried to do longer portions of the trails, but we’ve left feeling like we left plenty to do next time as this was a really serene place to bike around and we loved how well maintained the paved pathways were.
Tip: Remember to bring plenty of drinking water and sunscreen!
Lunch at Foodcraft
If you enjoyed your breakfast first as we did, you’ll have biked up an appetite and want to grab a bite to eat before continuing our suggested itinerary and fun activities!
We ate at Foodcraft, a restaurant on-site at The Lodge at Gulf State Park, which features breathtaking views of the beach and dunes. They offer an array of southern dishes along with great seafood options.
Graduate from Sand Castle University
This was one of the most fun things we did on our Alabama itinerary! You can book a 1-2 hour Sand Castle University lesson where you’ll learn tips and tricks for how to build your own beautiful sand castle or sand creature like a shark or turtle!
You’ll learn the basics and most crucial components to sand castle building. The best part is when you’re done, you get to admire your work and go for a swim.
Now that we have the fundamentals to proper sand castle building, we can’t wait to try this back at home. This was such a fun, hands-on experience!
They offer their lessons at a few beaches, including the beach at our hotel!
Enjoy a Cruise with Anonyme Cruises
When we saw there was a chance to relax on a vintage pink boat, we didn’t pass on the opportunity! The 2-hour cruise with Anonyme Cruises starts in the Orange Beach Marina before heading into the Bayou St. John adjacent to the Perdido Pass Bridge exploring around the islands and even the option to park in a sand bar.
The bird-watching from the boat was a highlight! You’re allowed to bring your own cooler on the boat or order a prepared picnic through a partner company.
Captain DD will navigate the waters, pointing out local landmarks and wildlife spottings so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the views.
Dinner at Big Fish Restaurant
After a fun day of outdoor adventures around the Alabama beaches, finish off your day treating yourself to a sushi dinner at Big Fish Restaurant. We were excited to have dined here as it definitely feels like a local spot and the sushi here was great.
While we were really enjoying all the Southern cuisine, it was nice to have another seafood option during our visit.
Their menu offers a selection and variety of nigiri, sashimi, and sushi rolls. And if someone in your party isn’t craving sushi, there is a full menu of other entrees to enjoy too.
Alabama Road Trip: Day 4 (Mobile & Say Goodbye, for now)
Okay, you’re final day on your Alabama road trip itinerary heads back north to Mobile. We got an earlier start to grab breakfast back in Fairhope at Provision before making our way to Mobile for a late morning of activities, lunch, and having a comfortable amount of time to return our car and get to the airport.
If you are going to miss the beaches as much as we do, be sure to do one more early am walk along the coast before taking off!
Mobile Botanical Gardens
We weren’t ready to leave all the nature behind at Alabama beaches, we made our way directly to the beautiful Mobile Botanical Gardens encompassing 100 acres of beautifully wooded gardens.
We spent a good hour walking around the Rhododendron Garden, the Fern Glade, and Japanese Maple Garden enjoying the quiet and relaxing atmosphere before heading into the city and making our way to the airport.
After a drive, this was a great place to shake out the legs and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. There are plenty of places to find a bench in a garden and just sit and enjoy the surrounding beauty for a moment before moving along.
I also love that the gardens have a friendly cat too! There’s also a gift shop and restrooms centrally located, so if you ever need an air conditioning break, you’re never too far away.
Visit Mobile’s Old Dauphin Way Historic District
After enjoying the Mobile Botanical Gardens, make your way to the Old Dauphin Way Historic District. We parked outside Wintzell’s Oyster House, as we planned to have lunch there and it made for an easy departure when we were done, but it’s also a great launching off point for exploring this beautiful district.
Depending on the amount of time you have before your departure, you may be able to fit in a food tour with Bienville Bites Food Tours, who offer 3-hour food tours of Downtown Mobile giving you not only the history of the area, but delicious food along the way.
Our flight schedule sadly didn’t allow for this, but we will have this high on our list for next time.
Walk up and down Dauphin Street, we walked from Wintzell’s Oyster House toward downtown passing the Cathedral Basilica of Immaculate Conception to Bienville Square.
If you have time, check out Mardi Gras Park, which commemorates the first Mardi Gras celebration in the United States!
The historic district has really interesting architecture to see, shops, and restaurants, and is a great spot to get a taste of Mobile before departing!
Lunch at Wintzell’s Oyster House
This is a classic and a great place to finish off your road trip in Alabama with a chef’s kiss! This is the original location for Witnzell’s Oyster House, an iconic local Gulf seafood restaurant that dates back to 1937 when this location opened up as just a 6-seater restaurant.
You can’t help but enjoy the ambiance in here, the signs all over the walls, the oysters being shucked behind the counter in front of you, and the incredible oysters!
Don’t miss their famous oyster sampler, which gives you their 3 styles of charbroiled oysters, Rockefeller, Bienville, and Monterey styles all on one platter!
They also have dishes like po’boys, gumbo, and surf and turf. We love a classic spot like this and it was a great way to end the trip!
Say Goodbye…for now
An extended weekend trip is never going to be enough to see a whole destination, but it’s a great start! What we loved about this trip is that we were introduced to the beauty of Alabama’s diverse outdoors along the Gulf Coast from Mobile to the beaches.
You don’t need to spend all your vacation days for the year to enjoy beautiful white sand beaches, stunning trails, parks, wildlife encounters, and incredible food.
While this was our first trip to Alabama, it won’t be our last!
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