Alabama’s Gulf State Park cottages

New cottages mean new reasons to visit Alabama’s Gulf Coast

By Lynn Grisard Fullman

The morning is quiet.

Despite a lake outside our cottage’s screened porch, no noises penetrate our haven near Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

The road leading to the cottage dead ends just beyond us. Across the street, the land is undeveloped with shrubs and trees and a few insects that make small twittering sounds.

In the distance we see high rises, many built along Alabama’s Gulf Coast since a succession of hurricanes stormed through.

Hurricanes (namely Frederic, Ivan and Katrina) would never be invited to the coast, yet they have left behind a silver lining. Damaged and aging structures have been replaced by new places, many far finer than their forerunners.

At no place along Alabama’s coast is that more evident than at Gulf State Park.

Hurricanes damaged the park’s fishing pier, its hotel, conference center and many of its cabins. Much of what wasn’t blown away eventually had to be razed.

For months, people speculated on the fate of the park which  includes a stretch of pristine shoreline, a golf course, RV campground and cabins.

Would the state rebuild? What should be done with the remnants of the hotel? (In time, the hotel debris found its destiny as an off-shore fishing reef.) People wondered if the state might sell the coveted real estate and leave behind the popular tourist mecca.

In time, the verdict was in: the state would rebuild. The draws that had lured visitors for decades – sunshine, white sand beaches, lapping waves – had remained and rebirth was inevitable.

Crowning jewels of the state park’s come-back effort are 11 cottages, each with three bedrooms and three baths, hardwood floors,  screened porches, wrap-around decks, cable television – and views across placid Lake Shelby to the coastal skyline.

Following the hurricanes and reconstruction, visitors were quick to return. The first season following construction of the new cottages was completely sold out.

Newly built in 2006, the  cottages in Gulf Shores boost the overnight accommodations at Gulf State Park, which has 20 modern cabins, and 496  improved campground sites with modern bathhouses.

A reminder of the hurricanes and their wrath are two brick fireplaces near the newly built cottages. They were left, perhaps, lest anyone forget the havoc a hurricane can wreak.

The cottages are not all that draw visitors to the park. People are lured by their quiet setting, playground and pier (shared by cottage and cabin dwellers) plus easy access to the state park’s free daily activities such as videos and guided beach and nature walks.

In addition to the lakefront cottages, the park also has cabins tucked into pristine woodland.

The cottages’ spaciousness is a bonus for traveling families, allowing plenty of room, much different from a standard hotel room. The floor plan also is suitable for couples wanting to share space and expenses. Each room has a queen-size bed and its own bathroom.

Fully equipped kitchens allow visitors to prepare their own meals; tables on a deck, screened porch and dining area are ideal for settling in with take-out or home cooking.

For those who remember to pack their fishing poles, the cabins’ shared pier is ideal for fishing. (A license is required.) Forget yours? Not to worry. There is a Wal-Mart Supercenter nearby.

The store, in fact, is a great place to acquire other needs such as lawn chairs (or pack your own from home) so you can sit on the grassy area outside your cabin and glimpse the beach skyline across Lake Shelby.

With one of the park’s cabins or cottages as a home base, you are well poised to romp and roam along the coast.

You’ll find fun at Adventure Island (www.adventure-island.com) which has Laser tag, mini-golf, bumper boats, go-karts and simulators. There’s fun, too, at Waterville U.S.A. (www.watervilleusa.com).

You might want to spend a day aboard a charter fishing boat. Or go parasailing (251-981-9080)  high above the ocean,   come face to snout with creatures at Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo (www.alabamagulfcoastzoo.org) or take a dolphin cruise www.alabamadolphincruises.com.

Fly high in a biplane (www.866mustfly.com), seek nature at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (www.fws.gov/bonsecour/), brush up on history at Fort Morgan (www.preserveala.org/fortmorgan.aspx), amuse kids at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center (www.exploreum.net), feel the wind sweep across your face as you ride the Mobile Bay Ferry (www.mobilebayferry.com), tee off at one of several area golf courses and mini-golf courses, try go-karts and other fun at The Track Recreation Center (www.gulfshorestrack.com), or ride the Southeast’s tallest roller coaster at The Wharf (www.thewharfal.com), a vacation destination on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Oh, the things you can do, as Dr. Seuss might have observed, with some time spent along Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

He might have found it fitting to consider the possibilities: Oh the things you could do, the places you might fly, the ocean you could swim in, the fish you could fry. The parks you could romp in, the zoos you could roam in, the sand you could build in – oh, the things you could do that will make you grin.

With all the things that might do, the Gulf Coast, without  a doubt, is the place for you.

Thank you, Dr. Seuss. Thank you, Mother Nature. Thank you, Alabama,  for rebuilding Gulf State Park -- and coming back better than ever.

JUST THE FACTS AT GULF STATE PARK

** COTTAGE RATES: A three-bedroom, three-bath cottage rents nightly for $209 during summer months and for $149.85 from Sept. 8 through May 25.

** TIP: If staying from Memorial Day through Labor Day, you’ll be required to stay a minimum of seven nights. Plan ahead as these dates fill quickly.

** COTTAGE INFORMATION: www.alapark.com  or  www.outdooralabama.com; 800-252-7275 or 251-948-7275.

**AREA INFORMATION: Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau: 800-745-SAND. Their Web site, www.gulfshores.com,  includes packages, places to visit and listings of special events.

Based in Birmingham, Ala., Lynn Grisard Fullman has written countless newspaper and magazine articles and several books, including a few on Alabama.  

ALL CREDIT TO: MILTON E. FULLMAN