Hit the beach, Southern style. Alabama’s Gulf Coast combines historic attractions and scintillating scenery. Of course, there’s also the down-home seafood and drinks to enjoy after a day of exploring.

1. Orange Beach

Starting Point • Food, Outdoor Recreation, Shopping

Grab a beach chair, relax and savor the sun on the sugar-sand beaches of Orange Beach. Take a dip in the Gulf of Mexico, then stroll the Wharf at Orange Beach, a 220-acre vacation destination with high-end shops, great restaurants, an A+ marina and more. You can also rent a sailboat for a pleasure cruise or go deep-sea fishing for red snapper. Let others do the fishing and reap their bounty at one of Orange Beach’s renowned seafood restaurants.

2. USS Alabama Battleship Park

50.4 miles, 1 hour, 7 minutes • History, Outdoor Recreation

The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is a one-of-a-kind military history park, museum and home to some of America’s most famous wartime craft. Built in 1940, the USS Alabama’s nine 16-inch guns helped win important WWII South Pacific battles. Tour the submarine, USS Drum, along with fascinating exhibits on military aircraft, equipment and memorials. Go fishing from the park’s pier, or simply watch gulls, terns and plovers frolic in the park’s beautiful nature observatory.

3. Mobile

2.8 miles, 9 minutes • Entertainment, Nature, History, Outdoor Recreation

The Mobile area is packed with activities and Southern charm. Stroll lovely downtown streets lined with ancient oaks and enjoy Mobile Bay’s beautiful waterfront graced with classic mansions. Fishing and swimming are on the menu, along with dolphin-spotting cruises. History awaits at Fort Conde, built by the French in the 1700s, and the historic Oakleigh Garden District, home to stately antebellum mansions. The Mobile Carnival Museum honors Mardi Gras.

4. Dauphin Island

37.5 miles, 54 minutes • History, Nature, Outdoor Recreation

Cross the Dauphin Island Bridge and marvel at natural wonders like the Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary. Stroll a three-mile manicured pathway through maritime forest, sand dunes and marshes, or get wet and enjoy warm sand and cool surf at the island’s beautiful public beach. See the island’s Sea Lab Estuarium—a world-class aquarium featuring four important coastal Alabama habitats. Enough nature for one day? Visit historic Fort Gaines.