I wanted to take my daughter to the ocean. But with the hurricane that hit Sanibel Island in 2022, our March 2023 trip to Sanibel was cancelled. So, I started planning a trip to the ocean again, but this time to Gulf Shores, Alabama. As the trip started getting closer and closer, I started looking at the forecast and lo and behold storms forecasted throughout the week. I was half tempted to cancel this trip, but Michael said let’s do it anyway we need a break from reality.
Luckily with the storms in the forecast we were able to get on our plane without a hitch. Oh, before I get too ahead of myself, this was our first time in the new airport! Michael and I being seasoned travelers to the old airport were very excited to finally see if this airport was really something we could be proud of. Well, I can report that it is definitely a marvelous airport that smells new and of mouthwatering barbecue (as Michael said when we arrived there at 9am “I wasn’t hungry, but am now”). Also, this airport is so well designed for people with small children. They had multiple family restrooms and nursing rooms.
Once on board the plane, Lizzy absolutely buzzed with excitement because this was going to be an adventure. Also, luckily for us I had planned the time of her feeding and nap to the time we were going to be flying. So, she ate and then fell asleep as we flew our way to Pensacola, Florida. After some frustrating long time waiting for our rental car, we finally got on our way. We watched storm clouds roll in as we made our way to Pensacola Lighthouse. Sadly, as predicted the storm wouldn’t let us explore the museum or lighthouse. We then went to our hotel.
Arriving at our hotel, Lizzy was more than thrilled by the idea of being in a hotel. Honestly every time we go to a new hotel it’s her favorite thing ever. I watched the rain come down and tried to be like hopefully it’ll clear up so we can at least see the beach. Well after dinner, it did clear up and we were able to say hello to the ocean!
The next day we were going to visit Fort Morgan. Since 1834 Fort Morgan (also the site of Fort Bowyer), stood guard of the Mobile Bay. We were able to explore this fort and learn of its history through various wars: Civil War, Spanish-American, World War I, and World War II. Honestly the fort is so well taken care of that Michael and I figured if war were to ever touch American soil again that this fort could be converted and used in a modern war.
After exploring the fort, we went to lunch at Sunliner Diner. We loved the 50s style diner and I got to enjoy a soda float. Soon it was time to go to the beach. It was cloudy but the rain seemed to be holding. Lizzy got to touch the ocean. She was so excited to feel the sand in her toes. After the ocean was a quick jump into the pool. Our hotel had some kid and baby floaties, so Lizzy got to just relax.
We ate dinner at the Hangout, which is a very popular family fun festival atmosphere. Lizzy was confused about the dancing that Michael and I were doing at random times.
The next day was supposed to rain, but it was sunny the whole time! We went to Alligator Alley. I had read online to buy the gator food and was so happy to listen to that advice because it was so fun tossing these biscuits to the alligators and watching them snap at them. Lizzy, who absolutely loves anything that looks scary and could eat her, loved every minute of it. She and I got to pet an alligator. I got to hold it too! I also got to hold a snake. We walked around the swamp listening to what sounded like bullfrogs but were really alligators, we even heard some hissing.
After lunch at The Gulf and a nap, it was time for the ocean and pool. Lizzy was super excited when I got her swimsuit on, but Michael was starting to wear out from all the vacation-verts in his life.
Our next day was a relaxing day exploring the Gulf Shores. I really wanted to see the campground in hopes of one day taking our popup here. After some exploring and popping into some stores, we decided it was time to say goodbye to the ocean.
I was so nervous at the start of this trip that it was going to be a wash out, but it ended up surprising me and being sunny most of the time. We did catch a few storms but nothing that ruined the day.
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