Last Updated on February 28, 2024 by Stacy Averette
Deciding where to eat and thrift is one of my favorite parts of planning a road trip. I Google, read reviews and plan our route around good places to eat and thrift. There are so many great places to eat and shop near Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and you probably already have your list of favorites. We discovered a few “new to us” places recently and I wanted to share them with you.
In February, Eric and I enjoyed a long weekend at Orange Beach, Alabama. Our anniversary wasn’t until March 6 but it worked out for us to celebrate a little early. We love going to the beach, especially during the off-season even if we never actually step foot on the sand. It was cold (very, very cold) and windy but the lovely condo where we stayed had 2 balconies so we had AMAZING views of the beach and the lagoon. You can click here to see more about the condo if you’re interested. Here are a few photos from the balconies. (I didn’t get a great photo of the pool area but it’s beautiful, too.) A few days of “beach life” were exactly what we needed!
Where To Eat in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores
I’ll bet you already have a list of favorite places you go back to again and again. We’re creatures of habit (and tradition) aren’t we? In my Google search, I found a lot of places we’d never been to before. I chose a few with great reviews and interesting dishes on the menu. The three below had great service, fun atmosphere, and delicious food. It’s easy to see why they’re so popular and have several different locations in the southeast.
- Brick and Spoon (Breakfast) Their sign said: “Voted Southern Living‘s Best Breakfast in Alabama”. I had Breakfast Tacos and they were delicious!
- Ruby Slipper (Breakfast) This place also had great service, a fun atmosphere, and good food. I had the Grilled Fish St. Peter: Grilled fish of the day over a cheesy grit cake, topped with sautéed spinach & tomatoes, a skewer of grilled shrimp, and finished with creole mustard hollandaise.
3. Luna’s Eat and Drink (Dinner) We loved this place and regretted not going back for dinner our second night. (We were disappointed with our dinner at Cosmos.) For an appetizer, we had Deviled Eggs: A Southern favorite! Four Chef’s choice deviled eggs served with housemade pickles, seasoned pork skins and a scoop of pimiento cheese.
I do love to eat out especially when we’re on vacation but home (or home away from home) is always my favorite place to eat and relax. For lunch, we had chips and guacamole on Saturday while sitting in the sun on the west-facing balcony. I was wearing a cute sweater, too, that I’d bought while thrifting that morning.
My passion for thrifting is equally strong on vacation! Click here to see more of my Thrifty Style posts.
I didn’t realize there were so many thrift stores in the area but here’s a list of the ones I liked best.
Where to Thrift in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores (and Foley, too!)
1. Big Fish Ministries(Foley) The store has two locations (8475 AL-59, Foley, AL 36535 and 802 S McKenzie St, Foley, AL 36535) and we really liked both of them! Here’s one of my favorite finds at this store:
Y’all, I paid $25 for this beautiful mantel! I don’t mind at all that the mirror is missing from the top oval. It’s such a pretty piece!
2. Waterfront Rescue(Foley) 2365 N McKenzie St, Foley, AL 36535
3. Salvation Army (Foley) 2015 N McKenzie St, Foley, AL 36535
4. Holy Spirit Thrift Shop(Gulf Shores) 6798 AL-59, Gulf Shores, AL 36542
5. Catholic Social Services 23010 AL-59, Robertsdale, AL 36567 (You’ll miss this one if you aren’t careful. It sits across the road from the Catholic church in a small building at the back of Catholic Social Services. It was worth turning around for.)
We had quite a time getting our treasures and luggage to fit in our car! Always an adventure!
Connecting with People
We always enjoy meeting people and hearing their stories when we’re road-tripping and thrifting. This time was no different. Two I still think about today.
: a cashier at Walmart mentioned that she lived in Paris in the early 1970s. When I asked why she lived in Paris she said, “Oh, I was a hippie.”
Eric said, “I’ll bet you have some stories,” hoping to hear more.
She just smiled, handed us our receipt, and with a twinkle in her eye said, “Yes.”
: on a different trip to Walmart our cashier was a young man in his twenties. He said, “Y’all look familiar.”
I thought that was kind of a strange thing to say but I figured he was trying to be friendly. He then asked, “Where are you from? Eric said, “Jacksonville, Alabama.”
Jacksonville is a relatively small, university town 307 miles from Gulf Shores.
Imagine our surprise when he said, “Me, too! That’s where I know you from! He shared a little about where he’d lived and worked in Jacksonville and about his move to the Gulf Coast.
I always marvel at the opportunities God gives us to connect with people, hear their stories, and spread kindness.
“Help us now to be as aware of Thy nearness as we are of the material things of every day. Help us to recognize Thy voice with as much assurance as we recognize the sounds of the world around us. May we become aware of Thy companionship, of Him who walks beside us.” –from The Prayers of Peter Marshall
You might also enjoy reading Where To Eat + Thrift: Guntersville, Alabama
