With beautiful beaches, charming towns, and plenty of unusual culinary concoctions to sample, Alabama’s Gulf Coast is a great place to slow down and explore. This itinerary covers some of the finest spots in the region to shop, sunbathe, and eat to your heart’s content.

A scene on the Gulf Coast of Alabama.

1. Gulf Shores

Starting Point • Entertainment, Food, Nature, Outdoor Recreation

Start your trip off in Gulf Shores, a lovely beachside community with relatively calm water that’s perfect for swimming, kayaking and standup paddle boarding. Beachcombers can stroll white-sand beaches and go bird-watching along the Alabama Gulf Coastal Birding Trail. Popular attractions include the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, the Gulf Shores Museum and the Waterville USA water park. It’s also a great place for foodies, with plenty of regular culinary activities, including gumbo crawls, key lime pie crawls and oyster crawls.

2. Fairhope

Drive 32 miles, 48 minutes • Food, History, Nature, Shopping

Nestled on the east bank of the Mobile Bay is one of Alabama’s most charming towns and a popular spot for road trippers. Fairhope is known for its mix of natural beauty and historical buildings, and it has plenty of great spots to shop and dine. Check out Fairhope French Quarter, a quaint shopping plaza and home to the largest crape myrtle tree in the American South. Don’t leave town before sampling the delicious meansherry-hinted grits and grillades in Emma’s Bay House.

3. Mobile

Drive 19 miles, 32 minutes • Food, History, Nature

One of the most interesting cities on the Gulf Coast, Mobile is full of historic attractions, parks and museums. Popular sites include the Battleship Memorial Park, where the WWII-era USS Alabama battleship is docked. Also in the city is the sprawling Mobile Botanical Garden and a wide variety of gorgeous old buildings, particularly in the De Tonti Square Historic District. Be sure to pay a visit to Callaghan’s Irish Social Club, which celebrates the Emerald Isle with fantastic food and beverages.