Author: Matt Swiggum

Osprey, also called a fish hawk build their nests near water.  Feeding exclusively on fish, ospreys are usually found along coasts, lakes, and other large bodies of open water. At an average weight of 3.5 pounds, the osprey is a

Gulf State Park is nestled into Gulf Shores, AL on 2.5 miles of beautiful sugar sand beaches on the Gulf of Mexico.  This recreational oasis opened in 1939 boasts a total of 6,500 acres of marshland, boggy tea-colored streams, pine

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge encompasses some of Alabama’s last remaining undisturbed coastal barrier habitat.  The name Bon Secour comes from the French meaning “safe harbor,” very appropriate considering the sanctuary for native flora and fauna the refuge provides.  As

The Alabama beach mouse, an endangered species, lives in coastal dune ecosystems. It’s a small mouse with a buff colored patch on its back and snowy white underbelly. Strictly nocturnal in nature, they have large eyes and big ears to

We all know how pretty our Gulf Coast sandy beaches, but did you know that sand dune systems on the Florida and Alabama beaches are formed by wave and wind action and help to protect mainland areas from tropical storms

Alabama Gulf Coast is home to three varieties of Shrimp, and lucky for your Shrimp Loving group all three breeds are harvested throughout Alabama’s coastal waters year-round!  Pink Shrimp kick off the calendar year with a peak season that spans

This trademark adult beverage is synonymous with the Alabama Gulf Coast.  Visit any of our local restaurants and bars and you will find the Bushwhacker.  Each establishment has their own recipe for concocting this tasty frozen rum cocktail.  The Bushwhacker

“It is surreal; the aura…an inescapable beauty of a time, a place and a lifestyle, that is often forgotten in modern society…the love, the leisure and the lifestyle…of the Flora-Bama.” Alan Brockman, Producer The Flora-Bama is a massive, sprawling wooden

Turtles mainly stay in temperate and warm waters, and they’re known to migrate hundreds or thousands of miles to nest. They also return to the nesting grounds in which they were born to continue the life cycle.  So, when we

On the beaches of Alabama Sea turtle patrols begin annually on 1 May and end on 31 August.  Our Coastal beaches are home to thousands of migrating sea turtles.  Their mission when they arrive in Alabama, is to find a