Travels: The Lodge at Gulf State Park – Gulf Shores, Alabama

Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama Travel Guide for families

Before we made our move back to Nashville, we took a few days off for a family vacation to the Lodge at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Josh and I discovered that we really loved visiting the Alabama coast shortly after we got married. At the time we lived only 4 hours from the beach and it was easy to get away for a long weekend almost any time we wanted. It’s not what you would expect when you first think of Alabama, but Gulf Shores/Orange Beach is on the gulf of Mexico and it is just the most beautiful turquoise water and white sand beaches.

We stayed at The Lodge at Gulf State Park. This brand new resort is located right in a state park so you are surrounded by nature and facing the beach. The original lodge was built in 1974 and later damaged by Hurricane Ivan. It was recently rebuilt with a focus on sustainability including eco-friendly construction and farm to table dining. We fell in love with the whole property and felt that it was peaceful and rustic while still being a luxurious and convenient Hilton hotel.

Because of the location, it is very easy to visit the beach, go hiking, visit the nature preserve or hop over the the more touristy spots in town. We went down to the nature preserve one morning and, I’m not going to lie to you, it was pretty terrifying. There were a lot of critters that I’m just not interested in seeing up close. Hugo had the time of his life however.

We took a long walk along the trails in search of alligators and found three! This is my life as a boy mom…

One afternoon we snuggled up and watched a documentary on Alabama’s Underwater Forest. It was fascinating. Josh was telling Hugo all of his scuba diving stories and now he can’t wait for them to dive together (I will not be joining them. Sometime ask me about my “dove-ing” story.) You can watch the documentary for free HERE.

Our Rooms:

The rooms are amazing! Ours had a bunk bed and lots of storage for beach gear and a mini fridge for our snack stash. Even the carpet is a kind-of jute rug texture which is so helpful when it comes to managing sand. We took a few mid-day breaks to restock our snacks and chill before going back out to the beach and our room was very beautifully and practically designed.

The Lodge at Gulf State Park Hilton Amenities:

The hotel is beautiful and every person on staff we interacted with was so warm and kind. There are several restaurants on site. The breakfast buffet was a little pricey, but one of the better ones I’ve had, very fresh and it was so convenient to just walk down to the restaurant. There is also a coffee shop in the lobby and a snack bar by the pool. You could easily stay there for a few days without leaving and be perfectly happy.

We rented beach chairs for two days and loved being able to go back and forth from the pool to the ocean. All towels are provided and it is an easy to get small kids down the boardwalk to the beach.

5 Favorites in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama

• Picnic Beach – Cutest location and good food. We love them for healthy/gluten free options.
• Southern Grind Coffee House – A beautiful shop with great coffee, food and ice cream.
• The Gulf – Fun for family dinners. Lots of room for the kids to run around.
• Pelican’s Snoballs – One of our favorite coastal treats, New Orleans style snow cones.
• The Orange Beach Store – If you need some vacation merch to bring home, this is the spot!