Orange Beach, Alabama – Part 4 (the end)

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Here we are, winding down the trip to Orange Beach, Alabama. Make sure you read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Thursday morning started with breakfast. Earlier in the week, when we went to the Mexican Restaurant, I saw a place to get Beignets. Now, I know that’s more of a signature New Orleans item, but still, I wanted to try them. I mentioned it to hubby and he was all for it. So off to Café Beignet, we went. Again, we left my MIL and little one to get dressed at the hotel. Note: They never got dressed when we’d go off to get breakfast. 

Café Beignet

Rouses Market
25405 Perdido Beach Blvd
Orange Beach, AL

These things were friggin amazing. They made them fresh while we sat and waited for them. So totally worth the wait! They were warm, dreamy, doughy (cooked doughy that is). The perfect form of a French-styled donut. Or is it a Cajun styled donut? Either way, it was an extremely YUMMY Beignet.

I sat out on the balcony while eating my Beignet and drinking my Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino. Hey, it was right there. And this is where the aggie side of me kicked in and I was glad to see the use of a tractor in a beachy destination!

Pensacola Beach, Florida

I have stated a few times in these trip posts that we were right there on the Florida/Alabama line. That is why this area was referred to as Florabama. A few years ago (2015 to be exact) we went to Pensacola Beach on vacation. When we planned on going to Orange Beach, we noticed that we were only about an hour to an hour and a half away. A few times we’ve discussed the best meals of our lives. There is one restaurant that keeps coming up on Hubby’s list… Hemingway’s Island Grill in Pensacola Beach, Florida. 

Hubby decided/asked that since we were so close would it be a problem to drive over to Pensacola Beach and eat at Hemmingway’s Island Grill. I laughed and agreed totally. As I mentioned, it is one of his top meal locations. That right there is saying something. 

Hemingway’s Island Grill

Quietwater Beach Boardwalk
400 Quietwater Beach Rd #16
Pensacola Beach, FL

This was the Prime Rib Sandwich with French Fries.

Long Boat Key Mahi-Mahi. Char-grilled Mahi-Mahi filet topped with sautéed shrimp, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and a creamy citrus butter sauce. Served aver Island rice.

The Kids Pasta with Alfredo Sauce. 

Gregorio’s Island Alfredo. Citrus-marinated char-grilled chicken breast tossed with portobello mushrooms, butter, cream, Parmesan Reggiano cheese, and tossed with fettuccine.

Ice Cream at Quiet Beach Boardwalk

I can’t find the name of the ice cream shop here on the boardwalk. But it was a nice, hot day in Pensacola Beach. The little loves ice cream over anything so of course, we had to get ice cream. We sat and watched boats come in and out of the harbor right behind the boardwalk area. Plus we were able to pick up a photo frame to frame a photo of Tbug parasailing back in 2015. Something we didn’t think about then. 

After a while, we decided to just go driving. 

Eventually, we got out of Pensacola Beach and it was wide open. Now here’s where the fun begins. When I was packing the truck for us to leave home, I threw a tow rope in the bed of the truck. There was absolutely NO reason, I just did. We actually used it. A guy had pulled his suburban off into the sand and got stuck. We stopped and told him we had a tow rope and could get him out. So we did just that.

National Navy Aviation Museum – Pensacola

1878 S Blue Angel Pkwy
Pensacola, FL

When we went to Pensacola Beach one thing that my mom told me was about the Blue Angels. That trip we saw them fly overhead but that was about it. Well, when we were driving back to Orange Beach, I was driving and hubby was in the passenger seat asleep. I hit him quickly because I saw a sign for the Naval Aviation Museum. I was like can we go? Do you mind? He said that was fine and that’s when the fun started… 

I quickly got into the turn lane and started following signs while he plugged directions into the GPS. It took us right to the Naval Base. Hubby told me I was in the wrong place because civilians weren’t allowed on military bases without government ID or something like that. I started to freak out but had no choice but to proceed forward to the guard at the station. He took my driver’s license and said I could go through. I asked if this was the right way to the lighthouse and the naval museum and he told me yes.

Hubby said he’d never gotten onto a military base that easily. Turns out the lighthouse/lighthouse museum and the naval museum are on base and right across from each other. Now there are restricted areas that are guarded as well that require the correct military ID, but those places just check your driver’s license multiple times. We were teasing Abug she couldn’t go and had to stay at the front desk since she couldn’t provide a driver’s license to the naval guys checking ID’s. They played along too.

This place was awesome. Plus we got there while they had some kind of graduation ceremony going on.

Fun things

They had multiple different interactive areas where you could buy tickets. One was all sold out for the day, then there was the one hubby and I were getting on. Abug couldn’t because she wasn’t tall enough. It was a simulator to show you what it was like to ride in one of the Blue Angel jets.

