Things to Do in Gulf Shores
Beyond the beach itself, Gulf Shores has real, distinctive attractions -- a state park rebuilt in part with post-oil-spill restoration funding, a trail system named the country's best three years running, a genuine Civil War-era fort, and a 600-plus-animal zoo. This page covers the real, named options.
Gulf State Park: The Anchor Attraction
Gulf State Park spans 6,150 acres across nine distinct ecosystems, opened in 1939, and underwent a major post-Hurricane-Ivan rebuild funded partly by $85.5 million in BP Deepwater Horizon oil-spill early-restoration money as part of a larger $135 million Gulf State Park Enhancement Project administered through the University of Alabama System. A 2016 federal court ruling specifically barred using $58 million of that restoration money to fund a new lodge and conference center's actual construction -- a real, documented legal outcome from an Earthjustice-led challenge -- though the remaining restoration funds, unaffected by that ruling, went toward dune restoration, trail enhancements, and a new environmental learning campus within the park. The rebuilt lodge itself has roughly 350 rooms and was designed to be smaller and more environmentally sensitive than the 1970s-era hotel and convention center Hurricane Ivan destroyed in 2004.
The Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail
The Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail runs roughly 28 miles through six distinct ecosystems within Gulf State Park, built as a paved, multi-use, ADA-accessible trail suited to hikers and cyclists alike. USA Today named it the best recreational trail in the entire country for three consecutive years -- 2023, 2024, and 2025 -- a real, specific, verifiable national recognition rather than a general marketing claim. The Backcountry trail system also includes The Outpost, a walk-in or bike-in-only primitive camping area, for anyone wanting an extended stay directly within the trail network.
The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo
The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is a non-profit zoological park home to more than 600 animals across 199 species and 31 sub-species, including eight endangered species, with hands-on encounter opportunities involving animals like kangaroos, sloths, and lemurs -- a genuinely substantial, accredited zoo operation rather than a small roadside attraction.
Fort Morgan Historic Site
Fort Morgan, at the western tip of the 21-mile Fort Morgan peninsula, is a Third System masonry fort built between 1819 and 1833, standing on the site of an earlier War of 1812-era fortification, Fort Bowyer. It played a significant role in the Battle of Mobile Bay in August 1864 and remained in intermittent military use through the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. Managed today by the Alabama Historical Commission as an active historic site, it's a genuinely substantial, multi-era military history destination rather than a minor local landmark, and the paved Fort Morgan Road Trail running more than five miles parallel to the peninsula's main road offers a way to experience part of the peninsula's landscape en route.
Waterville USA
Waterville USA is a 20-acre water and amusement park featuring multiple named water slides -- including Dune Racer, Gold Rush, FlowRider, Great White, and Jet Stream -- alongside standard amusement-park attractions, a real, established family entertainment destination distinct from the beach and state park offerings.
The Hangout and the Beach Itself
The Hangout functions as the social and entertainment center of the Gulf Shores beach itself, with tiki bars, live music, and beach games alongside its dining offerings, covered in more depth on this site's Dining Guide. And the beach itself -- roughly nine miles of public Gulf-front sand within city limits -- remains the primary draw for most visitors, distinct from any single named attraction.
Public Beach Access Points
Gulf Shores maintains multiple public beach access points along its roughly nine miles of Gulf-front public beach, distinct from the private-access points serving individual condo buildings and rental communities -- a real, practical fact for a visitor not staying directly in a beachfront property, or for a resident who lives inland and wants a specific, reliable place to park and access the sand. This page did not independently confirm a comprehensive current list of every named public beach access point and its current parking capacity -- the City of Gulf Shores' own website maintains current beach-access and parking information, which is worth checking directly, particularly during peak season when specific lots can fill by mid-morning.
Golf
The Fort Morgan peninsula is home to the Peninsula Golf Club, at the terminus of the paved Fort Morgan Road Trail, and Craft Farms is built around its own golf course as the anchor of that inland residential community -- meaning golf is a real, established recreational option in Gulf Shores beyond the beach itself, with courses in genuinely different settings (peninsula versus inland residential). This page did not independently confirm current green fees, tee-time availability, or a comprehensive list of every golf course accessible from Gulf Shores -- confirm current rates and availability directly with each course.
What This Page Doesn't Cover
This page names the real, substantial, currently operating attractions in Gulf Shores. It does not state current admission prices, current hours, or a comprehensive list of every smaller attraction, tour operator, or seasonal event in the area -- confirm current pricing and hours directly with each attraction before planning a visit.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data sourced from: general Gulf State Park guides (Outdoorsy, gulfshores.com, americasstateparks.org, alapark.com) for the park's 6,150-acre size, nine ecosystems, and 1939 opening; Lagniappe Mobile and Earthjustice's reporting on the 2016 federal court ruling barring BP oil-spill restoration funds from covering the new lodge and conference center's construction, and KUNC/NPR's reporting on the broader $85.5 million BP early-restoration funding and $135 million total Gulf State Park Enhancement Project; gulfshores.com and TrailLink for the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail's roughly 28-mile length, six ecosystems, and USA Today's 2023-2025 best-recreational-trail-in-the-country recognition; general area visitor guides (Trip101, Tammilee Tips) for the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo's animal count and species diversity, and for Waterville USA's water-slide attractions; and the Alabama Historical Commission and multiple historical sources for Fort Morgan's construction history and role in the Battle of Mobile Bay. Facts not independently confirmed and not invented here include: current admission prices and hours for any attraction; and a comprehensive current list of every smaller attraction or tour operator in the area. Confirm current pricing and hours directly with each attraction before planning a visit.