Snowbird Activities

Imagine starting off the New Year with an ice—I mean nice—cold dip in the Gulf of Mexico. I’ve imagined it for years, and I still don’t think I could do it. But come Saturday, January 1st, the “polar bears” of the south will be doing just that at the Annual Polar Bear Dip at the Florida/Alabama line. The snowbirds from up north may consider the Gulf Coast warm this time of year, but my skin will have to be significantly thicker to handle a January swim in the Gulf!

But I have heard that it’s an exhilarating experience, albeit cold, and it’s just one of several winter activities that the visiting snowbirds may enjoy. Snowbird men’s coffee clubs and card games are held weekly in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area, as well as senior events such as softball and potluck lunches. There are also state-specific snowbird clubs. You can check out some ongoing and upcoming events here; the events calendar at OrangeBeachToday.com also lists some winter events.