Every year around this time, we are blessed to have visitors from around the country who appreciate our beautiful beaches, and our rich culture of great food, excellent live music and abundant good times. We are glad to have you with us and want your visit here to be one you want to relive year after year.

To make sure you get the most out of your visit, take a look at our 10 steps to a perfect beach vacation.

  1. Get out on the water. Regardless of your level of seaworthiness, find a charter boat or dolphin tour and enjoy some time at sea.
  2. Get up early at least once. Or maybe that means staying up, but watch the sunrise. Few things will be as memorable for you as the serenity of the sun coming across the waves early in the morning. Since you’re up, you might even want to get in a round of golf at one of the many courses in the area.
  3. Splurge on a really good meal. We have many excellent local restaurants with the freshest seafood you can imagine. It is well worth the indulgence to fully take advantage while you are here.
  4. Go local. Get a good healthy dose of Southern hospitality by patronizing independent local businesses. We are glad to see you and want to let you know.
  5. Use the Gulf Beaches app. GulfBeaches, available on iPhone or Android, provides all kinds of timely, helpful information including weather, events, meetups, activities and specials around town.
  6. Post pictures online. We have no doubt that your remembered your camera or smartphone, but post at least some of your pictures online right away so that if anything should happen to your devices, you still have a record of your time here.
  7. Wear sunscreen. Seriously folks, you have probably been mostly out of the sun for several winter months. Be kind to your skin and don’t try to get a deep dark tan all at once. Your travel enjoyment is substantially diminished when your entire body blisters – not to mention the health risks.
  8. Drink water. It may feel balmy and delightful on the beach, but you are still depleting your system of water. Dehydration can cause all kinds of nasty problems ranging from headaches to hospitalization, so be prepared.
  9. Use baby powder when you get off the beach. Do you hate that sandy feeling you get after being at the beach all day? Dust yourself off with baby powder to feel normal again.
  10. Remember your shades. Protect your eyes at the beach and look good doing it. In fact, get yourself a pair of sunglasses your really like and rock them the whole time you’re here.