What are some of the good beach towns within an hour and a half of Mobile?

I'm hopefully planning Lending Tree Bowl invite.

(12-01-2021 10:53 AM)GaStPanthers Wrote:  What are some of the good beach towns within an hour and a half of Mobile?

I'm hopefully planning Lending Tree Bowl invite.

When that state played in Mobile 3 years ago we rented a house in Gulf shores right across the street from the beach. The beach was beautiful and the weather ended up being fantastic for a nice extra long weekend. I think it was about an hour drive to the stadium.

(12-01-2021 10:53 AM)GaStPanthers Wrote:  What are some of the good beach towns within an hour and a half of Mobile?

I'm hopefully planning Lending Tree Bowl invite.

It really depends on what you're looking for. It's not peak beach season and is cold so you won't have an issue with crowds like you normally would. But with that said, in general you have these options. You could google them to see what you're working with as far as appearance. If you strictly want pretty, the first three are your best option.

Gulf Shores - Baldwin County, AL. Highly commercial.

Orange Beach - Baldwin County, AL. Less commercial than Gulf Shores but still commercial.

Pensacola Beach - Escambia County, FL. Highly commercial.

Dauphin Island - Mobile County, AL. Not commercial at all. Dauphin Island's water isn't always as clear as the aforementioned beaches, but that's just a product of natural geography and gulf streams. Sediment from the mountains goes around the east coast and around the tip of Florida into the Gulf of Mexico. A stream going north blocks the sediment from affecting the east side of Florida, and the state of Florida itself blocks the sediment on the east side of Florida. However, the further west you go the less clear the water is (that's why Texas beaches are not clear). By the way, "Damn the Torpedoes, full speed ahead!" is a quote from the Battle of Mobile Bay in the Civil War.

Biloxi Beach - Harrison County, MS. Not commercial per say, but there isn't a lot of beach there at all. Casinos are nearby, and MS state rules didn't allow casinos on state land so they were built over the water (and are colloquially called the "boats"). For that reason a lot of beach is taken up with them. The public area isn't large. Water is usually worse than aforementioned beaches due to geography reason listed above.

Gulf Shores / Orange Beach is your best bet. Both have great beach, good restaurants/bars and about an hour from stadium.

In GS, check out Big Beach Brewing, The Hangout, LuLu's and Pink Pony Pub. A little further down is Orange Beach. Get a bushwhacker at Flora-Bama and eat at Fisher's, Doc's Seafood and The Gulf.

If you're bringing kids there's plenty to see and do as well

(12-01-2021 11:13 AM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  

(12-01-2021 10:53 AM)GaStPanthers Wrote:  What are some of the good beach towns within an hour and a half of Mobile?

I'm hopefully planning Lending Tree Bowl invite.

It really depends on what you're looking for. It's not peak beach season and is cold so you won't have an issue with crowds like you normally would. But with that said, in general you have these options. You could google them to see what you're working with as far as appearance. If you strictly want pretty, the first three are your best option.

Gulf Shores - Baldwin County, AL. Highly commercial.

Orange Beach - Baldwin County, AL. Less commercial than Gulf Shores but still commercial.

Pensacola Beach - Escambia County, FL. Highly commercial.

Dauphin Island - Mobile County, AL. Not commercial at all. Dauphin Island's water isn't always as clear as the aforementioned beaches, but that's just a product of natural geography and gulf streams. Sediment from the mountains goes around the east coast and around the tip of Florida into the Gulf of Mexico. A stream going north blocks the sediment from affecting the east side of Florida, and the state of Florida itself blocks the sediment on the east side of Florida. However, the further west you go the less clear the water is (that's why Texas beaches are not clear). By the way, "Damn the Torpedoes, full speed ahead!" is a quote from the Battle of Mobile Bay in the Civil War.

Biloxi Beach - Harrison County, MS. Not commercial per say, but there isn't a lot of beach there at all. Casinos are nearby, and MS state rules didn't allow casinos on state land so they were built over the water (and are colloquially called the "boats"). For that reason a lot of beach is taken up with them. The public area isn't large. Water is usually worse than aforementioned beaches due to geography reason listed above.

Slight correction. There is a lot of beach once you get out of the casino zone as well as beaches in Pascagoula and Ocean Springs. But point still stands on the natural geography issue. The barrier islands, brackish rivers, and sediment from the Mississippi River screw the coast over.

(12-01-2021 12:57 PM)MobileBama1 Wrote:  Gulf Shores / Orange Beach is your best bet. Both have great beach, good restaurants/bars and about an hour from stadium.

In GS, check out Big Beach Brewing, The Hangout, LuLu's and Pink Pony Pub. A little further down is Orange Beach. Get a bushwhacker at Flora-Bama and eat at Fisher's, Doc's Seafood and The Gulf.

If you're bringing kids there's plenty to see and do as well

Second on The Gulf. Tried it this past year. Solid place.

If you’re golfing, check our Kiva Dunes, Lost Key (Ball), Rock Creek as well.

(12-01-2021 11:13 AM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  

(12-01-2021 10:53 AM)GaStPanthers Wrote:  What are some of the good beach towns within an hour and a half of Mobile?

I'm hopefully planning Lending Tree Bowl invite.

It really depends on what you're looking for. It's not peak beach season and is cold so you won't have an issue with crowds like you normally would. But with that said, in general you have these options. You could google them to see what you're working with as far as appearance. If you strictly want pretty, the first three are your best option.

Gulf Shores - Baldwin County, AL. Highly commercial.

Orange Beach - Baldwin County, AL. Less commercial than Gulf Shores but still commercial.

Pensacola Beach - Escambia County, FL. Highly commercial.

Dauphin Island - Mobile County, AL. Not commercial at all. Dauphin Island's water isn't always as clear as the aforementioned beaches, but that's just a product of natural geography and gulf streams. Sediment from the mountains goes around the east coast and around the tip of Florida into the Gulf of Mexico. A stream going north blocks the sediment from affecting the east side of Florida, and the state of Florida itself blocks the sediment on the east side of Florida. However, the further west you go the less clear the water is (that's why Texas beaches are not clear). By the way, "Damn the Torpedoes, full speed ahead!" is a quote from the Battle of Mobile Bay in the Civil War.

Biloxi Beach - Harrison County, MS. Not commercial per say, but there isn't a lot of beach there at all. Casinos are nearby, and MS state rules didn't allow casinos on state land so they were built over the water (and are colloquially called the "boats"). For that reason a lot of beach is taken up with them. The public area isn't large. Water is usually worse than aforementioned beaches due to geography reason listed above.

Dauphin Island would be your closest option...35-40 minutes to downtown or stadium. Also a ferry for short trip to Gulf Shores, Orange Beach...