Instead of a spring break in the same ol’ Florida, you might want to shift your thinking just a little to the west to Gulf Shores, Alabama. This 30,000-acre island is a nature’s paradise of sugar white beaches, fish-laden freshwater lakes, shrimp-filled bayous, and rolling rivers edged with mangroves. Gulf Shores and adjacent Orange Beach are bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, Mobile Bay, Perdido Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway. 

If you’re dreaming of a getaway to go fishing, boating, birding, golfing or antiquing, plan to head to this treasure trove. Alabama’s deep sea fishing fleet is headquartered at Orange Beach, and more than 100 boats are available for charter to hunt for red snapper, grouper, dolphin and marlin. The area has 400,000 acres of waterways.

Hikers can explore the 6,200-acre Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge with a 40-acre fresh water lake and beach access. Admission is free.

Gulf Shores is a part of the extensive Alabama Coastal Birding Trail. An excellent free guide prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and available from the local visitors bureau provides detailed maps, bird photos, text and space for notes. On the trail you may find a peregrine falcon, an Eastern kingbird, or a long-billed curlew. If you prefer to spot birds and other creatures by boat, try a nature cruise in the bayous of Orange Beach with Sailaway Charters (www.geocities.com/sailorskip). Captain Skip and First Mate Janet visit their crab traps, check oyster reefs and cast net for shrimp, all the while informing passengers about the life cycles of birds, mammals, crabs and shrimp. While on the 53-foot excursion boat I saw bottlenose dolphins, ospreys, jellyfish, silver eels, puffer fish, blue crabs, oysters, cormorants, brown pelicans, great blue herons and Florida laughing sea gulls.

For landlubbers, the area offers several championship golf courses. Thanks to mild weather, golf is a year-round sport. Shoppers may have fun poking around the Gulfshores Antique Gallery and Gift Market two blocks north of the beach.

 Restaurants

Fabulous fresh seafood is the favorite fare in most eateries, although you can get almost anything your little heart desires. Servers at Doc’s Seafood Shack presents patrons with plates piled high with pleasures for the palette. Its is rumored to have the best seafood gumbo on the island, and that’s quite a claim because almost every bistro and cook shop serves a mean gumbo. Doc’s gumbo is an intoxicating brew of big chunks of fish and whole shrimp swimming in a dark brown rich broth flavored with a perfect mix of spices.

King Neptune’s Seafood Restaurant is famed for its freshly-caught deep water royal red shrimp and plump oysters.

Calypso Joe’s, a Caribbean grille, features fresh seafood, Jamaican jerk-grilled chicken and big burgers. There’s outdoor seating by the marina with palm trees, live music and crab races for the kids.

Jesse’s Restaurant, in nearby Magnolia Springs, features a 12-inch Jack Daniel’s rib eye steak. It also serves "authentic" New Orleans Po’ Boys and grilled royal red shrimp. Attached to the restaurant is the landmark Moore’s Store, a quaint grocery, wine and meat market filled with antique displays.

Lodging

Accommodations come in all price ranges. Options include condos, beach houses, hotels, campgrounds, RV sites, and bed and breakfasts. The Beach Club Gulfshores (www.beachclubal.com) is a new resort village offering beachfront tower residences, a European beach spa, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, gulf-front dining, a kids’ club, and a full-line grocery market with a bakery, produce, meats and a wine shop.

Magnolia Springs Bed & Breakfast (www.magnoliasprings.com), a 100-year-old home lovingly restored by owner David Worthington, has been featured in Southern Living and numerous other publications, as well as on Bob Vila’s "Restore America" program.

The Beach House (www.bigbeachouse.com), a luxury B&B on the beach, offers guests king feather beds, Jacuzzi tubs, porches, hammocks, spectacular views, a huge gourmet breakfast, and afternoon wine, beer and snacks.

Gulf Shores is easily accessible from Interstate 65. For more information, please check out www.gulfshores.com or call 800-745-SAND (7263).