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Details, Details

Family-Friendly Lodging
Accommodation choices vary in pricing and are the perfect balance of beachside cottage and apartment rentals with a sprinkling of high-rise condos - convenience and amenity without sprawl. Cottages can be quiet and secluded - try The Beach House B&B (800/659-6004 or 251/540-7039, 9218 Dacus Lane, Gulf Shores, Alabama 36542).

For condominium fare, try the Gulf Shores Plantation (800/211-5053 or 251/540-5000, 805 Plantation Road, Gulf Shores, Alabama 36542) or the Beach Club (888/260-SAND, 925 Beach Club Trail, Gulf Shores, Alabama 36542). These havens of comfort are fully furnished and have every possible recreational amenity. Pools you ask? The Plantation alone has six outdoor ones - and one indoor one as well as golf courses sprinkled everywhere. They are also corporate stewards of nearby beach and dune ecosystem conservation efforts including protection of three federally endangered species. Another popular option is the Phoenix VI and VII Condominiums, on the shore (251/981-6901 or 888/432-9587, 26803 Perdido Beach Boulevard, Orange Beach, Alabama 36561).

Family-Friendly Dining
Most restaurants in Gulf Shores have excellent fare. If you can, avoid dining on "land fare" while you are here, because the seafood soup of the Gulf of Mexico has generated the best fin and shellfish you will find anywhere. Try the Red Royal shrimp followed by bread pudding - a regional favorite. Eat outside at one of the fine restaurants to enjoy the soft southern breezes. For starters, I recommend the following gems of dining experiences for those in the know:

1. King Neptune's Seafood Restaurant
   1137 Gulf Shores Parkway, Gulf Shores, AL 36542
   251/968-5464
2. Calypso Joe's Caribbean Grille
   27075 Marina Rd.Orange Beach, AL 36561
   251/981-1415
3. Bayside Grill
   27842 Canal Road, Orange Beach, AL 36561
   251/981-4899

Pensacola's Flora-Bama Lounge (251/980-5118 or 850/492-0611, 17401 Perdido Key Drive, Pensacola, Florida 32507) is a "world-famous" quirky gem of Americana that can best be described as a family-style (yes, I said family-style) boogie or honky-tonk rock/country music bar. With vast square footage for various bands, bars, outdoor decks, dance floors and pool tables, the disorganized looking carpentry of this lone relic between the high-rise condos straddles both sides of the Florida-Alabama state line (hence its name and this article's title) - and the only night spot I know that can be appreciated by singles, couples and groups of all ages who want to mingle, dance or people watch.

Go ahead and get a T-shirt from the package liquor store - everyone else does when no one is looking. A popular regional event in April is Flora-Bama's Annual Interstate Mullet Toss, when hundreds compete to see who can toss a dead fish farthest from Florida into Alabama (the record is about 190 feet).

Getting There & Getting Around
If arriving by air, remote does not mean far away; Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida are within easy driving distance of Gulf Shores and efficiently serviced by US Airways. For all information regarding places to stay, all-inclusive packages, what to do and what to eat, your one-stop-shop is the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau.

If you decide to drive south and then get organized, there are two helpful local tourist office outlets. The Gulf Shores Welcome Center is located at 3150 Gulf Shores Parkway. You can call their Hospitality & Information Department at 251/968-7511 or 800/745-SAND. In the town of Orange Beach, stop by the Orange Beach Welcome Center (800/982-8562, 23685 Perdido Beach Boulevard at Highway 182, Orange Beach, Alabama 36561).

As an environmental consultant, Andrew Der writes for land development companies and government agencies requiring technical and scientific guidance. Over the last few years, his yearnings have led him to travel journalism and photography focused on creative and cultural family destinations, his children, Eastern Europe - his birthplace - and the occasional offbeat experience or unique niche uncovered in his travels.