Since the spring of 2000 we have vacationed here at The Lighthouse Resort Motel. Staying at The Lighthouse was like spending a week or so with friends who just happen to have a place at the beach.

Don't go to Gulf Shores to find excitement though - it's more like Mayberry than Manhattan. Visit Fort Morgan at the entrance to Mobile Bay and see the place where Admiral Farragut uttered the famous phrase, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead." The beach here is also a most wonderful place to stroll for hours with only the gulls for company. You are also very close to New Orleans and so you may want to risk a side trip to eat with Emeril's folks at NOLA.

Be sure to have at least one dinner at Papa Rocco's, "Home of Warm Beer and Lousy Pizza". Try the Seafood Alfredo.

UPDATE: Papa's suffered some pretty severe damage from Hurricane Ivan. After several weeks of hard work, the re-opening partying began. Congrats, Papa!

Don't miss the pan-grilled triggerfish at Mikee's Seafood, too. Hazel's has a wonderful breakfast buffet a few miles east of town in Orange Beach. Nolan's Restaurant was practically across the street from The Lighthouse but I don't recommend it. The atmosphere is condescending and I found sand in my Shrimp Alfredo. Jon says the place just has bad juju. It's too late to visit with Belle at the nearby Waffle House. I checked with them in the fall of 2002. She's gone to bigger and better things.

The Lighthouse is no more. It has been replaced by a high-rising, ugly, expensive condo. At least Hurricane Ivan didn't get the pleasure of knocking her down.

 

The sun is setting here behind The Sea 'n Suds Pub and Oyster Bar in May 2000. Since then the beach has been rebuilt and the surf no longer reaches the restaurant. I have about ten variations of this photo in my collection and felt a little foolish saving all of them, but I have never seen these colors in later visits. There is now a pair of web cams perched on the south end of the building - or there was before Ivan. Click here to visit the site. One of the cams gives a view eastward toward the state park fishing pier while the other is pointing west toward the public beach. Sometimes the views alternate but occasionally only one is available.

 

 

 

Here is a little slide show (434 images) taken over several visits to the Gulf Shores area. Once it starts, you can expand it to full screen by clicking the icon at the lower right corner of the viewer.

One of the reasons for staying at The Lighthouse was being surrounded by hundreds of multicolored hibiscus such as this one near the pools. You see a few others around town but The Lighthouse had them in such abundance. That's really dew on the blossom - I didn't fake it.

 

	Gulf Shores is a great place to rent a couple of chairs and an umbrella from the guys at Ike's Beach Service, kick back with a good book and a cooler of beer, and let the rest of the world go by. I noticed on Ike's new web page that they have "Baby Rentals".  I can't imagine what the deal is there, but I know they had some real babes working the beach chairs when we were there.
	It's fun to watch children who have brought their parents to the beach for the first time.

 

This was the scene that greeted us on the beach on October 14, 2001. We also found a much greater security presence at The Pensacola Naval Air Station when we made our annual pilgrimage to the Museum of Naval Aviation.