Experience the best of Orange Beach

Orange Beach lies on a barrier island along Alabama's short Gulf Coast, next to Gulf Shores and a few kilometres from the Florida line. The beaches are made of fine white quartz sand, washed down from the Appalachian Mountains, and are backed by dunes of sea oats and tall condominiums. Behind the town, Wolf Bay and Perdido Bay open into calm water for boating.

Gulf State Park, which covers several kilometres of coast, lakes and pine forest, has trails and a long fishing pier. The marinas of Orange Beach are home to charter boats for deep-sea fishing and cruises that look for dolphins. Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, to the west, is a stop for migrating birds, and sea turtles nest on the beaches in summer. Pensacola, Florida, lies about 40 kilometres to the east.

Gulf shrimp, oysters, crab claws, grouper and snapper are the staples, often served from a seafood boil or eaten in a waterside shack. Summers are hot and the sea stays warm into October, winters are mild, and tropical storms are most likely in late summer.