Shelby Lake Loop

Orange Beach is roughly 7 miles long and features many public beach access areas; I parked at the Gulf State Park Cotton Bayou Beach Access area. This small beach area is found at the intersection of Highway 182 and Highway 161, nestled between some of the most popular condominiums in the area. There are restrooms, outdoor showers, and ample free parking on site. The beach is easily accessible ...

Chain of Lakes Trail in Blackwater River State Park is a relatively easy 1.4-mile loop trail that takes less than a half hour to hike around. The trail starts just southeast of the Deaton Bridge at the trailhead in the parking lot. There may be birders or people fishing along the trail, but if you come early, you may be able to find some solitude.  Blackwater River State Park is open from 8 am...

The Davis Bayou Area is an estuary teeming with wildlife. Its salt marshes serve as nurseries for crabs, fish, and other marine life; its coastal woodlands are home to pines, magnolias, and saw palmettos. The William M. Colmer Visitor Center is where visitors can view the park oriented film and exhibits, purchase items at the bookstore, and on most weekends enjoy a ranger-led program. Here visi...

SCUBA dive the "Miss Louise" tug boat wreck, located at N 30:22.287, W 86:25.317. For this trip, I went through ScubaTech, a local Destin dive shop that rents dive gear, fills tanks, and takes groups out on various reef and wreck dives in the Destin area. They offer 4 hour (2 dive) trips on their boat, the “Sea Cobra.” The "Miss Louise", an 85' steel tugboat, sits in around 60' of water on the ...

SCUBA dive the Air Force Barge, AKA Englin Barge, located at Latitude 30.35415°, Longitude -86.49302°. For this trip, I went through ScubaTech, a local Destin dive shop that rents dive gear, fills tanks, and takes groups out on various reef and wreck dives in the Destin area. They offer 3 hour and 4 hour trips.  ScubaTech took us out on the “Sea Cobra,” "...the fastest, most comfortable dive b...

This walking path is very popular among locals, and for good reason. The perfect excuse to get outside and soak up the South Mississippi sun, this path offers a great place to train for a 5K, go for a relaxing walk, or ride your bike. There are three benches on the bridge if you need to take a break or just want to enjoy the view. You'll also come across several bronze artwork plaques created b...