Creating a sleigh ride without snow can be a bit of a challenge. But with a little imagination from both organizers and riders in Orange Beach, trucks and trailers become magical sleighs, taking you through brightly decorated paths along the Backcountry Trail to view live Nativity scenes, hear carolers and small instrumental groups, and of course, meet Santa.

Ride the Backcountry Trail, transformed into a holiday wonderland, Friday, December 9, 2011, in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Hot chocolate and cookies will be supplied for the tour. Musical entertainment at City Hall, the departure point, will help pass the time while waiting to join the next available ride. Raggedy Ann and Andy, as well as other children’s characters, will be sharing the merriment.

Sleigh rides are scheduled to depart every 5 minutes, beginning at 6:00 this Friday, December 9, and the ride lasts approximately one hour. The event ends at 9:00, so you’ll have plenty of time before and after the ride to enjoy the decorated booths of area businesses, including restaurants, retail shops, salons, churches and more. (You can even pick up some coupons to make your holiday shopping a little easier on the budget.)

Grab your coats, hats and mittens and enjoy the warmth of a free, old-fashioned community holiday event in Orange Beach this weekend. For more information, please call 251-981-1063.

Create more bonding time and a break from the holiday rush by surprising your family with a weekend beach getaway. Take a look at the 3-bedroom condos available in Orange Beach, then apply promo code 1112W1 to get a free night when you pay for 2. Clothing, games and electronics make wonderful holiday gifts, but experiences and memories as a family are priceless.

Stay informed of Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area activities, vacation rental specials and more by subscribing to this Discover Alabama Beaches blog and Meyer Muse, and by following Meyer Vacation Rentals on Facebook and Twitter.

The twinkling lights in stores and on houses, the oversized plastic candy canes and snowflakes attached to the city’s light poles, the wreaths in the windows, the seasonal music in stores and on the radio . . . there’s no mistaking it—it’s Christmas time!

Share the holiday cheer with your neighbors at the City of Gulf Shores' Christmas Open House on Thursday, December 1, 2011.

Your entire family is invited to celebrate as a community (whether you are a resident or visitor) when the City of Gulf Shores opens its doors Thursday, December 1 at 6:00 p.m.

You’ll find an abundance of holiday joy spread among four locations, all within walking distance of each other: Gulf Shores Museum, Thomas B. Norton Public Library, Erie Meyer Civic Center and Bodenhamer Recreation Center. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there, joined by some of their elves to help with photo opportunities (bring your camera!) and hand out treats. Whether listening or dancing, you’ll enjoy music by the Mobile Symphony Brass Quintet and Brent Burns. Crafts, stories, and activities such as a moonwalk bounce house will keep the children entertained, and everyone will marvel at the train sets, award-winning gingerbread houses and holiday village.

You can pick up a schedule of entertainment at any of the four locations mentioned above or South Baldwin Community Theater, or you may call 251-968-1172 for more information. And please plan to arrive with a gift to donate to Toys for Tots so that less-fortunate children also may feel the warmth of the holiday season.

Stay informed of Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area activities, vacation rental specials and more by subscribing to this Discover Alabama Beaches blog and Meyer Muse, and by following Meyer Vacation Rentals on Facebook and Twitter.

Seldom will you find a two-day festival with such variety—variety of entertainment, variety of educational and historical exhibits, variety of cultures, variety of time periods, variety of edible delights. But that’s exactly what you and your family will be treated to at the 11^th Annual Heritage Harbor Days on November 5 and 6, 2011.

Huge variety of fun! Heritage Harbor Days in Foley, Alabama, November 5 and 6, 2011.

At Heritage Park in Foley (corner of Highways 59 and 98), discover antique tractors from family farms, take a ride on the L&N Depot event train, and thrill the children with a photo opportunity with Thomas the Tank Engine (Saturday only, 10:00, 11:30 and 2:00). Hear stories of the wagon-train days as you sample food prepared in a chuckwagon by cowboy poet/humorist/cook Kent Rollins. Watch for Davy Crockett, who will share tales of his adventures as he walks about the festival grounds.

Visit the many “buildings” of Heritage Village, an open replica of early 20^th-century Foley. Explore a school, doctor’s office, home, general store, sewing shop and candle maker’s work area. Gather in the town square for music of the era and storytelling about Foley’s yesteryear.

Stage acts are scheduled non-stop on two main stages plus the Children’s Village. Banjos, bodhrins, fiddles and spoons share the stage with the Mexican Folkloric Dancers and Native American Dancers. Bluegrass and folk songs are interspersed with popular music of today, including Broadway, and the Navy Band will highlight patriotic music. Sunday’s Children’s Village stage line-up brings storytellers, dancers, martial arts, pageantry and batons. Check out the full entertainment line-up at the festival website.

Watch the experts shuck oysters and teach you how to eat them. Once you’ve mastered that skill, round out mealtime with favorite yummies such as gyros, po-boys, kabobs, corn dogs, funnel cakes, lemonade, waffle-cone ice cream treats, kettle corn, pork rinds and much more.

Experience the history of Foley at Heritage Village during Heritage Harbor Days.

Many local arts and crafts experts will be offering their handiwork, so be prepared to make at least a couple of trips back to your car with gifts for yourself, your friends and your family. And just when you think you’ve experienced all there is at the festival, the organizers toss one more popular family activity your way: Fireworks at dusk on Sunday create a perfect, timeless way to close out the experience-packed weekend.

