Starbucks on the Island

Need a great cup of coffee to take with you on your sunrise stroll on the beach? Now you can enjoy one of Starbucks delicious coffee beverages, listen to street entertainment, and shop in some of the area's best boutiques-all in one location here on Pleasure Island. The island's first Starbucks is now open at The Wharf from 10am-10pm daily. Starbucks has also opened a location in the new Target store in the Colonial Pinnacle at Craft Farms development, which also features a Cobb theater. Starbucks is also open at the Tanger outlet and has a drive thru. Talk about a caffeine fix !

Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo

This weekend was the 74^th Annual Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo. In this area there’s an abundance of snapper, ling, mackerel, wahoo, grouper, and dolphin close inshore while a southerly course into deep water soon puts you in one of the hottest bill fishing areas in the country. The Rodeo attracts over 100,000 spectators and over 3,200 fishermen per year to its current Dauphin Island site. Many of the large charter boats depart from Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, some from the Orange Beach Marina. The winners this year included a 59 lb. king mackerel, a 329 lb. bull shark and a 179 lb. yellowfin tuna. Make your reservations now to attend next year’s tournament, or plan a visit to see the big boats and big fish come in at the tournaments check-in point.

It's Not Just Me

Don’t just take my word for the beauty of the Alabama Gulf Coast. Check out the review of this area on the AOL Travel Guide in an article called “Bodacious Beach Towns”. Here’s a review on TripAdvisor on Phoenix X. Here’s some opinions on Epinions. Check out some of the tips and photos at The Virtual Tourist. There’s also some reviews from travelers at OpenList.
Want to take a look for yourself? Try viewing our webcams or our Photo Gallery.

NASCAR on the Water

Thunder on the Gulf, held Aug. 17th – 20th in Orange Beach, really is like NASCAR on the water. The fastest boats on water, some equipped with 4 engines generating 4,800 Horsepower and reach speeds up to 170 MPH, will be racing a course that stretches from Phoenix East to Phoenix I. It’s an incredible sight to see machines that powerful and fast racing just 100 yards off the shore. Viewing from the beach is free, but it’s better from the comfort of a Gulf front condo.
As part of the celebration of events, The Wharf will host the All American Jam concert at the Amphitheater on Saturday, August 19th. Performers include the Marshall Tucker Band, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, Atlanta Rhythm Section, and the Georgia Satellites.
Make your reservation soon, rooms will book early for this big weekend.
And remember to look for Beachin’ Bob at the festivities.

A Flurry of Activity for the Fourth

It was a busy Fourth of July Weekend on Pleasure Island. It started, as it nearly always does, with a great round of golf. This weekend we played at Kiva Dunes, a great course designed by Jerry Pate. That started a weekend of fun in the sun, that concluded with a great meal at Bahama Bob's. On Monday the 3rd of July, we attended the Montgomery Gentry concert at the Wharf’s Amphitheater, followed by a quick boat ride to Perdido Pass to see the City of Orange Beach’s fireworks. On the Fourth of July, we saw the City of Gulf Shores fireworks from our balcony at the Phoenix All Suites. I’m told that the Wharf also had a very nice fireworks show that night.
If you missed it this year, make sure to make your reservations early next year. This is the place to be for the Fourth of July.