If you have been following along for a while now, you know how much Mr. Blonde & I LOVE Orange Beach, Alabama! We like to go once a year… at least! Recently on our trips, we have been stopping in New Orleans for a night to break up our trip a little. Dallas–> Orange Beach is about an 11 hour drive!! Every time we go, we like to try new spots. If you are planning a trip soon, hopefully you can get some vacation inspo here!
New Orleans
Hotel Monteleone is one of the oldest hotels in New Orleans, operating for over 135 years! People say this hotel is even haunted, which we didn’t see! This hotel is famous for it’s Carousel Bar, which is located just inside the lobby area. Great drinks, cute atmosphere, and truly iconic!
For dinner, we went to another icon: Brennan’s. This restaurant is where the dessert, Bananas Foster, was originally created! The entire restaurant is also super adorable, beautifully themed, and has lots of character, making it a wonderful spot for dinner.
The next morning, we just had to get some beignets, of course! Within walking distance of our hotel was an adorable cafe called Cafe Beignet. Not only did they have great beignets, but their coffee was great and the atmosphere was absolutely adorable! Highly recommend! After breakfast, we walked around Magazine Street for some shopping before leaving to go to the beach!
Orange Beach
This is one of our favorite spots to visit! I have several Orange Beach posts here, so feel free to look through them for all of the restaurant ideas. This trip, we tried a few new places and truly had a great time.
Where to Stay
We stayed at a condo on the beach (exact one here). There are so many great places to stay that it can be overwhelming! This website has some great properties and is easy to book through! Whether you are renting a condo or a house, you really can’t go wrong!
Staying at a condo is also really convenient because not only do you have easy beach access, but you are also able to rent a pair of lounge chairs and umbrella that are already set up. This is ideal if you don’t have your own beach umbrella & chairs or you don’t feel like having to set it up and tear it down! You just sit in a lounge chair and a staff member comes over and takes your payment. Staying at a condo is also great because most of them have pools! If the ocean water is choppy or you are just tired of being sandy, nothing beats a day at the pool!
Places to Eat
CoastAL: Coastal is a brand new restaurant and hangout spot right on the beach. It has beach access, which is amazing, and the food & drinks are great. The view is beautiful and it is the best place to hang out.
BuzzCatz Cafe: A cat themed coffee shop? Sign me up! This place is super unique and has great coffee! They also serve a full menu of breakfast food, making it the perfect spot to grab a bite, re-fuel, and hang out!
The Gulf: We love coming here. The food is very casual (tacos, tuna dip, etc) and it is a great spot to hang out. Beautiful views as well!
Flora-Bama Yacht Club: You truly cannot go to Orange Beach without visiting this spot! It is iconic! They have casual beach food, fun drinks, and you can bring your towel and lay out on the beach! They are first-come-first-serve lounge chairs. We normally go here multiple times in one trip!
Pirate’s Cove: all the Pirate vibes at this spot. We always get a cheeseburger and have a great time. This is the best spot if you rent a boat because you can just pull your boat up, park it, and grab some lunch!
Lillian’s Pizza: One night, we just wanted something casual that we could bring back to the condo and just relax. This pizza spot is SO good. Lot’s of fun toppings to choose from, too. We got salads and pizza and had a wonderful night!
Foodcraft: Inside a convention center/hotel, this restaurant is so cute! Right on the beach (with more amazing views), we had breakfast! I got the Avocado Toast that was heavenly! Everyone else had the buffet, which is served until 11AM. GREAT options at the buffet and not very expensive!
Louisiana Lagniappe: If you are looking to go somewhere fancier for one night, I highly recommend this spot. Beautiful atmosphere, amazing food, and great service. Andrew and I split the Grouper stuffed with grab meat… outstanding!
Things to Do
Beach Day: This one is kind of a no-brainier, but we love just getting to hang out on the beach. You can rent lounge chairs or bring your own! I definitely advise either renting or bringing a beach umbrella!!
Boat Day: This is always the most fun day for us! We like to rent a boat and ride around in the bay! There are a multitude of restaurants that you can pull your boat up to, park it, and walk into the restaurant and have a good time. Our favorite spots to do this are Flora-Bama Yacht Club & Pirate’s Cove. We also like to anchor our boat in Robinson Island and just have a good time in the water! This is a super popular spot and really fun. Bring your own snacks!
Concert: The Wharf is a popular venue for some amazing concerts! They have a ton of events during spring-summer, so if you go during that time, definitely think about planning your trip around a concert. This was our first time going to one at The Wharf and it was beyond fun. It was SO hot (record high temps for that area), and yet we still had the best time. We saw Jason Aldean with Mitchell Tenpenny opening. Such a phenomenal show!
Have you been to Orange Beach or NOLA? Share your favorite spots to go to!