Stay informed of Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area activities, vacation rental specials and more by subscribing to this Discover Alabama Beaches blog and Meyer Muse, and by following Meyer Vacation Rentals on Facebook and Twitter.

The 40^th Annual National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama is known not only for our favorite crustacean served any way you can imagine, but also juried art and arts & crafts booths, and two stages filled with live music throughout all four days.

Put your creative skills on display during the Shrimp Fest Sand Sculpture Contest on Saturday, October 15, 2011.

One of the lesser-known attractions of Shrimp Fest, though, comes by way of the beach. The white-sand setting of the festival makes it a perfect venue for a sand sculpture contest—and you are invited to participate.

Registration and building of masterpieces will begin Saturday, October 15, at 11:00 a.m., with judging starting at 3:00 p.m.

Competition is grouped into age categories: 5–10 years, 11–15 years, 16 years and older, or Family (mixed ages). Each group will compete for trophies and ribbons, and all participants will receive a sand bucket. The contest is sponsored by Ike’s Beach Service, Inc.

From basic shapes molded by buckets or by hand to complex artistic renderings, let your creativity shine as you enjoy a picture-perfect day at the beach and at Shrimp Fest 2011. Festival hours are Thursday–Saturday, October 13–15, 10–10 and Sunday, October 16, 10–5.

If you are bringing the entire family to Shrimp Fest—and we hope you are!–you’ll want to know what there is for the kids during the festival. Check out another page on this blog to learn about the Children’s Activity Village, including the kids’ stage schedule of entertainment.

While at the festival, you won’t want to miss the wide variety of musical acts at both ends of the festival grounds. Take a look at the full line-up, including links to many of the performers, on our Shrimp Fest—East Stage and Shrimp Fest—West Stage pages.

Stay informed of Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area activities, vacation rental specials and more by subscribing to this Discover Alabama Beaches blog and Meyer Muse, and by following Meyer Vacation Rentals on Facebook and Twitter.

The 40^th Annual National Shrimp Festival is here, filled with great food, live music on two stages, amazing fine arts and arts & crafts vendors, Children’s Village and more—all with a backdrop of our gorgeous white-sand beaches.

Save the parking hassle and fees—ride the shuttle to and from the Shrimp Festival.

As with any large public gathering, parking can be tricky. But the festival folks have made it easier to get around with the help of the Baldwin Rural Area Transit System (BRATS).

The transportation service will run Thursday–Saturday, October 13–15, between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., and Sunday, October 16, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. A one-way ride is just $2 per person.

Multiple stops allow you to park away from the site and ride to the main entrance. The buses will run a continuous loop, so you won’t be waiting long at any pick-up point:

Running north/south along Hwy. 59 in Gulf Shores
Winn-Dixie
Bruno’s
Walmart

Running east of the main beach through Orange Beach
Gulf State Park Campground
Gulf State Park Pavilion (you MUST return BEFORE 10 p.m., as the pavilion lot is locked at 10 p.m.)
Winn-Dixie
Walmart Market
Flora-Bama
Publix

Running west of the main beach in Gulf Shores
Pier 33

Let BRATS take care of your transportation so you can soak up all the Shrimp Fest fun without the parking hassle.

Don’t forget to take time to hear some top-notch live music while at the festival. Take a look at the full line-up, including links to many of the performers, on our Shrimp Fest—East Stage and Shrimp Fest—West Stage pages.

Stay informed of Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area activities, vacation rental specials and more by subscribing to this Discover Alabama Beaches blog and Meyer Muse, and by following Meyer Vacation Rentals on Facebook and Twitter.

While we may not think of it as such, we “read” a piece of art. We read the individual colors as well as the combinations. We read the lines, whether crisp and distinct or fuzzy and implied. We read the subject matter or nondescript shapes. Much like a book, each is filled with specific points of interest as well as an overall theme—literally, the bigger picture.

The August New Artist Showcase at Thomas B. Norton Public Library in Gulf Shores, AL, features colorful works by Mary Louise Brush.

So it’s a natural arrangement for a library to include artwork. That’s why the Thomas B. Norton Public Library, 221 W. 19th Ave. in Gulf Shores, hosts a New Artist Showcase highlighting a different artist each month.

The August artist is Mary Louise Brush, a Greenville, Mississippi native who now calls Gulf Shores “home.” She attended an oil painting class at Birmingham Museum of Art, which encouraged her to develop and expand her talents to include acrylic, watercolor and drawing. She now concentrates on colorful drawings that appeal to a wide audience.

You will find Mary Louise’s artwork placed throughout the library during the month of August. So stop in to admire her creations starting at 10:00 Monday through Saturday mornings; closing times are Monday and Tuesday at 8:00 p.m., Wednesday through Friday at 6:00 p.m., and Saturday at 3:00 p.m. While there, be sure to explore all that the library has to offer: books, of course, but also classes, computer usage, audio books and more. For further information, call the library’s Help Desk at 251-968-1176.

Stay informed of Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area activities, vacation rental specials and more by subscribing to this Discover Alabama Beaches blog and Meyer Muse, and by following Meyer Vacation Rentals on Facebook and Twitter.