re: How many of you baws regularly go to Gulf Shores?

Orange Beach is a 10 minute drive from Gulf Shores so the actual beach is one and the same until you get past Alabama point. Orange Beach has a much better selection and higher quality restaurants. I left Baton Rouge over 8 years ago to move to here and have no regrets. The only thing that trashes this place up are the group of tourists that are here when you visit. Some weeks are cheaper for weekly vacation rentals and attract the trashier crowds. But it’s brief and they are only here for a week at a time. I have to deal with lots of tourist from Memorial Day to Labor Day but that’s when most of my Louisiana friends and family are visiting. Lots of LSU people in Lower Alabama. The rest of the year the beaches are wide open. One hour to Pensacola for a major airport and less than an hour to Mobile or Fairhope. Love it here.