 

Then there was this ride. I gave Abug my ride ticket. Hubby offered to go get me another one but there wasn’t a line and people were quickly coming up behind. She was big enough for this one so I wanted her to be able to participate as well. I gave her my ticket.

Back at Orange Beach

We finally made our way back to Orange Beach. We played around in the pool and at the ocean for a bit before venturing out again for the evening.

At the Wharf, Abug had seen a Ferris Wheel she had been begging all week to ride. Now seemed like the perfect time. Plus they had other fun things going on that evening. It was Kid night at the Wharf.

We started to find dinner at the Wharf but decided nothing sounded quite as good as we thought so we left. I had been wanting to get a Tshirt from the place we went on the dolphin cruise, plus we wanted to try Flipper’s so we decided to go back. This was the perfect time because it was in the middle of a dolphin cruise so the place was fairly empty, “fairly” being the keyword.

Flipper’s

Seafood Platter. One of the meals that we get had Shrimp on it. They had a typo on their menu and it said hrimp. Hubby and I have been calling it Hrimp ever since. 

Pasta Alfredo with Mushrooms.

Coconut Shrimp. I got this. This was actually on the menu twice. Once under the dinners and once under the appetizers. The only difference was the number of shrimp and the addition of sides.

We went back to the hotel after dinner and chilled in the pool drinking Bushwackers or Virgin Strawberry Daiquiris. I’ll let you decide who drank what.

The Ruby Slipper Cafe

24151 Perdido Beach Blvd
Orange Beach, AL

Back to Stephanie’s blog post… She recommended The Ruby Slipper Cafe. I had been telling hubby I wanted to eat here. It looked and sounded amazing when I looked it up online.

My MIL went with Bacon Praline Pancakes served with Bacon. How can you go wrong in my opinion? Buttermilk pancakes filled with applewood-smoked bacon and toasted pecans, topped with warm brown sugar & butter caramel sauce. Our waitress said she could eat the sauce all by itself.

Hubby asked the waitress the best thing on the menu. (He does this a lot.) She recommended three things. What my MIL got, this, and what I got (below). 

3 Little Pigs Omelet. Applewood-smoked bacon, ham & sausage with swiss cheese.

The little loves her pancakes. She didn’t eat her bacon. I need to teach her about Bacon.

I got the Chicken St. Charles. Fried chicken served over a buttermilk biscuit, topped with two poached eggs, finished with a pork tasso cream sauce. I’m so glad she recommended this. This was EXCELLENT. Hubby wished he’d have gotten this that’s how good it was. And honestly, I’ve never had eggs benedict. The waitress was so awesome.

Nail Salon

25241 Perdido Beach Blvd
Orange Beach, AL

Abug had been begging all trip to have a pedicure and manicure, but mainly a pedicure. My MIL has never had one. We had talked about getting one before vacation but then decided to get one on vacation. Then we thought maybe we should get it toward the end of the trip so it’s fresh and our feet get relaxed after all the walking. We finally found a place to get a Pedicure. It was totally awesome and well worth the wait.

Doc’s Seafood and Steaks

24221 Perdido Beach Blvd
Orange Beach, AL

Crab claws served with french fries and slaw plus a hushpuppy (or as hubby jokingly calls them shut up dogs).

Jumbo Quarter Pound Hot Dog with cheese served with fries and slaw.

Blalock Seafood & Specialty Market

24822 Canal Rd
Orange Beach, AL

Hubby kept talking about how we needed to get shrimp before we headed home. We even hauled my cooler with us for this. 

I love specialty markets. It was fun to see that they had MU hot sauce. I’m not an MU follower, but at the same time, it was cool to see the Show Me state represented.

And Pecan Oil. Quite interesting.

Lots of interesting choices. We got shrimp and Tuna steaks in the fresh seafood market. Hubby also bought filét for gumbo. And a sushi-making kit.

Cotton’s

26009 Perdido Beach Blvd
Orange Beach, AL

Our last night we ate at Cotton’s.

Hubby got Gumbo. He can’t refuse a good Gumbo.

I went with the Stuffed Chicken Breast. Filled with delectable herbs and cheese, topped with sautéed celery and mushrooms, with a side of cheesy broccoli.

Hubby got a Ribeye rare with a side of fried okra.

My MIL got the Shrimp Platter. Fried, blackened, and steamed with a side of mashed red potatoes.

Chicken pasta marinara.

Sweet Cone Alabama

26651 Perdido Beach Blvd Suite C
Orange Beach, AL

Sweet Cone Alabama was a candy and ice cream shop. The little likes her ice cream so of course, we got her ice cream!!

Our Last Morning

I had to go sit out on the balcony one last morning before we went home. Of course, I had to seriously debate if I wanted to go back to Missouri or become an Alabamian. haha. I wish. I love the ocean. Look at those views.

On our way home, we wound up going through Louisiana. I figured we’d go back home the same way we came or maybe even through Memphis. It’s quite interesting how the map chooses different directions. 

And of course, a silly montage because why not.

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