Gulf Shores Spring 2024
Sand Dollar
NOTES
- May 6: David broke his femur on Mon, May 6. He had surgery May 7 so the Coulsons could not make this trip but encouraged everyone to go ahead and have a good time. It won't be the same, tradition will be broken, but we decided to move forward with trip.
- May 8 (Wed): Arrived in Gulf Shores around 4:30 pm. Traffic heavy so we decided to eat before checking into house. First night DeSotos Seafood Kitchen. Food was good plus they had a Seniors Menu (smaller portions), which kept us from overstuffing ourselves.
- May 9 (Thu): Late breakfast with eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy. Late lunch at 3:30 at CoastAL. The dining area where we ate last year did not open until 4:00 so we set under an umbrella and had lunch portions. Games at night included Play 9, Farkle, and 3 Up-3 Down.
- May 10 (Fri): Breakfast of potato casserole, sausage and toast. Dinner at 4:00 at Original Oyster House. As before, food was good and we ate too much. We bought a key lime pie and brought it home for desert. It was delicious.
- May 11 (Sat): Breakfast of bacon and pancakes. Dinner at 4:00 at Doc's Seafood on Canal Street.
- May 12 (Sun): Mother's Day. Breakfast of fried potato casserole, eggs, gravy and biscuits. Early dinner at a new place called Big Mike's Steakhouse. Food was great but they seemed to like to give you spuds - double-baked potatoes, even if you order baked potato. The grouper was great, Sandra had ground steak, Karen and Patsy split some chicken.
- May 13 (Mon): Pizza night.
- May 14 (Tue): Paul, Sandra and Karen left for home. Lynn and Patsy ate at 2:00 pm at DeSoto's.
- May 15 (Wed): Lynn and Patsy drove home
About the house....
- House was very clean, Great fans and lights. Roku TV. Two thermostats. Bedrooms were large. Shower doors were a little wobbly.
- There were 3 refrigerators. One on 1st floor, 2 on 2nd floor (kitchen and laundry room)
- Pool a real plus. Shallow (about 4' deep) and small but could get several people or 3 floats in it. Water was warm. Screened in porch was a plus.
- Wi-fi did not work the first day but got it working end of second day. Fast download but really slow upload.
- Nice large kitchen. Always need newer pots and pans but were adequate. Bring counter wipes, aprons. Small picnic table in kitchen - great to put our snacks on. Probably need to bring less snacks.
- Nice tall Adirondack chairs (2 tables, 8 tall chairs outside), 4 short chairs inside the screen porch. Need to bring chairs for those having trouble getting out of Adirondacks.
The weather...
- Wed: Super humid when we got here.
- Thu: Severe storms with tornado warnings in Tennessee. Very warm (high 80s) with some overcast.
- Fri: Storms with power loss early Fri morning. Warm during day (high 80s)
- Sat: Cooler with low in morning of 66 degrees but warmed up with high of 79 degrees
- Sun: Beautiful day with clouds in the morning, temps low 80s.
- Mon: Rain started around 11:00 with winds and thunderstorms the rest of the day.
- Tue: Thunderstorms overnight, early morning. Sandstorm early morning with 35 mph (Gusts of 50 mph) winds. Windy all day but no rain.
Tennessee to Gulf Shores
- Google Map
- House - Sand Dollar (3089 West Beach Blvd)
Cost
- 5 Days (May 9 - 14)
- $5,450.67 + $381.55 insurance = $5,832.22
- $1,458.06/couple
- $1,166.44/night
- Added 1 day before - May 8
- $412/4=$103
- Added 1 day after - May 15
- $575/2=$287
- 25% cancellation fee before 60 days
Restaurants
- Map of Restaurants
- Gulf Shores
- * Fish River Grill - A Funky Junky Redneck Joint • Home of Swamp Soup • Where the locals love to eat!
- * Bahama Bob's Beachside Cafe - Top rated seafood and American cuisine 3 years in a row.
- * Doc's Seafood - Doc’s Seafood Shack and Oyster Bar prides itself in providing you the very best in Gulf Coast Seafood, including, Doc’s world famous fried shrimp
- Gulf Shores Seafood - If you’re in a rush, looking to save time, and desiring a taste of Gulf Coast Seafood, then tryout one of our Meals To Go!
- * Shrimp Basket - Informal chain outpost offering a variety of fried seafood dishes & an oyster bar.
- * Tacky Jack's - Festive Gulf Coast fixture offers outside dining, live music & American eats in rustic digs.
- Cactus Cantina - Laid back Mexican cuisine by the beach.
- * Original Oyster House - Considered the best family-friendly, waterfront seafood restaurant on the Gulf Coast
- * The Hangout - Join us this winter for the best entertainment and Snowbird specials. Roaring Through the Decades Dance Night on Monday, Bingo Night on Wednesday and Paint Classes on Sunday.
- * DeSoto's Seafood Kitchen - Alabama’s favorite family restaurants features fresh seafood, chicken, pasta, steak, home style sides, salads and sandwiches.
- LuLu's - At LuLu’s, we serve scratch-made menu options with recipes created by Lucy Buffett herself.
- Acme Oyster House - I turned non believers into oyster eaters!! Eat, laugh and love with us over an authentic New Orleans seafood meal.
- Orange Beach
- * Big Mike's Steakhouse - We are grilling up the best steaks on the Gulf Coast but we've still got amazing seafood for our seafood loving friends!
- * CoastAL Orange Beach -
Great food, live music, and the best views of the Gulf of Mexico!
- CoastAL - Orange Beach
- The Flying Harpoon - Unique eats and laid back atmosphere.
- Ruby Slipper - Cheery cafe serving signature omelets, Southern brunch fare & cocktails in a relaxed atmosphere in Orange Beach.
- The Gulf - Outdoor venue made from old shipping containers offering seafood, American fare & a full bar.
- Cobalt, the Restaurant - Seafood & happy hours on an expansive patio at a busy spot with boat slips for those coming by sea.
- Brick & Spoon - Chain serving Cajun-Creole breakfast fare, sandwiches & cocktails in a stylish, contemporary space.
- Cactus Cantina - Laid back Mexican cuisine buy the beach.
- More Gulf Shores seafood picks
- Look up reviews on Yelp
Sand Dollar

Things to Do
- The Wharf - Orange Beach