Shopping at the Gulf? Well, it has to Rain Sometime!
The guys are planning a day at the golf course today, and it’s too cloudy and overcast for the beach . . . what do you do? That’s easy—you shop! There are a lot of great places in the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area to indulge in America’s favorite pastime. Actually, I just made up the part about America’s favorite pastime—I don’t know how shopping ranks nationally, but I do know that anyone who enjoys shopping at all will hope the guys plan a fishing trip tomorrow. There are quite a few neat little freestanding shops—most of which I haven’t been in yet—that I will try to get to later. For now, we’ll stick to the bigger places. You know, the kind where you spend the whole day and leave wondering how you’ll get back home with everything you brought AND everything you just bought. A warning before we go any further: I absolutely refuse to include any of the cheesy little chain gift shops scattered all over the Gulf Coast. Although I do confess to visiting one for a T-shirt now and then, I just can’t bring myself to write reviews of them. You’re on your own there. Now, back to the good stuff. The newest place (as of this writing) for shopping at the Gulf is The Wharf. What a great, fun place! It’s still under development, but there’s enough there already to make more than worth the trip. See what my favorite shop at The Wharf is, and what else you just can't afford to miss there! From the newest to one of the oldest—the Bayou Village is aging and not what it once was, but it’s still worth a visit. You’re going to eat at the Original Oyster House anyway, and you might as well shop a little while you wait for one of those coveted tables! Another shopping mecca also draws in diners along with the shoppers.
SanRoc Cay is down by the bridge at Perdido Pass, and is a great place to hang out. My favorite shop here is a relative of my favorite at The Wharf If you like outlet malls, the Tanger complex at Foley is a winner! A little predictable, Tanger is still a wonderful place to do some serious power shopping at the Gulf. There’s a little bit of everything here! You’ll have to make a day of it, but the ultimate for neat little boutique-y shops at the Gulf Coast is the town of Fairhope. Fairhope is one of those rare places where the downtown is active and thriving. Of course, you can't miss Tootie Greens! This icon has outlasted Ivan and rebuilding and just keeps on hanging in there! Shopping in other parts of the world:Puerto de la Cruz Tenerife Spain
Don’t see your favorite place? Keep watching—or send me an email to remind me that I left a good one off. I’ll try to get to it. Remember, new places are being added every week. If a link doesn’t work, it’s because I’m still working on it. Keep checking back!
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