We are welcoming Lisa as a guest poster again! Today she is sharing one of her favorite activities to do: drive what her family calls the Loop! We have done different portions of this drive before, but I love the way she has mapped out exactly what they do on a day drive! What are your favorite sites along this trip? Share with us in the comments!
Have you driven the Loop recently??
Well, that’s what we call this trip in our house. We’ve lived in West Pensacola for many years and often venture into Alabama for a fun day or afternoon. Here are a variety of fun activities you could cover in an afternoon or a full day.
It is great for younger kids too!
There are many other things you may want to stop at, but we’ll outline just a few of our favorites here…
(there are a lot of small towns this way and lots of history if you are interested in that… stop and look!)
Start your journey driving out of Pensacola via Hwy 98 from Blue Angel Pkwy. You’ll cross through Lillian, AL into the small city of Elberta. Elberta is famous for their annual Sausage Festival (next one is October 30th!).
There is a wonderful cheese farm here called Sweet Home Farm (located at 27107 Schoen Road , Elberta, AL 36530). Watch the right side of the road for the yellow sign after you pass BJ Farms on the left at 27168 HWY 98. They are only open Friday and Saturdays from 10-5pm. Be sure to have cash on hand. The cheese is wonderful and if you are a cheese fanatic, be sure to bring a cooler to store your cheese while you play for the rest of the day!
Continue on Hwy 98 into Foley and turn left onto Hwy 59. There are many things to do in this area as you travel south on Hwy 98 towards Gulf Shores. Here are a few ideas:
1. Foley Kids Park. Lots of shade! Just off of 59 at Alston & Verbena
2. My kids love the McDonalds on Hwy 59 because it has a huge treehouse instead of the regular playtubes.
3. The Foley Outlets: The Outlets have had a major reconstruct over the past couple of years. It is much more family friendly now with a covered playground (shade!), small water fountains for the kids to cool off, a carousel and a small food court…and a Starbucks. Look for the yummy fudge store right beside the Gymboree Outlet store.
4. Old Time Pottery: Find lots of bargain priced things for the home. Especially nice during the holidays when they have a huge assortment of Christmas decorations.
5. The Pelican Place: Stores include Target, Books a Million, Bed Bath & Beyond, Cobb Movie Theatres and several little specialty shops. Check out Sweetie Pies for some amazing homemade pie! (maybe you should bring a BIG cooler for all that cheese and a pie you’ll bring home!). My children LOVE the water fountains here.
As you enter into the heart of Gulf Shores, there are an abundance of things to do and restaurants to visit. Here are a few of our favorites (which could be a reason for a return trip soon!)
1. LuLu Buffett’s famous restaurant - Try the Fried Green Tomatoes and her wow sauce. There is a large sand hill for the kids to play on so you can enjoy a relaxing drink with hubby.
2. The Hangout – Another great tourist restaurant with a sand hill with a tunnel for the kids. Avoid visiting during peak tourist times however or plan to eat before or after the peak eating hours of the day. For locals, I suggest to visit in late Spring and early Fall. They usually still have music and tourist activities but smaller crowds and of course it isn’t so hot! We visited last September and they were doing a “Put on a frozen tshirt contest.”
3. The Track
5. Souvenir City – walk into a giant shark and look at beach and touristy souvenirs.
Once you reach the end of 59, turn left onto Beach Blvd. Gulf Shores has such a great feeling. It’s like being on vacation when you are so close to home! There are several wonderful places to stop and walk out on the beach in this area.
We especially love the beaches here but our favorite is the Gulf State Park under the big bridge towards the FL/AL state line. Just a little further down is Hwy 161 (*see below for a detour). There is a new Publix here and a Dairy Queen! YUM!
You can choose to continue on and cross the state line and see the infamous Florabama! If you follow this road through Perdido Key look for Lillian’s Pizza and Vallarta’s, two great places you’ll find tourists and locals munching away together!! This road will continue on and meet at Blue Angel Pkwy about 2 miles south of where you started.
*But if you still need a few more things to do..here is another great tip:
Turn at 161 where Publix is. Drive north until the road ends.
1. Turn right and about a mile down is the Orange Beach Kids Park. A wonderful playground with several shaded areas for picnics, restrooms and even a fishing pier!
2. Turn left and several miles down is The Wharf. Lots of fun boutiques, restaurants, Build-a-Bear, Rave Motion Theatres and a Ferris Wheel!
Before you go, don’t forget…
1. Swimsuits, extra change of clothes for the kids and sunscreen!
2. Pack a lunch if you are trying to budget but keep a few $$ for the ice cream, carousel or ferris wheel!!
3. Don’t try to do it all in one day! There is a lot to do out in this area!
4. A cooler for the cheese and pies!!
Lisa T
Wife and Mom of Three (8,7,5)
www.LisasWeePiggies.com
